Nairobi News

I have been trying to gather my thoughts to blog about my engagement story and just like any other writer, it has been a tough journey as since Saturday I have been writing and rewriting this blog countless times.

Let me go straight to the point and stop boring you with the details of how hard it is to write my own story.

I am a hard one to surprise, I smell plots from a distance and often blast those planning the surprise but this got me a good one.

Saturday morning: I woke up late and lazily went to the salon to prepare for a photo-shoot I was scheduled to have later that day.

NOT PICKING CALLS

After spending about an hour in the salon, my uncle – KBC’s Bonnie Musambi- calls to ask that I check on his expectant wife who had apparently not been picking up calls.

I quickly take a boda boda so as to beat the Saturday mid-morning traffic and on arrival at my uncle’s house, the house help opens the door wearing a sad face.

I ask where her madam is and she says she is unwell and is resting in the bedroom.

I quickly dash into my aunt’s bedroom to find her writhing in pain while clutching her tummy.

She then tells me the scariest news; “I fell down in the bathroom and I think the fall might have hurt my unborn baby as the pain is totally unbearable.”

At the sound of that, I quickly dial my uncle’s number and tell him we need to take his wife to the hospital as she fell in the bathroom.

NEAREST CLINIC

He sounds very worried and tells me as he’s at a car wash. We need to take a cab and meet him at the nearest clinic, Thika Road Medical Centre, he said.

I take my aunt’s phone and call her cab guy Maina, who says he is about five minutes away and will rush to the house.

We spend the minutes preparing to walk out of the house and my small cousin is wailing at the sight of her mother’s face that spells pain.

We steadily take the stairs just in time for Maina whose taxi pulls over outside the gate.

I sit at the co-driver’s seat. My aunt relaxes at the back seat.

Change of heart. I quickly switch to the back seat to offer support to my aunt.

SILENT PRAYERS

Throughout the journey am saying silent prayers. Bated breaths. Mother and baby will be safe.

My uncle calls several times asking how far we are and I assure him we are almost at the clinic.

On arrival,  give the nurses the look that spells ‘I have an emergency’ and they quickly usher us into an examination room where I’m shocked to find familiar faces.

All my best friends are there. I’m shocked. My boyfriend’s best friend is holding a camera. He keeps taking photos but am too distracted.

I go on and make my auntie lie on the examination bed. I turn around and my friends are laughing uncontrollably. In comes the doctor, donning a white coat and gloves; face covered in a surgical mask.

PRANK

He removes the mask. Its my boyfriend, Mr M. The pin drops and I realise its a prank.

He then goes on one knee with a silver engagement ring at hand and pops the question.

I couldn’t say yes. I was still in shock and confusion. So the only words that came out were; “Yaani tumeacha mtoto akilia akidhani mamake amegonjeka!”

My friends just laugh and even my Oscar-award winning actress auntie joins in the laugh. She assures me that she is okay and I switch back and look at Mr M and say, “YES!”

He slips the ring into my third finger and immediately my uncle walks in smiling.  As we walk out of the clinic the nurses congratulate me.

It is at that point that it dawns on me that everyone including my auntie’s house help and cab driver Maina were all casts in the prank.

We drive to Ruby Cut in Hurligham where an engagement lunch takes place and guess who joins in the fun, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero.

Kidero jokingly tells Mr M that he just imprisoned himself and tells him, “welcome to the club.”