Thursday 27 May 2010

Happy birthday Wesley!


Sweet Wesley, the desire of my desires, it's your birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday! I miss you. May you be in perfect peace, smoking a fine Cuban cigar, and sipping some fine Scottish single-malt whiskey and enjoying mellow jazz where ever you are.

Tuesday 25 May 2010

They took my phone and gave it back


Last week while walking back from Mama Susu's with Haresh from Gurley Street via Benson Street at about 1030 pm, I got mugged and they stole my phone. And I got it back the next morning.

Yeah, I know.

It was actually pretty dramatic. We were walking back and needless to say, it was not very intelligent to be walking at that time in the night and my phone not secure in my pocket and all. (I've started using and all quite a lot since I started dating an Indian. And all).

Strolling along the dark and grimy streets of Monrovia - something out of a comic strip - breathing in the sewer smells, I said out loud to the night air that I have been in Liberia too long and need to go discover another country, when I felt someone grab my arm and squeeze my hand. I turned to my right and saw this guy with crazy eyes. I let out a scream - which all of Monrovia must have heard. The rogue took my phone before disappearing into a dark alley. It happened in a couple of micro seconds.

Haresh was flabbergasted and offered to run behind the guy but I told him not to. It was a <$ 100 phone. We walked back to Randall Street and felt relieved it was nothing worse than that. It could have been H's brand new fancy phone which he was carrying.

Well anyway, H kept ringing up the phone until the next morning. He even sent a text message as follows: 'Dear mugger, please return the phone. We will pay you'.

I sent out a message to all my clients in the morning that I had been mugged and they could call my staff.

At about 11 am, I decided to go to Lonestar and cancel my sim card and get a new one. I passed by Haresh's office and he said the guy who had bought my phone last night was coming over to sell the phone for $ 25.00. I thought Haresh was being taken for a ride.

True to form on how wacky life is with Haresh, he told me that he'd had a long discussion with him and apparently he had bought the phone that very same night so he could return it to the user. We called him up and he said he was on Broad Street coming to Randall. The guys in H's office said, no way, he's going to turn up. Moreover, H wanted to beat up the guy and get the phone back. I said, well let's see.

Lo and behold, this young bugger comes in through the door - no, strides in - and proudly puts my phone down in front of me. I was gobsmacked! He had a very I-did-a-noble-deed look on his face. I said, wow, thanks! I still could not believe this fellow was all good so I asked him, so how do I know you aren't working with the guy? He said, no, I'm a student from Saudi Arabia, these thieves live in the same community as us, we know them, etc. He sounded believable. We gave him $ 20 and hey,

I got my phone back. And no one got beat up.

I high-fived Haresh and c'est tout.