The Big Crush

Chapter 1: Day 1

Chapter 1: day 1

Am standing 5ft4 off the ground, amazed by the view in front of the amazing gate to the University of Nairobi the school I got an admission late last year. The huge letters pasted on the concrete slab standing a few meters away from the famous uhuru highway; it is one of the biggest lanes drawing the traffic out of the city to the western part of Kenya. It is confusing to be in such populated area such as Nairobi where everyone is moving in all direction. Strangers constantly brushing of, not minding whether you are heavily loaded with baggage and pushing you each side just to get away to pass through. I must say I find them so busy that I wonder if by any chance I will even get that busy with my dreams. This is one of the city where I have learn that people especially those young from our village come to find their dream and make them work. It is my dream to be like them, at least to get my life started and walk the journey of life supporting me and my family.

"Hey you want help," a roar almost deafening my ears, it a man in rags and his smile is not the pretty one, he is practically wearing nothing. He looks desperate, her eyes welling up as I get startled by his looks, I don't know why a man could leave a good life back at home only to end up begging or in a horrible state such as this

"I just want a hundred for today."

Looking aside, same kind of man is doing the same kind of job, he is not alone and most of the student are side by side with the stranger as they head to the school following them. He seems to realize that am kind of new and so he approaches me in hope that I would give in. his eyes constantly darting from my face to the suit case laying by my left leg, it still hard for me to trust this guy with my belonging. But it seems for you to get along in Nairobi you have to consider trust less than to get job done.

"Okay, but first tell me how much to take these to the hostels?"

"A hundred wherever you want."

The man places the suitcase on his shoulder, puffing out a big gust of air of his chest leaving it airless and starts to walk. It is amusing to see the kind of body that is carrying my bag, his muscles just an inch from each of his bone. Well his shoulder is flat enough to hold even a bag of potatoes but his leg and not that supportive they constantly quivering as about to fall. At some point it so really am about to anchor him but he finally get back on track.

"You know, there are a lot of people joining this year, we have never experienced such number."

"Oh yeah!"

"Whew! Where are you from?" the man asks again puffing out another gust of air, and stop to rest for a while. The tone of the asking question is so suspicious and I have to be cautious, for this is Nairobi and my mom had been warning me about it.

"Am from thika? You know the place it just a few kilometers along the thika road. What about you?"

"I don't really know, but somewhere in nyeri."

The last part is a lie, am actually from kirinyaga, a district bordering nyeri at least I trust the man so I decide to shift my native language. We can understand each other since the two district are in the same province; central province where kikuyu reside. It is a long walk to the hostel and the man seems kind of friendly so we make conversation until the blue building comes to our site.

"They don't let like us inside, I hope you won't mind?"

"Don't worry thank away, I would be stranded there until now."

I fish out a hundred notes out of my pocket and hand it to him and now facing my bag wondering how to get it up to my room. So a bus carrying very few students make a standstill in front of us broking the view of the two visible hostels. They also leave the bus carrying heavy bag just like mine and standing beside the bus allowing it to row away soon after everybody is off. They are all boys and each one of them places his bag on his shoulder some of the carrying a bag pack on their back. Others are suitcase that you have to drag in a more comfortable position, it quite frustrating since I have to carry mine.

"Hey are you new?"

"Do I look like you ass, give me a break."

It always get into my nerves when someone becomes too cocky and want to bully especially when I have come this far. This man is even much short than me and want to get me by my ball, he moves away from me to his bags. I kind of want to kick him but something snaps telling me to remember that no matter what I was still new. Everyone around me is getting nervous from my attitude but I pick my bag and start walking. I deep my hand into my left pocket and pull out a piece of trashed paper and unwrap it o reveal a number. It's my room number, written in bold italics with my name and the admission number on top of the paper.

There are a lot of stairs leading to the two hostels, and other pavement disappearing into a thicket around the two hostels. The air here is the same as home, cool and fresh as the tree oxygenate it and swaying to create a cool breeze. At this point I meet up with the first lady in this forgotten island of books, home is better off since lady are almost everywhere not like Nairobi. She is pretty but her clothing is what making me to stare at her. So short, revealing every possible part, her face somehow brighter than those back in our village. She is constantly giggling as the boy next to him trickling her making it impossible for me to walk past their drama.

The prefabs hostels are wooden bungalow building in the furthest in the area allocated for the hostels, they are often occupied by the freshmen's. There are not kinds of my looks but I have no choice this is one school for years I have been dreaming of.

"Hey where is a prefab 8,"

"Walk in and branch of after these two to the end on your left."

"Okay."

I don't like saying thank you, it is more girlie and sound of it to a dude always gay, I walking still struggling with my bag into the prefab and the into the room number 16. It is not hard to locate the room they are somehow number in an increasing order. I place my bag on my left leg and pull out my keys to unlock the room.

Am finally in my room, all alone my roommates have not yet arrived and so I have to spend the night on my own. There just three bed; each with a mattress and two sheet which are optional according to the sigh up sheet and hence so of the beds don't have the sheets, two tables; one on the furthest corner of the room whereas the other on the middle of the room and four cabin; two on either sides of the room.

I seat by the bed so exhausted just after dropping the bag on one of the other bed and allowing my mind to think nothing. I slowly breathe at interval, holding my breath my body respiring and releasing the heat leaving a cooling effect. I always do this after an exercise it makes you feel good and releases the stress in my mind. The light at the middle of the room is for reading and boring enough to make me fall into a slumber.