by KM Cory
Absolutely!
[And as they both depart]
BOYO [to the STREET HAWKER]
Anyone willing to bet with success and see who gets to the escaping boy first then hands him over?
STREET HAWKER [dismayed]
I cannot do that to a friend in need!
CART-BOY [BOYO peering at him now]
What? I’m not in either! Better to be here than getting chased away from the market and be accused of nothing!
LIHANDA [already in motion now]
Leave the young boys alone, nwa! We’re better off on our own. And we’re total strangers to them too!
BOYO [following suit at LIHANDA]
Those two boys stay within the neighborhoods; I was just saying ‘hello’ to them, nwa!
And the duo of daring teens is out of sight with the entire commotion that had been brought out by an atmosphere of tension and erupting violence within the space as the remaining teens on the floor resume enticing customers to come and buy from their stock as long as it is still lasting, “Fish to boost your brain functions… Eggs and spaghetti right here for sale… Fish to make you a Viking… Tasty and delicious things right here…!”
[The scene ends with the above cycle of words becoming endless]
SCENE 2
[BUS AND TAXI PARK AVENUE]
[A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER]
[A few vehicles are present, and business is just getting to peak]
There are a few early-bird-hawkers who are trying to sell their goodies to the passengers waiting to be transported and others on their own business, trying to book tickets and checking their luggage or else waiting for their friends and relatives yet to arrive at this destination. Among the passengers are students and pupils wearing their respective school uniforms and accompanied by their elders. And it is now clear that it is time to go back to school after a seemingly long holiday.
Meanwhile, two heavily loaded motorcycles arrive at the park, and they are being driven by hard-bitten weathermen with dust who must have to come a long distance away from here. As the motorcyclists struggle to assemble their long-distance runners and possibly offload the luggage over them, another motorcycle appears in sight and packs right next to the two motorcycles having two passengers, and it is none other than LIHANDA and BOYO.
They jump off the motorcycle and help in getting their luggage off the motorcycles whilst placing it on the nearby verandah where other luggage is as they bit the dust off their uniforms and body.
[And once they feel normal again after that dusty ride]
BOYO [to LIHANDA]
I suppose you’ve got some money to pay off the motorcyclists, nwa.
LIHANDA [with pleasure]
Yes, I do!
And as LIHANDA fishes out for the wallet having their fares, BOYO greets the other students who are dressed like him and LIHANDA, including their elders, with a wide smile of acquaintance and willingness to be friends with every stranger nearby. He receives the recognition of being cooperative and friendly as well.
LIHANDA [scared]
I can’t find my wallet, nwa!
BOYO [concerned]
Really?
LIHANDA
I’m for real!
BOYO
Check very well, nwa.
LIHANDA
You might need to check your bags too!
[The three motorcyclists are patiently waiting as they look at their customers]
At this very moment, another motorcycle is heard approaching, but it packs a couple of yards away, and we notice the teen who was street-hawking in the previous scene at the market fair jumping off with his small luggage in a thick brown bag. Due to being familiar, BOYO sees the teen that is paying off the motorcyclist and waves abruptly for him to come over, and after paying the fares, the teen adheres.
[Upon joining the two fellow teens struggling to pay their fares]
STREET HAWKER
It’s a pleasure to see you two again!
BOYO
Indeed, we’re pleased, too, to see you again. But we seem to be having some small trouble now.
LIHANDA [still searching for the wallet]
And we would like you to help us.
STREET HAWKER [fascinated]
What could it be; you seem worried?
[BOYO pulls the teen away for a side talk and]
BOYO [staunch]
The three motorcyclists standing over there want to be paid, and we can’t seem to find our wallet. Yet the money we have in our pockets isn’t enough. So, we seek your help to top up, and we pay them before it gets worse to be overcharged.
STREET HAWKER
How much could it be for you to top up?
BOYO
Just one hundred and eighty shillings, nwa!
STREET HAWKER
I’m going to help you but on condition.
BOYO
Any condition we’re to abide.
STREET HAWKER
You promise to pay me before we get to be real friends since I don’t have enough money on me, and that’s why I’ve come with almost nothing yet we’re going to be freshmen at the college.
BOYO
We’ll pay you back as soon as we get to college.
The STREET HAWKER willingly runs a hand through the pockets on his pair of khaki shorts and pulls out the much-needed amount of money to pay the fares and hands it over to BOYO, who never hesitates to pay off the motorcyclists and as the latter appreciates it.
BOYO [to the MOTORCYCLIST]
Thanks for being kind to us, guys!
[The engine of the motorcycle begins to roar away.]
BOYO [to the LIHANDA]
You’d better make sure you look for the wallet so that you don’t make me think about you leaving it behind with your village girlfriend, nwa.
LIHANDA [adamant]
If I had left it with her, she’d have alerted me. But I’m going to check again when we reach at the college.
