Mzee mlemavu and the daladala this morning

Sat in one of the front seats of the daladala today. After pulling to a stop at the curb, the driver turns around and asks me to move over to leave the aisle seat open. Twisting my head, I saw that the conductor was helping an mzee with a wheelchair onto the bus. I scooted over. The mzee climbed onto the seat next to me, I smiled and said shikamoo. We exchanged greetings and I turned back towards gazing out the window. Morning pre-wake up beverage Tiffany isn’t that talkative.

When the mzee arrived at his station, the daladala was already a bit crowded. He tapped a mama on the shoulder to help him unload the wheelchair and gingerly climbed down the stairs himself. The conductor helped him into the wheelchair and made sure he got onto the pedestrian sidewalk. They exchanged thank yous and the conductor jumped back on. The normally pushy, loud, and extremely impatient driver and conductor surprised me with their gentleness and understanding. The very competitive business of nabbing more customers than the three other daladalas running on the same route at the same time was temporarily put aside. Empathy and compassion shone through.

That’s part of the reason why I don’t want to buy a car. I’ll miss these moments.

That is until I jump on one of the super crowded ones after work and have to elbow my way to a tiny patch of standing space. Cursing is understandable.

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Mzee = respectful title for an elderly man

Mlemavu = someone with a disability

Shikamoo = greeting for an elderly person

Conductor = person who collects the money and opens the doors and shoves people in on the daladala