Tough Life - Part 2

Douglas  graduated from University with first Class honours. He continued operating a Cab while  he looked for work.  One  year later he was still a Taxi driver.  He had been struggling financially.  One Wednesday evening he picked up a client, Abayomi from Dalstone, East London.  He was dressed in a very nice Navy blue modern suit and and a Black leather brief case.  Abayomi asked to be taken to Hammersmith.  As he sat in the back he was very talkative.  They talked about Africa, the economy and financial situations.  Abayomi asked Douglas about the Taxi business..  Douglas told him, he was struggling and he had financial obligations back home.  He asked Abayomi what he did for living and he said he was a financial controller.  When they got to Hammersmith before he came out of the cab, Abayomi told Douglas if he would like some help with generating an income to assist  him with his financial obligations, he can give him a call.  Abayomi gave Douglas his business card and a fat tip of Thirty pounds.

The following week Douglas received a phone call from his dad who said that the roof to their house was leaking and needed replacing.  Douglas did not  have any money left over after paying his bills and rent.  He remembered  the conversation they had with Abayomi and he looked for his business card.   He called Abayomi and told him that he would like some  advice on how  he can improve his income.  Abayomi suggested they meet late that afternoon in Nottinghill over a coffee.  Douglas ironed his best Shirt and Trousers and went to work.

Later that afternoon he drove to Nottinghill and got there half an hour earlier as there was no traffic. When he arrived there, Abayomi was already there talking to another gentleman who left as soon as Douglas arrived at the table.  Abayomi started telling him in a round about sort of way  how they made money.  He started to explain to him the easiest way to get started was by buying a credit card from him with a different name. He could start by buying a credit card with a £2,000 limit for £500.  Douglas said he did not have the money needed to buy the credit card.  Abayomi told him that he can get buyers to Abayomi and he would be given a commission and from that he could buy a credit card.  Douglas inquired what other ways there were to make some quick money.  Abayomi told him he needs to take one step at a time and that was the easiest.  Douglas asked him where and how they get the credit cards, and Abayomi told him they either steal them or clone the original cards.  He explained that banks have insurance and don't make any real losses.  Douglas thought it was a bit dodgy but he needed money urgently.  He bid Abayomi goodbye and promised to get in touch soon.  He set off with the information and called his friends and told them to meet  him at a pub near his house for a drink.

When he got to the pub, he found two friends already enjoying a beer.  After the first beer, they asked him what news he had that  he needed to see them  that day.  He explained to them what Abayomi had told him and they liked the idea. He told them that if they paid £600 they would get a credit card with £2,000 limit.  Three other friends came later and he told them the same thing.  They said they would get back to him.  He went home feeling very hopeful.

The following day John called him and told him he had the £600.  He organised to get back to him. He  called Abayomi and told him he found someone with the money.  They agreed to meet that evening in Dalstone.  John had decided he does not want to meet Abayomi and he gave the £600 to Douglas as he trusted him.  It was a short meeting.  Douglas handed him the £500 in an envelope placed in between a book.  And Abayomi put the credit card in a book he was carrying and passed it over to Douglas.  He finished his coffee and left. Over the next few weeks he got his friends to buy the credit cards and since John  had used his and everything was fine, the  rest gained confidence in the credit cards.  He bought his own credit cards. A few weeks later Abayomi  had gained trust in Douglas and called him and told him he had something for him.  They arranged a meeting that evening in Forest Gate, London.  Douglas was getting confidence in his new found dodgy dealings.

When he got there, he found Abayomi with another gentleman.  He was introduced to him as Bola.  They sat on a table in a corner.  After the first coffee, Bola explained that he can make more money, by selling fake birth certificates and documents to help people open bank accounts with fake names.  Once again he was going to get commission.  He set off that evening and told his 3 friends about it.  At first they were not too sure about it, and after a few beers they decided to go ahead with it.  Business was good and he was making money and sending half of it home and drinking the other half.  He started wearing designer clothes and bought a new Golf car.  He also started being a little careless and spending money on women.

Some months later Abayomi called him and asked him to meet him.  This time he suggested Douglas go to his house.  Douglas was not sure he wanted to do that, and asked Abayomi if he can take a friend.  Abayomi agreed.  Early that evening Douglas and John went to Abayomi's house in Enfield, London.  After one beer Abayomi called Douglas into the dining room.  He explained to Douglas that there is a way he can make £15,000 in one go.  He explained to him how it works which involved banks taking a few pence Up to One pound from  it's accounts members and people would not notice that  the pence are  missing.  He said he had a friend who worked at the bank.  All he had to do is get someone who would open an account with a different name and when the money was in the account they would split it in half.  He would then give Abayomi £10,000 and he would keep £15,000.   This was too big and risky and he needed time to think about it.  Douglas told Abayomi that he would get back to him after he had time to think about it.  After they finished their drinks Douglas and John left and Douglas was quiet all the way home.  He did not get much sleep as that is all he thought about.  He decided to talk to John about it and hear what opinion was.

