I was travelling to Nairobi with two of my lady friends. I had spent the entire morning trying to get one lady’s attention and hitching a ride to the city together was just going to seal the deal. We finally managed to get a ride from a friend who apparently was interested in the same girl.
I sat on the front seat with the driver to keep her away from him. Back then, safety belts were not taken seriously but the driver insisted that we have them on. I was used to matatus so I didn’t know how to use a safety belt. I struggled with it for a while. Assuming that no one had noticed my misery, I managed to pull it across only to realise that I had no idea how to buckle up.
I decided to hold it in position only to realise that I had been the centre of attention all along as the two lasses burst into laughter. I wished the world would come to an end. This only gave the driver an upper hand to start a hearty conversation with the ladies as they ridiculed me for the entire trip.
Once in the city, I was too embarrassed to keep their company and I dashed out of the car and sped home in the matatus I was used to, hoping to never make contact again.