KUBEBWA MANDAZI

Has your personality ever worked against you? Like it totally refuses to come through for you when you need it to? Today has shown me some downsides of being a Sanguine. Sanguines are highly talkative, always enthusiastic, active and super social. We’re everybody’s friend, we easily stand out but also blending in isn’t hard for us. The assumption however is that ‘huwa hatukasiriki haraka’ so watu kadhaa hupenda kutubeba kimandazi mandazi. Case in point, my tailor. 

We ushai bebwa mandazi?

Okay, here goes something.

“Hi dear ukujie nguo yako kitu 5 sitima imetusumbua sana,aki.”

That there is the message I received today at 11:27am on my way to CBD, purposely heading to pick hio nguo yangu yenye sitima inafanya isiishe. I didn’t give the message much thought and decided to pass by the tailors’ stall as planned.

I’d kept the fabric to myself a while longer hoping to find a dress design I would like. After my efforts to source a great design bore fruits I discussed this with my fundi, fabric in hand. This discussion took place at the beginning of November 2021, 3rd day to be precise. We were so happy exchanging notes (and initial deposit) as he pointed out how his experience and ‘great skills’ would present me a dress TO DIE FOR. Nilitoka town na Laha ndani ya Loho after he gave me a timeline of about 2 weeks. I didn’t have a problem with that and even decided (but didn’t verbalize it) to give him 3 weeks. Hata we ukiangalia, si hio time sio mbaya?

Fast forward, just before the 3 week deadline, I call to inquire the progress. Mr. Dan (tailor extraordinaïre) says he’s doing great and should be done in a day. My instincts called me for a Zoom meeting and told me that there lied some inconsistencies in his words but do Sanguines really dwell on the negatives of life? Naaaah, we don’t do DAT. I let it go.

Early Monday morning (29/11/21) I decide to make an impromptu visit to his stall, with no intention of picking the dress but to just answer to the call my instincts had made earlier. I find my guy busy, as usual doing what he does best. I ask him for the dress and he’s suddenly shocked.😂

“Ooooh, yawa Mercy. Kare ne ibiro kawuono? Si ungenishow yawa Jaber.”

(Haiyaaa, kumbe ilikuwa ukuje leo) … as he started giving me some silly laughable excuses. Here’s where I’d needed my personality to get with the program and demand accountability but just because I’d been happily handling things, everything I said and how I said it didn’t seem serious to this man 😂. We ended the brief exchange with him giving me a promise that by today, Thursday 2nd Dec, noon - I should come pick the dress. For all that period, he’d not even touched it.

Today … headed to town for this appointment, I get that message. I ask myself,  “WWJD?” 😂because that’s the best thing to do in the heat of a moment. What Would Jesus Do? I didn’t respond to that message, I proceeded to come here and again how Dan reacted? You guessed it right. He was shocked beyond measure   “Haukupata message?” He asks. 

Hata mandazi hubebwa kiplani. Hii ilikuwa kunibeba mayai.

You know those Choleric people who call out people on the spot? That lot of people who speak against BS there and then? Wale wenye in case wako kwa queue ya bank ama supermarket halafu mtu awapite wakiona they call them out hapo and demand stuff without fear? I wanted to be that person. I wanted to start giving him a piece of my mind and request for my untouched fabric while banging the table but my personality couldn’t even get me there. I was proper mad you guy my guy but I couldn’t articulate my frustrations in a way I knew he’d take serious. I’m those people who when there’s an argument and my anger levels have hit peak, it reflects in my eyes as tears. I start crying so you think I’m defeated. I never used to get into fights in primary school for that reason, you cry = you’re weak.

I express my anger by leaving the scene but in this instance, I can’t leave the scene. Dan together with his lady assistant have convinced me to wait as they’ve started to jointly work on my dress, from scratch. I also express my frustrations through writing. I’m still here at their stall waiting as I write this. Mniweke kwa maombi.

What a time to be a Sanguine!!!!!!