Started very mildly and boy oh the game was coy. A smile here and a dash there, all to the chagrin of the senior Engineer at the Ministry of Public works. At the moment I was an intern fresh from the charge of my Undergraduate Degree in Civil Engineering. A hot-shot by my standards vide the two pairs of sharp- pointed shoes I’d don to the office week on week. 

My night nurse as you’d call the elusive object of my adoration was a secretary at the same ministry and a ‘Mali Safi’ as all senior civil engineers thirsted tongue tied. My source and first buddy at the Ministry by the name of Kimani noticed my enquiries and soon I was the brunt of all mkatiano jokes. ‘Buda najua unadai Victoria’ he always chided me and my response was always the same; ‘Zae Buda’ as I laughed my black ass off yet deep dooown!!!! 

One day I dashed on some of that Rasasi perfume and ascended those stairs nikijua “leo ndo ile day.” Nothing could be left to chance as I donned my Ascot which I will later refer to as cravat. Nikafika kwa ofisi and like the Shakespearian merchant extracted my pound of flesh. Ma late night tukawa tuna chat and I liked her Gemini wit. Those days I was a chat maestro and as the Italian Saying goes “Il Maestro Cuchilada” – meaning to the master goes the knife. True enough the emoji knife cut my aspirations of love into 1001 pieces.  

 A first dinner date staring at those hazel eyes assured me that we belonged together. Red flags zote nikatupa Balambala as I spotted our mutual areas of coming together while thinking of Coming Together. A first kiss at her gate and my fate was sealed, morio nili fly mpaka kejani and the next five years played out both inside my head and later mirrored in real life. A vacay here, some dinner dates there and those matching Kitenges with my favorite Afrocentric themes. Bruuuh hizo zote tulifanya my guy. When I remember the amount of hand- holding ; the romantic in me goes hopeless juu I and she would make for a great Dettol Handwash advert na ningekua mafutani (laughs sheepishly) by now. God bless my Valon or is it valor.  

All relationships and most administrative zones are separated by Bridges and it was time to cross ours. Mind you like Zambia and Zimbabwe I had fallen for Victoria. Whenever I and my buddies went camping they called me Nahodha and my compatriots were Dereva and Kandawalla. This meant I was the one to navigate the waterways and when she prodded the Simon Peter question after rocking her boat –“Who are we?”: I knew the cherry sat delightfully atop the cake and it was my turn to scoop, mambo ya ku Pick nikaachia wale wa ku Peel. Nikasema we are an item dating and as Sherlock Holmes always said to Dr. Watson “The Game is Afoot”

Mboka by Amboka