It started as any normal day..the only thing unusual was the gecko on the “Hammers” door handle, mmmh, predicament. I can handle ten foot snakes easy, wrestle crocodiles..but geckos, well, I need strength here. “man-up!!”..i told myself so I grabbed a ten foot pole and swept the gecko off the door handle. The morning went on well…just counting down hours to the Quattro charge…awesome. Finally, hour zero, and me my pals Muraa, Nelly and Winnie set out to Lukenya hills for an afternoon of monstrous 4 by 4 trucks as the pummel through mud, sand and rocks. Sweeeet.
We are on Mombasa road, heading to our destination, and the hummer is tearing up the road…you could feel the anticipation in her purr. We get to the diversion and the road is all soil and rock no tarmac..no problem. We traverse through; she was built for this, my gal. after an endless number of kilometers through the Lukenya wilderness we arrive, and everyone is wide-mouthed..some looking up for the chopper that dropped the her there.
Muraa is clearly enjoying himself..guy is everywhere, from the pit, to the now mud-mosaic decorated cars. Me, I was the more reserved and quiet one..nooot!! we were cheering on “Singh” , you could think we had money on him…not saying we didn’t though. But it was pure adrenaline. Ian Duncan, Singh..all the legends in the Kenyan motor cross plus safari rally circuits were there. Thanks to the wonderful guys at Robs’ magic for the invite and for putting up a spectacular show.
The week, how was my week. The downside..my “Hammer” breaking down in the middle of the globe round-a-about…little general knowledge, it is the biggest in east and central Africa. So if you happen to get stuck here, you are basically toast. I am heaving and puffing, trying to push her, and other motorists are just passing me by hooting away, with chants of “Get that crap off the road”..just count to ten…count to ten…and there are sooo many beautifully roundly shaped rocks on the road, maybe I could just hit one of ‘em…just one..no??? ok.
This buck-toothed fellow with chocolate teeth, and from his accent you could tell he is from the central part of Kenya , suddenly shows up…and tells me to crank it. The only sound that came out resembled a grasshopper stuck in a metal tin. “Boss”, he started, poking his ear with a screw-driver..”Coiro ime uguwa” (the coil is burnt). He went on to tell me that he has one and he can get it for the right price. Seeming that I had n option, I decided to put my faith in this guy. He disappears past the mills of people, winding up the road. The blend of cars and pedestrians was giving me a head ache. He came a few minutes later, with the vital component. He fixed it in the hummer and he told me too crank her up. I turned the key and she roars back to life..we are sooo gonna have a serious talk when we get home!!!
Am giving up on her. She has mixed priorities, this car. But how can I…how can I turn back on her. She has always been there for me, took me to my first interview, carried my photography equipment, went to dates with her….had dates help me push her…sheltered me from the rain.. my gal. What is the one most valuable thing that you hold one to. That at times you feel like leaving it on the road or on someone’s doorstep and walk away, only to find yourself going back to it. Yaa, your baby blanki also counts. But don’t give up on ‘em. Just hold on a little longer. :-]
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