Short Story
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
It was quite a pleasant bright day, the time when anybody passes enjoyable, lovely and agreeable time with a friend or without. In western countries, such time is rare and comes in few months of the year. Retired people most enjoy such time with friends for it gives them the chance to open their hearts to each other honestly and unreservedly. For that matter getting a friend in their situation is a big opportunity for few people in their active years and they are little concerned about them; for one thing they do not have the time to spare them as they occupied with their daily routines to make ends meet. The aged people demand full attention which is rather impossible for the young people to offer.
While the situation is thus, Ato Kefyalew and Obo Terfasa, the both of them long retired, accidentally met that day to crack discussion as they were both badly in need of someone to chat with.
There was a kind of bench on which they sat side by side. Just impulsively Obo Terfasa took the initiative to take the lead to extend the greetings, “Good morning Sir. In our culture it is not good to sit side by side quietly just like that.”
“You are right indeed. How are you? God bless you and I thank for your kindness,” responded Ato Kefyalew rising to his feet as the culture requires. They sat in silence thinking what to say next.
“Do you live in this neighborhood? Or is it by some chance you happened to be here?” asked Obo Tarfasa. “Actually I don’t live here now but I used to, in fact, for many years. It is a good place to live in. I walk for health reasons and I came here and thought of resting for a while.Thank God we have met in this manner,” replied Ato Kefyalew.
These two gentlemen rendezvoused on this sun-blessed day unintentionally; it seems it is God-arranged program. All of a sudden, the area they were in shimmered in the morning light, scoured by the wind that strongly blew in every side, but it did not bother the two people at all. High clouds, shredded by winds aloft, streamed across the deep blue bowl of the sky. In such natural scenario, they little reacted to it and rather seemed unaware of it. Time seemed to have stopped here, as if nothing had happened. Their new union has strapped them to their current situation as they were fully engrossed in their intimate discussions.
“I’m sure you have long been retired,” said Obo Tarfasa to keep their chat alive. Ato Kefyalew hitting the ground with his cane remained quiet for a moment before responding to the question. Obo Tarfasa paused. “I had never had a job on a payroll; I was a daily laborer, work if the job is available or remain idle. It was a day-to-day search for a job. On some lucky day I get a job that can last for days. It is at such opportunity I save some money to purchase consumable items such food and the like for my family.” Obo Tarfasa was shocked to hear what Ato Kefyalew told him. Digging deep into the issue, “Do you have children?” he asked. “Thank God, I’m blessed with lovely four children,” he replied.
“Were you able to send them to school?”
Upon this Wiping tears from his face, “Even though I was not in a position to do that, our creator was there in times of trouble. A certain benevolent, having observed our desperate situation and evaluating the good behavior my children, paid for their school fees and learning materials until they finished the high school.”
“What after the high school?” kept on Obo Tarfasa, eager to know the end of the story.
“I praise the Lord anyway for his providence. They all got the highest score in the Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination and were awarded scholarship and successfully graduated with honor.”
Obo Tarfasa did not stop there. “What happened after college?” eagerly pursued the issue. They again won a scholarship for their second and third degrees abroad.”
Still engrossed in wonder, Obo Tarfasa continued with his question, “Where are they now? Are they abroad?”
“Two are abroad while two are here in the country; those who are abroad would have liked to come and serve their country, but the companies that employed them rather begged them to stay there,” replied Ato Kefyalew to satisfy the curiosity of Obo Tarfasa even though he did not know why. “Where do you live now?” asked Obo Tarfasa. “I live in Bole proper.”
“How come you live there? House rent there is extremely expensive for a common man like you,” said Obo Tarfasa.
“Haven’t you heard the poem:
God moves in mysterious ways his wonder to perform,
He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm,” recited Ato Kefyalew.
“What about it?” said Obo Tarfasa.
“The poet tries to depict the fact that there is nothing impossible with God and He miraculously intervenes in our destiny to shape the life of each one of us. From humans stand point, it appears such things are unattainable.”
“I don’t understand it. You make it even more complicated,” said Obo Tarfasa, somewhat bewildered.
Shading his tears of joy, “You know,” said Ato Kefyalew, “my situation is such. I had never thought my children would ever go to school, let alone succeeding. Given my irregular and meager income, under no circumstance such a chance would happen to my children. Yet, don’t ask me how, it happened.”
“The whole thing is incredible,” said Obo Tarfasa.
“In deed it is. Coming back to the issue of my residence, I do not pay a penny. My children bought me a ground plus one house and I can say my wife and I live there like a millionaire. In addition to that all other monthly expenses are covered by my children.”
“By the way, tell me about yourself. Do you have children and how many are they?” asked Ato Kefyalew in his turn.
“The difference between you and I is that I was government employee in the Ministry of Finance with fat salary,” said Obo Tarfasa.
“You were fortunate to be working in government office. Those of us coming from poor background did not have such chance. I did not go to school like you,” said Ato Kefyalew.
“Working in the government office does not guarantee success,” said Obo Tarfasa regretfully.
“What do you mean? What’s better than earning good salary at the end of every month with nothing to worry about?” said Ato Kefyalew. I wish I were in your position, thought Obo Tarfasa. “Of course, what you say might sound true but if you can’t manage yourself properly everything boils down to nothing. One needs to have a well-organized family,” said Obo Tarfasa.
What do you mean?” asked the other.
Obo Tarfasa unable to find appropriate answer to the question hesitantly said, “I did not properly manage the money I earned. My wife was much concerned about her children but what good was it if did I give her the money as needed?”
“Didn’t you say that you earned fat salary every month?” asked Ato Kefyalew.
“Of course, I did but I spent all my money on drinks and women. I was not faithful to my wife and did not provide for the family. My children, because of maltreatment I inflicted on them, did not have proper physical and mental development and were not doing well in school and they all dropped out. Just like that years rolled by and I became a retiree without anything and now I live in a kebele house. I don’t even know the whereabouts of my children and my wife is long dead and I am all alone,” said Obo Tarfasa.
What a bad luck thought Ato Kefyalew thought.
The day gradually waned and the elders unwillingly departed to their respective directions while the sun, too, hastened to its destination.
The Ethiopian herald July 6/2021
