A toi love story

Toi Market
Image: Courtesy

"Sisteh kuja uone"

*Quickly glances at the shoes on display*

"Ah, 'apana, asante"

"Sawa. Goodnight "

I proceed to watch him return to his store which isn't actually the one with shoes, rather, it's the one with shirts. So I follow him and say "ah kumbe wewe ndio uko na hizi, hizi ndio natafuta" 

I proceed to select the shirts that I want and when I'm done, I ask him where I could get some of them adjusted to a smaller size. And while at it, if he could recommend to me the guy who sold to him his sneakers; because they were fire. He tried to explain to me the directions. He must have seen the look on my face and had second thoughts. He said he'll just take me to those places instead. The love story isn't there yet. So we went through many vichochoros to get there. I got my sneakers as he stood silently at a distance. When I was done, he said "Wacha sasa nikupeleke kwa fundi" . Again, we went through different routes to get there. Here's where the love story is (for me). For context, the time is 5:36 pm on a Wednesday. It's been a long day of baking, coordinating deliveries and now thrifting. You know how thrifting can be exhausting especially when not finding exactly what you're looking for. Or when you find something, it's either too small or too big. Anyway, we get to the fundi's and I'm beat. In that dimly lit mabati shop, as I waited for my shirts, my toi guy sat quietly next to me. He took his earphones and slipped them in his ears. That moment right there did it for me. It signaled that he didn't want anything from me, socially. All I wanted was a few moments to just chill and breathe. It's as if he understood the kind of day I'd had and I understood the kind of day he'd had and what we needed both at the same time was some sense of 'solitude' in the chaos that is sometimes a a market. I'm sure selling gets exhausting for him as well. I slipped my earphones in as well and listened to the goat himself. Not Burnaboy, silly!  Davido of course! Hehe

Someone called him.... and I could hear the conversation;

"Eh buda kwani uko wapi?" 

"Nakam, kuna kitu nafanya hapa kwa **** (I forget the tailor's name) "

"Na umewacha duka, bila mtu, kam saa hii"

♮ (musical break, aa.ati don't mind meeee. iykyk) ♮

At this point, he could've rushed the lady adjusting my clothes. Or, he could've left me and given me directions to the "outside" because I was done shopping. Or he could have asked me to rush the tailor. Nope. He simply slipped backed his earphones in and crossed his arms. We continued to sit and wait in this pleasant silence that floated comfortably between us. About 10 minutes later, the clothes were ready. I knew to follow his lead. This was the third time we were doing it in the span of say 30 minutes. So I knew the drill. 

This reminded of a story I heard on a podcast. This babe said that the worst date she'd ever been on was when she went with some guy to the corn maze huko Yues. While they were 15 minutes inside the maze, the guy she'd gone with got bored and said "hey, you know what would be fun?" Then he took off very fast and left her in there haha. So she had to figure her way out with the help of the guys who work there as well. That process took her like an hour, only to find her date at the end thinking that was so funny.

 

Not my toi guy though. Could never be him. He would never find that funny. Even in the next life. We went in together so of course we were going to leave together. He was committed to me. To staying till the end. To letting me go through my processes without rushing me. My toi-mate. A marriage without a wedding hehe.

 

Back when we got to the entrance of toi, when I thought he'd ask for something, this guy simply said "sawa, si utafika poa" and left. I'm almost (99%) sure that he went to get his commission from the shoes-guy and maybe the tailor lady but I appreciated how he didn't make it my business. He didn't care to know my name or have my number. I didn't feel hustled by him or like I'd wasted his time. In fact those short minutes spent with him were comforting. 

It's rare to feel that way (un-hustled) in Nairobi.  Unless you're very intentional about it. Or are just lucky and were born a chill person. Or you've taken some wine, or something else... (Safe space, but not judgement free). Okay, point is, the city always feels like it's in a hurry and is just about to leave, so you'd better keep up. I was telling my girls how I doubt I'd enjoy living in a sky scrapper and waking up to the view of the city; moving cars, moving people. I'd feel so rushed. My goodness. I would never take a nap because why are you sleeping yet the world is active? Oh look, there's a G-Wagon, your dream car, do you think they got it from napping? Amka! Amka! My number two's would also be done hastily because there's other things to do lady! Don't you see? There's places to go. Wacha mchezo!  I'm grateful that here at home the first view I see when I open my curtains is a white wall and my some of my neighbor's back houses. On sunny days, I hear the birds chirping. So that instills some level of stillness when I wake up. And it allows me to take naps occasionally because the wall and the houses never move. But if being completely honest, the thing that gives me the greatest comfort is "ZXE451 Mpesa Confirmed" lol. So moral of the story? Send me money via Mpesa for me to feel comforted by you in this crazy city. 

Moral of the story for real? There's no moral of the story. I hope you're keeping well especially now that we're the official opposition people in Kenya. Also may the souls of all those who've recently lost their lives during the maandamano Rest In Peace. The struggle continues...

Also, Happy Birthday to July 11th babies. :)

Gwaheri!