After the War

Story#7:    After the War

We came back to Ethiopia after a long stay in Nairobi, followed by an excursion to Bangladesh.   That was 1991, the year the Derg fell from power in Ethiopia, the year Lenin’s statue fell - the year a cyclone hit Bangladesh and swept the country under water,  including washing up the new planes the Air Force had just purchased.

From Nairobi,   My parents sent me and my sister to visit our grandparents in Bangladesh, while they went to visit South America.   We called it their second honeymoon;   But we did realize they had issues to address between themselves.  I took the opportunity to get to know my cousins better.

That was one of the worst ever that hit  Bangladesh.  The entire airport was washed away with any planes present washed upon each other.  When we arrived in the aftermath, we saw the damage.  Seeing all the fighter jets in Bangladesh reminded me that money spent on these things is money lost recovering from true misery.

I saw pictures of bloated bodies on the sides of the road as the water receded.   I didn’t personally see human bodies, but I saw cows were strewn around like roadkill on the roadsides.  They were just swept aside.  When I arrived, we still had torrents of rain.

I enjoyed visiting my grandparent because they had a full time chef of house retainer. I could ask for anything I wanted and he was so courteous, he tried to give me exactly what I wished to eat.

By then, I had become physically fully fit and had the confidence and body to go with it.i was playing my A game without even realizing it.   I learned how to develop that summer,   When Bappi bought a car and we took it to a field for me to test out.

Bappi was slways the more extravagant of the three guys:  tripod-  Concorde, Bappi and me. Cousins or uncles and nephew.  I met so many family members I can’t even remember them all.  But a few memories shine bright.  Through the twin tribulations we survived and endured.

More than endured… we developed.  I was so bored, I started reading anything I could get my hands on.

I wasn’t thinking of anything but getting better.   That changed me. I found myself through several trials.   I failed many times before I became whole.