Love is considered a profound emotion. It is not just about caring for somebody. It is about the action meaning more than the words, the sacrifice being genuine and not open to interpretation.
Standing by the roadside at Nairobi CBD while waiting for my cab, I thought about Sarah, my girlfriend. The most beautiful and precious woman in the universe? That one in a million.
I wanted to give her the best ruracio ever, before giving her that dream wedding she longed for. I had known her for four years and I would tell when she was sad, angry, happy by her facial expression, gestures, body movements, intonation and every little act.
The cab arrived. It was a Wednesday afternoon and I was heading to a fashion store uptown to pay and pick the men’s attire for the ruracio. My phone’s battery was at 10 per cent, having spent the majority of the previous day and that Wednesday running up and down the city.
Call after call. Reading and responding to congratulatory messages.
The car slid into the Nairobi traffic and I got some time off to ponder my thoughts, cross-check all the items I needed. I first checked my bank balance to ascertain that I had received the money sent by my cousin from the Whatsapp contributions group.
I then wandered to the phone’s gallery and found myself staring at a short video that was sent to the ruracio attendees.
In the video, Sarah looked stunning. Her dark hair crashed over her shoulder when she lifted her head up, revealing the attractive red lipstick applied on her lips. Her black velvety eyelashes complemented her light skin.
The make-up artist had put all the effort into her beauty. I smiled.
“I love you not only for what you are but for what I am when I am with you,” she stated in the video. I smiled again.
“Having a good day sir?” the taxi driver weighed in.
“Yes, I am paying bride price on Saturday and I am so excited,” I answered.
The taxi driver, who introduced himself as Jack, jumped in fully, sharing stories of their youthful days and how holding bride price ceremonies were a struggle.
“The demands my friend were tough. So tough! You literally had to appease and please everyone,” he stated.
“Do people still cover the face of the women and you have to pinpoint your bride to be?” he asked me. I did not know what was in the plan for me. All I knew was that the day would be fun, exciting and eventful.
But first of all, all I needed was to make the purchase then meet Sarah and her friends in town for dinner.
“Would you mind rushing, I think the store closes in an hour’s time and my phone’s battery is running low,” I urged him.
“What’s your name sir, by the way?” he asked.
“Me!” I responded.
“Yes, you,” we laughed at how I was slightly confused before I introduced myself as Ian. We were so engrossed in the ruracio stories till I forgot.
“You see my friend Ian, we cannot rush through the traffic, but I am trying to link with the bypass to avoid being caught up at the roundabout ahead. Then for your phone, we can charge it right here, there’s a charging port and I always have a charger ready,” he stated as I handed over the phone.
He further enquired about the specific store where I was heading to purchase the items.
“I know the store. I have dropped and picked a number of clients there and many of them always laud it for being online and fast. You do not have to appear there physically, you can make orders and pay online. They also do deliveries,” he added.
“Okay, how do I pay online?” I asked.
“Which mode of payment are you using? Bank…,” I cut him short as I nodded, adding that I had a Co-op Bank account.
Jack lagged first and added that I did not have to order a cab and be stuck in traffic as Co-op already solved such a situation for its customers.
“You cannot only pay the items via Co-op Internet Banking but also all the other bills from power tokens, water, to purchasing credit and other expenses. You can access Co-op’s internet banking platform using your laptop, tablet, or other internet-enabled devices and pay all your bills directly from your Co-op bank Account!
“All you have to do is register for Co-op Online service by clicking https://onlinebanking.co-opbank.co.ke, select personal internet banking and click on existing customers to register. For new users, he added, registration is instant and free of charge. All you need is your National ID and any of your Co-op Bank ATM cards,” Jack stated and asked whether I would continue with the trip or end it at that point.
“I think we can turn around, change the location to this cafe at Moi Avenue. I am to meet my fiancee there. Then you can assist me to pay and order the deliveries,” I stated.
“No problem sir,” Jack stated as we switched lanes to drive towards a U-turn.