June 1998. It was my first day of a six month course in computer fundamentals at Mombasa Polytechnic.
She was sited outside the lecture hall on the side stone. Bui Buis are not very flattering on a woman’s figure but she gave life to that bui bui. The shock of her presence still haunts me today, twelve years later.
She is bright. She ended up at the top of the class and she inspired me to really study hard, something I had not done most of my life.
Did I say she is beautiful? I mean really beautiful.
I would take an earlier bus so that I would be near her bus stop so that I could follow her to school and always sat behind her so that I could observe her every move.
Her accent made me fall in love with Mombasa. I could not understand her Kiswahili but I loved listening to her speak English with that delightful mwambao accent.
She is happily married now with two angelic children and works for a publishing firm.
She is the reason why I am haunted by Whitney Houston’s
“I will Always Love You", Michael Jackson’s
“The Way You Make Me Feel” and Vanessa Calton’s
“A Thousand Miles.”If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight