What Goes Around...

'Tit for tat' is a fair game and a common saying many are taking as a revenge mechanism. For many years, Jamal had been living with his stepmother, Mrs. Kio, in a small mud house in the slums of Kibira. His parents passed on of HIV/AIDS leaving him a total orphan. For about three years, Jamal saw hell on earth as the step mother gave her treatment he would never forget. He was beaten, scolded, rebuked and made to do all the household chores. Sometimes he would burn but the brutal woman cared less. He decided enough is enough and he had to quit all his misfortune although he knew not what fate had in store for him.

He wandered in town like a stray dog looking for food here and there. His effort never brought him any fortune and he lost hope day after day. He felt lonely and distressed without his friends and most importantly, food. He never knew what dictionary held the word happiness for. People from all walks of life passed by him day in, day out, ignoring him and some looking at him as though he were a worm wriggling in their delicious food.

He usually crouched under a tree waiting for the proverbial lady luck to smile at him. As the sun set every evening, he sat there with his sunken, ashen eyes, wide open and half-starved. He gazed at the city thoughtfully and sobbed helplessly as the evening sun set reluctantly. He yearned for the day he would at least eat and drink.

One day as he was on his usual hustle, he encountered a woman with a wrinkled face and a bulbous nose. With such big heart, the woman sympathized with him. He looked emaciated and starved. The woman offered to take him home and feed him. He grew up to be energetic and helped the woman a great deal.

He had gone to fetch water when suddenly a posh car pulled up next to him. The car’s windows were tinted and it was difficult to see its occupants. He was perplexed and almost fell down when a very beautiful woman called out his name. After a short conversation, he learnt that the woman was his mother’s sister who resided in the U.S.A. Insightful joy beleaguered him and he broke loose to a emotional cry when the woman offered him to come with her.

They went to the old woman who gladly released the boy. He went to school and became successful and lived a happy life.

Surely what goes around comes around. One silent morning, he woke up early enough. The howling of the wind promised a sour day. But the wise men of Winchester did not err when they said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

On his way to work, he met his step-mother. He was shocked beyond comparison. She ran towards him and fell on his feet. Myriads of questions criss-crossed Jamal’s boggled mind. He flashed back and started shedding tears of regrets. With the saying, to err is human and to forgive is divine, he was made to forget about everything in his childhood and took her in. They lived happily thereafter. For sure, we should never pay evil with evil but with good.

moral: NEVER REPAY EVIL WITH EVIL BUT GOOD