The Prospect Of Prosperity

The Prospect of Prosperity

They arrived on new land. One by one. Each person from a place where disparity is inherent because oppression is the norm. Their families: forced to relinquish their right to civility by being reduced to begging for their next meal. Their land: plundered by foreign settlers fueled by greed and monetary interests. They yearned for the consensual sentiment of life, liberty and happiness which propagated the desire to settle new land.

Their will to elude their oppressors through the process of migration was simply a mere act of survival. However, unbeknownst to them, on this new land a different form of oppression awaited; not in a physical sense, but more so, mental.

For oppression to be fruitful, submission has to plant the seed. In other words, for the tree of oppression to grow, seeds of submission must be sown.

The people awaiting them on this new land were masters of submission; both physical and mental by means both vile and wicked. Though the oppression faced on this new land wasn't quite as cruel as that where they emigrated from, one thing kept them steadfast in their will to survive and that was, “The Prospect of Prosperity.”

****

“What are we going to do?” young Adisa frustratingly questioned his father. “We came here with nothing and we still have nothing. We have the same clothes on our backs, and we have not eaten in days. I’d rather be back home in Africa!” he said with tears running down alongside his face.

“Be careful what you wish for son.”

“What I wish for is mother!”

“Be strong Adisa,” he said, firmly clutching his arms staring him in his eyes. “We’ve sacrificed everything to come here. We even left your mother back home in fear of her capture. Giving up would be a great disservice to her and the rest of our family. I understand things aren't going as planned but we have God on our side.”

“Why did we leave her?” Adisa questioned.

“We left her so you boys could live and grow old. We will meet back with her when the time is right.”

“Daddy! I’m hungry!” Adisa’s younger brother Kwaku yelled. “When is God going to feed us? What did we…”

“Kwaku!” His father turned and yelled back with a deep-seated rage. The look on his face said everything. It told of a man, plagued with guilt and saddled with misfortune, taking one last attempt at happiness, but with no plan. It also told of a man burdened by remorse; wishing he had never made the journey.

Up until that point, young Kwaku, or any other family member for that matter, had never seen Abiyole angry. Maybe annoyed, but never angry. It was obvious the guilt of leaving their mother back in Africa broke him. He tried his best to conceal his true feelings and remain strong for his children but that feeling of resentment just overcame him. In fact, for a good while, it became him.

“I never want to hear you speak like that ever again. Do you understand me?”

“Yes father,” Kwaku replied.

“Look. I will find a way for us to eat and earn a living. In the meantime, I need for you boys to remain strong. This is our test, and we will prevail.”

And a test it was indeed. Weeks went by until Abiyole finally found a job. Prior to that they were eating out of dumpsters, salvaging anything offering any kind of sustenance, just to stay alive. Their shoes were so badly worn, and their clothes tattered. Their health was slowly being compromised. The only thing that gave them peace was knowing they had a place to rest their heads at night.

All in all, they survived. Abiyole finally landed a job as a helper during the week and as a laborer on the weekend. He worked and worked until he finally saved up enough to send his boys to school.

Abiyole knew that if it weren't for fear of his family being murdered, he would have stayed in Africa. However, the rebel forces made it clear that no one would stand in the way of their objective, which was to strike fear in their village so they could control and sell their resources to foreign allies. Families were being slaughtered and their houses burned to the ground.

One night, in preparation for their escape, Abiyole packed up several of their belongings in the trunk of his car. He quickly gathered the members of his family and set up an escape plan.

“I have a friend in South Africa who works as a diplomat. He can help us. Let's go,” he said as they all headed out.

On their way to the South African border, they inadvertently made a wrong turn and somehow ended up in an area controlled by rebel forces. Several rebels spotted their headlights from a distance and began firing at them. The basic instinct of fear caused them to leave the car running, split up and flee for their lives. When they eventually found a safe haven, the children noticed that their mother was missing. Having been separated from their mother with killers still in pursuit, Abiyole made the decision to leave her behind and continue toward the border. It was the hardest decision he ever had to make and now he had to live with it.

When they all safely reached the border, Abiyole’s good friend was there waiting.

“Samuel!” Abiyole shouted.

“Abiyole?” he responded as the two embraced. “My God. I haven't seen you in years. Your two sons have grown so much. Wait … Where is your wife?”

That is when Abiyole's facial expression changed. “We had to leave her,” he replied in a somber tone.

