A LITTLE STRING CALLED HOPE

Her bones were aching, no position she tried to sit felt comfortable. It was cold but she had a distinct smell of sweat. Her eyes were red probably from lack of sleep for the past couple of days. Her stomach rumbled with anticipation. With every change of sitting position, she yawned like a hungry lion deep into the Tsavo during drought. She was just 30 minutes into the journey. On a rickety bus back to the village. Her mind seemed to wander as she stared into the now dimming city lights as the bus maneuvered onto the many diversions around the highway under construction. It was all a maze up in there, you could see it in her restless eyes. She clung onto her half-empty bottle of "not so mineral water" with her life. She occasionally pulled out a phone ridden with cracks that would rival Spiderman's web from her purse, To check on the time maybe. What was the rush? she had at least six more hours on that bus. A whole six or so hours of anxiety.

She went through her CV through the dim light on the bus. What might she have put in wrong? Her experience selling insurance and merchandising stood out like a sore thumb, she had done that for a greater part of the three years since she left college. She had not graduated because, in this country, education is a reserve for the greased deep pockets who complete their fees before graduation day. Her transcripts were impeccable just as the little hope she clung onto. She kept flushing her phone out with anticipation each time her heart sunk deeper and deeper.

This was the seventeenth interview she had gone to in six months. Each one of them miles away from her home tuff. She had to incur expenses each time, Lending apps knew her by her home address! Relatives shunned her like she had the plague. Her mother tried to help her out once in a while but there's only too little she could do with her meager earnings selling fish at their local market. She did what she could.

"What am I not doing right?" She thought to herself. Would life have been easier if she had given into the advances of her former boss? A married guy with school-going kids. Was he going to be any different from Paul who had promised to marry her during her college days only to scamper after knocking her up? How was she going to afford fees for her daughter who was set to start kindergarten later that year? What was she going to do to the few weeks old bun baking in her oven? She cursed at men, she hated herself for being so naive. But Hillary had promised her a job, she seriously needed it, she had no choice, And she loved James with parts of her heart that weren't broken yet. How was she going to break the news to him? What would he think of her disloyalty, would he understand the end justified the means? But she was just another pawn in Hillary's game but James, also a recent graduate was struggling to keep his movie shop business afloat. With some outdated computers his aunt in the city had donated to him, was he ready to start a family? And were would they stay? At the back of the counter in his 6 by 6 shop?

The trail of thoughts went on and on making her seat more uncomfortable with every minute that passed. All she could hear now was the bellowing of the old bus engine and a few snores in the background, it was all dark now but her skeletons in the closet wouldn't let her snooze. The journey was long windy and tiresome, ooh she was tired way before she came to the city, Mama Brian had made her work extra when she asked for bus fare to go into the city to try her luck on this interview. She had washed clothes, cleaned the house, cooked for the family to find food when they got back home and arranged wares in Mama Brian's shop the day prior. Tired was an understatement.

She swore this was the last time she was going to those interviews. She would learn to live life the way it came. Enough was enough. Her trail of thoughts was interrupted by her phone, a warning the battery was low. Could this night have been any worse? Her sorrow consoled her into a slumber, finally a well-deserved rest.

She was woken by some commotion on the bus. People were getting off. It was two stops away from her drop point but well, " Basi haiwezi fika uko sai mvua imeharibu njia,Mwisho wa gari!" Yelled a disillusioned driver amid complaints from the passengers. She put her hand in her purse, she dug around and removed a crumpled 50 bob note. That's all she could find. She debated with herself, should she take a motorcycle to her place or should she save it to buy a little breakfast when she got home and save the rest to pay her okoa jahazi and redeem her points again so she can you know, check her mail.

She didn't get the time to decide, she was hurriedly bundled out of the bus into the biting cold. Her phone had already died every attempt to revive it seemed futile. What to do? Everyone had found their way, what did she have to lose anyway? She began her half brave half shaken walk to the place she called home.

It was around 4 AM, James was standing at the big light in the middle of the market square. Her heart melted, her knight in shining armor had braved the cold to Make sure he came back to him safe. A girl still had something to be happy about, She ran into his arms. It felt good to be back home. He carried her bag and they walked to his place. She needed to rest, she deserved it.

Her sleep was cut short, the first customer of the day had come. It was like 8 AM, she reached for her phone it was still dead. She left it to charge wiped her face and went home to her mother. She would be happy to see her.

A few moments later, James sent his younger brother who helped at the shop to deliver the phone to her. I was ringing off the hook.

" Hello, we are glad to offer you this position in our organization....."She didn't let them finish, she was up and down with excitement. She had caught her break!

 This is dedicated to every young person who feels their back up against the wall, hang on help is coming your way. There's a little string called Hope, don't let go.