[The teen who has just been a good Samaritan creates a nerve of impression and speaks to the two seemingly brother-like friends and while protruding out his arm for an introductory remark]
STREET HAWKER
Call me, OSHA.
LIHANDA
I’m LIHANDA, nwa.
BOYO [smiling]
I’m none other than BOYO, nwa!
OSHA
BOYO, nice to meet you and LIHANDA as well, I’m glad too!
And as a sign of being earnestly held in the web of making friends on the go, BOYO and LIHANDA decide to give OSHA a big warm hug as other people standing by the side, watching the sweet embrace. They also feel touched by the warm reception offered amongst the boys, which is quite memorable.
By now, the avenue is filled almost to capacity as people and their luggage engage in a struggle for position, with voices distilled within the same environment.
At this very moment, a TATA minibus, decorated with multiple colors running over its board, is seen arriving at the avenue. It halts nearby the waiting passengers, and the proficient CONDUCTOR, decked in a clean uniform made of blue stripes and a huge cap over his head made in Mongolian style, jumps out of the exit door of the bus and echoes out loudly upon the sound of the roaring engine ceasing
CONDUCTOR
The rules for passing through the entrance are simple, and the main one is to have a bus ticket. Only those with bus tickets should enter, and the students should sit on one side of the bus since they will be dropped off first to avoid inconveniences. Lastly, we’re not using the main road!
[The passengers getting aboard is astounded immediately on hearing the last sentence, which must have come as a surprise]
CONDUCTOR
The main road is unsafe now, and it is being patrolled by government soldiers too!
The CONDUCTOR turns away and begins to unlock the luggage compartments on the bus sides as he gets helped by a turn-boy from nowhere who has been standing nearby to earn a little penny even though he has no hope of receivi
ng any. The bus driver, wearing a sizeable red apron and looking huge and short and dark in complexion, also joins the hustle of loading the luggage onto the bus while emphasizing in a
BUS DRIVER [deep and loud voice]
Only those with tickets should enter; I repeat, only those with the tickets should enter!
[Those who are already inside the bus can be heard, noticed, and trying to book seats for their fellow friends who haven’t yet entered the old dusty, and rusty bus]
MAN from the crowd
Help me…book for me a seat next to you…
[AFTER A WHILE – the bus is ready to depart]
Those who are meant to travel using it are already inside, and the bus driver, together with the CONDUCTOR, has ensured that the bus is ready for travelling after paying off the parking fee. And they both jump inside the bus as those who have been left outside can be heard saying their farewells and wishing their colleagues a safe journey to the various destinations they are heading to. No sooner does the bus driver take position over the decorated steering wheel,
CONDUCTOR [shouts]
Sabula twende baba!
He starts the engine of the rectangular moving box, which steadily progresses away from the bus point in the little town of Soraya. It is soon out of sight with other vehicles filling up its position to take the remaining passengers and their luggage.
[LATER ON]
Inside the motioning rectangular box, packed to capacity with some passengers standing in between the lanes of seats and breaking the traffic laws in the long run, we see BOYO and LIHANDA together with OSHA sifted in one seat onto one another together with their luggage. The rumbling sound of the engine is quite unpleasant, but it cannot deter the newly created friendship from releasing out the vocals of the company enjoying it.
OSHA [already in conversation]
And the environment at the Johnson People’s College is so cool for all talents, my dear friends, you’d know. That’s why I gave it as my first choice to finish my college studies and join university!
BOYO [skeptical]
Well, I will believe all that fairy tale when I arrive at the school.
OSHA
It’s like you don’t believe without seeing, nwa!
BOYO
I guess.
LIHANDA [intrigued]
OSHA, you’ve already set my aspirations so high before we even reach!
[The cabin shares small laughter]
OSHA [enchanted]
And wait when you get to see the girls and women who reside within and without the Johnson People’s College!
BOYO
How about that, nwa?
OSHA
I’m sure one of us will blaze!
[And laughter grips the band]
BOYO [excited]
But the town of Soraya can’t be equaled in beauty of girls and women. You know that, OSHA!
OSHA
You’ll bear me witness in a few days. Upon our arrival!
LIHANDA
You talk about everything at the Johnston People’s College like you’ve been there. Before, nwa!
OSHA
Apparently, yes, nwa.
BOYO
How about that, nwa?
OSHA
I’ve got a distant relative who lives just within the residence of the college.
BOYO
And what’s the name of the town where the College is found?
OSHA
It’s called Lantana, nwa!
LIHANDA
I’ve heard about that town, nwa!
BOYO
Really?
LIHANDA
Yes, nwa.
BOYO
How come I’ve never, nwa?
LIHANDA
Now is the time to know and hear about the town.
OSHA
And we’ll get to know and sing the ballad of the town of Lantana!
BOYO
So, it will soon be Lantana everywhere!
[Mild laughter ensues]
LIHANDA
And I love discovering new things!
BOYO [seemingly tired]
I need to put my head down. It’s no longer stable for me.
