“Is this seat occupied?” A young lady, I’d say in her early twenties asked me, while pulling her suitcase at the local flight's terminus at Moi International Airport, Mombasa.
“No, no, it’s not. You can have a seat,” I responded. She joined me in the waiting lounge as we waited for the Nairobi bound plane.
The lounge was empty, except for an expectant mother rocking her infant to sleep in a chair by the restrooms and an old man dressed in a white kanzu at the far end; he was reading a newspaper and simultaneously looking at his phone and tapping his feet on the ground.
“My name is Sally. Imagine I thought I'd miss my flight. The adrenaline. I ran, got a cab and rushed here. By the way midway through the journey, I rushed back for my air ticket only to find that I had packed it in my suitcase.”
She paused and we laughed.
“Funny enough, I realised I was one hour early when we were approaching the airport,” Sally added.
We laughed again. Ten more people came into the lounge and it started buzzing with activities.
“First time flight?” I asked.
“Yes, yes. I guess I'm just too excited, right?” she asked and paused trying to figure out if I had told her my name.
“Alex,” I responded. We almost shook hands but both of us paused and bumped fists.
“I am hungry,” Sally stated as she asked whether to buy me a snack at the restaurant. I had just eaten a few hours ago, so I turned down her offer. But she came back with a soft drink and offered it to me while smiling.
Sally definitely knew that I would not reject it.
She opened the box of biscuits and ate a few, closed her eyes and listened to the sound of her teeth crashing on the wheat.
Our flight was announced and I dragged my suitcase following Sally closely. I thought of asking for her number so that we can catch up in Nairobi, but I thought otherwise.
“You can take a cab with her in Nairobi,” a voice in my mind whispered. “Isn’t she beautiful,” it added. I laughed. She walked in front of me with more calmness like she had mastered the art.
Her stilettos connected with the floor to create some kind of rhythm.
While past the security check-ups, I approached her and joked that she had forgotten to pick her ticket from a hostess near the security check-up.
“I have it with me, seat no 14C here,” she stated. My seat was no 14D or was I daydreaming again. I pulled it out and confirmed.
“Fate brought us together. I am going to sit with a first-time passenger,” I joked and she laughed, pushed me away.
“Welcome aboard sir,” an air hostess at the door ushered me in and cross-checked my ticket. I found my way to my seat and looked at Sally walking in right behind me.
She was stunned by the plane’s interior and design. She had so many questions in her mind, from how to handle jet lag and adrenaline.
Another air hostess welcomed us aboard, introduced us to the pilots and advised us on how to handle our seats, nausea, how to handle an emergency and how evacuation is done.
“I hope we land safely,” Sally told me. I asked us to change seats so that she could enjoy the scenery and view from the seat.
We spoke more about our personal lives and I found out that she was a training accountant in Mombasa, set to graduate in four months time.
“Oh, so you are an emcee,” Sally stated, adding that I needed good photos for my Instagram page like hers. She took out her phone and looked at the photos I took of her besides the plane.
The plane took off, Sally clutched on her seat but got accustomed.
She took out her phone and started taking photos while the plane was ascending. She recorded the plane’s tires, an aerial view of the Indian Ocean and us.
“Smile for a selfie,” she told me, pulled me closer and snapped one. I was not that much into photography, and I was not photophobic either, but there was something about her phone that gave me the urge to do more photos.
“Your photos are so clear, I actually forgot to ask which phone model this is,” I stated, humbling.
“This is a Xiaomi 11T Pro,” she answered and being a storyteller, went further to explain and give me more details.
Sally told me that Xiaomi Kenya released the Xiaomi 11T Pro phone in the Kenyan market.
“It’s fast, has a solid main camera, a fine display, and outstandingly rapid charging for a reasonable price. Imagine it comes with a 6.67 inches and 1080 x 2400 pixels’ resolution.
“The rear camera consists of a triple-camera comprising a 108 MP (wide) + 8 MP (ultrawide) + 5 MP (telephoto macro). On the front, there is a 16 MP (wide),” she responded.
I was mesmerised by her knowledge.
“Alex, I am an accountant. Mathematics is the order of the day in my life. I have to be keen, have attention to detail, and I love technology,” she added laughing.
The phone, Sally detailed, ran on Android 11+, packed with 8 GB and 12 GB RAM with 128 GB and 256 GB internal storage.
Its other features were interesting. A USB type C fast-charging phone, the sensors integrated into the device are Fingerprint (side-mounted) and it has a long-life battery. The fast-charging guarantees 72% in 10 min, 100% in 17 min.
“My phone is Celestial Blue but Xiaomi 11T Pro comes with two more colours, Meteorite Gray and Moonlight White. It is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass,” Sally stated.
I told her that I had plans to purchase a phone in a few weeks time, but her model had excited and sparked life in me.
“Where can I buy it?” I asked.
“The device sale will go live on Jumia Kenya from December 17, 2021,” she responded, sharing a link to the page.
“Ladies and gentleman, kindly put on your seat belts, we are almost landing at JKIA,” an air hostess stated, signalling the end of our 45-minute flight.
We adjusted, but I kept looking at the photos she had sent to my phone. In the photos, she was a girl on a walk, comfortable to wear her real emotions. I guess everything from laundry day jeans to party dresses played upon her eyes.
Sally took a cab south and left me waiting for mine. She also left me waiting for the Jumia sales. I really needed this Xiaomi 11T Pro.
My phone rang. A message from Sally.
“Stop thinking too much. You will get a new phone tomorrow. I hope to see you with it when we meet for coffee,” she wrote and added a smiling emoji.
I smiled back.
Click here to order/buy your new Xiaomi 11T Pro