THE SALATON TAP

I feel very happy on days when I find a seat in the bus. It gives me an opportunity to sit down and drown myself in words. I was busy lost in my book when I sensed a tap on my shoulder.

No, it was not the bus conductor. It was a girl, a beautiful girl to be precise. She was staring at my company ID card that was hanging around my neck. As a lanky 23 year old guy with literally no arrows in his quiver of charms it was very strange that I could just be about to get into a conversation with a beautiful young lady and she would hopefully not be discussing the segmentation error that she just can’t seem to solve.

“Omg! It is Salaton!” she declared, extrapolating from the the ID card that read S.L Nyaman. She plopped herself next to me. “Omg! I am a huge fan! I have read all your articles,” she gushed. “When I see that you have written something, as in when you post your articles , I comment on them first and then I go on to read it,” she continued. “I love your take on life in general, your article, meddling in the medal business got me floored and also how you spice it up with humor in everything you write! I am in total awe,” she went on. I was trying to speak but she seemed to have resolved to do all the talking so I was reduced to a mere listener and no, I was not complaining.

“I must say you look just like your photograph on Instagram” she said.

“Well, if it’s my photograph,” I managed. Maybe I just wanted to hear myself. Or maybe I wanted to make a smart remark. She giggled. “Well you know what I meant to say,” she managed between her giggles. Well maybe she didn’t look like her picture on Instagram. Finding her would be hard now. She didn’t even wear her company ID. I looked at her watch, her bag and I still didn’t manage to gather any extra information. May be this is how Watson felt on days he would travel alone without Sherlock.

She went on about how she loved all the articles I had written and how she had learnt so much from them. I was just mustering a modest smile. I decided to go back and read all my articles again. I apparently had a fan, one that did confine to humorous articles. It was very hard to believe.

“Ah! my stop is here! Where is the Nairobi traffic when you need it,” she complained as she prepared to get off.

“I am so sorry, I rattled along and didn’t even introduce myself! I am Rose Mwende, one of your 30k followers on Instagram! It was a pleasure meeting you Salaton Lemaiyan ,” she said as she got off the bus.

I could see her waving, I waved back.

I dished out my cell phone. I went on Instagram and searched “Salaton Lemaiyan”.

Man, this guy did look like me.