Men, Aah Zii Means Aah Zii!

One day, I boarded a matatu to Nairobi CBD. I picked a window seat since I needed a billion gasps of fresh air and made myself comfortable.

My mind was so screwed up, I had almost left the house in a pair of bathroom slippers. A mad person and I could've made great buddies and held a negotiable conversation.

I remember I almost paid bus fare equivalent to my M-Pesa PIN, but luckily, the amount in my account was only enough for my fare. A notification reading, "Transaction failed. You have insufficient balance to pay..." brought me about 20% back to reality. At first, I assumed it meant I didn't have any money at all.

That's when I noticed a guy with a tablet thrice the size of my Samsung Android had just seated himself next to me. If it wasn't for the loud noise he was making while speaking on the phone, I probably wouldn't have even noticed him. The call took almost 10 minutes and immediately after hanging up, he looked at me and casually said, "Mambo mrembo."

I answered, "Poa," hoping he wouldn't say anything else.

But boy went ahead and did exactly the opposite of what my screwed-up mind, body and soul needed: not engage me in a conversation.

Especially not a stranger seated next to me who liked talking loudly on the phone.

He asked my name and I gave him a random one. He told me his, but I honestly forgot it the next second. I answered his random questions in the mood of "kindly shut up," hoping he would leave me alone.

But he wouldn't.

I wondered how dumb he was not to read the signs. Being morning, I didn't want to start my day by being rude.

He asked for my phone number and I immediately said, "Aah zii."

Instead of letting it go for the good of both of us, he asked why I couldn't give it to him.

These were his exact words:

"Mbona unaninyima na ni sisi huwa tunawabuyia lunch?" In an insulting tone. 

Shamelessly. And looking at me like I was just another girl who was supposed to feel guilty for refusing to give out my number and get lunch dues.

This could've triggered me to direct all my stress toward him, but I held back. There was no need. 

I simply told him not to say anything else to me for the rest of the journey because the conversation was pointless to me.

A few minutes later, he shifted to another seat and proceeded with his loud phone calls.

That was not the first time a man said something rude simply because I wasn't interested in a conversation or because I said no to giving out my phone number.

I've heard it from other ladies too. I've witnessed it. I have never understood the basis of the bitterness they exhibit.

Such men ought to learn that "No, I am not interested" means exactly that, and they should put a full stop there.

I might give you my number and still end up not picking your calls, replying to your texts both online and offline, or even blocking you altogether.

Will that make you happy?

I guess not.

But of course, those whose audacity studied in a group of schools will keep reaching out using different numbers just to portray how annoying they can be.

Kindly let ladies be. Stop forcing issues. If i was interested in his "lunch dues" as he phrased it, I could've consented. For future conversations. But I was not.

Therefore, keep the bitterness to yourselves while making sure you work through it.

Because one day, a lady will effortlessly spill out the contents of her screwed-up mind to you, and you'll live to tell stories to the incoming generation.