Sbongo and Narita arrived. They made it. A long hard slog from their village in Uganda. Uganda betrayed them. Uganda killed her daughter and their parents. Al-Shabaab took their Indian mother and Ugandan father. Narita was a teacher, and they would have killed her, too, if they’d caught her. Caught them. They even evaded Ebola by traveling north.
But now they were free. After a dangerous sea crossing. After a year in a Turkish refugee camp, waiting for their papers to be processed for the EU. First, they were in Vienna, but the overcrowded city made them move on. Particularly because the Iraqis treated them with disdain. The brother and sister heard about greater opportunities in the west. They settled in Linz.
Finally, they were welcomed. They had a pleasant apartment with a view. People who could speak their language lived beside them, though they didn’t know them. Plus, German classes for free! Not to mention a good income from the State. In Sbongo’s mind, they set him up for life.
Narita had always been hardworking, so she went back to school. They gave her advantages she never had back home. Soon she was teaching again, and she was happy, being productive and making her own money. Prided herself when she dropped her state sponsorship.
Back in Uganda, Sbongo looked after their disabled mother. He enjoyed being home in those days, taking care of her and the animals. His father preferred to play cards with his friends and drink waragi. He used to cut hair on the street but found the gossip more entertaining than the shears.
Now in Austria, Sbongo lived a work-free lifestyle like his father. And with all the money he received from the State, he lived better than he had in Uganda, and no pigs to look after.
He’d walk up and down the , the main street, all day, talking to acquaintances and making new ones. Basic income
