As I was coming from work, I passed through town. It was a typical Friday. After the lunch hour, there was always heightened euphoria. There was a certain excitement in the air. People were moving fast. Streets were crowded, buses and cars occupied every inch of the road.

 The street vendors on street corners selling their wares were busier than any other day of the week. I always think that Friday is a special day on the calendar that was “invented” strictly for entertainment. Friday sets off the weekend. Ask all the beer imbibers and the like. They start drinking beer in earnest on a Friday.

If you miss the weekend mood on Friday, you might as well be off balance for the rest of the weekend. That is how Friday is like. Everyone wants to knock early from work. In the past I used to have that feeling of tearing myself off from work at the earliest possible opportunity. I don’t  want to talk about Monday, but one thing for sure, Monday has its headaches. The work left on Friday would still be piled up on the desk in addition to the new workload of the week.

But coming back to my story, as I walked on Main Street, something caught my undivided attention as I passed by a car showroom. In the showroom were the latest Range Rovers, with the bodywork gleaming incandescently.

The latest Range Rover is all about power, luxury and cutting edge technology. The exterior boasts of a sleek and modern  design that maintains the Range Rover silhouette.

Ostensibly what caught my attention was the beggar who had his nose pressed against the showroom glass walls. I followed the gaze of his eyes which were glued on the majestic white Range Rover parked loftily in the centre. What was he thinking about as he looked at the symbol of wealth on display. The latest model is packed with tech, including a large touchscreen interface and advanced driver assistance features.

Keep Reading

The cost of one of the high premium  performance continental  tyres would feed the beggar for two or three  months and transform his life. Maybe that was what he was thinking about!

A young man, he was likely one of the salesmen never paid scant attention to the beggar and he did not even glance at me.  It was quite obvious that their clientele would book for an appointment or they dressed in  a certain way. These salesmen would smell money easily enough.

I walked away from the showroom and after a while when l looked back, the beggar was still at the showroom, his nose pressed against the glass walls. Maybe in another life, he was somebody else. What do beggars dream about?

My head shook involuntarily. My phone, which was in my pocket suddenly rang. It was Baba VaTata.

“Come straight to my house, there is a party,”  said Baba VaTata. I only managed to catch these words. Even on the phone, his excitement was infectious.

Mai VaMaidei would not be too happy if I did not go home promptly. I told myself that I will just take a peek at the party and go home. After all, our cousin’s  wedding was tomorrow and we were all expected to be present.

I told myself not to get carried  away at the party, all will be well.

I did not want to think of the other time I attended Baba VaTata’s Friday party. After three days of no show, Mai VaMaidei  had reported me to the local police station as a missing person . I assured myself that this time, all will be well.

A voice at the back of  my  mind told me to go home, but I brushed it away casually as one swats away a pesky mosquito . It was a big mistake as it later turned out.

 

nOnie Ndoro OnieX@90396982
Previous article
Edutainment mix: A man’s place can be the kitchen
Next article
Zim moves to lessen burden of care work