Fikadu’s family was at its most vibrant in the mid twentieth century. His parents, Ato Asfaw and W/ro Shitaye, were married only six months then. They were in the primary stage of married life; each was doing things in the name and for the sake of the other. “What’s your plan for today?” asked Shitaye eager to hear what he would say. “Not much, just window shopping, in case I can find soothing and interesting to both of us,” he replied, having sensed her feeling. “Well, if that’s the case, it’s good for both of us.”
What a husband God has given me! I can’t thank him enough, she said to herself as he stepped out of the house with his briefcase in his hand. She looked around to see if someone had overheard what she said. It was out of earshot of the maid servant who was clearing breakfast table. There were no children either. It was the two of them occupying the many-roomed big house. They did not feel lonely; the fresh love had compensated for the missing beings, most probably children.
Ato Asfaw was a very successful business man. He was supplying goods and services at a high level. Since he was skillful in financial matters, he became rich in a short time. He owned two villas in the center of the town at that early time of his business life. He always traveled to his work place by a taxi. One morning, as he was preparing to go to work, “even though God has blessed us in many ways, don’t’ you see there is one thing we lack in life to make it complete?” she enquired scratching her head eager to hear his response.
Taken by surprise, clearing his throat, “I don’t get you. What could that be?” he asked politely. “Guess what it is,” she said putting her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to herself. “Are you implying a baby? We are not too late for that,” he said looking down into her appealing eyes. He pressed her against his chest and planted a kiss on her lips. With closed eyes, she melted in his arms and remained motionless. What a moment of bliss for both of them.
They remained in that emotional state without uttering a word for quite a while. It was only the nock on the door that woke them up. They somehow disentangled themselves from each other and waited to welcome whoever it was at the door. The door was opened and in came an elderly man with a hat in his hand. Totally gray haired, his voice quite quivering, “Good morning my children? I was just passing by and thought of vising you, if it’s alright” he said. With broad smile on his face, Asfaw motioned him into the living room and invited him to sit and disappeared into the bed room.
So aged the old man was, he sat with difficulty. He looked at Shitaye and she came rushing to greet him, she was curious to know why he was there at that early time of the day time. “How are you my uncle? “What brings you here at this hour of the day? Is everything alright? Are my parents well?” she asked with a tinge of fear in her voice, hoping that nothing had happened to her ailing father and mother. Her parents lived on the outskirt of Addis Abeba with no one living with them.
Her father was a sickly person often visiting hospitals. An old man of eighty struggling with arthritis was Shitaye’s main concern. Her mother relatively was better nevertheless stooped by advancing age. So Shitaye had all the reason in the world to panic when she beheld her uncle. “Calm down, Shitaye! Your parents are both well and nothing has happened to them. In fact they send you greetings. As for me, I just stopped by for a brief visit. Sorry for causing you such inconvenience.” I feared something must have happened to my parents. Thank God! I’m now relieved she murmured to herself and with this she went inside to fetch breakfast for her uncle.
Soon came out with a tray filled with food in her hands. While the conversation was going on between Shitaye and her uncle, Ato Asfaw was changing his clothes in the bedroom. Soon he emerged from the bedroom and stood by the old man to chat for a moment before leaving for work. After a couple of minutes, he went over to Shitaye and kissing her cheek and left. The same day, when Ato Asfaw came back from work in the evening, the interrupted discussion between the couples was resumed.
As usual, it was Shiteye who took the initiative to kindle the conversation. “You know, honey, we were discussing an important issue necessary for both us. After all, you and I are one and the same. You are bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood.” she said with broad smile on her face for making such impressive speech to her beloved husband. At last, the discussion came to a conclusion with agreement to buy a car that Shitaye had been dreaming about.
Both husband and wife, in most cases, in their communication, were on the same wave length. Seldom did they disagree on any issue raised. Ato Asfaw made it his bounden duty to make his marriage life as interesting as possible. He was very transparent in all his internal and external business affairs. There was nothing Shitaye did not know. He did not do any action without consulting with her. That always exceedingly pleased her and filled her with spirit of ownership.
