In which case we should never be surprised that the human, with his limitedness in resources as he is, gets hugely disappointed if he provides you with something and you keep mum, treating his gesture as if it were nothing!
Yet that’s the way some of us treat those who offer us, say, a drink. I’m familiar with such drinkers in some of the drinking outfits I frequent.
Like on this occasion when this guy walks over to our table shared by my ndugu, who doubles as a friend, Esaya, and two amiable ladies.
The guy, known for his uchawa tendencies, continues to roundly greet us with exaggerated charm. That done, he pulls without being duly welcomed to do so a chair and settles among us.
I politely inform him that this is a family sitting, and after my caution, Esaya asks the intruder if he could do with a beer from him.
“Oh, sure, how can I decline an offer from a good friend of my former boss, Harry?” What a way to say thank you!
"Fine", says Esaya, “my bill handler Lightness will take the beer to your table.”
“Okay,” says the intruder as he returns to his table. Yes, that’s all he says: 'Okay!'
Then during this other time, you happen to share a table with a fellow (call him Yakobo) who’s killing himself slowly with a kasichana.
No water, no soda…nothing to soften a little his beloved made-in-Bongo gin.
I’m done with my Matori, which I washed down with a glass of Sprite.
The fellow is a good conversationalist, and, since I know he takes beer too, I tell him, frankly, that I’ll offer him one. That’s what my wallet can afford.
As you all know, I’m a budget-conscious Mwasu.
Now the fellow, who has never bought me anything over the many years we’ve known each other, says,
“I don’t take beer these days, but you can part with Sh2,500, which is the price of my beer brand, and I’ll add another Sh2,500 to get my Kasichana.”
I’m not impressed by his suggestion, and I say to myself, 'Why doesn’t the guy simply say, "Decline my offer politely" and let me go home without reducing a whole Sh2.5k from my thin wallet?'
Then, on this other day, I’m at this relatively new bar I’ve grown to like because they play music at low volume.
At my service is this mhudumu (call her Juliana), who settled nearby. I can see she’s clearly bored, so the gentleman in me tells me to offer her a soda.
She says 'asante' and walks to the counter to collect her drink. As she resettles, I can see she has served herself with a beer! She notices my disapproval and acts fast.
"Mzee", she says, “I decided to take a beer, but don’t worry; you may pay just one thousand, and I’ll fix the balance, I was actually dying for a beer.”
It makes me feel stingy, cheap, instead of feeling appreciated, but that’s how things can be with binadamu!
