In my previous compound, I knew a man who was doing well and took great care of his family. Every weekend, he would take his children out to the pool, the playground, and other fun places.
Over time, things went south for him. He lost his job, and since he was my neighbour, I saw firsthand how hard things had become. With no money coming in, most weekends I would hear his children pleading, βDaddy, come and take us out.β And he would keep telling them, βIβll take you out. Donβt worry, Iβll take you out.β
A few months later, I noticed he had sold his car. That same week, we met and got talking, and he told me he had sold it to renew his rent. With the money left over, he bought his children an inflatable pool, bicycles, a bubble tent, and a ball. Since he could no longer afford to take them out, he set everything up in the compound and filled the pool with water for them to swim in.
Yes, he might have sold the car to keep a roof over his familyβs head and to make his children happy. But how will he renew the rent next year when he has no source of income? I couldnβt help thinking, βHe should have used that car to run Uber and make some money.β