Chapter 11
African Traffic and Other Troubles
During May I had my second crash in that country – and fortunately the last one. Crossing a two-lane divided road was a routine, when I drove from home to my office. That morning a busybody policeman took control into his hands. He stopped me in the middle of the road and, when he motioned me on, a driver could not stop and crashed into me from right. The uniformed bandit judged me faulty.
My insurance was valid, but my judgement said, he was wrong. Bekele advised me to shut up. I made the insurer pay and went to Ato Tezera to have the car repaired.
Only days after my car became finished, Thomas had his enormous crash.
For some days I helped Thomas to go to work until his car would be repaired. You would not guess, what has been missing for the repair in the local FIAT distributor: paint.
About the same time I discovered that those gravel roads to Bahr-Dar have been too much for my car. I bought the necessary part and gave the car one morning to have it repaired. Alas, trouble came. It has been caused so that they had not connected the stabilizer bar back into its correct place in the control arm during the latest repair. The exposed shaft had a free play and in one turn, when the wheel had to be turned out completely, it came out of the differential gear. The spider of the universal joint was damaged and the aluminium cover of differential case broken. I called Ato Tezera to the spot and his man said there was no problem. I knew that there was, but I wanted to take the repair into my own hands. With help from Bekele’s mechanics I could solve it indeed.
We have got a new neighbour on our floor. He was an architect, the successor of Charles in his job and apartment. They have had a daughter, one year older than my son.
They did not like our house because of lack of water and faulty lifts. Anyway, they remained. I also wanted to change something, either water supply or house. I began with the first one. I tried to detect the cause of troubles and found it soon.
By this knowledge in my head, I went to the person in charge for the operation of apartment houses. He would see it at once, and gave me access any time to regulate the system. In two days I succeeded, and for two weeks there was no fall-out. After that it occurred once. I checked the valves, both have been opened completely. It meant, someone tampered with it. I regulated them again and put on an extra padlock. The next day the trouble repeated itself. When I saw the second lock damaged and the valves open, I went to the office and gave back keys.
The man was looking sideways, so I asked him what he knew.
"The Russian on the 12th floor has arrived from his holiday. Water is making a great noise coming into the container. It bothers him much.”
"Lack of water does not?” I asked him.
"Not that much.
”That is all?”
“Also, zabanyas” -- the guards in Amharic -- are complaining, their extra money was gone. No water to take up in buckets, no money.”
That settled it. I went to the small man responsible for housing again and asked him for a house.
He said, he could only help, if I had found a house for myself. Through publishing ads and reading other people’s ones, I found one in three weeks. My partner has been a Yemeni Jew and a gentleman. As he has almost been white, and first he said he was an Englishman we called him only "the old Englishman”.
The clerk agreed and we could realize our business.
The company has helped take my things to my house, of course, I let my partner use the company truck on return trips.
Shortly before our move dr Hamid, the Sudanese, has returned from Sanaa. He was thick with money, but my wife did not let him stay in the hotel. He took us some minor souvenirs. He was returning to Hungary and marry the girl he left there. They would actually marry and become good doctors. They have remained that to this day.