The plan was to spend about an hour at Java drinking coffee and skimming through a few electronic news outlets. Unfortunately, my favorite table at the Kigali Heights’ branch of Java was taken. As a result, I picked up my coffee in a disposable cup and walked out of the building.
I ended up in the middle of the neighboring roundabout. Upon arrival, I sat on the bench and opened a book titled The Power of Writing It Down by Allison Fallon. A few pages later, darkness forced me to put the book down and play its audio version.
I wasn’t the only one hanging out there. A couple of benches were occupied by lovebirds. The nearest one had been swarmed by a group of photogenic girls from the University of Kigali. While the students were enjoying their Kodak moment, a middle-aged woman and her son were strolling along the walkway paved around the "mother and son" statue erected in the middle of the beautifully kept roundabout.
The atmosphere in each surrounding building was jovial. A live band performance, at Radisson Blu Hotel’s open-air bar, was underway. While the band was playing contemporary Afro-beats, the DJ at the Blackstone Lounge, found on the second floor of the Kigali Business Center (KBC), was warming up revelers for an old-school themed night.
I downed my coffee while digesting the wisdom of Allison Fallon. I have to admit, it took me a long time to embrace audiobooks. Listening, instead of reading, is still strange to me. However, audiobooks serve me well when I am preoccupied with something else. Thanks to this option, I can still consume content from books while driving, walking, working or poking my nose into the photogenic students’ affairs.