Diaspoman:The days when showers flew in from all directions

The habit of spitting along the clean streets of Kigali seems to have toned down. Men! During those mid 90s, the showers arrived from all corners! Whenever you would be strolling along the streets of Kigali, you had to be very careful lest missiles in form of saliva flew in towards your direction. I cannot forget a time during those mid 90s when Aggrey and I were in Afande Niko’s vehicle driving from Mutara. We had been in Nyagatare for a wedding function. On our way back to Kigali, we encountered a serious missile emanating from a speeding taxi. This is what transpired - Afande Niko was behind the wheel, as his girlfriend giggled away by his side. Aggrey and I were forced to sit behind in the open of his pick-up jeep. We faced either side of the road and clung our hands around the metal bars. We sat behind with two escorts whose rifles pointed out ready to ripple through the air for any “Hadui” The pick up was in a sorry state. The shock absorbers had obviously tasted better days. There was something unique about Afande Niko’s driving styles. Whenever, the road was smooth and good, Afande Niko reduced speed and drove around showing off to his girlfriend. He would point out to the beautiful hills, for his tourist chick. I guess she was a Kigali resident like the rest of us. It was when we reached rough roads full of potholes, that Afande Niko would double the speed. This would toss us up in the air as we cried out for help. The fried cassava that we had crushed in the morning was dancing to the tunes of the ride. After an hour of sheer hell, Afande Niko parked the pick-up in Kayonza. We disembarked and religiously followed him. He marched onwards like Superman himself. His belt was decorated by a walkie-talkie. Everywhere he passed, young soldiers stood alert and saluted. They stamped their feet so hard that the surrounding dust formed a mini brown cloud. For us, this was a relief from the bumpy ride that we had endured so far. We joined Afande Niko at the bar, where he bought a round for us. As we sipped, Aggrey and I used our eyes to search around for a better car that could offer us a lift. Revellers walked in and out but not even one soul to give us that much needed lift. It was becoming late. During those days, it was not safe at all for one to drive at night especially on such highways. The only exemptions were for an army man in an army jeep. So we continued to destroy bottle after bottle. After a few more hours, we set off again. Once again, we sat behind like a heap of merchandise. Afande Niko did not waste time. He was already in high gear and speeding off like a mad man. A few meters ahead, the dreaded raindrops began to fall. It started as a drizzle. We prayed hard that the drizzle would not develop into heavy raindrops. This time around, our prayers were not answered. What started as a drizzle soon became a hailstorm! The escorts quickly dragged out polythene bags and covered their heads. We looked on helplessly as the rain washed us mercilessly. The metal rails of the pick up became unbearably cold, making it very difficult for us to hold on. For once, Afande Niko was touched by pity. That is why he pulled up near a building along the way. We hopped out very fast and took cover. Before long, the rain had stopped. The distance to Kigali had become much shorter and Afande Niko assured us that we would arrive in 20 minutes. As we shivered in our wet clothes, Niko cruised on in a bid to arrive on time. Along the way, he endeavoured to overtake as many cars as possible. Although the idea of overtaking was good, it turned out to be Afande Niko’s undoing! Well, it was Afande Niko’s turn to get a nice shower. Unlike us, it was not rain shower. Instead it was a heavy strike of saliva that came flying with so much velocity. It hit Afande Niko right in his eye. This happened as Niko tried to overtake a twegyerane mini-bus. Unknowingly, an innocent passenger had opened his window to spit. Only to miss the target and cause problems for our dear Afande Niko! diaspoman@yahoo.com