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It's the rainy season. Right! And there is something I
never knew about it. That this is a time of long rains in Kamba land. Well I
grew up in the sprawling plateaus in Rift Valley and this is normally a harvest
season. That means it is a time for the short rains as opposed to the long
rains. I do not know whether the long rains phenomena also apply to the great
city that is Nairobi. This weather should be a preserve of the grain basket of
the country especially to those areas that serve the county that hosts the
capital city with vegetables, grains, cereals and the list is endless.
So, during the week I decided to go on cold calling to
prospect for new clients in the corners of the city. It was quite a walk. In
the company of colleagues who were also interested in getting new markets for
the products that we were selling. Well, it has been months ever since I lastly
walked for such a long distance. The only human baseness we committed was to
prospect on an already encroached market.
Walking can be fun at the start. This is because you get
to find out many things about the people who you are doing the walking with on
the streets. As time progresses, there is something monotonous at this age
where automotive has eased the hustle of mobility. What arises in some
instances is that it can be very easy to make a decision but to stick to it is
another thing. That is how herd mentality destroys that which should never be
finished off. Sometimes you need to walk it alone.
We chose the suburban bliss that is Nairobi even though
we come from the what I can describe as the shanty town. Even rap stars are
normally from the ghetto and they aspire to rule the music industry with their
lyrics in as much as some may never do that. Trekking in this weather is not
easy. The setback comes in terms of having shoes that are laced with mud and if
you do not have something to wipe them, you are sure to tell where you are
from.
I noticed people in heavy machines, fuel guzzlers staring
at us. It was likely to rain and they were sneaking snail-pace due to a jam
that had slowed down movement because this area has narrow roads which are not
expected to serve many people.
A couple of times I sometimes ask myself why I this
suffering. Well, the day I was prospecting, I was in my best suit. Since it had
rained the previous days, I could not find what to wear for the day. My
pullovers were all wet and so were my other jackets. At some point I was
walking in the rain where matatus would come and hoot to find out if we were
thinking of boarding.
We were not. What's worse is that I was revolving around the
same place. Something about matatus is that they abhor those who deny them
revenue. Never mind that they may not know that you are between a rock and a
hard place in terms of finances. When a matatu driver sees you walking next to
a pool of water next to the road, trust you e the unexpected will happen.
Instead of slowing down, they will ensure it splashes so that you are left at limbo.
Since I knew this tactic, I ensured that I walked on the
kerb and very far from those pools of water that were next to the sidewalk.
Honestly, there are those times I wished the opposite of my situation was
happening to us. Did I want to be among those being chauffeured in those fuel
guzzlers as I watched salesmen who were not able to make commissions trek in
the cold weather? I know you know the answer.
Once in a while, I mistook the depth of some water on the
surface and when I accidentally landed on it, my shoes did let in the sludge. My socks know how it feel. Incidentally, the mud also smeared on my trouser and I looked like a rookie who sell insurance and has been going without commissions for days on end. Never mind that I also sell insurance as among the products that I need to hawk around.
To be
continued.....
Hasta La Vista Baby.
[Picture Source: Google Images]
