For reference sake, #Mwamisilet is barely 3 years old so you can imagine our reaction…

We were in a restaurant, one of those where when you order for steak, they start the process of quickly growing the bull to maturity. We ordered juice and for hardcores like me, chai ya maziwa mob, as we waited. We were with family and friends so it was aaaaight, we had a lot of time kupiga story anyway. The topic on the table was about when we were kids how we duped our folks in all sorts of ways. We were engrossed in laughter mostly at seeing the folks’ facial reactions.

Then it got to that point where we have laughted our hearts out, chests gripped, thighs slapped, tables slammed and the semi quiet point where the long laugher lefts the group and goes solo for like an entire 70 seconds. Yep, we have a long laugher in the family. Alright since I know my bro will read this post anyway, I might as well reveal that that’s me. I’m the type to laugh in a club above the noise of the Dj music but you wouldn’t be able to tell because I have a very diplomatic look when I’m serious. I know this because I had these clients, I had been dealing with for over a year. It was strictly business whenever I went to their office mostly because I didn’t like their CEO. Over time we got comfortable. It was a small office with a team of about 8. One day at their office, in the boardroom, we were having an exciting meeting, the CEO cracks a joke. First of the all the joke was funny, secondly, the way he said it was even more hilarious but that wasn’t the funniest part. The funniest part was how he laughed at his own joke and it wasn’t really a laugh. It was like a sequence of squeals. I laughed from the depths of my bowels. You know that laughter that rises like a Phoenix from the Ashes, rippling mercilessly through the diaphragm and squeezing the lungs for a great inhale before the great exhale through the vocal cords. I laughed so hard I shocked the secretary a little. As my laughter died down, I overheard the guys in the next office say “kumbe hivyo ndio Mwamisi anachekanga?” Then they laughed kidogo. My diplomatic-relations-face-look gone, finished, kwisha, kwinished.

So back to my story. I think #Mwamisilet was feeling left out. Sema FOMO. We were at the in between story point; the no mans land point; the open mic point; that’s the moment of silence where everyone takes a commercial break to sip their juice or tea bracing for the next topic. #Mwamisilet goes, “nikiwa mtoto nilikuwa naenda kwa kina mama Pato…”

For Pete’s, or as I heard someone in Nyeri say, for Pitaas sake, my ribs hadn’t recovered yet and at least 3 of us were mid sip, 2 hot teas and one cold juice went down the wrong route. Everyone burst out laughing and a few of us cough choking. #Mwamisilet couldn’t hide his glee mostly because he couldn’t understand what was so funny.

The food finally arrived, 1hr later. Steak, rice, chips, chicken and all sorts of greens were on the table. Chips and sausage for #Mwamisilet. We were starving. We chomped down our food without apology. #Mwamisilet doing his thing, taking a bite, running around, dropping a piece of chips on the ground, picking it, someone shouts “ah ah chafu”, takes another bite. At some point he got tired of the chips and concentrated on the sausage. Eventually he got tired of eating and ran into the lobby sausage still in hand. I followed him when he went out of sight. Of course I couldn’t keep up with him. He disappeared into the large sitting-room-like side of the restaurant. By the time I got there he was already on his way running back. I noticed that he didn’t have his sausage anymore. Thinking he might have thrown it away, I asked firmly “iko wapi sausage?”

That side of the restaurant was very couchy, nice place for couples and cuddlers to chill. There was a couple of them … pun intended… quietly seated, eating very properly; knife and fork, tiny bites, slow chews in between cute smiles. #Mwamisilet runs across the room disturbing the peace. He gets to me then replies with a shout, “iko hukoooo,” pauses “kwa tumbo”.

The cuddlers were not cuddling anymore, the room burst out laughing. If I was team yellow yellow you’d have seen how red my face became.