John let greed take control and he offered to be the first.  Douglas called Abayomi and they arranged a meeting between the three of them at Abayomi's house.  When they got there Abayomi explained in more detail what would happen and once the bank account was opened they would be told when it would happen.  They agreed and John parted with £500 for the documents and letters required to open the bank account.  They left Abayomi's house and got into the car.   John was scared and so was Douglas.  They knew if things went wrong they would end up in prison.  Neither of them had Visa's to be in the United Kingdom as they had expired some months ago.  If caught they would be deported after doing prison time.  They discussed and decided to  risk it as everything else had gone well so far.

John opened an account the following day and phoned Douglas to inform him.  Douglas informed Abayomi who then said he would call him to tell him when  to expect the money. Abayomi would be told by his contact at the bank when it was going to happen.

A few days passed and no word from Abayomi.  They thought nothing would happen and relaxed.  It was 4 weeks later on a Friday that Abayomi called and told Douglas  the deal was happening that evening.  Douglas could not sleep at all that night.  John became jumpy every time he heard sirens.  He too did not sleep.

In the morning, John went to Douglas's house and they decided to go  to the cash machine together. The money was there.

Douglas decided to do the same for himself and he too got the money.  He also told a small number of people he  trusted about it and they  too did it.

By this time the police had been on to Douglas and Abayomi and had put a surveillance car that followed his every move.  Eight months later as Douglas was driving along Kew Bridge, a Police car behind him flashed their lights and asked him to stop.  They cautioned him and took him to the police station where he was questioned.  They held him in the Police station while they gathered more evidence against him.

When he later appeared in court he was found guilty of fraud and his car and property were seized as proceeds of crime.  He was jailed for Twelve months and when he had done Six months jail term, they released him at the airport where he was deported with just a small bag that  had a handful of clothes.

When he arrived at his homeland, his parents were not aware.  He called them from the airport to pick him up.  His dad knew something was wrong but he did not say anything until they got home.  After he had a shower, he sat down with both his parents and explained to them what happened.  His dad was happy to see him, but furious that he broke the law in such a manner.  His dad left the house to think and came back later that evening looking very sad.  All his dad said when he got back that evening was if he had known the situation, he would never have asked for a single penny from his son..

Douglas had tried getting a job in Nairobi and failed.  Two years later he started sinking into depression.  He refused to talk to anyone, or leave the house and his mum was forcing him to eat food. He lost a lot of weight.

Tough Life - Part One.

Monica and Douglas grew up together as their parents were close friends.  They were like brother and sister and even went to the same school.  After A-levels in 1992, Douglas managed to travel to the United Kingdom to study Business Finance.  Six months after arriving in London, Douglas asked Monica if she would join him in the United Kingdom to study.  She agreed and Douglas helped her apply for a place in Brunel University to study Medical Biochemistry.

Monica joined Douglas the following year and he helped her settle in.  Life was difficult but they both struggled through to the end of that year.  Douglas was a cab driver to supplement his income to help pay for his upkeep. They went out for drinks at least once a month.  Unfortunately Monica's dad passed away after a burglary at their house in Kiambu.  The burglars kept asking for pounds as they thought that because the family had a daughter based in the United Kingdom, she must have been sending them money.  When Monica’s dad didn’t give them the money, they shot him and took a few electronics that they could sell.  With Monica’s dad gone, there was no one to pay her tuition fees.    Monica struggled to pay her fees and bills and had to take up 2 jobs while attending lectures everyday. She finally graduated and found a job to help support both herself and her mother.  

Every month the financial demands grew.  Monica had to take on 2 full time jobs to make ends meet; one job as healthcare assistant in the care industry and the other waiting tables in a restaurant. To save money, she moved into a double bedroom in a shared house so that she could send her mother more money.  Two years later Monica decided that she needed to make more money, and discussed this with a friend called Scarlet whom she had met at a party on Jamhuri day. Monica told Scarlet about all her money worries and the struggles she had trying to support her mother and make ends meet.  Scarlet owned a silver BMW sport and lived in a very posh house in Mill Hill, London.  Scarlet told her she knew how she could make more money than she was making. Monica was eager to know and Scarlet suggested they met up the following day, which was Saturday.

