HOME.
My plane was set to depart at any moment. I checked my phone, not to see the time but to check if the guys I'd become entangled with had texted me. I knew Leniey was quite busy, so that was okay. I sat on the lawn waiting when a call interrupted my random thoughts. It was Kelvin. "Hey, have you left?" he asked out of the blue. Not the usual "have you left..." – why would he call me like this and not even come to see me off? After some pause, I responded, "Yeah, almost leaving." He so continued, "Ooh, have a safe flight, Angel. Text me when you arrive." With that, he abruptly ended the call without waiting for my reply. It was Kelvin, the one who had cheated, yet he acted strangely. Why was he acting like this towards me? While pondering this, Leniey called. Seeing his number on my screen made me smile, a feeling I quite never leveled to understand.
"Hey..." I greeted him.
"I don't know if it's perfect timing or what. I thought you would have already left. My sincere apologies for not keeping my word about coming back to the house to see you off. Everything here is messed up; I've had so many shoots and events, barely any time to come there. Sorry again. Anyway, I assume you'll be leaving soon."
"Yeah," I confirmed.
"Oooh, at least greet your family, your little sister, and everyone. Have the safest flight; I'll be waiting for you in a month's time."
I smiled and responded, "It's okay, and I'll greet everyone. By the way, do you know Jake's whereabouts? I haven't heard from him in a while."
"Oooh, you're still looking for that cast guy, and you haven't even checked up on me once."
"Come on, Leniey, don't be like that."
"Anyway, yeah. I've heard something about where Jake is. I hear he's currently employed at ABSA Bank. Not sure which part of the country."
"What? How did his course lead to banking and finances?" I chuckled.
"Well, you'll be surprised..."
While he was speaking, an announcement came that our flight from LHR to NBO was ready, so passengers had to line up for bag checkups and more.
"Hey, I've got to go... text you later," I said, and he replied with a simple goodbye.
The process of checking bags and everything was a lot, but I finally settled into the seats. I put my phone on flight mode and thought about posting a picture on my Instagram story about coming back home. The plane started, and I braced myself for the eight to eleven-hour journey.
On arrival, I realized, the capital hadn't changed a bit; the streetlights were perfectly lit. People filled the streets, and the well-designed buses and matatus added charm to the city. I needed a local SIM card urgently to call my mom before reaching out to my dad. The traumas my father had caused when I was younger still stung, but since the day I wanted to leave the country for literature studies, he had become more cooperative. He had paid for my primary and high school school fees, but then suddenly stopped during my university entrance. Rumors of whether I was his biological daughter sometimes appears to be the reason for his acts. Sometimes I also wondered, given how different my features were from my sister's, who resembled him. My skin was chocolate, thanks to my mother, and I had small eyes. I used to wear glasses back in high school, but stopped due to self-esteem issues. Sometimes I struggled to read distant signs, but I managed considering the much hate I had for glasses. I however, consider getting glasses again before leaving this country late this month. Right now, I am around the CBD area, and it is almost seven p.m. as darkness is falling. Due to my urges for a line network for the sake of communication, I visit a Safaricom shop nearby to get a SIM card. I then so pay a hundred shillings for the card, as presumably asked and then left, heading to a nearby restaurant. Although I was familiar with the CBD from my university days, things seemed different after my departure. I sat down in the restaurant, noticing the many people enjoying their food and drinks. A waiter approached and said, "Hey, Karibu customer (welcome customer)." I nodded and ordered pilau and beef, estimating it would cost around 400 or 300 ksh. Afterward, I tried contacting my mom but couldn't reach her, so I dialed Jake's number. "Hey, it's me. It's Angel," I said when he answered. Just as I was about to continue, he interjected, "Which Angel?" I was caught off guard but clarified, "It's Angel Wema, from... you know, your friend from psychology and the cast." There was a sigh on the other end, and he said, "Oh, so you're back?" "Yeah," I replied. "Okay, that's nice..." I sensed he was trying to keep the conversation short. "Hey, eeh... I just wanted to see you. Can I?" Before I could finish, he abruptly hung up, something he had never done before. Frustrated, I became of course, I thought he would be the last to change on me. As I started eating the food, which had actually been brought while I was talking to Jakee, my mother called. Apparently, she had turned on her phone. "Hello, ma, ni mimi, Angel, nishafika. (Hello mum, it's me Angel, I have arrived)." I stated. When I heard her voice, she asked, "Ooh, umekuwaje mwanangu (How have you been child)? Twakungoja (we are waiting for you). How was the flight? Mshapatana na Kombo, au bado? (Have you met Kombo or still not yet?)" I took in her words and then replied, "Hapana, mum, nimefika tu, nikapata namba kwa Safaricom customer na hicyo nkakupigia. Nilipenda unipe namba ya Kombo ili niweze kuwasiliana naye. Unanielewa? (No mum, I have just arrived, after getting a line from the Safaricom customers, so I ought to call you requesting for Kombo's number in addition to telling you I have arrived.)" My mother proceeded to ask more questions, such as when I would arrive home. Our home was in Mtwapa, and we belonged to the Mijikenda community. I realized I hadn't mentioned that background earlier. On the other hand, my father is from the Ameru community, though my upbringing is in my mother's homeland.
As I contemplated devouring the delicious food, I couldn't help but miss the flavors of home. A message notification appeared, and I assumed it was my mother sending me Kombo's number. Without hesitation, I dialed the number. The first attempt didn't yield a response, but on the second try, I received a reply. "Hello," the voice on the other end responded. I immediately recognized it as my cousin's voice. Of course, there was background noise, which was to be expected given his DJ profession. I told him I had arrived, which he adversely tried to apologize for not being at the airport to receive me, explaining that he thought I'd arrive at around eight p.m. Nonetheless, he asked for my current location, to which I provided the details. I hoped he would arrive soon, as my head was pounding and exhaustion was setting in, my eyes already straining. After a couple of minutes, my mother called again to check if I had connected with Kombo. I confirmed, and she offered advice to rest and take painkillers for my headache. Kombo arrived shortly after. He was wearing some casual labeled clothing, and upon seeing me, he grinned broadly. "Enyewe, UK looks good on you. You have become more cute and brown," he commented. I laughed, realizing he was playfully flirting. When I inquired, he offered to help with my luggage.
After settling the bill for the food, we left the hotel. Kombo's house was impressive, adorned with his music label's calligraphy. Photos of him were proudly displayed on the walls. "So, what are you up for eating?Or these days its sushi (laughing)?" Of course, he was jesting with me, a common practice when someone returns home from a distant place. People often imitate the sounds and mannerisms of that place. I responded that I wasn't hungry, as I was already full from the restaurant I visited earlier. All I really wanted was a shower and some much-needed rest. With a nod, he directed me to the bathroom, explaining he had another gig in Juja and needed to leave. After a refreshing shower, I laid my head on the small pillow Kombo had provided on his less-than-comfortable bed. First, I bought some data and then logged into Instagram to see if I'd received any messages from Kelvin, Eva, or Leniey. Leniey had messaged me, "Hey, have you arrived?" After a few hours, "Hey, not yet?" An hour later, he added, "C'mon. Nunua bundles bana..." with a laughing emoji. He meant I should purchase data bundles. I quickly replied, stating how tired I was, and the banging headache that had somehow lessened after the shower. I noticed that Kelvin had also messaged, but I felt too tired to respond right away. I figured I could reply tomorrow. And with that, I drifted off to sleep.