By the time I reached Kikopey, I was exhausted. The small town was lively, bustling with activity despite the late hour. The smell of nyama choma filled the air, and I decided I needed to fuel up for the long night ahead. I walked into a small open-air restaurant, drawn by the sizzling meat on the grills.
As I approached the counter, a waiter, an older man with a thick Kikuyu accent, greeted me.
“Habari kijana, nyama iko moto kabisa!” he said, smiling widely.
“Ah, safi sana mzee. Nipe kilo moja,” I replied, knowing it was a splurge but figuring I deserved it after what I had just pulled off, plus we only had meat in school once a week. I said meat? Sorry I mean a small piece.
“Kilo moja? Hiyo ni nyingi kijana, utamaliza kweli?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
I laughed. “Leo itabidi mzee. Lazima niweke mwili tayari kwa safari.”
The waiter grinned as he cut the meat, clearly amused by my determination. “Hapo sawa. Umesema kweli, kijana. Lazima ujitayarishe. Safari ni ndefu sana.” He wrapped the meat carefully in foil, placed the foil on a plate and handed it to me, still steaming and smelling divine.
I found a bench nearby and dug in, the warmth of the meat battling the cold night air. Each bite was a reminder of freedom, of breaking out of school and embarking on this wild adventure.
Just as I was enjoying myself, a group of drunk ladies stumbled into the restaurant, laughing loudly. They were heavily built and scantily dressed. Their eyes immediately locked onto my plate. One of them, teetering on her heels, made a beeline for me.
“Eish, kijana! Hiyo nyama yako inaonekana tamu sana,” she slurred, her friends giggling behind her.
Before I could say anything, she grabbed a piece of meat from my plate and popped it into her mouth. Her friends followed, swiping the rest of my nyama choma like hungry vultures. I sat there, stunned, watching my hard-earned meat disappear in seconds.
“Haya, asante kwa kutununulia nyama, kijana! Tutaonana baadaye!” one of them said, blowing me a kiss in the air as they staggered off into the night.
I just shook my head and laughed. There was no point in getting upset; after all, the night was just beginning, and I still had a long way to go.