Jumatatu iliyofuata, Mariam aliingia newsroom na kukuta ballot box ya cardboard juu ya meza ya layout.
“Tumekuwa election commission sasa?” aliuliza.
Baraka akasema, “Managing editor vote.”
Mariam alisimama.
Bi. Halima alikuwa karibu na printer, lakini hakushika ballots. Ubaoni kulikuwa na criteria: deadline record, editing accuracy, attendance, peer coordination, correction handling na conflict disclosure where relevant.
Chini: *One vote per newspaper team member. Advisor does not vote.*
Mariam alisoma mara mbili.
“Kwa nini leo?”
Rehema akasema, “Kwa sababu term issue inaanza kesho. Tunahitaji editor.”
“Na nani amependekeza majina?”
“Team.”
“Bi. Halima?”
Halima aliinua mikono. “Usiniangalie. Nimeambiwa niketi upande huu na nisiwe democracy.”
Baraka akacheka.
Majina yalikuwa matatu: Mariam, Rehema na Baraka.
Mariam alihisi reflex ya kukataa ikirudi. Managing editor ilikuwa role kubwa kuliko assignment moja. Baada ya wiki za scandal, ingeonekana kama shule inampa consolation prize kwa kupoteza welfare election.
“Nataka kuona nomination record,” alisema.
Baraka akamwangalia. “Of course unataka.”
Asha, ambaye hakuwa newspaper member lakini alikuwa amekuja kumrudishia Mariam book, alisimama mlangoni. “Please usianze.”
Mariam akamgeukia. “Nianze nini?”
“Kukataa kitu kabla hujajua kama ni fair.”
“Sijakataa.”
“Uso wako umekataa.”
Halima alitoa sheet. Nominations zilikuwa zimekusanywa anonymous wiki iliyopita. Mariam alikuwa amependekezwa na team members wanne; Rehema watatu; Baraka wawili. Halima hakuwa nominator.
“Criteria ziliandikwa lini?” Mariam aliuliza.
“Kabla nominations,” Halima alisema. “Na zimewekwa kwenye shared folder na timestamp.”
“Vote counting?”
“Baraka na Rehema walitaka Asha awe observer kwa sababu yeye si candidate wala team member.”
Asha akasema, “Nimekubali bila kujua utakuwa hivi.”
Mariam akatoa pumzi.
Rehema alimwangalia. “Mariam, unaweza kutushinda. Unaweza pia kupoteza. Hiyo ndiyo vote.”
“Najua.”
“Basi acha sisi tuamue kama tunakuamini.”
Sentensi hiyo ilimfanya anyamaze.
Kelvin alifika newsroom dakika chache baadaye na joint statement yao iliyokuwa imerudi kutoka student affairs na corrections. “Nimeleta final—” Aliona ballot box. “Oh. Another election. Good luck.”
Mariam akasema, “Usianze.”
“Sijasema chochote.”
“Uso wako umesema.”
Asha akacheka. “Finally.”
Kelvin aliweka statement mezani. “For what it’s worth, newspaper inahitaji mtu ambaye atatuuliza citation hata tukisema good morning.”
“Hu-vote.”
“Thank God.”
Halima akamtoa nje kwa sababu voting ilikuwa ya team.
Kabla ballots, kila candidate alipata dakika mbili kusema angefanya nini. Baraka alitaka better sports coverage. Rehema alitaka photo desk na training kwa junior writers. Mariam alisimama mwisho.
Alikuwa ameandaa speech kichwani kuhusu transparency, lakini akaiacha.
“Nataka issue yetu ya kwanza iwe kuhusu rules ambazo zinafanya kazi hata majina yakibadilika,” alisema. “Si story ya familia yangu. Transport complaints, club selections, scholarship information, corrections, deadlines. Kama rule ni nzuri tu wakati tunampenda mtu, si rule nzuri.”
Akaongeza, “Na nikikuwa editor, correction policy itatumika kwa story yangu pia.”
Dakika zake mbili hazikuisha. Aliketi.
Ballots ziliwekwa. Halima alitoka chumbani wakati Asha na junior student mmoja walihesabu. Mariam alijaribu kupanga old proofs lakini aliweka page ileile mara nne.
