CHAPTER 10
GOLDEN CHANCES GONE BEGGING
As a celebratory way I took Bongani for drinks at a local bar. Two days after my work permit had been approved I got a call from Dumisani who informed me to bring my curriculum vitae to his offices. So I went with my curriculum vitae to his office in Johannesburg. Dumisani informed me of an opening in Absa bank which matched my qualifications but first I had to leave my curriculum vitae at the Human Resources Department, where my curriculum vitae would be scrutinised and if it meet their standards I would be called in for interview. Dumisani also told me of a former work colleague Pieter Joubert. Who had opened his own Financial Solutions Company which provided financial advice to other firms. His company was also looking for a person with the same qualifications I had. So I was given the address to Joubert’s company which was located in Pretoria. The company’s name is Accredited Financial Solution Private Limited Company or simply AFS. I dropped off my curriculum vitae at AFS offices which were located on the outside edges of the central business district. I met up with Bongani at a bistro in the CBD after he had clocked off at work. “Things are starting to fall it place for me” I said as I sat down. “So how did you con yourself from not attending work?” asked Bongani. “I told Singh that I had come down with a cold.” I replied. “Did he buy it?” asked Bongani. “He granted me the day off but said it would come of my salary.” I had already been given a day off and extending it made my weekend longer. After we had both finished eating we left for home were we soon both retreated to sleep after a long and wearisome day. A week after I had dropped my curriculum vitae at ABSA I received a phone call from the human resources department informing me that my application had been considered I was to come for an interview. Finally the ducks were falling into place. The day of the interview came and I had earlier asked to be excused at work. I wore my blue suit and formal shoes, which my mother jokingly said they would bite me one day because the shoes had a long and pointed top which swirled back just like a cobra. I tried by all means possible to look as dashing as I could. As I entered the lift in the ABSA building in Pretoria I felt a bit nervous. It wasn’t going to be my first interview but for the first time before an interview I was feeling a bit jittery. I sat on a sofa in the reception area as I waited for my turn. A few minutes after I arrived a white man dressed in matching green tie and oversized trousers called out my name, finding great difficulty in trying to pronounce it. “Tina-shhh-e, MushayaBhasa.” Instead of pronouncing my surname as MushayaBasa he pronounced it as MushayaBhasa. “That’s me, morning how are?” I said as I stood up. “Morning, follow me.” This man had this imposing thing about him, even the way he carried himself showed he possessed a great deal of power in the company. As I entered the room where I was going to be interviewed five sets of eyes where cast upon me. This made me feel a bit uneasy. They were sitting in a cow horn like formation. It was as if there were circling in an enemy “Take a sit there.” said a white lady who was also part of the interviewing panel as she removed her eyes from her laptop. “Thank you.” I replied. The interviewing panel was made up of 3 women and 2 men including the white man who had led me to the room. “I am Manuela Ferrara. What’s your name and can you give us a brief background about your education from primary right up to tertiary?” said one of the ladies’ as she looked directly into my eyes. “My name is Tinashe Mushayabasa. I attended Mbizi Primary School in Highfield in Zimbabwe after which I went to Elis Robins High in Harare. I then graduated from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe with a Bachelors Honours degree in Economics almost three years ago.” I replied. It was smooth sailing as I answered the questions of each of the interviewers until I stammered when the white man who welcomed me, asked me. “With the prevailing economic condition in Spain what would you recommend to a person who intends to open a chain of grocery shops around Spain?” asked the white man who addressed himself as Mr Fannie Le Roux. I was totally lost I knew nothing about the Spanish economy the only thing I knew immensely about Spain was about Real Madrid and Barcelona football club. I wish he asked me who the current top goal scorer in La-liga was. I had to think hard and fast and whatever my answer was going to be it was going to be a complete bag of hogwash. “A-aaaaaargh, e-eeerh. The Spanish economy is influenced by a great deal of factors.” I said as I took a brief break before I opened up my mouth. “Like I have said the Spanish economy has many factors but it is largely influenced by the performance of the Euro and as it stands the Euro is increasing in value when measured against the dollar.” I said as I took another brief break. “With this in mind I would advise the person to open high end grocery stores to tap into the increasing buying power of the Euro.” I replied. “When last did you hear the world economic news?” asked Mr Le Roux. “Honestly speaking I don’t know when.” I replied. “I could see that in your answer contrary to your answer about the Euro’s value increasing, it is actually losing value and Spain as we speak is in an Economic downturn.” replied Mr Le Roux. “Thank you for your time. We will inform you in due course if you have found the job.” said one of the ladies’ whom had introduced herself as Ms Abigail Gumede. True to the words of my old man who always said one must be abreast with the current affairs and there is no