Was it luck or bad luck? Who knows?!
21:00 ... Tropical rain and the thick darkness characteristic of the African night robs Kaira of clear vision as he drives to a meeting. How wonderful! Finally business is booming. Maybe this dry spell is finally over. He drives through the bouncing rain very, very slowly and joins the roundabout. He's nearly there. But unexpectedly, from the left (ie the wrong side in Tanzania) a huge Landrover overtakes him and forces him off the road. Kaira's car topples and he lands upside down on the verge. He loses orientation. Oil drops on him from above. What if the car catches fire? He has to unbuckle! He must get out of the car! Everything is confusion. Where is his telephone? It is pitch dark. His telephone is ringing. Kaira hears the ringtone. But then it falls quiet. But then it rings again, this time ceaselessly. The screen lights up and finally, he grabs it. He makes it out of the car. His feet firmly back on the ground, he stands in pouring rain and darkness. Stunned. Darkness inside and out. The headlights of the car light only in mockery.
What remains for him except to act? He must cancel his appointment and call the police. He must order a tow truck. He'll get angry over the fine he will have to pay and the loss of his driving license, even though he is the injured party. Finally, at 3am Kaira arrives home, soaked and frozen. He cannot sleep. What a devastating loss! He had just bought the car in January with borrowed money and repaired it. Why did this have to happen now? He had no money in reserve, a consequence of the enduring worldwide Corona restrictions...
The day after ...
It was me who called him the evening before. During the night, Kaira sends me the message: "So sorry my dear, I've got a problem." I don't read it until the morning. He apologises that he wasn't able to answer my call. It isn't until the following evening that I finally manage to reach him, and he tells me the story of his accident, and sends me a video of the damages. And then? And then Kaira starts to praise life. "Life gives, life takes away! I was very fortunate to be wearing a seatbelt. What a lucky coincidence that you tried to call me in that very moment. You helped me to find my telephone. God must love me because I am uninjured. I'm uninjured, young, healthy and I can work! God loves me, because my car can be repaired. Und God must especially love me, because I met you, and you are helping me with the school. God must really love me!"
However: the tow company and repairs cost about € 1000. Kaira has a good reputation and because he uses the car often for aid work, the mechanic repairs the car for him, trusting that he will pay later. But the worry about just how he is going to do that remains.
