Melinda Gates told her husband Bill Gates that she was going to a Catholic church charity in Spain. Bill incredulously raised his eyebrows and said: “Spain? Darling, that does not sound to dovetail with your priorities, but, of course, you may have a good enough reason”.
“Yeah Bill. They tell me the charity there is in dire financial straits,” Melinda replied.
“Honey, I was rather thinking of a hospice in Ethiopia named Mekodonia. I gather the charitable organization has recently been put forward as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize”.
“ I have heard about it, too, but, Bill, you should have heard the touching plea from Spain,” said Melinda and kissed her husband goodbye.
Melinda bought a super –smart phone capable of operating a block –chain enabled digital secret bank account located somewhere in Switzerland. She then took a chartered commercial plane to Spain where she was welcomed at the airport by an elderly lady. The lady took her to the famous Spanish cosmetic surgeon, who transformed Melinda’s face into a beautiful but unrecognizable middle –aged visage. She settled her hefty cosmetic surgery bill electronically via her handy super smart mobile phone. The next day the elderly lady who hosted her at the airport helped her change her identity documents. Huge bribes were involved along the way but Melinda did not really mind as she thought the whole thing was being done for an intrinsically noble cause. Melinda’s changed name is now Mother Arisema. Her brand new name seemed to suit her perfectly in the nun’s tunic several changes of which she bought in a Madrid boutique.
Surprisingly, her next chartered flight was to Ethiopia where her contact person there took her to Ethiopia Hotel. There she had a light meal with her contact person. She got into a bit of a problem with settling the bill, but the matter was solved through the good offices of Ermias Amelga’s Zemen Bank. To the contact person’s surprise, Mother Arisema then asked him to take her, as she put it, to “Ato Beniam’s Mekodonia”. He was expecting her to request him to take her to “Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity” in Addis Ababa.
Mother Arisema and her guide hired a private taxi to the new address of Mekodonia Home for Elderly and Disabled in Addis Ababa in front of Ayat Medhanialem Church. As if by prior arrangement (there was no such thing), Mother Arisema was received at the gate of the charitable organization by none other than the owner – manager himself, Benyam Belete. Benyam’s heart was filled with joy at the sight of a beautiful middle –aged woman in a nun’s attire. In fact, his over – excited brain re –configured her into St. Mary with a halo around her head. He genuflected instinctively, of course, to Mother Arisema’s surprise, but she also perceived in him a certain uncanny holiness in his demeanor and reciprocated almost in equal measure.
“ I come in peace with compassion and empathy in my heart to fulfill my spiritual calling which was revealed to me in a glorious dream. I have experienced the apex of worldly pleasure and affluence and the zenith of romantic love. I have seen my self- love grow into other –love and beyond into universal altruism, humanism and philanthropy. I have heard about your saintly deeds and works, helping and caring for the elderly, the physically and mentally disabled and about your deserved candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Mother Arisema, introducing herself in what seemed to be a dramatically hallowed fashion.
Benyam did not quite know what to say and struggled to put together a thought and words to express it in his hesitant English. As if by divine grace, he uttered the most sacred words that had ever escaped his lips: “Hallelujah! You must be Mother Theresa II whom I saw in my vision being canonized while still alive. Praise be to the Almighty, please enter the divine- inspired premises of mortals who aspire to be God’s lowly servants,” Benyam beckoned Mother Arisema into his charity.
Mother Arisema put her hand in the pouch sewn to the chest part of her tunic and drew out some cash to give to her contact person who accepted it with gratitude and left after bidding her goodbye. What she did next was beyond belief. She walked over to a volunteer who was washing the sores on one of the legs of an elderly man and started washing his other leg with her bare hands. Benyam did not say anything but was convinced that Mother Arisema was indeed Mother Theresa II whom he saw in his divine –inspired vision some months ago. When she was finished with the good deed, Benyam handed over to her the key to the best available room on the premises. He had no doubt that she had already become a prominent member of his volunteer workforce and her good deed was broadcast on ETV all over the country. A few weeks after the arrival of Mother Arisema, donors flocked to Benyam’s charity in their hundreds and some began calling the charity Arisema’s Hospice. Benyam did not mind one little bit. In fact, he rather liked the new name.