better way to do that than to watch the news. I knew I had lost a lot of points because of my ignorance. It is a bit ironic that I want to work in the financial department of a big company like ABSA yet I didn’t know the prevailing economic conditions in huge economies like Spain whose performance would also affect other countries. I felt defeated right to the core for I had just blown my ticket to happiness. Days came and pass but there is no reply. I finally had something to smile about and I received an e-mail informing me that I had been invited for an interview at Accredited Financial Solutions Private Limited. Fortunately for me the interview fell on my official off day and there was no need to beg Singh for an off. The day of the interview arrived. In my Shona culture there is saying that says “A poor man never gets its easy.” The saying was a summary of what was to unfold on this day. I woke up feeling weak and I had a terrible headache and in addition to that I was vomiting. I knew there was no way I was going to go to for the interview. It was another chance gone begging. “You have to go to the hospital before it worsens. I can take you there.” said Bongani. “I don’t think it’s necessary but if it worsens I will go the hospital.” I replied. “You can call me if you need any help. I have to rush off to work.” said Bongani as he picked his laptop bag. I took some headache pills and I slept for over three hours when I woke up I was feeling better. The headache had significantly reduced the vomiting had stopped but I was still feeling weak. I only managed to eat a slice of bread since I had no appetite. The time I should have arrived for the interview was fast approaching. I tried to phone Accredited Financial Solutions so that I could inform them that I was a bit under the weather and if it was possible to postpone the interview date. I could not even get hold of the people at Accredited Financial Solution because the number kept on saying “The number you have dialled is not reachable.” As the day wore on I felt better and better. I heard the front door open and I knew it was Bongani. “How are feeling?” asked Bongani. “Much better, it seems something or someone didn’t want me to go for that interview.” I replied. “Did you try calling them to inform them of your ill health?” asked Bongani as he sat on the black recliner leather sofas. “Yes I tried but I couldn’t get hold of them.” I replied. “I have no words my dear friend. All I can say you have to pray intensely.” said Bongani. We chatted for a while before I went to sleep. I slept soon after the sun had set. I slept peacefully and woke up early in the morning feeling refreshed and the sickness had gone. I had a conversation with Bongani before leaving for work. “I don’t know what I did wrong, or where I went wrong or who I offended to deserve such bad luck.” I said. “You shouldn’t worry things will fall into place for you.” said Bongani. “This is too much, tragedy after tragedy, nothing to smile about.” I said. “There is an African Proverb which says, don’t blame God for creating the lion thank him for not giving it wings.” said Bongani. “In short what are trying to say?” “Be thankful you are healthy and well don’t concentrate on the bad things in your life. You have something, someone out there has nothing.” The way Bongani said it to me was a bit different and it showed a lot of maturity. It got me thinking about my spirituality where I stood in relation to my faith. The last time I was in a church or a place of worship was when my father died over a year ago. The funeral service for my father was the last time I was in church. Maybe all the misfortunes happening to me was God trying to communicate with me. One thing I knew for sure I was doubting my own faith. I felt like I had been let down on countless occasions. It was dwelling on me that happiness was almost impossible for me with all the bad things happening. In my mind I could feel that I was reaching that point in my life where one more misfortune would definitely send me into massive hysteria. Perhaps I am searching for happiness in the wrong places. All my peers seem to be doing something good with their lives and I seem to be wailing away. I arrived at Singh’s shop five minutes late of my starting time and Singh had a field day with me. “I don’t know what it is with people of your kind, you try to help them but you end up disrespecting the person who helped you.” said Singh looking all fired up. I felt mortified when he said “people of your kind.” It was quite obvious that he was referring to black people. He was telling me of how I was ungrateful but he was forgetting how he was cruel, some month ends he would pay me, days after the pay day, even when the salary was paid in full it was tantamount to peanuts of which it was a rarity for that to happen. He was making bag loads of money but he never gave a thought of giving me a pay rise or even performance related bonus. Just, because one day I am late and I am not even scandalously late he almost bites my head off. Singh didn’t have the spirit of Ubuntu he was only driven by money. “You are fired, I will pay you all the salary I owe you.” said Singh. I felt weak right to the bone marrow. I knew it was an unfair dismissal and I could go and report him to the labour court as I had the necessary papers that allowed me to work in South Africa but I decided that it wasn’t worth fighting for. At the other end my mother was forced to take early retirement because of her persistent health problems. To add insult to injury my younger sister’s fees had been hiked up significantly. How ironic it is my surname is Mushayabasa which loosely translates to English to “not finding work.”