In the hood, Maybin had been known as the man who had a
slight limp and struggled to walk. The circumstances under which Maybin
developed this condition were a never openly discussed but everyone gossiped
and knew what had happened for juicy stories like that of Maybin’s plight
travel faster than wild fire in the hood.
Maybin was a fine but fierce looking young man whose profession
was known by everybody including the young ones. He was Thief. The types that
went out on rackets and stole big time stuff, not just a minor pick pockets or
petty thieves. One day Maybin and his crew went to steal in town near Stanley
Bar area but unfortunately he was caught. While his friends escaped within a
whisky, he was beaten and tortured which led to the paralysis of his legs.
As a cripple, Maybin seemed to have changed his ways. He was
religiously taking his medication, going for physiotherapy and playing with the
kids in the hood. They all loved him even their mothers seemed to warm up to
him. They begun sharing their meals and stories with him. The love showered on
him rubbed of very well and made progress started walking slowly and was
getting stronger by the day.
Due to his medication he spent some good time in bed from
time to time, little did his neighbor, Bana Tabu know that the little window of
his room transported everything they said right into his ears. On that fateful
day Bana Tabu received a visit who spent some good time gossiping about maybin,
his state of health and history as a thief.
Bana Tabu was treated to a rude shock when Maybin went past
her house without so much as a “Good Afternoon” when he rudely walked past as
though there was nothing he had seen. Being the friendly neighbout she took it
in her stride and greeted him but he did not respond. Since it was during the
school holidays, the hood was alive with some kids playing chidunune, girls
playing chiyato and boys playing stolo and stigan.
There was a sudden high pitched shrill that brought
everything to a halt. Everyone within the vicinity young and old went running towards
the sound of the shrill. The sight that met everyone stopped everyone in their
tracks. Maybin Had a woman who was carrying a baby on her back recognized as
Bana Tabu’s friend by the throat. People started pleading with him to let her
go until he finally let her go when asked what had happened, he explained that
they had been gossiping about him and that he had heard everything they said.
After Bana Tabu’s friend had recovered from the chock-grip,
she started shouting at maybin telling him how illiterate he was and how he didn’t
understand even just English. After she had of loaded an awful lot off her
chest, He limped towards her and threatened to give a thorough beating. As the
adage goes, a woman scorned has more fury than hell, she stood her ground and
looking at him from head to toe rapidly, she said. “who are you to me? Who are
you to me? Maybin took two steps back and answered “Ndine Maybin Shaolin”, he immediately
kicked her squarely on the forehead. A murmur was heard from the crowd. Maybin
the man who struggled to walk was able to kick that high in kungu – fu style.
Before anyone could come to term with what had happened,
Maybin went and kicked open Bana Tabu’s door. Those that made it to Bana Tabu’s
door, saw her sitting in a little corner holding her two children looking
terrified as Maybin wagged his figure at her saying “naimwe natu bana twanu
tuma paralysed, nizayamba kuku menyani one one” (even you with your paralysed
children I will be beating you up one by one).
As Maybin took a step towards entering Bana Tabu’s house, Ba
Vin came to her rescue. He warned maybing against threatening and intimidating
women.
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