Many a time my mind wanders and I am reminded of my high school friend Mike, who insisted that he must be called Mbunyoti. See Mike had this uncommon condition where one grows grey hair at a very young age. That gave him the qualities of an old man lost among the youth. Of course, he didn't mind it very much. In fact, I think he enjoyed it. See, Mbunyoti was a talented storyteller and he had an anecdote for almost any situation. His stories were hilarious and often perfectly timed. Of course, they would be repeated over the years, but they were so well-spaced they never felt old.
So this one day our high school principal decided to introduce a chain of stringent new school rules that he felt most appropriate explained at the football pitch. Mike, being a form four student of considerable repute, walked lazily with a group of friends, serving them one of his stories. The others were quite engaged. The story was so timed that the punchline would drop just as the boys reached the rendezvous, making them burst in uncontrollable laughter. Unbeknownst to them, the principal had already arrived and was quite irate.
However, before he could admonish the young old man, Mbunyoti broke in a spirited sprint screaming and shouting. We all watched in awe, certain that the boy had gone mad. He took a proper sprint for a solid two minutes, running haphazardly in an uncontrolled yet high motivated physical exercise. After a while he gave a loud wail, rubbed his left eye violently and walked casually back to the crowd. When he was close enough, we noticed the swollen eye.
“Bee or wasp?” The principal asked.
“A highly motivated bee,” Mike answered quite solemnly.
I believe that was the first time I ever saw the principal laugh out loud.
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