A friend named Khamis

After almost 15 years, I met Khamis again , this time on the hospital bed with a stroke attack that immobilised his left arm and leg.Khamis must had been quite surprised to see me visiting him for he had been avoiding old friends as if he didnt want any old friends to know the condition he was now in. I could say that Khamis had been going through bad patches recently after a failed business venture that left him indebted and a failed marriage that disarrayed his family .

But Khamis being Khamis, never wanted to look bad. He said his paralysed arm and leg would soon recover through theraphy sessions that he himself would administer. He said he would ask for discharge and would pursue the business activities he normally undertake. He talked about closing a deal or two from which he could earn big fees.He talked about the connections he had that include a cabinet minister that would help him when he summoned for help.Twenty years ago, when Khamis left the government job, to the private sector and to being a business man, he was dreaming of the good days ahead driving posh cars, residing in suburb bangalow and having beautiful women to date.The reality is very different now seeing his unkempt face, staying in a third class ward of a governemnt hospital and wanting to run away from family members and close friends.

Khamis is 60 years old. He could have hit his chance 23 or 40 years ago when his stamina was strong and the oppurtunity abundant. He had simply missed the boat.Also somewhere in his life he had missed a step through sheer carelesness that put him in the state he was now in.