A Best Maid's Fortune

Of course all this meant that I did not see Thomas any more. I was astounded to find I was wondering how I could lay my hands on his telephone number, or sometimes longing to see him even if only from a distance. That tall, lean figure he cut still stayed with me in my mind. You can therefore imagine my joy when my second son came home with the news that he had met and talked with Tata Kato (that being the name of Suzanne's elder son; Tata means "father of" in our local language). They had even exchanged phone numbers because he had wanted to introduce our son to a business opportunity.

I encouraged him to follow it up, telling him that our friend was a man of integrity so whatever he was talking about was sure to be genuine. In truth I was hoping all this would allow me to meet him under the guise of wanting to understand what he was getting my son into (my husband had passed away quite suddenly the previous year after a very short illness). As indeed it happened. In a great hurry I found the money Thomas told us was needed to start up this venture. In the following weeks my son and he were in constant touch, with him occasionally coming home to continue in the training sessions. He was like a father to my Mutesa and I found his eyes had never lost that magnetic quality I remembered that affected me so deeply.

One day I heard them talking about a big meeting of their company that was coming up; I asked if I might be allowed to attend. Both welcomed me enthusiastically as a "guest". It was to be my first time to enter the Kampala Sheraton. I was awed by all the magnificence I saw. The manicured lawns sloping away towards Buganda Road and the Speke Hotel, the fountain spraying white water high into the afternoon sky, the thick carpets in the lobby and even a certain aroma that communicated "rich" to my senses all transported me to another world. We walked into a large room called the Ballroom whose lighting fixtures seemed to spew the light in many different directions at once. The carpet seemed to swallow my shoes entire and the seats upholstered in a matching fabric felt so soft and welcoming. I gradually felt more and more attracted to this company which could afford to bring an event to such a venue. At the front there was a platform decorated with a splash of goldish fabric and the company's products displayed amongst its folds. Two large screens flanked the platform.

As after speaker came to the podium and told of the benefits of the health products and of the opportunity created by this company to allow people everywhere to make lots of money and dreams come true, I was truly captivated. I pleaded with Thomas to find a way in which I could enter this opportunity as well, middle-aged woman though I was. He gave me a sort of mysterious smile, telling me politely to wait a while. At the end of the whole fabulous event I was almost desperate for Thomas to tell me whether my idea was workable. He only fished out a form and asked me to fill in some basic details and then looked me deep in the eye and congratulated me on "possibly the best decision" of my life. As soon as I found an amount like that I had produced for Mutesa I was also in. I could hardly believe what he was saying.

That was six months ago. Thomas has taught us all we needed to build a huge network that has now spread its tentacles throughout the whole region, including such far-away places as Kenya and Rwanda. Many of those people involved are yet unknown to us directly but since we knew people who knew and talked to them we can boast of a multinational network. But another benefit is that Thomas and I have shared in lots of events and even travelled all over our country. Our friendship moved from mentor to close friend almost without our notice. I cannot at this moment tell you how or when it moved to love. Now my heart is full to bursting with love and admiration for this dear friend who has shown me how to break free of the bondage of a meagre teacher's pay, and my son how to be self-dependent without ever having to become anyone's employee. We had previously only lived in Kampala's humbler suburbs, but we are now on the way to buying a home in Nakasero.

The future can only get brighter.