In the meantime, Bill Gates’ concern had turned into worry and then into near panic. He organized a global search team composed of the best minds from the CIA, MI6, Mossad and private detective firms. They scoured the globe but could not find any clues that might indicate Melinda’s whereabouts. Finally, the Mossad agent concluded thus: “Lady Melinda is a well –recognized person all over the world. It couldn’t have taken us so long to find her unless she has somehow changed her identity including her face!”
“How come I never thought of it that way? It is in fact a no –brainer. Spain! That’s where she said she was going. Let’s go check out with all the cosmetic surgeons there!” Bill said feeling a bit ashamed why the idea did not occur to him all the while. The search team flew to Spain and did manage to track down the cosmetic surgeon who operated on Melinda’s face. They showed him a still photo and video of Melinda and the surgeon recognized her at once.
“But I have no idea where she went after the operation,” the doctor said.
Again Bill searched his mind for a clue. He remembered that he mentioned Mekodonia of Ethiopia to her and that she insisted on going to Spain instead. The search team flew to Ethiopia and managed to locate what was now more frequently called Arisema Hospice in Addis Ababa. The search team did meet Benyam Belete, the owner/ manager of Mekodonia Home for the Elderly and Disabled, but Melinda was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is Melinda?” asked the CIA security agent.
“There is no person here by that name, sorry,” Benyam replied
“ There is a white (ferenji) nun here, right ? the CIA man pursued his inquiry.
“Yes, there is, but the name is Mother Arisema. I personally call her by my visionary name, Mother Theresa II of Addis Ababa. She is now in Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize for peace and later on she will fly to Rome for the canonization ceremony, both awards on behalf of our charity,” Benyam responded.
Bill and the search team headed to Stockholm and arrived just in time for the Nobel Prize awarding ceremony. There she was in the awesome hall in her resplendent tunic. She received the coveted prize gracefully and made a rousing speech, but there was a certain hoarseness in her voice which confused Bill. He could not fully recognize her by her voice. Of course, trying to identify her by her face was totally out of the question, but her speech in and if itself, was out of this world. “My journey,” she said, “from egoism to altruism, from self- love to other love, from romantic love to platonic love, from sectarianism to humanism, from parochial love to universal love and from selfishness to selflessness has been arduous and I cannot be immune from reversion until I become more spirit than flesh upon canonization.”
Mother Arisema gracefully walked back to her ornate regal-looking chair. On the way, she spotted her beloved husband Bill Gates and broke all protocol to run and embrace him warmly, to the astonishment of the august audience present. Bill was still confused and thought he was being hugged by a lady he did not quite know.
“Be calm and tranquil, my beloved husband. It is your beloved wife Melinda standing in front of you. Here is the proof of it all! “said Mother Arisema aka Mother Theresa II, producing their wedding ring from the pouch sewn to the chest of her resplendent tunic.
Bill could not believe his eyes, which soon filled with tears, and which his remaining macho streak could not fight back.
“Tomorrow is the canonization in Rome. I don’t know what the Almighty has in store for me. At any rate, Bill, promise me one thing. Merge Mekedonia with Bill and Melinda Foundation”, Mother Arisema implored her husband and returned to her seat.
The canonization mass and ceremony turned out to be the greatest miracle of the 21st century. As the Pope placed his holy hand on Mother Arisema’s head, Mother Theresa II levitated towards the high ceiling of the cathedral with a glorious halo around her head, becoming more spirit than flesh! (Some of the names are real but the story is wholly fictional).
The Ethiopian Herald April 26/2020
BY TEKLEBIRHAN GEBREMICHAEL
