Homecoming

I'll be back soon. A few hours ago I landed in Nairobi, Kenya. Now I'm sitting on the bus, impatient, waiting for the bus to leave. I am impatient, can not wait until the driver comes, starts the engine and we leave. You can not imagine how impatient I am. I have not seen you that long. You were still small when I left you, now you have grown safely and maybe you will not recognize me anymore. It was too long that we had no contact. If you would recognize me, then I would be happy! But I do not expect it, I know it's too much what I ask for. Let me dream. I've often dreamed of you when I was abroad, almost every day, always wondering what you're doing, playing with your pleasures, or are you sick? I was always afraid that you would not be well. It also worried me that I was often awake and thinking of you. I was reassured only after we had talked on the phone, I was always assured that you are well. Then I was calmed down.

There are still a few people missing. But they can take time! Well, the bus leaves in ten minutes, so it is on the ticket, I have to be patient. However, soon I will be with you and then we can look each other in the eye.

The conductor gets on my nerves, what's screaming around! He feels so important. The driver is important, the conductor does not come with him, he stays here in the city, it is not necessary for him to come along, the bus stops only once, and he has to, because the journey is far, 6 hours drive , At the bus station are a lot of people, mostly young people, who need to go back to school, university. The holidays are over, the work begins again. The driver comes, looks around, still some seats are not occupied, he shouts something to the conductor, he looks around, shrugs his shoulders. The driver is going again. It is still time. He will not want to freak out. This ride is not easy, neither for the driver nor for the passengers. The last passengers are coming. They are sitting. The conductor checks everything again. All passengers are there and they are sitting in their assigned places. The driver comes, sits behind his wheel. He starts the engine. Now it finally starts. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I'm getting closer to you. The bus does not drive yet, it is still standing, the engine is running. A bus goes to the station, there is no room to drive by, we have to wait. Slowly the bus sneaks past us. It's a big bus, not so small by sitting. There are only nine places here. I'm in the back. The bus starts. The way is free. Slowly he drives over the bumpy road. The road is not paved, sharp stones stand out of the ground. But that's not the only reason why the bus is slow, people walk across the street in front of the bus, some suddenly come out from parked buses, so he has to slow down. A terrible journey begins. I know the way, I know the road, I know what to expect. The people here take it easy, they know that they are in God's hands. If they survive, if they die while driving, it was God's will. His will be done, amen! After several minutes, we finally reach the gate. The afternoon traffic rolls, it is not the normal madness, nor the traffic rolls, in one hour everything is here and the air is poisoned by the exhaust gases. A market is there, on the street, hindering the pedestrians. Breathe white faces from the continuous exhaust. The bus joins in traffic. Slowly, then ever faster, the houses pass by. Fortunately, there are not many intersections, most are roundabouts, but the bus has to stop. Soon the houses will be less, we will approach the city limits. Police check! We stop, the driver gets out, has a note in his hand. He gives him a police officer, and I see a few others standing there with submachine guns. The driver comes, we are waved through the barrier. For what these controls are, only the devil knows. Everyone is corrupt, there are only a few who are not corrupt. Everyone is cheating, being cheated, it's like a sport here. They invented a new Olympic discipline here. Therefore, these controls do not make any sense, because who knows if this policeman is corrupt or not? It may be assumed that it is him.

The ride continues. We are on the highway that is either being built or being repaired. Fast can not be driven, that gives me the opportunity to look at the environment. People throw their trash on the street. This is not a nice sight and certainly not a pleasant smell. There is no garbage disposal, so where with all this crap? One garbage dump after the other. And the people live in it. In the center of the city, there was a canal between the lanes. I did not really see him, but there were naked kids jumping around, wet and happy. Apparently there is a drain there, it is bathed in it. What a life! Involuntarily, I wonder how this country works, that anything works at all? There can only be one answer to that: because everything is corrupt, that's why some things work. Corruption drives the economy, whoever trades, knows what he has to do. One hand washes the other and both hands there face. Just recently, the former president was convicted of acquiring land without paying the rightful price. The state works because the whole politics is corrupt. Now there will be a new money, this is justified by the fact that it is to fight corruption. Nothing is achieved. Black money is washed clean with this action. Benefit again the corrupt. The fish starts to stink on the head.

We are not in the plane yet. We turn off, now the serpentines begin. The traffic is strong, one truck after another, they all creep up and down the mountain. The bus driver drives for some time behind them, there is little opportunity to overtake. The view is hampered by the many curves. The bus accelerates, starts to overtake, there is a passing ban, which the bus driver is not interested. We whiz past some trucks before the bus rejoins. Not too late, from the next bend a truck pants through the bend. No honking, no scolding, nothing. That is normal. We are all in God's hands. At the foot of the mountain is a city, there the road branches off. We drive west, that has an advantage, because most trucks go north. The first 42 kilometers are behind me. The drive to this junction took 1 1/2 hours. Now the passengers are getting comfortable. Some fold back the seat back, close their eyes, try to sleep. There is no real sleep, one is shaken too often. The streets are full of holes, often I'm almost thrown out of my seat. A miracle that breaks nothing. Burned out on the roadside, destroyed vehicles. There's nothing left to pick! Everything that was to be used has already been expanded.

Here begins the plane. I'll make it a bit more comfortable now, I put the back of the chair back, so I can stretch myself out. I can already feel the tiredness, immediately my eyes close. Sleep is unthinkable. Too many thoughts are in my head. When I left you, you could not talk, now you're talking on the phone like a waterfall. Too much time has passed, time is lost, that is not coming back. I failed as a father, that I have to admit. I left you, I should have stayed. I could have seen you every day, playing with you, doing all sorts of nonsense. In the foreign I worked, toiled, so that you both are well.

I can remember the silence in our neighborhood. The kids in the school, only the neighbor's three chickens cackle around. Is not busy. Every now and then someone brings a cow, another goat behind the house, to graze. It is not a pasture, the land belongs to nobody. Since both of us had always something to look at and you have always made big eyes, have feared, this fear was quickly displaced by curiosity. Often we both sat on the steps to the kitchen watching the animals. Mother cooked, watched and smiled. Then the food was especially good. In the summer, when it was warm, we went to the river. You always wanted to run yourself, but soon you got tired and you let yourself be carried away. Whom we came over, all greeted us in a friendly way. You waved, that especially pleased the women. Some shook my hand, meant what I'm for a great father. At the river we sat down on the edge, our feet in the water. You cheered for joy and I proudly watched you. That reminds me of an incident you will not remember. Once on the way home, there was a cop, leashed, next to the path. I did not think anything about it, because the bull was often at this place. We had never had any problems, but this day was different. As we passed the cop, he suddenly lowered his head, snorting wildly, and started to approach us. Did we go! You on my shoulders, it shook you so much, but you still laughed. You were not aware of the seriousness of the situation. That was a good thing, you should not be afraid, they already have others for you. Most of the time we left in the morning, that mom had enough time to cook. When we came back, the table was already set. Especially on the weekends, Mum had taken a lot of time and made the table very nice. Then you sat on my knees and I fed you. You've always opened your mouth wide, like a whale in the sea. We had to smile. After dinner, you fell asleep, I put you in your cot and covered. Your mother and I then looked at you. We are proud parents. Proud of you and we are also proud of ourselves. Not every family is as lucky as we are.

Right now I have to think about the hard work we had and still

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 09.09.2019
ISBN: 978-3-7487-1496-5

Alle Rechte vorbehalten