Vita vya panzi, furaha ya kunguru (War among the grasshoppers delights the crow), so the saying goes. True to the saying, Makena, our decade-long Comptroller of Palace Affairs (CPA), took advantage of my recent ‘attempted murder’ at the Palace to force a business handshake with my Queen.
As you all know, Makena, the drama queen par excellence, looks for the slightest opportunity to endear herself to me, for reasons best known to her. The recent murder drama at the Palace gave her a golden chance to sneak herself to the central and indispensable position of power not only at Queen’s slopes Supermarket but also in the entire Palace, thereby justifying her moniker, the comptroller of palace affairs.
Now, as the ‘supreme court’ sat at Margie’s Green Valley to determine who between my Queen and Mrembo was behind my ‘attempted murder’, Makena was busy prosecuting the case at the Palace and its environs. Using her well connected network among the maboys in the estate, for obvious reasons which form the gist of another story for another day, Makena organised a boycott of products from Slopes Supermarket to demand for the fast and public disclosure of the murder case.
Every evening from the fateful Saturday, the boys would pass near the Palace and shout threatening words, then throw some few stones on the rooftops of the main house. On Wednesday, Queen wrote an SMS to me: “Please come earlier today and hear for yourself what people are planning against our home.”
We had not talked about the issue of my murder with her. But it was obvious that the issue had shaken her badly. I went home at around eight in the evening.
“Those are the bad boys of this estate. I overheard them say that that supermarket has to go,” she said.
“Okay, I have kept quiet. But I have passed the message. What you choose to do with it is your business,” Makena said.
At that juncture, it was obvious that Makena knew more than we did.
“Where and when were you speaking with them? You seem to know something the rest of us do not know,” Queen said.
“Where and when is not the issue here. The issue is that they are not the kind that buys fear. So far, they are threatening anyone who is coming to buy from the supermarket. If something is not done, that supermarket will be a lesson in history,” Makena said.
“Oh my God! Are you normal? Makena, do you know what you are saying?” Queen hysterically asked.
“If I am not normal, then I can chose to keep quiet,” she said and stood up to go to her room.
“Now you have heard the talk of the demonstrators and also what this one here has said. Our home and business is under attack,” Queen said.
“It is your supermarket which is threatened, not our home. This is the price you have to pay for trusting some conmen to spy for you. Now see where it has landed you” I said.
“If you really care for me, just help me this one last time and you will see how a changed wife I shall be to you,” Queen said. She was almost crying.
As the loving husband I am to her, I decided to intervene. This would extend my marital nirvana for a long time to come.
“Makena, you certainly know something. You two can talk to one another nicely,” I said.
“Makena, please help us. Mambo nikuelewana . What can we do about this whole issue? I know you know something we can do to stop them from destroying my, no, our family business. Please remember the many years we have been with you,” Queen pleaded.
It was obvious that Makena was hungrily waiting for such an opportunity because she responded even before the last word was out of Queen’s mouth.
“This is very simple. They simply do not want to see you at the supermarket. It reminds them of the day. If I start selling, customers will flow back and the maboys might forget about it, though it will take some time,” said Makena.
That is how Makena blackmailed Queen into a business handshake. She has been selling at the supermarket and true to her word, the demonstrations stopped and the customers started coming back the next day. How long the supermarket remains in financial health, however, is the elephant in the room.
And that is Makena for you, the real comptroller of palace affairs. Watch this space.
