It was a little past 7 o’clock in the evening. My parents were in town. We were supposed to all have dinner together as I introduced Jimmy, my boyfriend, to them. My dad, a strict time keeper, was already angry. He didn’t need to say anything because I could see it written on his face.
“Where did you say he was coming from?” My mother asked me.
“Nyeri. He started working there a month ago,” I responded.
“Are you planning on moving there too?” She asked.
“No. It’s just for now as we figure it out,” I said.
“We’ve been at this restaurant for over an hour now. I’m not sure we can wait any longer for him. How far off is he?” Asked my dad.
“He’d mentioned his battery was running low, and I can’t get a hold of him now,” I said. I could feel the lump in my throat, but I couldn’t break down in front of my parents.
We placed our orders for the main meal and continued chatting, ignoring the elephant in the room for a while. Later, as each party went in different directions, my dad reminded me of the importance of having reliable people in my life.
I got home at around 10 p.m., and Jimmy hadn’t called or texted yet. His phone was off. I was worried and angry. I knew my parents were not pleased with his no-show. I also wondered if something had happened to him. I couldn’t think of any good reason, save for maybe an accident, that would have prevented him from coming.
I was in and out of sleep the whole night, checking my phone for a missed call or text. He didn’t call until 9 a.m. the following day. He asked to come over to my place to explain.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t get to meet your parents. You wouldn’t believe what happened,” said Jimmy.
I looked at him indifferently. He wasn’t hurt, so I could tick worry off my list and embrace every other feeling that surfaced.
“So when we last talked, I had just boarded a matatu from Nyeri heading to Nairobi. Babe, we found a terrible accident along the way that caused a heavy traffic jam. We were stuck for close to an hour before our driver decided to make a U-turn and use a different route. I had no idea where we were. While still on the alternative route, the car developed mechanical issues. The driver had to call their matatu sacco for a replacement vehicle. The vehicle took close to two hours to arrive,” narrated Jimmy.
“You didn’t think to call?” I asked him.
“Babe, I told you my battery was low. My phone went off somewhere in the traffic,” he said.
“You could have asked one of your fellow passengers. I looked like a fool in front of my parents,” I responded.
“I didn’t think of that. That’s not even the end of the story. So after the replacement vehicle came and we got back to our journey, we had a puncture. Apparently, we couldn’t stop to change it because the area where it happened is known for crime at that time of night. We had to drive slowly until we got to a safer place to change the tyre.”
“What time did you get home?” I asked him.
“I’m not even sure, but it was past midnight. That’s not all. A kid who was with one of the passengers threw up on me. I just wanted to sleep when I eventually got home,” said Jimmy.
“You didn’t even think of letting me know that you were safe when you got home?” I asked him.
“I just told you how hectic that journey was,” Jimmy replied.
“Yeah. Your whole life is hectic, Jimmy. Lightning could strike you twice. In fact, I don’t know why they didn’t cast you as Njoro wa Uba because bad luck seems to have a thing for you,” I told him.
I reminded him of the previous incidents where his ‘luck’ was another problem. It hadn’t been too long since he had been arrested. He’d gone drinking with friends I disapproved of, and they had gotten into a fight. One of his friends beat someone up badly. Everyone ran away, but an eyewitness could only describe Jimmy. That case cost him his job, and that’s why he was in Nyeri.
“None of it was my fault, and that’s different from this,” said Jimmy.
“It’s all the same. If it’s not one thing, it’s another with you, and that’s not counting all the previous times,” I yelled.
“Wow! Are you keeping a diary?” Jimmy asked.
“I’m so tired of all the drama, Jimmy. The worst part is that you don’t seem to care about missing yesterday’s dinner with my parents. You know how important it was to me,” I said.
“But it wasn’t my fault,” Jimmy said.
“It never is. Bad luck just seems to find you,” I said.
I knew it wasn’t his fault, but the anxiety and anger of constantly dealing with something had piled up. I was done putting up with how the universe was constantly conspiring against him.
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