[Being sifted in the middle of his counterparts, BOYO decides to put his legs on LIHANDA’s laps and rests his head onto OSHA’s laps, and the conversation that had started a while ago slowly fades at this moment after finding a way of putting the luggage out of their control…]
[LATER ON]
The atmosphere is one of being pale and silent save for the rumbling of the motor engine of the bus, which is still having plenty of time to deal with the mile coverage on the dusty road through the afternoon of the day that is slowly fading out of sight.
The CONDUCTOR can be seen walking through the lane, trying to tick the tickets as proof that payments have been confirmed for the people on board.
SCENE 3
[LANTANA]
[We are now at a certain busy spot with town activity going on everywhere, including road-side food applicants and sellers as well as merchandise going on]
[It is almost approaching the late sunset]
[There is no boundary at this point between human beings and animals and birds]
The bus from Soraya has just arrived in the town of Lantana, and it is packed near one of the bus stops, which are busy with passengers trying to board on and off the buses with their luggage whilst mechanics are busy fixing worn-out tyres and ensuring that the rest of the vehicle parts are fit and proper for service. We can hear people asking for destinations, either near or far away from the bustling town, and go-between men are able to assist them as long as some little penny is offered.
[The scene is quite chaotic despite the fact that the busiest hours of the day are almost falling away from recognition]
[The MOTORCYCLISTs and mini-matatu drivers are on the hunt down for clients like it is the first time to make a living before daybreak during this sunset-to-night transportation ordeal in this busy area]
[The students are the most-sought-after clients by them]
Over to the auditory is a mini-matatu on the road, eating up miles on a speed that is not quite comfortable, and its passengers are students throughout who are heading to the Johnson People’s College. They are all looking hunched by the tiresome journey from Soraya to Lantana already but with eagerness and vividness still lingering through their eyes of going to school after a seemingly long holiday.
BOYO and LIHANDA are sharing the front view in the matatu next to the driver, who is a man approaching his evening years out of expertise in driving vehicles. His hair is a bit grayish and almost losing its darkness, which is still alluring and magnificent, a fine sign that he must have been a diva in his youthful days lest being an extravaganza or a lover-boy.
The fingers that are gracing the steering wheel are full of adornments and rings which are of different color and size, as well as a couple of bracelets on his arms and three twin-bracelets made of golden emblements around his beefy neck, and almost all of them are representing a culture which is typically local. BOYO cannot stop admiring the rings since he is next to the driver’s seat, which the driver notices in a moment and
DRIVER [sarcastic]
You seem fascinated, child!
BOYO
How come you’ve got so many of the rings?
DRIVER
I live on the road, child. So, I meet many old friends who give me the rings as a sign of wishing me farewell on any safari I engage into.
BOYO
And the bracelets?
DRIVER [smiling]
They’re from the ladies I get to take home after a long safari out of Lantana.
BOYO
They must be beautiful!
DRIVER
Only when you pick the right ones. Most of them are target-seekers, looking out for every penny you make. So, you’d better work hard if you want to get the beautiful out of them, child.
BOYO
And wha
t of the neck-bracelets?
DRIVER
They’re from my loyal wives. I’ve got three, living separately though in the same town, which is a few miles from Lantana. And that shouldn’t make you wish to become like me, child, especially at your tender age. You might end up saving nothing for your late years.
BOYO [attentive]
It’s good to be informed early enough. Thanks.
DRIVER
The pleasure is yours to listen and learn, child. A lot of kids your age don’t prefer listening and learning to want to do everything on their own. So, keep up the pleasure.
As BOYO appreciates, the driver fidgets with the car radio, which is mechanical and turns it on. We can hear the sounds of a radio presenter speaking in blunt English with the signal not being clear enough about the next song on the radio, and it is known as ‘Hard Work’ by Splash.
DRIVER [intrigued already]
I love that song. It’s so inspiring!
BOYO
I hope I get to enjoy it too!
DRIVER
Child, it’s not about enjoying alone. Music is also about educating you too so that you can learn what you don’t hear always!
BOYO
I’m ready to be educated.
[And the song is now playing already so that it captures the whole spectrum of the scene]
SCENE4
[JOHNSON PEOPLE’S COLLEGE]
[The mini-matatu has arrived at Johnson People’s College]
[It is already nighttime, and there is a wind blowing to cool down the temperature]
The environment is quite silent and siren for the next day’s activities of having studies and other co-curricular duties spiced up by the beaming lights falling off the main buildings.
The gate to the main entrance is seen being flung open by an askari wearing a fashionable dark blue uniform from neck to toe with heavy boots and gloves to protect himself from the chill of the night, and the matatu cruises through it towards a certain block marked as ‘VISITORS WAIT’ where it packs.
The students begin to jump off it in total excitement for having arrived at their destination. It is quite scenic as the luggage and the owners feel joy and happiness at being within the walls of the mighty and prestigious school compound, which is gazing with alluring beautiful plants and a hand-made statue of an elephant with its trunk raised up above the eyes.
