Tomorrow Never Comes

At the end of a very frustrating day, my landlord says to me, “Tsepho, this day is a blessing because now you have a story to write for your book, and...................”

Last week, my landlord picked me up early to take me to Gabs to collect rent money for the next 6 months. It was really nice of him to do this, saving me kombie headaches, a lot of money, and not knowing where I'm going. On the way, he told me that growing up in a small village, families would sit around the fire outside in their compound, eat their porridge, and tell stories. I asked him to tell me one, and it was about Jekyl and Hyde---translation---Jackal and the Hyena! He told me that a Jackal and a Hyena scooted under a fence to kill someones goat. After eating some of the goat, the Jackal crawled back under the fence to make sure that he could still do it and get away fast. He came back to eat a little more, but made sure that his belly wasn't so full that he couldn't escape. The Hyena, however, kept eating all the goat he wanted, and his belly was beginning to be so full and bloated. A family member spotted this, came out to kill the animals that killed his goat, and it was the Jackal that was able to escape. Moral of the story---watch yourself, watch what you eat, watch what you do, because you never know when trouble will come!

We then passed this village called Otsi, which has the highest mountain or hill in Botswana. But there is a story to the hill. There was this myth that two young people, madly in love, were supposed to marry someone else in an arranged marriage. They decided to climb the hill and elope, which they did. But, after the marriage, the couple never came down from the hill, and were never again seen by their families. The villagers searched for days with no luck, and then named it The Hill of Lovers.  We stopped for a few minutes to gaze at the beauty of the hill, and to see if we can catch a glimpse of any lovers up there!

I was so happy driving with Fletcher, listening to him regaling tales, but once in Gabs things went downhill. It took over 6 hours of being told to drive here, to drive there, that the dates were all wrong on the paperwork, to get back to the schools to fix the paperwork, then driving somewhere else to get the final stamp of approval, and then going back to "there" to finally get the dough!  I had to follow someone around with 2 inch platform and 4 inch heals, falling over every two seconds, because these shoes are not suitable for anyone---not even a NY Prostitute!  It was the only thing that made me laugh all day! My landlord then dropped me at the mall to get some things, and get food in my belly, while he went to another revenue place to get his agriculture license renewed. Telling me he'll be back in an hour to pick me up, I rushed to get everything done, talked to some fellow PCV's hanging out, and went to wait at the pick up point. Well, it's getting dark, and 3 hours later, guess who arrives, and guess who is fuming in frustration at this long and horrible day of dealing with people who have no concept of waiting and time.  He sees how mad I am when I get in, but he just smiles and says, “Tsepho, there is no time in Africa, enjoy every moment instead of getting frustrated because Tomorrow Never Comes! Whatta guy!