“The world is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.”
NISHAN pANWAR
This quote has been so overused that it sounds just like a mere cliche. However, this quote has more truth to it than anyone would ever imagine. Let me explain.
On 26th August 2019, I had an experience that made me realize just how accurate that quote is. It was like everything was unraveling in a meticulously arranged order and timing to prove that quote right. I even found myself questioning whether the whole thing is staged? Could everybody else see it as I did?
It was around 6:30 p.m when the incident happened. I boarded a Kenya Mpya Bus to Thika. In the same bus was a young pregnant woman accompanied by a man whom I assumed was the baby’s father. Unfortunately, the bus happened to be full, and we had to stand in the middle holding the rails until some passengers alighted and freed up seats. The pregnant lady and her man went to the back of the bus while I stood close to the door. As I stood there, the guy on the seat nearest to me looked at me and gave me his seat; he moved to sit with his friend on the metal bars near the driver. As I sat down, I turned around to see whether the pregnant lady at the back had gotten a seat. She had not; she was still standing. I felt even guilty to sit down, knowing how difficult it must be for her to stand.
Since I did not know her name, I continued looking back until our eyes locked and then waved at her to come to take my seat. As she maneuvered her way through other passengers standing, she wore this beautiful smile, and you could feel her sigh of relief. Even before she sat down, I had already gotten two thank-yous from her, and it was worth it.
Lucky enough for me, the guy who sat next to her said, “Ilikua nishukie hapo mbele, but acha nishukie hapa.” So the bus stopped, and he alighted together with various other passengers. I now had a seat, right next to the lady. Again she said, “aki asante.” “It’s okay, hakuna shida,” I replied. Still, you could see the gratitude in her eyes. She could not understand why I gave her my seat. So I told her, “I have been in your shoes before; I know it’s hard.” She just smiled.
Later on, when the conductor came to ask for the fare, I held mine in my hands. The lady’s bus fare was to be paid by her man, so she looked back to him to make sure he had paid. I did not know what he told her, but she looked at me and said, “Usilipe fare, umelipiwa pia.” I was rather shocked. I did not give her a seat expecting anything in return. To me, it was the noble thing to do, but to her and the baby’s dad, it meant a lot. “Hangelipa, ningelipa tu,” I said. She replied,” hapana, it’s the least he could do, umenisaidia.” “Thank You,” I said. Soon enough, it was time for me to alight the bus. I alighted but still could not help but think about the whole experience.
As I walked home, I couldn’t help but smile. I realized that it is indeed the small things in life, the small gestures, that matter. That day, I had seen a chain of good people being nice to each other, unknowingly, with small gestures that meant a lot. And still, I remember that day, a census night. So yes, “The world is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.”
PS: This is one of the very first experiences I ever documented and published for the world to see,
(well, not really published per se. More like captioned my picture with the story on Facebook). I was so amazed by how the various incidents unfolded like they were perfectly synced together. Was it by fate, destiny, or God? I’ll leave that up to you. I just thought that it was only fair to publish it here not that I have a blog for that purpose.
❤❤❤❤
Nyambura Macharia
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