It was not one of those jovial calls where you treaded jokes, talked about everything much of it being nothing but laughter. Even the serious matters have big dose of humor within them. It was real serious call. A sort of relative who lived in the US for the better part of two decades. After a lot of stumbles and falls during the initial years he finally was able to stand up on his own two feet. He was a family with two teenage kids. Still he helps those relatives and friends of him back home every month. Someone you wonder how a family man working in the US of all places could manage to cover his own family’s needs and still manage to financially support friends and relatives back home.
The interesting part of that a couple of family members who get those monthly….don’t work or even try to get employment. Both depend on his support and what a life they are leading! You don’t get them in those places where the rank and file gather for tea or coffee. You don’t find them in the discount markets or weekend markets as many are doing these days. No they usually are in the four and five star hotels and every attire they put n themselves are ‘brand’ stuff.
The guy found out all this a number of years back. He tried to talk them into finding themselves some employment. He failed to make any impact. But he kept sending money largely fearing that if he folded his hands he feared the worst might happen to them. Well that was then and now is now. Now meaning that the start of the Donald Trump era where plans are to cut the government workforce in half. Now this should scare everyone and this long time government employee is justified to fear the worst. So he was telling me he now has to do what he should have done years back, stop sending money. He now is worried about what will happen to his family when the sword of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy falls! If the rhetoric is anything to go by it is going one big, merciless sword! God help compatriots back there!
Look many of our compatriots in the Western hemisphere and elsewhere in the world have been doing their best to help family and friends back home while they have to pant and sweat for every dollar and pound.
The problem is it would be very difficult to convince those of…back home. “Oh, he’s becoming greedy!” It has been some time now since life across the Atlantic has become even more challenging than it has ever been. We hear many compatriots complaining things are no more as they used to be. Not that it has been any nicer previously. But at least people managed to work on two or three jobs and managed to make ends meet over there and still kept the helping hand stretched.
There was this guy who planned to make the final homecoming once he reached the retirement age. So he plans to build some residence and assigns one of his childhood friends to look after the construction process which was going to take years. Along with the funds forth construction he also sent enough money to help the childhood friend his family. This goes on for several years. How did he know that the construction was being carried out according to his plans and wishes? Of course photos; that’s how! Now nothing seemed out of the ordinary; at least not so far. In fact the guy was glad to have such a loyal friend.
Who wouldn’t! But after a couple of years things just didn’t add up. The pictures sent to him became even weirder. “Did my friend change the original plans?” The pictures looked nothing like the house he planned was supposed to look! He asks his friend in so many words if there had been a change of plans. His friend goes ballistic over the phone. The guy backs down. Years back during which the childhood friend sent far fewer and even weirder pictures. The guy finally decides he has to rush back to home country and see for himself. It has been six or so years since his last visit.
Without confiding his plans to anybody he descends on Addis. After a couple of days in his hotel he calls another friend with whom he kept contact just for the sake of having those small talks which go some way to make some days better than they really are. This friend drives him to the construction site where his house was supposedly being built. It was a day he’d never forget! Except for a few crudely standing columns and structure that appeared to be like basement of something there was nothing there! And over the year he practically sent millions! Now he was advised not to confront his childhood friends lest he might spoil everything for him. All this time his childhood friend doesn’t know he was in town. What he did was he goes to the relevant government office and makes this close friend his legal representative. This friend has some experience in such things and was a respected family man.
So the guy with his new representative by his side suddenly descends on the residence of his childhood friends. And what a wonderfully furnished house filled with the most modern furniture most wouldn’t have even dreamt of. Now except for the monthly support of our guy this childhood friend was supposed to be a mid-level civil servant and there was no way he could manage such luxurious furniture on his monthly income. He was shocked to like he has never been shocked. The childhood friend was told he no more was the representative and asked to hand in the documents which he did. The friendship for all practical purposes ended there. Never did they talk after that!
A couple of years later our guy had one the best G+3 villas in town! That is what a real friend like. Mind you he didn’t send a single extra dollar to this friend as the friend himself insisted he needed nothing and the main aim should be to complete the construction. Blessed are those who are have such friends!
So those of us back home who rely on the flow of the dollar from compatriots across the ocean should realize it’s not all nice and dandy over there; at least not until whatever dust there might be thins out or settles. Better be ready for better or worse! God help our compatriots back there!
BY EPHREM ENDALE
The Ethiopian herald November 17/2024