As I walked, my mind drifted back to Koelel and the events that had led me here. I could almost hear the distant echoes of the school bell, the sound of boots crunching against gravel as we marched to the dining hall. I remembered the final conversation with Muss in the school dormitory, the way his face creased with concern when he realized I was serious about leaving. “Buda unatuacha tu hivo unaenda home kujibamba solo yaani?” he had asked, disbelief in his voice. I had laughed it off then, but now, his words lingered in my mind, mingling with the sounds of the city.
What would happen if they found out I was gone to see a girl-the love of my life in Mombasa? Also what if the school administration finds out that I had snuck out? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. Expulsion. Disgrace. The disappointment in my parents’ eyes. The whispers that would follow me long after I left the gates of Koelel. And yet, none of it had been enough to keep me from sneaking out, from boarding that matatu to Nairobi with nothing but a handful of cash and a promise from a girl I had never met in person.
I shook my head, trying to banish the doubts that clung to my thoughts like cobwebs. I needed to focus on here and now. The journey wasn’t over yet—I still had a long way to go before I reached Mombasa, before I saw Nadia.