The ex-best friend
“I can tell he chose this fancy place to show off” was the first thought that crossed my mind as I was passing a glass door with a man who I think is supposed to welcome people in, but didn’t do that to me because he sensed I didn’t belong there. Ten years of no communication is such a long time, but he is, or should I say was my best friend, and I couldn’t decline an invitation for a ‘catch up and remind ourselves of all the great memories we shared back in school. I made sure I selected an isolated seat because I knew how loud he could get when we crack jokes, and I didn’t want to embarrass ourselves in an area I never thought I could sit and afford a drink. I don’t know if it were my baggy jeans or my beat-up laptop bag that ruined my look because when the waitress came, she dropped the menu and stared at me as if she knew I wouldn’t spend so much time after seeing prices. And she was right, how can you charge a glass of juice for 15k while I can get the same for 1k near my bus stop. I asked her for a bottle of water, which was the cheapest, and told her I was waiting for someone.
***********
I arrived two weeks late to begin my secondary education in a boarding school far away from home. Teacher Mchachano who I would later discover was the second headmaster, escorted me to the dorm, and we found him in the cubical sleeping at 1 pm.
Teacher: We James, amka! How are you sleeping while everyone is in class!?
James: Ahh, mwalimu, I don’t feel well kabisa! I was waiting to get a bit of strength and go to the nurse.
Teacher: Embu ondoa, that nonsense! And you are glad I am in my mood today, or else, ungenieleza vizuri
James: It’s true Mwalimu, I was………………………
Teacher: Nyamaza! aya this is your new cubemate, and as a punishment, make sure he knows everything he needs to do, places to be, and things he shouldn’t do to avoid having a fate you almost had today.
James: Okay Mwalimu, consider that done.
That was our first encounter, and I didn’t know; it was the beginning of a solid relationship that could last for six years until I finished my secondary education. Life had to happen, I went to university in Dar es Salaam, but he preferred to study in Mbeya. And like what he always said,” Dar tutakuja kufanya mishe, let me spend my university years to a place I know I might never visit again in my life”.
***********
The waiter brought my water bottle and asked if I wanted lime and Ice. I wondered if that added any cost, and I swear she almost laughed but had to maintain her professionalism. “Miss, you would ask the same ukija mtaani kwetu and muuza chips asks if you need mshkaki on top” I almost said that until I realized I am in a territory where I wouldn’t get any backup if a fight started. I sat there wished James could get here fast, so we could light this room up when I saw a tinted BMW pulling up. My attention shifted, and my head estimated if I could save each dime of what I am getting for ten years, then I can afford to buy rims of those tires. I could follow the car with my eyes until the waitress interrupted me with Ice and slices of lemon, which up to now, I don’t see the use of them, and poured water in a glass so clean I could see through it perfectly. As I was about to sip this expensive water, a tall figure with a suit that looked too expensive entered and caught the attention of everyone in the room. Have you ever seen a movie where there is that scene that a person is walking in slow motion, the wind blowing him, and everyone has a disbelieved face? That is how best I can describe the environment when this dude entered. He had the look of someone who has escaped Shida ndogondogo and had the confidence of someone who knows someone who could put you in jail. As he looked around and spotted me, he smiled; and that’s when I realized that was James, the James.
***********
James was a dreamer, and it’s like he was living in the future, and he was floating in the present so that he could get to it. He wasn’t that great at studies, but he made sure he got enough grades to move to the next class. Not that popular also, the type of person you know is in your class but don’t pay attention to him. Since we stayed in the same cubical, we automatically became friends, and while I had dreams of becoming a banker, he said life is yet to happen, and he is too young for career plans. We connected in our love for music to the point that we could spend a night debating who has the best flow and lyrics and share memorable lines for different songs. He snuck in an MP3 player, and we almost got expelled when a surprise inspection in our cubical happened, but luckily he carried the device to the class that day, and he later told me the spirits told him to.
***********
“How are you, brother,” he said. I noticed his voice sounds deep and confident, “I am great, ila kitambo Sana. Umetoboa aisee”, I said while looking at his watch, which I think is the brand that rappers refer to as a rolly. He smiled, “Hamna mzee, bado tunapambana. And why water, let me order something that will get us confessing sins” and shouted “Mary!” and the waitress came. “Ah, tutabaki kuosha vyombo if we are getting anything from that menu!” I said jokingly, and I think it didn’t land well as he proceeded to order something I couldn’t pronounce, and it sounded expensive. The next thirty minutes we spent trying to make jokes that weren’t that fun to another party, and the only common thing we had at that point was the past. Was he acting wealthy? Am I just not at his level now? Did we grow up and each become a different version? I kept asking myself those questions and was shocked how a person you thought was your best friend can be a total stranger in a few years. Seeing we might spend more time in awkward conversation, I had to come up with an excuse to leave; “Mkuu, I need to go. Mwendokasi ends their routes at 11 pm, so I need to hurry up and catch one if I want to get home tonight”, I said as I was picking up my backpack. “No problem Mkuu, but before you go, you need to understand beyond all of this glamour, there are skeletons in my closet!”, He said that and wished me a good night. I could not stop thinking about what exactly he meant and spent the whole time on the road back home trying to crack that.
What exactly did he mean…………………………………
End of part one.
