Namib to Zambia (Story Number 4)

Namib to Zambia (Story Number 4)

Combinations of 240 : Endless Stories (Started in 2018...)

There are 240 countries and nations in the world, plus or minus some islands and remote places that contain their own sub-cultures.It occurred to me that it would be interesting to capture an encounter or story about two people, respectively, from every place on the planet.

This would add up to 57,600 stories. An Indian and a Nepalese. A Bhutanian and a Falkland Islander (Malvino, I guess, in Spanish). And: another fifty-seven thousand, five hundred and ninety eight encounters more. Like an American and a Welsh. Er ... Welshman... Welsh lady? On and on it will go. What would your match ups be?

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(Begun in July or August, 2019)

Equezi thought that if he could drive, he would thrive. 

There were parts of his vast land where he knew would make money if he learned how to drive. And own a car. Opportunity was rife of he could figure out his place.

The ever growing  number of tourists and foreign residents, especially Chinese, meant more money. Few people in his neighborhood made enough money to really live well. No one knew vacations, no one knew what it was like to take a real break like he saw the Chinese and wealthy of Windhoek receive.

He would join them. He would have vacations, or holidays, as the British called them.

Getting the passengers from the central Damaraland to the southern Great Namaland was the key.

Chinese settlements.Foreign tourists. Big money.

Mosunda was a smart driver from Zambia; he seemed to have figured this all out. He had lived in Namibia only four years.

Equezi went to the house of Mosunda, late one night. 

"Mister Mosunda, I am grateful to know you and I wish to do what you do. Can you help me?"

"Sir Equezi, I am of a thought that I can help those who wish to help themselves, and when I accomplish this help, I myself will be blessed and prosper more. What specific thing do you wish to do?"

"I want to drive and make money like you. But I am very poor." (It sounded like the way an American would say POE-AH. Although he could also pronounce it POOH-AH).

"Yes, I understand, Sir. That is precisely why I left my native Zambia: I was poor and I had nothing to offer anyone, least of all myself." 

"Now you have a wife and children, and you have bought many things, and you rent homes and do so much."

"Yes, life is good."

"What do I need to do?"

"Well, sir, if you trust me that much, I do think that you must do three things. Learn to drive a car and have that license, learn proper English to help the travelers, and learn Chinese, enough to help them, too."

"Chinese! It is too hard! How can I do this?"

"No, brother, it can be done, at least as much is helpful to gain them as clients and earn their respect. Most of them will know English in order to conduct business, but their native language is the ice breaker. And, there are multiple dialects, so you speak the Chinese to those from Shanghai differently than the ones from Hong Kong, and on and on."

"Yes, I see. Can you teach me?" 

"I can help a little, sure," replied Mosunda, the rich Zambian in Windhoek. "But first things first: you must learn to drive and have a license."

"Yes, yes. What is the best way?"

"I think you can learn with me, and qualify with a car that I lend you. I will make money from this, we will agree to share. With that increased income we will together purchase another car that you will pay off."

"Ahh, this seems so simple!"

"It sounds simple in theory, but it will take time and devotion, perhaps a few years. But both of us will benefit, that is for sure.

They spoke excitedly for another two hours, how they could both benefit each other.

You can imagine their earnest determination to succeed.

 Would they?