8:45 AM and Makena is at KRA, along Haile Selassie Avenue.
How come there is no queue？
Any chance the offices moved？
“Madam siku hizi wako huko chini, tembea hivi utawaona (They moved; just walk along the road and you will see them）” advised the security guy at the entrance.
Wrong shoes for walking!
Skirt too short to ride on a motorbike!
No matatus!
Walking it is!
This shouldn’t take long, 30 minutes and I am done.
She pondered on the meeting with her team scheduled later that afternoon. In her mind and calendar she had indicated it as the first Staff Meeting. If they are working for me, then they are staff members. Additionally, it sounded way better that way.
The Haile Selassie-Uhuru Highway roundabout looked old and neglected. She hadn’t been on this part of the city recently. The grass on the roundabout was slowly withering; even the Kenya@50 banner was now yielding to the strong morning wind.
“Kwa PIN ni wapi？(The PIN issuing office please?)” she asked the policeman at the junction. The policeman pointed towards the direction of Uhuru Park and stared hard at her bare legs.
Her phone vibrated and she quickly glanced at the screen.
– Hello Mark!
– Sup! Where are you? Breakfast on me!
– Good news first, finally got my first…
– First what？Don‘t tell me you did…
– Relax, listen. I got my first client and a cheque. Disappointing news is… a min.
The officer at the gate directs her to the shorter queue running towards the main entrance.
“Personal PIN here! Business PIN over there!” The officer voice came out of the portable loud speaker. She quickly takes place at the end of the queue and resumes the phone call at the sound of Mark’s voice.
– Kwani where are you?
– KRA
– Sure you are not at crusade. Swear I heard some preacher’s voice in the background.
– Hehe very funny. So, to cash my cheque I need a business bank account and to open one I need a business PIN.
– First, congrats on your first client. Secondly, you actually do not need a business PIN to open a business account. My dear, you are running your business under a business permit not a limited permit. It’s important you have it but it’s not a requirement when opening a bank account.
– I now don’t like you much. Why didn’t you tell me? I have walked all this way…
– Easy, easy, come to my office, will hook you up with my errands guy. And breakfast is on you cheque lady.
He hangs up before Makena protested. He always did that.
Breakfast with Mark was always great and well thought out. He had insisted on the Somali restaurant along Koinange Street. “I want you to try their green tea, it’s amazing,” he said.
Although Makena was impressed she always pretended not to. The day I acknowledge how amazing of a guy he is, is the day I lose him, she pondered. I still need him around though.
The staff meeting was due in 10 minutes. Mark had insisted on joining but Makena had adamantly refused. Her team of two having been earlier introduced was sitting on a booth at the extreme end of the restaurant on Tom Mboya Street. Both men, in their early twenties had brought their gadgets as Makena had instructed. Nash was a 3rd year student at Moi University while Og had just completed college. They all had brought their tablets and PCs to the meeting.
Makena hugged them. She had grown fond of hugging people regardless of gender. She felt the anticipation in their voices even as they both said, “We are good!” in unison. It sounded rehearsed and made Makena feel more like a boss. She set up her MacBook Pro carefully on the table as both men stared admiringly. People in downtown Nairobi were always taken by a MacBook Pro. She turned it on and their eyes became brighter as the Apple on the MacBook came alive.
“What should I bring you?” the waiter in the green uniform asked, his eyes fixated on the MacBook.
“I will have water; you can bring fresh juice for both of them,” she said.
“We only have mango juice.”
“Mango is fine,” said Nash while Og just nodded.
“I’m glad we all made it. Let me hear all your awesome ideas on this campaign,” Makena said excitedly.
She knew her #Hashtag idea would be the winning one. Men always struggled with these things especially if you instruct against sex innuendos. But leadership demands that you be patient with people even when you have a contrary opinion. She therefore sat through the 20 long minutes as Nash and Og justified their ideas sipping her glass of water from time to time.
#BobbieZone
#SavingTheNursers
#TheBigTwo
All their ideas were so lame. Their prowess was in technology and Makena was determined to break the internet with breast cancer messages.
#TheDoubleDees, she typed on her phone and sent it to Juma.
A sense of relief overcame her. She stared at her phone waiting for a response.
10 minutes and no text!
An hour had turned into a day. It had been 2 days and she hadn’t heard from him.