Their life steadily continued like that; business boomed more and more, income flowing in to the extent friends and relatives could not believe. Yet, there was one thing missing. They both knew what it was. It was about one year then since they got married. It’s a natural law that something had to happen between spouses. Something Shitaye was ready to accept. “Honey I feel like having a baby, a biological baby of my own,” she said without shame hanging on his tall stature and rubbing her cheek against his. He picked her up and whirled her around as a show of joy and agreement. “What else do you think I desire? Situations are fertile, any seed planted can easily sprout and grow and successfully come to fruition.
Don’t you agree with me?” he said pressing her hard against his chest. The pounding of the two hearts is like it could be heard by anybody nearby. The time was when children were treasured as extension of the generation and inheritors of the properties of the family. Off springs were also considered protection in times of attack. It is implied that a man with many children, particularly males, is feared most in the neighborhood and the community at large. More than girls; sons are expected to avenge their parents under any eminent danger. Fortunately, Shataye became pregnant.
The joy of the family doubled and even tripled after some months, baby Fekadu, arrived. Shitaye’s mother, Ade Ayantu, stayed with them to assist her daughter nurse the baby. Fekadu grew up with utmost care and comfort in such a rich family. All his needs were readily met in every way possible: balanced diet, proper medical attention, standardized hygienic care, etc., the criteria needed for the growth of any child to full stature. At the right age he was sent to school which was not from his house.
It was about fiveto-ten minutes from his house. Years rolled by and the child reached his eleventh year without any problem. He had the life style a rich man’s child could enjoy. His friends in the neighborhood and beyond were partakers of the blessings of that family; he often invited them to his house and fed them the kind of food they could not have accessed in their houses. Many children hang about at his place. What a joyful time not to be forgotten.
It remained ever fresh in the memory of all who were had contact with him; those who vividly saw what had happened at Fekadu’s house during those lively childhood days. Life on earth is never taken for granted and nothing is certain as such. Situations with Fekadu’s life began taking a wrong turn. For an unknown reason the health of Fekadu’s mother began deteriorating to the extent she could not be nursed back to normal state. Her condition got worse and worse in spite of all the medical attention provided.
The situation of his wife made Asfaw rather desperate and signs of negligence in handling his business began popping up. He found it difficult to concentrate on his job. He was overwhelmed by threatening health condition of his wife. ‘What can I do to help my wife survive from the illness?’ he asked himself. Talking to himself has become his habit lately. In spite of all he did to bring back his dear wife’s his efforts became in vain. One evening, while the doctors were laboring hard, she passed away.
He was dump struck by witnessing how she struggled to survive. Not very long before his business and the hope of living altogether vanished and he too, was found dead in his house six months later after his wife’s death, leaving behind a ten-year old Fekadu. Upon the death of Ato Asfaw, taking advantage of the innocence of Fekadu, relatives dispossessed him; at that juncture he had no one and nowhere to turn to.
The usual food provision and comforts were taken away by such a misfortune. Before too long, he began starving; there were times when he had to eat only once a day. Somehow, his father’s brother, who was then living in Gondar proposed to take Fekadu to live with him. Fekadu went to Gondar to live with his uncle. His uncle, due to unknown reason, at least to Fekadu, divorced his wife and disappeared.
Now Fekadu was left at the mercy of a step mother who cruelly treated him; his uncle’s children were many, they discriminated against him; Fekadu felt too lonely, rejected by members of the family altogether. His future appeared dark and bleak. The worst part of the story is that Fekadu was suffering from forced-child labor. At that tender age, he was given strict instruction by his step mother t
wake up early morning and milk two cows, boil the milk for the children to drink before they go to school. Every day he was expected to wash all the clothes, iron them to make them ready for use by both the children and the grownups. He would be given breakfast or lunch very late mostly leftovers or sometimes he accomplished everything without them. Anything short of these daily activities resulted in severe punitive measures.
