The stranger

The tropics presented our village with the longest dry season we had ever experienced. Heat rained down on us like a breath of hell. The scorched sand shimmered in the intense white rays of the sun. We were sweaty and the arid heat burnt our lungs. No one would have moved in this penetrating heat unless they were desperate and we were. It had been six months since we experienced the rains; the season had been the worst experience of our days. We wished for the world to end our suffering at once, but the universe had it all wired differently.

We cursed the government, hated the system, blamed ourselves, appeased the ancestors but the situation only got worse. The pain of losing our loved ones and everything we termed as wealth. I was growing weary and tired. I had promised myself never to quit on life, but life was vividly quitting on me. I had lost control and the life I was accustomed to was slowly turning to my worst nightmare.

It was nightfall, and we had no hope for the future. We woke to the scorching sun and had to attend to our daily routine. My cousins and I would walk for hours trying to find a water source. This day, our resilience and optimistic charms had been activated as we shared the future we’d hoped to see. “Where there is no hope, it is incumbent on us to invent it”. Amidst our conversation, we bumped into a tall guy, with a different complexion, sounding as though he had landed from Mars. We had our fears, doubts and thus were hesitant to hold a conversation with him.

“My name is Andy'', he said his lip quirked upwards in a joyous smile. We gazed at him without a word. “I’m one of you, and I have the interest of the community at heart”. This was a melody to our ears. Andy differed completely from us. Culturally, he did not belong and stereotypically, his intentions would never be right. “Look I know I don’t belong, I will never be like you and I have come to terms with that, I, however, would like to listen to your dreams and the story you have to tell”. He might have overheard our conversation or was telepathy at work?

We hesitated for a moment and Dakarai finally broke the silence. “What are your true intentions?” he asked. “Well”, Andy said tonelessly. “I was born and raised in Paris, I have travelled through continents in search of my path. My journey has led me here, where I finally feel at home. My whole bubble of purpose has found its space here. I understand the means of survival and I would love to change the story of this town with you and the rest of the community. My plans are to settle here and share life with you all.”

“This is probably one of those serial killers looking for his next victims”, murmured Abasi “Leap of faith”, uttered Maat. She always believed in seeing the good in people. “We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings”, she added. We have been hoping that our dreams would actualize, the moment of rewriting the story is right here, but we are all busy doubting. I thought to myself. Andy pointed out his newly found place, and a plastic recycling plant he had set to create employment opportunities for the community members. He seemed already soaked in our culture. “I have experienced my share of life and I would love to find myself fully through serving the members of this community”. He continued. Echoing the words of Caroline Landry, he said that the community service gives him valuable opportunity to walk into different communities that are less familiar to him but just as colourful and in need. “I don’t have your skin colour nor do I speak your language or share a similar ancestral story as you. I’m however certain that I am human in flesh like you. Guided by compassion and in pursuit of my path in life, I feel more compelled to serve and live with you in harmony, regardless of the existing stereotypes”.

Andy taught us an important lesson once again. In his eyes, I saw what compassion looked like. Ralph Emerson once stated that “the purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived well”. I closed my eyes with the happening of the moment and heard Maat concluding that, in every single person we meet, there is a story to be told, a lesson to learn and a dream yearning for our support. Andy had his dream but needed a supportive community to actualize, we had a dream to progress in life, Andy was the opportunity we hoped for. As we journey in life, it is important to be kind to one another. Look at every individual from a humanity lens as opposed to stereotypes or any other ill-informed judgment. He was a stranger who taught us a vital lesson in life.