Asha akasema, “Mariam, kaa.”
“Niko sawa.”
“Hujui hata issue hiyo ni ya mwezi gani.”
Mariam akaketi.
Results: Baraka mbili. Rehema tatu. Mariam tano.
Hakuna makofi ya movie. Rehema ndiye aliyepiga meza kwanza. Baraka akasema, “Sawa boss, usibadilishe font.”
Mariam alicheka, kisha akamwangalia Halima aliyekuwa amerudi mlangoni.
“Ulikuwa unajua?”
“Nilijua nominations. Sijapiga kura.”
“Na role hii si compensation?”
Halima akawa serious. “Mariam, nikikupa assignment kwa huruma, nitakuwa nimejifunza nini? Team imekuchagua kwa criteria tulizoandika kabla.”
Asha akamvuta pembeni baada ya watu kuanza kugawa kazi.
“Utaikubali?”
“Ndio.”
“Bila audit nyingine ya saa nne?”
“Usizidishe.”
Asha akatabasamu. “Nataka tu uhakikishe hujageuza independence kuwa inability ya kupokea kitu chochote.”
Mariam alitazama ballot sheet. “Nilikuwa karibu.”
“Najua.”
“Nilifikiri nikikataa, hakuna mtu atasema nimepewa.”
“Na sisi ambao tumekupigia kura tunakuwa nini?”
Mariam hakujibu.
Asha akasema, “Independence si kukataa kila mkono. Ni kujua mkono umefanya nini.”
Mariam aliandika sentensi hiyo kwenye corner ya notebook.
Kabla ya layout kuanza, Rehema alimletea folder ya corrections za issue iliyopita. “Editor mpya aanze na kosa letu la kwanza,” alisema.
Kulikuwa na caption iliyokuwa imeandika jina la mwanafunzi vibaya. Mariam aliuliza kama wangerekebisha kimya kwenye PDF.
Baraka akasema, “Hakuna mtu amecomplain.”
Mariam alifikiria rule aliyokuwa ametaja kwenye speech. “Correction policy haianzi baada ya mtu kutukasirikia.”
Aliandika note fupi ya correction kwa issue inayofuata, bila drama na bila kujitetea. Rehema akasoma, akatikisa kichwa. “Sasa ndiyo nimekupigia kura vizuri.”
“Huwezi kupiga mara mbili.”
“Bahati yako.”
Mariam alitambua kwamba role hiyo haikuwa tu jina kwenye masthead. Ilikuwa kazi ndogo ndogo ambazo hazingekuwa na applause: kurekebisha caption, kumwambia rafiki yake paragraph haijathibitishwa, kuweka deadline hata kwa writer maarufu. Hapo ndipo angejua kama alikuwa ametaka fairness au alikuwa ametaka tu fairness imsaidie wakati wa scandal.
Jioni, team ilianza kupanga masthead ya issue mpya. Baraka aliweka roles: Managing Editor, Photo Editor, Layout, Staff Writers. Mariam alipofika kwenye jina lake, alisimama nyuma yake.
“Spell check,” alisema.
Baraka akageuka. “Seriously?”
“Ni kazi yangu sasa.”
Kelvin, aliyerudi kuchukua joint statement, akasema, “Nina-regret endorsement yangu.”
“Haikuwa endorsement. Hukupiga kura.”
“Exactly. Record that.”
Walicheka.
Mariam alifungua blank editorial document. Heading ilikuwa *Rules That Work When Names Change*. Chini yake cursor ilikuwa ikiwaka.
Kwa wiki nyingi, jina lake lilikuwa limeonekana kwenye screenshots, forms, conflict declarations na score sheets. Wakati mwingine lilikuwa limefika kabla yake. Wakati mwingine watu walikuwa wamelivuka kwa sababu ya mama yake.
Safari hii, kabla jina halijawekwa, kulikuwa na ballots na criteria ambazo angeweza kuonyesha bila aibu.
Asha aliweka draft ya editorial mezani, na chini ya kichwa kulikuwa na maneno mawili ambayo Mariam alikuwa ameogopa kuyaona wiki nzima: **Mariam Sengo**.
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