Monica went to Scarlet’s house early that afternoon.  Scarlet told Monica that she would show her the best way to make more money.  Scarlet gave Monica a Lycra dress that was a bit too short and tight for Monica's taste and some very high heels.  That evening they went to a Mansion in Chelsea for a party.  Scarlet introduced Monica to a few people, one of whom was an African lady known as Ginger (a nickname given to her for her fiery Ginger dyed hair).  Scarlet outrageously flirted with all the middle aged men at the party and disappeared a few times in the evening with various men.  At the end of the evening, Ginger gave Scarlet an envelope with £2,000.  When they got back to Scarlet's house, Scarlet told her how she made the money and gave Monica £500 for being a sport and talking to a few men.  The following morning Monica left and went back home.  When she got home, she was very disturbed by what she had seen.  She decided prostitution was not an option.  She continued to struggle to make ends meet.  Two months later, her mother phoned urgently requesting funds for her cousin's daughter who had been sent home for lack of payment of school fees.  Monica told her mother that she did not have any money to spare and would only have some on pay day which was 25 days away.  Her mother explained that the situation was dire and that the child was sat at home.   Monica tried to get some extra money but to no avail.  She decided her last resort was to take up Scarlet’s offer- just once to get the cash she needed.  She called Scarlet who was happy to hear from her.  Scarlet took her to Ginger who called some clients.  Ginger gave Scarlet a wad of cash and told her to take Monica shopping for clothes that were fit for purpose. After 3 weeks, Monica quit her job and became a high class escort.  She learn ed that the ‘extras’ were where the money was.  She struggled emotionally with what she was doing, but the money was good and she could fully financially support her mother and give her a better life.  She built her a big house and even exported a car from the United Kingdom for her.  She decided that her mother could never know what she did, and especially because she was the head of the women's guild at their church.  Monica rationalised to herself -at least she was making good money unlike those that do it for pittance to buy drugs or waste it on designer clothes. She bought herself a C-Class Mercedes to match the house that she had moved into

Her mother started bragging at Church and in the women's chama's, about how well her daughter was doing.  She started to question other mothers with children abroad as to why their children were not financially supporting them by building big houses and buying them big cars. That year, Monica invited her mother to the UK for a visit.  She treated her mum to a fantastic time and took loads of photos everywhere they went.  When Monica’s mother got back she continued bragging about how well her daughter was doing and this time she had photos to prove it.

A few years later, a couple who were church friends with Monica’s mother went to the United Kingdom to visit their daughter Wambui. When they saw where their daughter was living they started asking questions. They kept referring to Monica and how Monica had built a house for her mother among other things.  Wambui decided to take them to Monica’s house to visit.  They could not believe their eyes.  She was living very well, but appeared cagey in discussions regarding what she did for a living.  When they got back to Wambui's house, Wambui’s parents asked her to be honest about what Monica did for a living.  Wambui told them the truth.  Wambui's mum told her that if she were to ever find herself in a situation where she couldn’t afford to make ends meet anymore, she would rather go back home to Kenya than become an escort.  Wambui's father told her, that she could build herself a house at her own pace on a piece of land adjacent to their property that he had put aside for her.

On her return home, Wambui's mum went to the monthly meeting for the women's guild, and as usual Monica's mum was bragging.  After the meeting Wambui's mum told the ladies what she had found out about what Monica did for a living.    Her daughter Wambui had decided to help educate the other women by telling her parents the truth.  In a matter of days, the whole town knew what Monica did for a living and Monica's mum found out.  She confronted her daughter who confirmed it. She sank into depression and wouldn’t leave her house due to the shame she felt in the community.  The relationship between Monica and her mother was never the same.  Monica became ill some months later and after several tests the doctors confirmed that she was HIV positive.  At first Monica went into denial, but later accepted to start a course medication.  Two years later Monica died of AIDS in the United Kingdom.

Sometimes the pressure to send money back home can mount and lead people to do things they are ashamed off.  People in the diaspora and people back home can find a way to move forward without those in the diaspora doing things they are ashamed off.

Meanwhile Douglas had fallen in with a wrong crowd and started getting involved with fraud (419) scams.  (Find out about Douglas in the next article).

Changing times

Mumbi and Wangechi are cousins who grew up in the early 50's as kids.  Their idea of fun was creating their own games and toys from String and plastic papers to make a ball.  And creating toys from things like sticks, sacks and anything they could lay their hands on.