Mercy, in view of his age, was not granted. He was rather considered like a tool to accomplish household chores. Once it happened that while his step mother was out for shopping, he was so engaged in other chores that he forgot to boil milk in time. He was so shocked for having not adhered to his mother’s strict instruction. He hurried to the kitchen and boiled the milk in less than the time required for the milk to boil.
By then the step mother was returning. As soon as he heard her voice, he picked up the kettle and advanced towards where she was. She knew that he had not boiled the milk in time. She took the kettle from hands, smelled it and knew that it was not boiled enough, and she splashed the hot milk at his face and the boy fell down and fainted; his face, neck and hands were badly cooked.
Nobody was at all concerned about Fekadu and in fact, the other children in the house were smilingly watching as if some action drama was being played. Having noticed the severity of the situation, she took him to the hospital. When asked how the accident happened, she said he had fallen down and the milk in the kettle was splashed on him. However, it had happened, he stayed in the hospital for a month and was discharged but at a loss of his natural skin.
The story doesn’t end there. After some time, there was soccer tournament in the town that he yearned to watch; he took risk of what would follow after coming back; he went to the place where the tournament was taking place. When the whole thing was over, he came back home. The children at home were waiting for his arrival to report to their infuriated mother. The step mother, as soon as she saw him enter the house, she picked up a big piece of wood and hit him hard on the head.
At that Fekadu went headlong to the ground, blood oozing out from his forehead and his nose; he was lying there unconsciously until she had him picked up and took him to the hospital. Fortunately, he eventually recovered with a big psychological scar left for his bitter memory of the harsh treatment of his step mother throughout his life. From that point on, things began taking a sharp turn in Fekadu’s life. A couple of days after his return home from the hospital, he decided to flee the house.
He did as he had decided and went to the center of the town in hide out, passed three days and nights, time enough to find his way out of Gondar. Some street boys, whom he befriended himself with, within a very short time invited him, if he willing to flee to Addis Ababa with them; he readily accepted the invitation and soon after a couple of days they were on board the back of an old charcoal truck and headed for their destination.
After two days, they arrived in Addis, they city they had been dreaming about for a long time; a place where they thought their life problems would be addressed overnight. However, that was not the case. They did not get a place to pass the night; they had to sleep on the verandah. Getting food was their biggest problem and the situation could not get any better for a long time until they turned to picking pockets and on some convenient days snatching and running away with whatever they thought was useful. Such practices included whisking sheep or goats from the flock and running with them too.
Because of proper food items obtained illegally in this manner, they were physically getting stronger for advanced criminal activities. As they were living in such life style, one day a young man came across Fekadu and took him to a certain café and invited him tea and cake. There while they were discussing, the host came to know that Fekadu was involved in hooliganism and decided to pull him out of such a destructive lifestyle. He did not have much to offer; but he had one thing: Jesus Christ.
He brought out his pocket bible and witnessed about Jesus to Fekadu. Fekadu after attentively listened and tears rolling down his cheeks surrendered his life to Jesus in response to the call. Thereafter, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal friend and savior. He was soon taken to the church where the man belonged and learned discipleship lessons and was baptized. Ever since, his life was dramatically transformed and his friends were surprised at his 180 degrees turn to Jesus Christ and his back to the world. That was a genuine justification.
Such a contagious lifestyle won all of his friends to the Savior and they all started travelling on the same path of redemption. After that, Fekadu’s life was dramatically transformed and by the assistance of a benefactor, he resumed school and continued without interruption up to college and to posts graduate programs and there he graduated with distinction. Upon graduation, he got a job with an NGO with attractive salary. His friends too followed suit.
A young man, who was sleeping in the kitchen without light and proper bedding, now owns a ground plus two or so. To compensate for the loss he had suffered at the hands of a cruel step mother, in addition to his biological children, he has adopted three orphans, all of whom have graduated and are employed with fat salaries in different organizations. Such is the gratifying reward when a person is unjustly treated and such are the avenged vices.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition, May19/ 2019
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
