FM Washington

by sara b. | 2010

OBAMA GETS HOT AND COLD SWEATS RUN DOWN HIS SPINE

OBAMA GETS HOT AND COLD SWEATS RUN DOWN HIS SPINE

Before Obama (now President Obama of US) had joined high school, he used to enjoy swimming in Lake Victoria very close to his small village in his father’s country, Kenya. One bright sunny evening, he swam so deep in the lake that he crossed over a meter into the neighboring country.  Of course he could not tell the boundaries on the water. He was only enjoying the deep light fresh waters of Africa’s biggest in-Land Sea.

No sooner had he sighed with amusement and disbelief how far he had gone, than a speeding patrol boat mounted with all sophisticated weaponry accosted him. “Stop”!  Shouted an angry sea beaten, patrol soldier on the boat.

“We are arresting you for trespassing into foreign waters, do you have travel documents or permit to swim this far? We shall bundle you up and take you to our powerful leader; in fact he is a military man and militant at that. He has opened fire in Gulu, Kaseese; don’t you hear guns shouting from afar right now?  He has stepped a foot in Congo, the Sudan, Rwanda and I guess he will do so in the Central African Republic and Somalia. He wants peace. Your action young man, is not a sign of peace, it is provocation, do you want our leader also to step a foot in your country? This is the last warning, better be off”.

A round of mortar fire from a 15 inch barrel went off and other small guns did the same. The young terrified Obama swam off for his dear life like a small fish that had escaped the fisherman’s net.

When he finally made it to the shore, Obama was shivering; both hot and cold sweats were running down his spine. He narrated his ordeal to his relatives and friends. A goat and chicken were slaughtered that evening to celebrate his luck. Everybody congratulated him and they showered gifts to him, some saying, “Young man you are lucky. In the neighouring country we fear their guns.  They do not miss their target, and gun fire over there is like a recreation activity, there is more sounding of gunfire than the hooting of cars in that country”.

Years after that incident, Obama joined, high school, university in the States. He was such a brilliant young man that he joined one of the most prestigious professions.  He was very successful, impressive, hard working with candor that he won the admiration of all, White, African American, Latino, Asian etc., young and old, rich and poor, adversaries and friends.

Eventually he married, became congressman and settled in Chicago and to crown his born luck (which was first celebrated very many years back, after the Lake Victoria incident) he was elected the first US black president of modern times, of the digital era.

One day When President Obama was on the lawn of the white house, welcoming his visitors, he shook hands with one bald headed dignitary who introduced himself. To strike the point harder and deeper he mentioned that he was the leader or president of a neighboring country where Mr. Obama’s father is born. And that they share in common the beautiful waters of Lake Victoria.

A reflexive action betrayed Obama, for when the mentioning of a neighboring president and the waters of Lake Victoria were made his hand slipped off unconsciously from the grip of his visiting dignitary. Hot and cold sweats ran down his spine.  He had remembered twenty three years ago the incident on the lake while swimming and the most terrifying words from a soldier on the patrol boat who was armed to the teeth.

“Ah, Ah”, retorted, Obama, “Mr. President you are most welcome to the white house”, after gaining mastery of his body coordination.

Mr. Obama continued to welcome and seat his visitors and he personally served them in the typical African warmth a delicious cold drink prepared by Mrs. Obama and the two dear daughters. His eyes could not wander off the president of the neighboring country sharing the same waters with his father’s country.

Mr. Obama whose destiny had been foretold by the spirits of his ancestors did relatively very well during his first term of office against the odds of the day i.e., the inherited near collapse of the American systems and the world recession. He was re-elected for the second and LAST term of office. This time around he performed to the admiration of his arch rivals within and without. He impressed Chine, Russia, Iraq, Iran and North Korea. If it were not to the organization of the American civilized society, Republicans, Democrats, and the above mentioned countries would have insisted on giving Obama at least one more term in office.

Surprisingly, it was only the African leaders who were not impressed by his achievements with the exception of the Ghanaian leader. You should remember President Obama gave the mother of all mothers’ speech in Accra –Ghana on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa. That speech empowered the common man to have proper perspective of what the stakes are with their rulers. When put on balance the African rulers were found wanting and unsuitable to hold their offices that very minute. They were only acting drama in office instead of leading their countries to a desired democratic and prosperous outcome.

In 2017 at the end of president Obama’s second term in office and after saying farewell to all his friends which took him the next two years, he retired to his father’s country side home district. He had built himself a small house good enough to make him relax and enjoy the evening breezes of Lake Victoria. And by now he was a grown up elder in the village.

Some people say old practices do not die easily, Obama continued with his swimming in Lake Victoria and of course with one US marine taking care of his security.  On one of the swimming episodes, the elderly Obama enjoyed the waters so much that he was not conscious of the boundaries with the neighboring country.

As he had just crossed over ½ meter to the other side, a patrol boat armed with the most terrifying men and women, sun burnt, with dark faces, looking very hungry and angry intercepted him. A warning shot was fired in the air.

“Halt” shouted one of the soldiers on the boat pointing a 17 inch mortar barrel to the ex- president of the US. “It is you again trespassing! We warned you, we cautioned you thirty three (33) years ago not to trespass. And we told you that we shall hand you over to our leader. This time no joke we are taking you over, you will explain to him why you insist on provoking him. We warned you that he is a military man, and militant at that. All these thirty three years where have you been”?

