The Curious Cat

By Muthoni

Category: People

  • The Real Heroes

    The Real Heroes

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    Muthoni
    in ,

    We get lost approximately four times before we find it. Our driver, we’ll call him Ngugi, is a man with a thick Kikuyu accent and the look to match. Google Maps is failing us, but Ngugi isn’t shy about asking for directions. He isn’t one of those with egos too fragile so we stop at…

  • I met Emily today

    I met Emily today

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    Muthoni
    in

    I met Emily today. A ball of sunshine. Warmth in human form. Unlike Nairobi. Which has been taking the whole warmth thing a little too literally. The city has been on fire. Today was cooler than yesterday, and yesterday was cooler than the day before. A welcome reprieve from the heat, but by 4 p.m.,…

  • The Man in the Dust

    The Man in the Dust

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    Muthoni
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    I’m dressed in orange baggy shorts. A black T-shirt with Mickey Mouse animation on it. Blue socks. Purple Crocs. A navy blue hat I got from some expo at KICC. I’m not exactly giving runway with that combination. Or am I? Have you seen what they’re calling high fashion lately? Point is, I am comfortable…

  • BE A NUISANCE

    BE A NUISANCE

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    Muthoni
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    I drove home in silence that night. Not ready to let reality back in just yet. I wanted to sit with everything the evening had stirred up and let it unravel me. I wanted to change careers. I wanted to stop right there and stand up for something. Begin a protest at 11:52pm in the…

  • Shawry For Trees

    Shawry For Trees

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    Muthoni
    in

    The Odyssey was a very well-marketed movie. So well marketed, in fact, that it was marked on my calendar. And I’m not even the mark-it-on-the-calendar type. I’m crazy about medieval movies. Give me dramatic costumes, people riding horses through mist, unnecessarily large swords and somebody screaming about honour, and I’m sold. So off I went.…

  • Gamaliel’s Feet – Part II

    Gamaliel’s Feet – Part II

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    Muthoni
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    You see, in my 9-5, I write code. Three weeks ago, I stumbled onto something. Lemme tell you about it. …… I pull down the handle and push the door open to reveal what looks like heaven. Not for any reason other than because it is so bright. Floor-to-ceiling windows. White desks reflecting and further…

  • The Lucky Ones

    The Lucky Ones

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    Muthoni
    in

    The Lucky Ones At 73, he still looks like someone’s son. He stands straight at about 6’4”. Bright smile. Wide, wise eyes. Skin smooth as a baby’s butt. (No dummy! I didn’t touch. But my eyes can feel smooth skin. Can’t yours?) He calls himself “The Blackest Man in Africa.” Hardly. “I host Rogaroga every…

  • Gamaliel’s Feet

    Gamaliel’s Feet

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    Muthoni
    in ,

    They Say The Squeaky Wheel Gets Greased. We’re seated at MaloMalo on a Sunday afternoon. It’s a chilly Nairobi day. I have a maroon leather jacket on. Matching my lipstick. I’m looking like a snack. He’s dressed in black. Always. We’re chatting away about everything and nothing in particular. The conversation flows like an all-year-round…