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I must share this experience, many of us can relate to this maybe even agree with what I’m about to say.

There’s an old wise saying of, “never judge a book by its cover”.I agree totally! It’s proved to be very helpful as i go on with life. So on this particular day i pushed and shoved my way through the not so well aligned matatu seats. As i at in the back-bench of the matatu i contemplated any potholes that may lead to bumps on the head as a result of being jerked up and down hitting the matatu roof. That’s when she got my attention.

She had maroon braids, the kind that shimmer in the sunlight. Considering her braids were new they resembled red rubies on her chocolate smooth skin. Now , i love maroon especially on a person’s head. The trick normally is not to look like your fashion sense has gone sour but, to make it look chic yet wild and funky at the same time. Yes! She’d nailed it! Then, an opportunity presented itself, I got to move from the squashed-up back seat to sit right next to her. Phew! Now i could not only sit comfortably but enjoy my moneys worth.

So i decided why not enjoy the African Belle’s attire next to me. I could borrow a tip or two. In addition to the maroon hair she had on a denim jeans jacket perfectly matched with a pair of jeans trousers. Inside she had a fabulous yellow sweater top. The kind that said, I’m here to be noticed! On her left hand she wore a gold-coated ring with the initial ”G” on it. Of course with a gold necklace to match. She wore no make-up on making her look simple yet chic. When she spoke on the phone and laughed she seemed to know what she was doing.

Her friend a middle-aged man who sat behind her seemed to enjoy her company or rather the fact that he could make her laugh. Then, it was time to pay-up. I thought the man being well-dressed in a suit and tie would do the honours and pay the fare but, nope! The lady right next to me did! She unleashed a ripe new crispy thousand-shilling note and signalled to the matatu-tout with two fingers indicating- “I’m paying for two”.

Okay! I thought: the gentleman looses 50 points and lady gains 30 points.

So there we were, stuck in traffic as i tried to continue with my reading and i looked outside to see how far we’d gone. As i peered to my right towards the window, I could not believe what i saw! There she was with her finger inside her nostrils goring up some serious search. Was she on a “gold” expedition? She stopped. I thought to myself “it must be a one time thing, she’ll probably not do it again.  I’m sure she’ll  dive into her handbag for a handkerchief.” Nooo! She was it again. This time with more zest and zeal. Drilling through her nostrils for some nuggets. And EUREKA! She brought out one huge ”treasure!” So sticky and slimy she decided to flick it, but, the ‘gold’ was determined to stick to it’s owner, so she fiddled around with it, finally, she smeared it on…Oh! I couldn’t bare to watch! Oh, I thought the worst was over, but, as it turns out that was just, ding-ding! Round one. Which was followed by round two, three, four five… I couldn’t watch again. I decided my book was a better view.

Remember I said to myself, “Never judge a book by it’s cover.” It may be as beautiful on the outside. Beware the “treasures” inside may not be as shiny.