“Oh my. I understand my friend. I will secure three passports and plane tickets to the United States for you and your sons. From there, my family has a vacant apartment in New York which is where you will be staying. It is not in the best condition, but it is where my family has stayed throughout the years.” After Samuel gave Abiyole the manila envelope holding the passports, he reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a little black book. He carefully handed it to him and said, “I almost forgot. Here. In this book, my friend, you will find the key to your new life.” Abiyole's eyes were now lit with a new fire. He quickly accepted it and slipped it into the envelope.

“How can I ever repay you my friend?” Abiyole queried.

“You can pay me back by returning the same favor to someone else in need.”

And there it was: the purpose of their emigration. A new beginning now awaited them in America; the land of opportunity. The oppressors of his past were now buried in his history.

****

Becoming acclimated to this new land, however, didn't come without its fair share of hardships. Abiyole's family endured tribulations that would've left any weak hearted soul searching for an end.

When he worked his first job as a helper, his foreman wouldn't let him leave with the other workers at the end of their shifts (only because he knew that Abiyole was undocumented). He used that to his advantage by forcing him to work unpaid extra hours on the construction site. The summers were unforgiving but he was no stranger to excessive heat. As usual, he humbly complied with his foreman's demands with hopes of citizenship at the forefront of his mind. Abiyole knew he was being taken advantage of but also knew it was one of the trials he had to bear ... at least for that time.

As time passed, Abiyole saved every penny from his income and finally had enough to pay for his citizenship. Luckily, through one of his co-workers at the construction site, he found a sponsor. Within three months, he had everything he needed to become a citizen. Suddenly, his nightmare began to look more like a dream come true.

One day, after work, Abiyole sat at the bus stop and had a moment to think. He began reflecting on how his friend, Samuel, helped him and wondered how he was. Suddenly, it dawned on him. The little black book. It was still in that envelope along with the passports. That's when his curiosity began to peak. The words of his friend started to replay in his mind. “In this book you will find the key to your new life.”

Abiyole rushed home and immediately began searching for the envelope. “Here it is!” he shouted. To his amazement, however, the pages were blank. “Why would Samuel hand me a blank book?” he thought. With no logical reason, he decided to check again. Surprisingly, there were words on the very last page. There was an address with instructions written by his friend. Abiyole was quite familiar with this particular address. It was right across from the construction site where he worked. In fact, it was the address of a bank. The same bank he passed by every day. While looking at the address, something else caught his attention. The page looked raised as if there was something underneath. When he touched the page, he felt something in the shape of a key. Sure enough, it was a key.

That night, he couldn't sleep. The excitement kept him up. When morning came upon him, he got dressed as usual, kissed his sons while they were sleeping and left for work. Seated by the window on the bus, he began to daydream. Suddenly, he realized his dreams were different. They now seemed reachable.

When he arrived at his stop, he tightly held the envelope to his body and exited the bus heading straight for the bank. Once he got inside, he was amazed at how quiet it was. He was used to the noise from the construction site. Referring back to the instructions in the black book, he looked for the bank teller Samuel instructed him to find and slowly approached the window. There was a middle-aged woman, seemingly of African descent, there waiting for him.

“Mr. Abiyole,” the teller greeted him. “I've been expecting you.”

“How did you know my name?” Abiyole asked.

“Call it a hunch,” she replied looking over the rim of her glasses. She had prior knowledge of him through their mutual friend, Samuel. “Mr. Abiyole, can you please come with me.”

“Um, ok,” he replied.

She escorted him to the back where all the safety deposit boxes were kept.

“What is all of this about?” Abiyole curiously asked.

While searching for the box, she explained, “Well Mr. Abiyole, over the years, Samuel and I have developed a system to help refugees from our country start a new life in America. So far, we've helped over a thousand families such as yours to accomplish this.” Pulling out a rectangular shaped metal box, she extended out her right hand. “May I have the key please?”

“The key?” he asked.

“Yes, the key. The one you found in your book.”

“Oh. Yes. That key.”

“Yes.” She smiled.

Abiyole quickly went to the last page in the book and retrieved the key. He then slowly handed it to her, placing it in her palm. Using the key, she opened the box and placed it on the table. “Now open it,” she said.

Once he opened it, he was completely shocked. There were large bands of one-hundred- dollar bills, stacked up to the top. “How much money is this?” he asked.

“Twenty thousand dollars,” she replied. “And it's yours. With this, you can now start your new life.”

Filled with tears of joy, he thanked her over and over again. His life had changed forever indeed. By coming to America, he pursued the prospect of prosperity and it worked.