With every experience, you alone are painting you own canvas, thought by thought choice by choice. – Oprah
What makes life worth experiencing? That is not a question I have in my mind this morning as I pick up a white Plumeria flower and tuck it behind my ear, all I’m thinking about is how precious it is to wake up on a Friday morning and head down to the beach.
I walk towards the gleaming white sands on the Distant Relatives beach. I look forward to having some quiet time, say hi to some friendly people, take a swim, and let my spirit get some breathing space. Hmmm.. I could get used to this. The hustle and bustle of Nairobi is so far from my mind this morning. I can hear the folks staying over at the Musafir.
Suddenly, I’m startled by some rumbling from the bushes, Oh my God, monkeys! Could it be the same cheeky group of vervet monkeys that were ganging up for my breakfast yesterday? I’m not having it this morning, you silly munchkins.
Turning away, I see him. Out of the bushes he comes looking like a distant relative alright. He has this errant bounce that exudes confidence – long black locks reaching to his shoulders and beautiful dark black skin. I look at him from behind and admire. Should I engage or not? I’m here to experience the moment with zero hustle. He turns back, looks at me then off he goes. I continue walking and pass him noisily chatting away with this plump Englishman. As I walk alongside the beach, it feels heavenly dipping my feet into the water. The mud-skippers are scattering away into the mangroves as I disturb their morning basking.
The tide is slowly retreating back home, as the fishermen normally say. It’s 7.30 in the morning. I find a nice soft spot at the edge of the reef, and gladly sit. The view of the ocean and the boats in a distance is spectacular.
I notice him coming my way. I look at him then away. “Is he lost?” I wonder.
“Hi!” he says with a big smile.
I smile back.
“Can I join you?” he asks.
“Okay”, I reply.
“My name is Coby, what brings you here?”
“I’m here to retreat, get away”
“Interesting!” he smiles, showcasing his striking white teeth with a gap. “You mean like a vacation from work?”
“No, a vacation from my normal life”
“Is there a difference?”
“Yea, I retreat when I want some quiet moments with myself and the Spirit, but vacation is more of getting away from work, not necessarily in quietness”
“Huh, okay,” he replies, “I experience these creative blocks from time to time that force me to step out of the ordinary and have raw experiences for inspiration”
We talk about this subject like two crazy philosophers for hours.
LOL My soul likes his soul. My brain on the other hand, is calculating and analyzing him; trying to determine whether he is safe. I decide it is okay to engage. We bond. I admire his open spirit, his genuineness and his admissibility to being imperfect. I admire how freely opens up to me. He takes out the contents of his trendy raw leather sling bag, taking me through a journey of discovery and reveals himself. “Is he seriously going to take me through each and every item in his bag?”, I wonder to myself.
I am fascinated and I encourage him on. He is excited and exclaims after he is done, “I feel that in you I have found my tribe.” Then he jokes, “We should get married?” I am transfixed and giggle. What if he is serious? He tells me how beautiful I looked as I strode like a queen earlier, as if I owned the place. Here we go again, my mind goes on control mode and I stop him saying, “Please note, I am not the mushy type” Damn! My mother warned me about always playing defense. I should just blush. So, like the self-actualized girl I am, I retort, “I do not know how to respond to that”. “Relax Geli, experience the moment”, I tell myself quietly. I am in Kilifi to unwind; a little dash of serendipity never harmed anyone.
“Enough about me tell me your story,” he says. I shrug, as I pull back my hair twists. “The sun is getting hotter, how about a swim first”, I retort, trying to evade his question. We get into the water. Noticing that I am not a good swimmer, he urges me to stop giving into fear and let go of control. We swim for a while.
As we emerge from the water, he exclaims, “How time flies, I have to go and prepare for an afternoon shoot”.
“Oh yes, I hope you are not late”, I reply.
“It’s okay, we were having fun”, he says grinning as I grin back.
“Listen to this song,” he says as he turns up the volume on his phone. Curiously, I listen to the song. It’s a YouTube video of the song, “On the Low” by Burna Boy
“Angelii Angelina…” he sings along. As he invites me to dance, I notice he is an amazing dancer and shyly dance along briefly. We then walk back to the hotel, before parting ways.
“I’ll see you tomorrow”, he tells me while hugging me.
Once in my room, I ponder about the morning. I think more about who Coby is. He was born and raised in Kilifi. His passion for art saw him globe-trotting even showcasing in Johannesburg, New York and Paris. Now he is home to film a community project.
Wow! What a morning! I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.
<<<<To be continued…>>>>
Thanks for reading.
Feel free to share your feedback, comments, experiences and any suggestions below. Also subscribe to our newsletter for updates on future posts.
Ukutano Tales 