Being single in Nairobi comes with its randomness. This time, it was a random night out with my girlfriend. Nancy had just come from the US after leaving to do her Masters. She barely was in the country for two days before she called me to join her for a night out.
It was around 8 pm on a Saturday night and I was doing what usually did – watching movies. My social life had fallen into a slump and I didn’t know how to get out of it. All my friends were either raising their kids or planning a wedding. I, on the other hand, was in my pyjamas the whole day and barely moved from my couch. Nancy coming back to the county was like my saving grace.
“Hey boo,” she said on the other line.
“Hey.” I tried to fake my enthusiasm but I was too bored.
“You sound like you could use a night out. Come to Brew Bistro. I’m with some friends.”
Before I could come up with an excuse, she hung up. I shuffled through the room trying to give myself a pep talk. The comfort of being by myself was hard to leave. However, I knew I needed a random night out like this one. I was also not the one to say no to Nancy. She normally didn’t take it very well especially since I hadn’t seen her in person for over two years.
Luckily, I didn’t throw out my party dresses. I wore a figure-hugging knitted dress and a denim crop jacket. One look in the mirror reminded me how much fun I used to have going out. It was going to be a great night. I called an Uber as I continued getting ready and within a few minutes, I was on my way to Brew Bistro.
“Night out?” the Uber driver asked trying to strike up a conversation.
“Yeah. My friend is back from the US. I’m going to meet up with her.” I replied.
“You’ll be killing them.” He commented then chuckled.
Before I knew it, we arrived at my destination and I was met by Nancy and her friend outside. Excitement filled the air as we embraced repeatedly in disbelief. One of my best friends was finally back home. She was evidently drunk and her friend struggled to hold her up. However, the reunion was magical and we made our way into the club.
Their table was filled with expensive champagne and whiskey bottles so I knew it was about to be a fun night out. I found space next to a built, bearded man who introduced himself as Edu. He was great company, chatting me up the entire time. Occasionally, I’d get up and dance. He seemed particularly interested in me and wouldn’t leave my side. He even offered to escort me to the washrooms which led to us going to his car.
“I hope you feel comfortable around me,” he said. That sounded strange but at the moment, I was in no capacity to make the right judgement.
After a while, Nancy and another male friend joined us in the car and we continued drinking with the exception of Edu. Everybody was having a good time then we all came up with the brilliant idea of riding around town. Nancy said she wanted to see the city at night since she wanted a reminder of its beauty. Edu was more than willing to drive us around, taking us through the upper sides of Nairobi.
Soon, we all lost concentration and were deep in conversation. The other guy jumped into the front seat and I went to the back. Nancy and I caught up on lost time, oblivious to where we were going.
At some point, we both passed out till Edu and his friend woke us up.
“Girls, we’re here.” He said shaking us up.
We didn’t know what he meant but it was early morning and we were in a state of confusion. I looked around and all I could see was greenery. There wasn’t a building in sight. My heart started racing. Following the increased number of murders in the news, I could only think of the worst scenario.
“What are we doing here?” I asked trying not to sound scared.
“You said you wanted a drive,” Edu replied a bit rudely.
Nancy sat quietly in the back. She didn’t come out of the car until the men insisted that we all go with them. We were both in heels and manoeuvring in the muddy terrain was a nightmare. It was also extremely cold and none of us had jackets.
We finally saw the only stone building around. I could see the sigh of relief in their eyes as we approached the house. Edu took the lead inside the house. The two elderly women seated outside the house looked astonished to see us.
“Habari yenu.” Edu greeted them and they replied.
“Kuna mahali tuweza charge simu.” He asked and one of the daughters came out. She greeted us and asked how she could help.
Edu explained to her that our car had stalled in the muddy road and all our phones had run out of charge. She was more than happy to help. She took Edu’s phone and put it in the socket. Then, she suggested that as the phone charges, we could try and push the car. She gave me and Nancy flat shoes and warmer clothes then we made our way back to the car.
By that time, there was a small crowd of young boys around the white Mercedes. A few young men joined us in trying to push the car and after several failed attempts we were out.
Edu returned with his phone and then explained to us how we ended up at that place in the first place. He said he wanted to take us to a resort in the area but didn’t anticipate that it would be that wet. From then on, we restricted our night outs to Nairobi only.
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