ICE ~ In case of emergency

There was a campaign in 2008 to have numbers which could be reached in case there was an emergency. I remember putting my ICEs but then again even my mulika mwizi has a security code (yeah am guarded like that, no kiss kiss and tell tell!). So on Saturday evening I am sitting in my room writing this post, my mom calls and we have a heart to heart chat and since she was walking she hangs up to board a matatu and promises to call later when she gets home. Ten minutes later, 6.11pm, she calls back; she is crying in pain shouting I go she has had an accident! My mind stops working for a second and then goes on an overdrive. I start calling all her friends and what do I get, number engaged, what the heck, is is the time to be engaged.  Dial dial dial engaged engaged… I put on torn socks and leave in a huff my mind is just not at peace, the image in my head is a crushed wreck with her in there crying for help. I tell Mwenda what happened while on the way, he uses that line from 3 idiots the movie if you have seen it all iz vell(all is well- Indian accent) that calms me a little but the worry can’t leave me alone even with a gun. If you have ever heard someone scream from a maternity ward or ever witnessed an accident scene maybe you could feel me, that cry will never leave my mind, a cry so full of pain :-(. I thought I was mature but when death scared, I am as helpless like a baby Oryx surrounded by hungry laughing hyenas instead of a lioness. I don’t have a clue what to do; I am sure I would never qualify for disaster management or anything dealing with emergencies… But, like what one of my older relatives said to me on the way to the hospital nobody ever is prepared for tough life decisions; like your wife having to go through an abrupt C section since the baby refused to come out and she is in the middle of labour; you just take steps with guidance of those close to you.

Mulika mwizi

I arrive at the hospital and guess what, it being a government hospital 2 hours later in the emergency area and she has not been attended to yet! I hate everyone there the doctors, nurses, and clinical officers, how can you not even give a pain jab. But I can’t display that, since they are the same people to give her first aid. I hate the driver for not being careful, but I decide to hold my horses and not vent. We go and get an x-ray and luckily for her she broke a leg and did not hurt anywhere else. She winces when the leg gets touched even slightly. The doctor on duty finally sees us gives her a jab for the pain and tells us that we have to wait until Monday when a plaster can be done on her, that was not going to happen, there was no way she was going to be admitted there, two hours to get first aid and another day and half to get treated??? Mh mh no way. I thank God for her friends whom I found there with her and they help my confused little self. Like I said if I was all alone I would have been lost on what to do. In the waiting room there is a 5 year old who has swallowed a 20 shilling coin and it is stuck on his gut he also has to wait until Monday and the way he is drooling you could see the pain in his little confused eyes, I really felt for the father who could not be allowed in the children’s wards which only had mothers and their kids not fathers! Why can’t fathers also be admitted with their kids too, without asking stupid questions like mama yake ako wapi? Do you wait for a mother to come when your child hurts is in pain because you are a father and the hospital doesn’t have a father child ward? When we tell the doctor that we aren’t going to get admitted till Monday they tell us that we cannot have a splint for holding the leg in position until we get to another hospital, so that we don’t aggravate the situation; another helpless period for me that became. One of mum’s friends talks to one of the staff and they pledge to have the splint returned to the hospital, I am and will forever will be grateful to her. Sunday my youngest Aunt, God bless her soul, comes around and we take her to Nairobi Women’s Hospital, the orthopedic surgeon is not around but we are assured he will be there in a couple of hours, nothing like Monday, phew that a relief. The doc finally comes in, a jolly good fellow and assures us that the leg will be ok in no time and will take six weeks to heal. He tells us of all the possible procedures and since the leg had developed swelling it has to wait for ten days so that it returns to its normal size and then get sorted and plastered. We all laugh when he tells us that there will be a lot of screaming as he realigns the leg bones and he needs strong nurses to help him.  Mum looks me in the eyes but I keep avoiding a stare, I am afraid of letting her see my vulnerabilities. Well, tell you what, she didn’t scream, I was at the operating room door eavesdropping and now she is learning how to use crutches…

I now have decided to adopt a read and destroy evidence policy and leave security codes open, so all ye snoops can have a field day… I sincerely beg you too to remember to put an ICE before the names on those numbers that need to be alerted in case of emergencies NOW!

 

Binged and out!

Everyone has a photographic memory. But some have no film! ~ Anon

Well, ladies and gentlemen here is how my photographic memory lost a memory card, I say ‘a’ because they were many but there  is one I can’t seem to get quite a hold on and the backup I had tells me “memory corrupted can’t access files”!!! The story starts on Friday I remember telling people not to do anything stupid but in my mind I knew I would do something stupid, I just didn’t know what or rather I had not decided on it yet… I wrapped up my day and started to find tunnels which could lead to some light at the end for my weekend, but lo the light turned to be trains oncoming, we’ll be coming to that bit of trains later… I once heard someone say be careful what you wish for you might just get it, I guess stupidity aint that hard to find if you start searching for it.

Shortly after five I get a call from Mwenda; there is liquor begging to be taken, I leave all I am doing since we know when someone decides to buy that decision can change as quickly as it comes or someone else takes on the offer before you! I find a former roommate, Jimmy, who decides he wants to leave me with his bff whatever that is supposed to mean, I understand only girlfriends and friends but bffs? Like someone once told me you can’t keep up with youth… I am not much of a talker so to keep the pretty young thing occupied I invite her to our liquor bottle, and let me tell you she was a drinker!! No ale, water or soda nada! Mwenda liked her already, me too I admit was stunned, anyway Jimmy comes back and decides more is what he and his bff were going to drink, well how that story ends was a total knock out but I will relieve you of the details.

At nine I leave Mwenda for a house party, Luka the host picks me up and we head to the party scene. Everybody seems so sober and composed and the sound guy seems to be taking forever to arrive and get the mood going. Well just like that LMFAO and Lil Jon’s shots track I start getting ready and its shots shots shots sho… sh… sss… zzzzzzz!!! I always hated them, they defied every essence of partying and having a good time, hell I even bitched about them here. So I start getting that feeling like I am going to go, if you have ever been out you know it, I remember seeing that water helps dilute or spacing or whatever, took many glassfuls but still my head refused to cooperate so air is what I needed to see if I could stay awake, I find me a spot at the gate and rest my head. Kaja finds me and I just feel being hauled, walk walk walk climb climb climb, walk walk walk climb climb climb climb door open and dump!!! I never got to hear the dj, never got to know who did what, who was freaky and who was not, no memory at all and that ladies and gentlemen is how I lost a memory card. I always am the guy who sits at the corner just observing, not pulling the too crazy stunts, the guy who has all the memory bits still intact morning after. Morning found me downstairs resting my head on a dining table how I got there don’t ask, since I thought I was somewhere upstairs the some hours before….

Did I enjoy myself? I did. Do I have any regrets, not at all, well maybe not seeing others pass out as well and just maybe not being able to perform some daggering on someone with a beautiful and bountiful behind! Will I binge again? NEVER EVER! Actually anything bragging of several distillations and charcoal filtrations is never seeing the colour of my gut again, ever!