An Enlightening Rendezvous

In 2013, I set up a blog that I christened Polly. A former schoolmate of mine at Starehe Boys' Centre named Josh Komoth was so impressed with the stories I posted on the blog that he asked me to meet him for a talk.

At first, I thought Josh Komoth wanted to unload his problems on me, so I told him I couldn't commute to Nairobi. But alas! He offered to visit me in my beloved hometown of Kiserian. I had no choice but to allow him to visit me.

Josh Komoth visited me on a morning in 2015 on a date I have forgotten, but I remember Kiserian was muddy that day. It being his first visit to my hometown, he kept asking me whether he was heading in the right direction.

Arriving safely in Kiserian he did, without keeping me waiting, something that impressed me. And guess what! He was driving himself in a black hatchback. So it seemed he was more blessed than me yet I had thought he wanted to unload his problems on me.

Because Josh Komoth was new to Kiserian, I showed him where to park his car and then took him to a cafe owned by my friend Lincoln Kivuti. I was pleasantly warmed when Josh Komoth asked me to order any meal which he would pay. We both ordered a cup of tea and a chapatti as we commenced with our talk.

He began by extolling the brilliant articles I used to post on my blog. I thanked him and then informed him that I had a challenge of converting that brilliance, or rather knowledge, to power since I was still struggling with such weaknesses as guilt, bitterness and oversleeping.

Then Josh Komoth chimed in, "Those are the kind of challenges that drive young people to alcoholism and drug abuse." I agreed, then swiftly added, "And prostitution!"

But I didn't disclose to Josh Komoth that the articles on my blog were full of lies, exaggeration and plagiarism. And it came to dawn on me that was actually the reason I was a Walter Mitty because since I started sharing stories that are truthful and original after I rebranded this blog in 2016 to what it looks now, the quality of my life has improved significantly.

If you didn't know, Walter Mitty is the main character in James Thurber's story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, who tries to portray his life as full of excitement and adventure when it is in fact ordinary. I suspect some of my Facebook friends are Walter Mitties in that they try to show off how exciting their lives are whereas they could be experiencing distressing problems.

Coming back to my rendezvous with Josh Komoth, I mentioned to him that I had gathered he worked for the Australian Embassy. When he told me it was indeed true, I asked him whether he had ever been to Australia. He said yes. Then I asked him whether he had been to any other country.

"Yes!" he blurted out, " I have been to Austria."

Josh Komoth probably thought I didn't know there is Austria and there is Australia. So when he told me that he had been to Austria, I asked him, "That's Vienna?" He said 'yes'.

As we continued with our rendezvous, Josh Komoth asked me whether I drew any inspiration from Che Guevara. Widely read as I consider myself to be, I have to admit that was the first time I was hearing of Che Guevara. I confessed to Josh Komoth that I didn't know who Che Guevara was but I noted the hero's name so that I could read about him later.

And later that day, I learnt from Wikipedia that Che Guevara was an Argentine revolutionary who loved the "If Poem" like I do. But unlike me, he was a staunch communist who was eventually murdered. Some pundits opine that CIA assassinated him which I think is because the United States government wanted to adhere to the Munroe doctrine - a policy that says a foreign power that tries to interfere with the affairs of any nation in the Americas is also considered a threat to the United States.

Yet again coming back to our rendezvous, I remembered as we continued with our enlightening conversation that Josh Komoth once broke his leg when he was in Form 3 at Starehe Boys' Centre. That caused him some complications as I will explain.

Starehe Boys' Centre is made up of two schools. There is the old school where students' dormitories are located as well as the school chapel, the dining hall and the assembly hall. And then there is the new school where most classrooms and laboratories are located as well as the swimming pool and the playing fields. Those two schools are separated by a highway called Gen. Waruinge Street. Starehe has a strict policy that all students, even the most senior prefect in the school, have to use a footbridge when crossing Gen. Waruinge Street as they move from old school to new school and back.

When Josh Komoth broke his leg, he couldn't use the footbridge. The school administration then instructed one of the school drivers to be ferrying him from old school to new school and back in a school van. I observed how the driver would punctually pick up Josh Komoth at lunch time. It spoke volumes of how great a school Starehe was under the able leadership of Dr. Geoffrey W. Griffin, the then school director.

After I remembered that leg injury Josh Komoth had, I mentioned to him about it, to which he reeled off, "Oh, that time I broke my metatarsal?"

"Eish!" I exclaimed, "Metatarsal - your word power is strong."

By the way, when I became friends with Josh Komoth on Facebook, I didn't know who he was. It's not until I saw his profile picture that I was able to connect the dots and realize he was the friendly fellow I used to see getting ferried in a school van.

And I have come to wonder why he calls himself Josh Komoth since that name sounds very European. Were he to discover a cure for HIV/AIDS, people reading about him on New York Times would be forgiven if they thought he was from Sweden. If I happen to rendezvous with him again, I will suggest that he gives himself another name that sounds truly African. A name like Tolulope Lodung'a Akeem. I am just kidding.