“We predicted our big man would have a foot in Somalia, haven’t you heard that recently 3 of our soldiers were killed by these Somali militants in Mogadishu. You wait, he will teach them a lesson he taught Kony when he flashed him from Garamba National Park in Congo up to the Central African Republic”.

“I do not agree with the former president of US, Mr. Obama who said that strong institutions in Africa are the way forward for democratic governance and not strong and powerful leaders. Do you know him”? [Mr. Obama]

“Don’t you smell tear gas from Kampala; it is dispersing those on the streets who are against our leader.  That is a sign of a powerful and strong leader. I admire him. Those guys are mad they are crying ‘democracy, corruption, daily murders in the country’, “awo watu wajinga” (those demonstrators are stupid)”.

Obama equipped with the commando skills he had cultivated when he was still in office, he had leverage over the seven soldiers who were holding him at ransom. He had the skills to sink the boat and all its occupants and the heavy weapons on board. The soldiers were all in combat gear, jungle boats, metallic bronze bullet proof each weighing 25 pounds and strung around with 230 rounds on their bodies and without life savers.  But being a cultivated man of honour who apparently was in the wrong he played it calm and engaging his captors awaiting help in the next 2-5 minutes. He had been trained on how to buy time as reinforcement arrives from any point of the earth in less than 5 minutes.

One of the leaders on the boat continued, “You man you look so worn out. Are you not feeding well? You are emaciated like us, look we are all with grey hair and sunken faces and you name it. But our big man is in very good shape, he looks much younger than he was 33 years ago when we first talked about him around this same spot. And I hear he is contesting for presidency for only the coming two terms of 5 years each and he would retire then from active politics. He wants to go to his farm and herd his cows after politics”.

I also gather that come the conclusion of the East African protocols, Kampala will swallow up Kisumu up to Nakuru. You know Kampala is growing by the day and it can no longer offer adequate services to its inhabitants. It must become a great city with enormous radius.  Once this is achieved you people likewise you will start to enjoy services that a capital city ought to deliver. Pot holes in the streets will be addressed, garbage will no longer take five days to collect, street and traffic lights, pavements, and water channels will be worked on, streets will be swept, toilets for public convenience will be put in place, vendors and hawkers selling their merchandise in the middle of the streets and in front of business premises will be stopped. It will be marvelous. You can imagine all these wonderful services are at bay until Kampala widens up to Nakuru”.

“You look so weary. Well let us strike a deal that this is the last warning. Never come back in these waters, may be come back after 10 years  when the big man retires or else we shall do nothing else but to hand you over to him or we shall advise him to step his foot also across as he has done previously with other countries that are provocative. Do you hear this warning?  “Kimbia kama azimu” (take off like a mad man). A volley of bullets went wild from the patrol boat”.

In the mean time the marine taking care of Obama‘s security had heard sounds of gun fire. He could not tell exactly the direction because of the wind on the lake. He jumped in the waters with sophisticated weaponry. He dived to the floor of the lake swimming at a terrific speed like a motor boat underneath and coming on the surface briefly and back intermittently towards the direction where Mr. Obama had gone swimming.

The marine met Obama shortly after his separation from the patrol boat. I suspect the patrol boat crew on seeing an amphibious creature armed with unparalleled weaponry coming in their direction decided to end their encounter with Obama swiftly for fear of eventualities. The patrol crew also valued their dear life.

The gasping Obama narrated his ordeal to his body guard while hot and cold sweats were running down his spine. He remembered the visitor he had hosted in the White House 10 years ago as the president of the neighboring country who had assumed power while he had not yet joined high school.

On arriving at home, this time around a bull was slaughtered for him because he had escaped being whisked off by the patrol boat a second time to confront the powerful leader the soldiers had talked about. Obama still with hot and cold sweats running down his spine, a piece of roasted meat in his hand vowed not to go back swimming not until the next 10 years have elapsed for fear of inadvertently swimming over board and trespass at his chagrin and be taken to the powerful  leader for interrogation.

When he recalled that while he was still a youth, the powerful leader of the neighbouring country was already reigning and Obama, elderly by now and being supported by a walking stick, it is still the same powerful leader on the chair, hot and cold sweats ran uncontrollably down his spine.

As his routine, Obama would bask under the morning hot sun of Kisumu, sitting on the wooden chair passed over by the great, great fathers, his supporting stick lying on the floor, a grand child would bring him breakfast. He would put his chin in his hands and contemplate on his achievements and regrets over the years he occupied the first office.

What used to race over his mind was his inability during his term of office to lead to the collapse of African dictators. He would have stood up to be counted as the only one with African origin to sit in the first office employing practical means to stamp out bad leadership in Africa.

Another equally disturbing thing was the swooping of Kisumu by Kampala. He remembered how the Luos would give up everything for the sake of Luo land and Kisumu in particular. He was now incapacitated to halt the advancing insatiable greed of leaders from Kampala. Sooner or later they would be decimating the city of his ancestors. He wished he had stopped all this.  He had had the capacity but it was not translated into practical realities, though he would give scathing wonderful speeches against African dictators. The consequences of indecision that were unfolding and catching up with him during his retirement from office and old age made him gnash his teeth and he could not help hot and cold sweats of blood  to run down his spine.

 

The President introduces William Daley as the new White House Chief of Staff. Daley is a lawyer and business executive and served as Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton. January 6, 2011.
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