Crtd 05-10-04 Lastedit 14-08-20

The Miraculous Return Of My Money
An End To Wetting The Wrong Yard
 

During the money problems with Kees I had kept my habit of doing my internet work in his house, and it paid.
First I heard the patrol boat had been launched, baptized and gone through its routine tests:

Doesn't it look nice? "Rescue!" (donor countries' money, The Netherlands). But everyone can see the design is not that of a rescue boat, but of a military patrol boat. Be sure they are not going to waste fuel rescuing anybody. Anyway, local ships have no means to send SOS of any kind. Nobody spends money on flares or VHF transmitters. Those are not even for sale in Mwanza. The "Rescue" is pure window dressing. Hence the writing of "Rescue" - even twice on both sides! - in suspiciously big letters. This is a war ship. Its hull is enforced to enable the mounting of a cannon. A similar donor country subsidized Tanzanian patrol boat kidnapped my dhow for ransom on March, 24, 2006..Uganda now is also in the "rescue" business, about to order six patrol boats. Also donor countries' money. Also to be enforced with foundations for canons?
One week ago I heard Kees on the phone with his chief client, saying "the money" had arrived. That should be the payment for the patrol boat, or else a good sum anyway.
After a few days, his staff had not yet been paid its delayed wage. Meanwhile, his partner got increasingly upset with the cooperation and turned out to be ready to tell me that indeed there was money now, and I was on the list for payment. I waited. Yesterday night I saw Kees in town. He was dining with his wife in the most expensive restaurant of town. This morning at breakfast I decided to go down to Kees at one o'clock, two hours before bank closure, ask whether the money was, in the house or at the bank, and if at the bank, take him there, by force if necessary, to cash in.
At ten to one, while preparing and fully loaded up for the dirty job, I got a visit from Kees' partner. So, I decided to postpone my raid on Kees. His partner seemed to have fled Kees' house, where he was still staying with his wife - though he planned to move elsewhere - after disagreements had piled up in a stalemate where he and Kees had ended up each in their own room. His issues had been streamlining the company, work rules, financial planning and leadership. Kees had not been interested. We talked long, but I did not succeed really cooling his nerves, so I proposed to leave for a beer. He agreed and we walked down to Kees' house to get my car.
You walk straight down, I said, I 'll pick you up there.
Yes, he said, I am not around.
I entered the compound and wanted to enter my car when Kees, high above on the balcony, beckoned me.
I went up. We met half way. He shook my hand. His red swollen face looked of someone who urgently needs to be taken to the hospital.
Would you mind if I would pay you now? He said.
That is very fine! I'll have to take your IOU from my house, but let me go to town first, we can do it tonight, I said after some quick thinking.
I have to go to town too, Kees said.
I acted as if this was not a request to join me, cordially greeted, rode off, and picked his partner, now twice having caused me to miss my money, from behind the bushes around the corner.
On return, Kees was still out. Since he did not look in his senses, I honestly feared he might have gone to the Mwanza Hotel Casino with all his company's available cash. I called him on his cell phone pretending to wonder whether he could receive me now. With a sigh of relief I heard he was at his company.
At eight thirty, I went down, Kees looked a lot better. His wife was more relaxed than I had seen her in weeks.
I counted my money, signed the receipt, we exchanged some jokes and expressions of satisfaction that this chapter had come to an end and I left.
I called his partner, who was out with his wife. Between our beer and my payout, there turned out to have been a good conversation between the four in which part of the sky had been cleared: he had been kicked out.

I did not raise the issue of my interest claims on what turned out not to have been a deposit but an involuntary high risk loan to a company on the edge of bankruptcy. But I had paid my deposit in euros, Kees had kept it on a euro account until he started using it. I had kept the deposits account in Tanzania shillings equivalent on my date of payment. The Tanzania Shilling had risen 5.7% to the euro in the past half year. Other source told me his account was a dollar account, in which case he has paid money change cost twice, but enjoyed a course rise. Whatever, Kees did not have the faintest idea about these events when he returned my deposit in Tanzania shillings and I did not wake him up.