The Dinka idiom: Don’t advise the going dude until when he is coming back
By Majok Arol Dhieu, Rumbek, South Sudan
September 19, 2017 (SSB) — I’m quibbling that these hard intelligible odds and ends I’ve been producing are not intended for those lads and lasses who are academically handicapped, neither do the dominos & tea admirers fit in the game. Please do not lodge a doleful expression or bewailed your misfortune as happening events do not come out of blue.
Let’s go if you may catch up.
It’s said that two brothers, Jang and Gadeng were in Secondary School. Gadeng was the elder and a very handsome gentleman with itsy-bitsy eyes. The school situation was deteriorating as there was no ration for students and whenever Jang asks Gadeng if they’d go for casual works, he’d reply that he’s not a type who’d do those minors jobs. He always says that his ancestors would provide him with food in which his brother Jang retorted that this’s just an old wife’s tale that’s got no room in the modern world.
Jang was a hard worker, incorruptible gentleman who started his life from scratch and geared up successfully. He regularly worked on weekends in order to get money for their food. Perhaps, Jang might be one of ancestors Gadeng rely on, because it’s said that if Jang failed to come with enough food, his brother Gadeng would scapegoated him by always jumps into his throat even in a small discussions not meant for argument.
Four years later, both graduated from high school. Before both boys returned back home, Gadeng lucked into the armpits of a certain army General who requested him to stay together at the military barrack. His names were later on added into one of Division’s payroll without attending for military basics training. He was getting money while managing General’s business in town. However, this General couldn’t teach Gadeng on how to catch fish but provided him with fish as much as he can. So, Gadeng was just staying in the city like babysitter providing only security to the bar workers.
His brother Jang on other hand, who was said to have been growing under hothouse atmosphere of his aunt’s homestead, joined Daleping Engineer Company (DEC Ltd) as constructor’s enabler.
Gadeng and his boss lead a life of luxury for few years before they departed. Being bothered by an embarrassment of riches, Gadeng wet his whistle one day and found it to be a good leisure. His drinking had made him run into fame. It was said that if you mention Gadeng name at any distillery in the city, working harlots would smile at you as if you are carrying eight centimetres penile on your nose. It’s this place where he was nicknamed as CBF (Commander of Bars Forces). If his brother dares to ask him why he drinks so much, he’d reply that he’s only drowning his sorrows. Which sorrows? His brother couldn’t go deep.
The preponderance of evidence mentioned that his boss had commandeered one of the bars. This had made him toots his horn even if its mean falling into a vat of beer, fuelled by the fact that if he’d sipped off his gin from ten bottles per hour, he’d go blabbering about his corrupts General.
When the duo crosses their paths unexpectedly or look themselves through a security peephole between their works locations, Gadeng would unstoppably laughs at Jang till both of them disappeared into distances because Jang always wear an old jacket riddled with holes. Gadeng had even taken out a daguerreotype of his brother Jang in those dirty clothes and was looking at it when at home as an increase of his disillusionments.
He considered Jang a real drudge and a jack-of-all-trades, a master of none. So, Jang would not get a single chance to advise his brother in order to avoid being dependent and begin a self-reliance habits. Gadeng on the pretext of his usual laughing wanted his brother to get disappointed and leave him to lead his life the way he wanted it because learning self-reliance he think is slow, and a very hard process than the shortcuts.
Jang works and works, always ready to go the extra miles for his absolute peaceful settlement and diarized any problem or achievement he encountered from his walk of life. He was by happenstance making his savings in foreign currency whereas his brother Gadeng wasted his money on daily basis by partaken of all type of drinks his hands would found in the bar. Within few years of staying with his General, his belly sticks out quickly like dark protuberances along the stems of an infected plant.
His brother Jang, always get opposite of him and he was keeping his head above water despite the difficulties as the saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. He’d been invigorated by his work and so keeping on working harder than before. Life is just a bowl of cherishes, so Jang’s struggles has made him invincible to his enemies.
Years passed by and in the middle of one fateful year, when the inflation hit the city where they were living. Gadeng’s boss by some mischances made unpardonable decision to join the war of attrition between the rebels and government. This General was reportedly to have gone off the deep end with his office because he’d fouled his own nest by accusing his seniors of corruption. The General’s decision to joined rebellion had pulled the rug from under Gadeng’s feet as he was left downheartedly without a pole to lean on. It’d however placed Gadeng on an invidious position.
In two shakes of a lamp’s tail after the departure of Gadeng’s boss, Gadeng moved heaven and earth to find a small hole where his gluteal could fit in. He feared of phoning his brother because he thought he’d reopen old wounds. His brother Jang told him to go back to the village but being an incorrigible liar, he said life in the village is no longer suitable for the likes of him despite being born a commoner.
Given the unstable environment, it was a miracle for Gadeng to fall on the lap of traffic policewoman who became his new boss. With his new boss who’d been corrupting public money by building too many barricades on highways near the city, a short-lived happiness had returned to him. He’d always accompany his new boss to the roadside and help her whistling a whistle even if the vehicle is carefully following traffic regulations. In the evening, both would come back home with plastic bags full of ill-gotten money. It’s also said that whenever he talks to his boss during and after working hours, there’s something leering in his voice, a lewdly silence suggestion which his new boss had not taken an attention of, because she was quite affable.
Within the shortest period before Gadeng’s mind rest, there came in another woeful situation. His new boss was arrested for spying on government’s military equipment and reports them to one of the rebels’ commander who was said to be her relative member.
Gadeng therefore, became shied like a lady whom her umbrella is blown off by wind when the rain is still raining. He became stuck.
Jang made a quick foray into town and met his brother transfixed with a jumble of thoughts, clutching at straws and gazing out over the emptiness of uncloudy sky helplessly at the roundabout. In a secretive mood, Jang greeted him and asked whether things are okay. He explained his story in an unexaggerated manner. After his story, his brother told him to come to his place and stay together regardless of the pasts. He accepted with open arms.
Both reunited and stay happily.
The author is a South Sudanese national, reachable at majongaroldit@gmail.com
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