They looked forward to going to their grandma's and grandpa's as they used to get spoilt. Their grandfather was wealthy in the days as he was the son of a chief.  He had 26 wives.  Their grandma was the 20th wife.  Their grandpa would slaughter a goat and then roast the meat .  He would get both kidneys and roast them over charcoal and then call Mumbi and Wangechi and give them one kidney each.  Those days kidneys were given to girls.  When the meat was ready, he would call all the children and they would sit round the charcoal fire. He would cut up the meat and as he cut it he would pick up the best piece and cut it, and give it to  Mumbi who he always asked to sit by his leg.  He would take the next piece and give it to Mumbi and then pass it Wangechi then round to all the other kids.  He would do that until all the kids had had enough.  He would at the time be telling them stories.  When the kids start falling asleep and he would call his wives to come get their kids.

In the process of going to their individual huts, some of the kids woke up.   In those days the goats spent the night inside the hut on one side side.  Mumbi and Wangeci would wait for their grandma to close the door and go out to talk to the other wives. Mumbi and Wangeci would get out of bed and let the goats out from their corner.  They would ride the goats and pretend they were horses.  And because all this was done in the dark with very little space inside the huts, they would fall off the goats and either hit the wall or the floor.  Then they would chase the goat to get back on it.  The goats would be making a lot of noise.  Their grandma knew what was going on and let them have fun for a bit.  When they heard her footsteps they would run into bed and pretend to be asleep.  In the morning they would wake up with bruises on their foreheads, legs and arms.  Their grandma would not ask them anything until after breakfast.  She would ask them "What happened to your foreheads?"  They would say they don't know and pretend that they were not aware they were bruised.  After a while of being questioned Mumbi being the cheekiest of the two would say that the goats must  have head butted them in their sleep.  And grandma  would laugh and pack a bag of vegetables for them to go home with.

In those days, children never wore helmets, or knee and elbow pads or any form of protection  when playing.  They made their own toys and created their own games.  They spent the entire day out and only got into the house when it was dark at 6.00 O'clock.  There were no health and Safety issues and kids grew up very well and became creative.

In modern times, everything is bought and is very expensive.  Kids need helmets, Elbow pads and knee pads if they are going to be riding anything.  Kids spend the whole day indoors.  Kids are not encouraged to be creative because they have games consoles keeping them indoors.  With that, obesity sets in as they do not get enough exercise.



http://basewood1.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/how-to-activate-intuition.html?spref=fb

Pissing in a Bottle

It was a lovely Sunday Evening in Spring Valley.  It was 6.00 O'clock and Roger was sat on his veranda on a cane couch.  He watched the sun go down while listening to some country music in the background.  He was reading  the latest African Crime Thriller, Nairobi Heat by Mukoma Wa Ngugi.   He called out to his cook "Njenga, Njenga".  Njenga hurried to hear what Roger wanted him to do.  When he reached the doorway to the veranda Njenga answered back  "Sir, What can I do for you?"  "Please get me the bottle of Johnny Walker in the whisky cabinet and a glass", Roger replied..  Njenga went off to fetch the Johnny Walker and grabbed a glass from the next shelf and took it to Roger.  "Sir, Here is the Johnny Walker" and he put it on the brown antique stool by Roger's side. After Njenga left, Roger poured himself a drink and thought it tasted diluted.  He added some more and it tasted the same and assumed that he was mistaken.  He drank 3 shots slowly that evening and retired to bed early.

The following evening after dinner, Roger called Njenga and asked for his usual Johnny Walker.  He poured himself a shot as he usually did and downed it in one go.  He thought it tasted weaker that the day before.  He decided he was going to  have to figure out what was happening to his  favourite tipple.  The same thing happened for the rest of the week.  As he sat on his cane couch on Saturday, he got an idea.  He figured that Njenga had been treating himself to his favourite tipple.

That night after Njenga had gone to his servants Quarters, Roger got a plastic glass and urinated in it.  He then boiled some teabags to  give it colour and poured both the urine and weak black tea in the Johnny Walker bottle and put it in the whiskey cabinet as he normally would.

During the following week,  He decided to drink some famous Grouse that he had bought when he had visited London some months before.  Meanwhile Njenga kept helping himself to the doctored Johnny walker.

On Sunday Roger called Njenga and asked  him, "What happened to the Johnny Walker?  Njenga replied "I don't know what you mean, Sir".  Roger asked him again.  "Has anyone touched the Johnny Walker in the cabinet?"   "I don't know, Sir", replied Njenga.  Roger told him that he noticed that the drink was getting lighter and lighter the week before and Njenga still maintained that he did not know what had happened.  Roger told him that  he had poured Urine in the bottle to teach a lesson to the person that had been helping themselves to his Johnny Walker and that the person that had been drinking it had drank urine for a whole week.  Njenga excused himself and ran to the toilet to throw up and finally admitted he had been the one drinking the Johnny Walker.

The following week Njenga quit work.