PART 1 “MISTAKEN IDENTITY” The City Dwellers.

By: Jemedari Mwanawakiume

Wilson Muchiri is also known as Jemedari Mwanawakiume.

“How much for a night?” He asked me, still chewing the load of miraa that had filled his bowel-like mouth. I could see green juices drop from the sides of his mouth as he added more twigs and leaves in the same mouth. He teared a packet of PK and drew out two pieces, he threw them in his mouth and handed the rest to me.
“Thank you.” I said in a low tone as i picked the packet. I emptied the remaining two pieces in my mouth and started chewing. I looked at him, his eyes were still fixed on me. They were big eyes that had protruded from his deep sockets. He had the longest forehead that i have ever encountered in my life.
“Peak some and chew. You are just wasting that chewing gum if you chew without miraa. Hii inaitwa lele!” He told me, stretching his hand to give me some twigs.
“No! Thank you, i don’t use that.” I rejected.
“We are used to you girls, you pretend to be angels, but tukiwapeleka huko lodging, u still everything from us. I know you use this things. So, just take some and eat. Ni za bure. Stop wasting that PK, sijaokota.” He said, his hand still stretched towards me.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, nimekuja tu kuulizia mtu hapa, Please help me if you can!” I told him in a serious note. He stopped chewing suddenly and fixed his eyes on me. He shook his head then spitted everything that was in his mouth. He wiped his green lips with his left hand then cleared his throat loudly. The process resulted to the production of some healthy green sputum that he spitted on the ground then rubbed it with his foot. He was wearing some shoes made from used tires, popularly known as akala or ginyera. He then moved some few steps towards me. He produced a fake smile that revealed his stained green set of scattered teeth.
“Ati umesema unataka nikusaidie?” He asked in a whispering tone.
“Yah. Nimekuja kutafuta mtu huku!” I answered in a low tone.
He laughed loudly then clapped his hands. He shook his head then turned around, his back facing me. He kept laughing like a mad person, constantly stepping his right leg on the ground as though he was exorcising some notorious demons from me. I could clearly see his old three piece coat swaying from side to side as he lifted his leg. The coat was very old that had been repaired with peaces of different colors along the shoulders. His black pair of trousers was not in a good state either, i could see the repaired patches around his butts. The trouser had been repaired with brown pieces of cloths, not sure whether that was the original color of the pieces or it was due to dirt.
He turned around again and faced me, he had laughed until tears dropped from his eyes. He stretched his hand and held my shoulder, i almost passes out due to the strong odor that came from his armpits. His coat and the shirt he was wearing were both torn around the armpits. I could see long brown hair hanging around the same region. If you were not careful, you would think that he was carrying a brown chicken in his armpits. He tapped my shoulder severally, the more he tapped me, the more the smell increased. It really reminded me the time i was in school, when we were preparing ammonia gas. Dont even think about he.
“Unatafuta mteja mwenye hakukulipa. Right? Wewe ni mgeni huku?” He asked me while shaking my shoulders.”Wacha nikuibie siri, ukitaka kusurvive huku, kabla uvulie mtu, Pesa mkononi kwanza. La sivyo…. utatatumiwa ka public toilet!” He dropped his hand, clapped then faced away from me.
“Master!” I heard a loud voice shout behind me. ” wavue nini na huwa hawavai kitu huko ndani. Mwambie kabla apanulie mtu, pesa kwanza!” The voice added.
I quickly turned and looked behind me, an old man was standing just behind me. He was holding a plastic bottle filled with some clear liquid. He sipped the liquid then closed his eyes as though the liquid was burning his throat. He coughed severally then pointed at me.
“Wewe mgeni huku? Bila shaka utapata wateja. Mimi leo usiku na wewe. Hata nyumbani siend. Master nifungie lele ya hamsini hapo!” He shouted pointing at the man who i was talking to before.
“Na wewe Kalewa utaacha ujinga, i told you stop mixing chang’aa and bhang!” Master shouted at the old man. Don’t you see she wants me that is why ako hapa?” He spoke confidently. He mixed swahili with fluent English despite of his condition. He walked towards his structure. The structure had been constructed just beside the dusty road. It was covered with grass and part of its walls covered with mad and the other part some old sucks. The front end was not covered at all. You could clearly see inside. There were some funny bunches that had been fixed on the ground. On the benches, there was three boards of draft game with a lot of bottle tops. On the dusty floor, there were a lot of miraa leaves with packets of PK chewing gum. Near the entrance, there was a table with piles of miraa tied together. Probably for sale. There was also a clear tin, written ‘Toss’. Inside the tin, there was some sweets ans chewing gums. Under the table, there was a create of soda. At the pole near the entrance, there hang some banana leaves.
“Huyu Master asikudanganye na kizungu”, the old man, whom i came to know as Kalewa, whispered to me as Master entered the shop. “Huku hauna msichana huwa anampea. Anawatumia, na hawalipi.” He added. I could feel a strong smell of brew hit my nose as he spoke. I came to know that whatever liquid was in his bottle was not water. I did not utter a word. I was just confused with the kind of events and words that were being spoken by the two old men.
Master came out carrying a bunch of Miraa. He handed it to Kalewa. Kalewa dipped his hand in his trousers and removed an old note. He handed it to Master. “Haya! Unaezaenda sasa na ulevi wako!” Master shouted.
“Mimi naenda leo na huyu Msichana. Naona Katiwe Lodging leo imefunguliwa.’ Kalewa said while stretching his hand towards me. I jumped and moved away from him when his shaking hand landed on my sitting allowances. “Acha hizo babu!” I shouted.
He smiled while still approaching me. His mouth was filled with brown teeth, although his front upper teeth were missing. “Niite tu babu lakini tukiingia Katiwe utapiga nduru!” He said while trying to hold my hand. He hand such a rough hand that you can not imagine.
“Tafathali niache basi niende!” I knocked his hand and started moving. They remained there laughing.
The son was already setting. I was in a strange place. I had traveled all the distance to find some answers. I was told that the answers lied in that village, that small shopping center. Everyone i had asked about him that day had given me the same answer, ” Ulizia kwa Master!” The same master i had hoped to help me, was such an insane person. ‘Where will i sleep?’ i wondered. I knew no one in the place, but my grandma had told me that all the answers about me lied in that village. Sure, an insane village. ‘Will i get hep!” I looked into my pocket, i had only two hundred shillings left. But i was determined to meet him. Whether alive or death. Was willing to do anything, at least to see his grave, if at all he was dead. But i hoped against all hopes to meet him alive. I believed he was alive.
“When he lost his job as a banker, he started drinking alcohol. He became worse. He started selling his properties, When he was left with nothing, he disappeared.!” My grandmother once told me. “You were less than a year buy then. Your mother also could not put up with him. She left and came to stay with me. Your grandpa had just passed. Life was not easy. She also left you and vanished. Three years without communicating, When she came back, she was very sick. She died when you were almost four. During her burial, someone told us that your father is in that village. Far away from her. it was later confirmed. I have that feeling that he is there!” My grandma added. That was long before she died. She was the only relative i was left with, after her dead, i had to look for my dad. I had to find out my identity. My blood!
I suddenly stopped and turned back, the two old men were still looking at me, laughing. Kalewa was busy sipping his brew. “If Master is the only one who can help me. I will do anything to get his attention!” I thought. I quickly turned and started moving back. When the two old men saw me returning, they gave each other a high five and started clapping. I a faked a smile and faced them! “I will do anything.”


to be continued.............. keep it here.