Being short has its advantages but also has its disadvantages as well.
Among some of the disadvantages is lack of respect from a larger section of the public. This is what I learnt on a recent trip to Mbale, where I found myself on the same bus with IUIU guild president. Despite the respect that he commands at his campus, this wasn’t the case with the hawkers in the Kampala Bus park.
Almost all hawkers that came to him either wanted to sell him toys; Ninja Turtles, noodles, Ice cool cool bar, Teletubies dummies, toy cars, water pistols etc while those of power banks came to broke us, leaving the guy with money!
Some hawkers selling toys went as far as telling him….”cry so that your big brother (me, who was seated next to him) buys for you….cry…cry…”
He was the center of attraction in the whole bus as almost every hawker made a stop by his seat. Blame it on his smartness. Perhaps many couldn’t believe such a “young” kid was dressed in such an expensive suit, a reason they were all over him – from fruits sellers to those selling power banks.
Actually there was even an argument over his age with some arguing that he is a kid while those that knew him unsuccessfully tried to convince their colleagues that he is a big man and a Guild President of a whole university, IUIU.
Can you imagine the person they want to sell Ninja Turtles is a whole proff?!
But who cares about height if it can make you a Guild? Well, he just smiled at them as they wasted their time over his age.
And it wasn’t any different even along the way, especially at Namawojjolo, where they repeteasdly referred to him as kid, while asking him for what he wanted. Now that is some of the pain of being short.
Written by Abubaker Luyinda
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