When we got to the store we met a man named Robert, the owner of the instrument store. He showed us to a back room were he stored the instruments. That day it was really humid, so being that sweat was dripping down our foreheads. It wasn’t great that we weren’t able to maneuver. Unfortunately we were in the room for a while because of all the mayhem that occurred for what felt like hours. First, Robert had given Rosemary a list of the prices for the instruments, but then said that the prices that we had were changed to higher prices after a period of time. Second, Robert gave Musa (Max’s second new and improved name) a drum that when tuned, Musa founded a dent in the drum and we gave it back to Robert. Then Robert gave us a second drum that was fine - or so we thought. After Musa tuned the drum he put it on the ground. A few seconds later there was a faint “cling”. We all looked down to see that a piece of the drum had fallen off. Musa picked the piece up and saw that the drum was made out of junk. Then Robert looked at the drum and said to Musa “What happened?” Musa replied “ I was tuning it with the key and when I put it down it fell apart. Robert exclaimed “ You tightened it to much.” “No, I didn’t. I tightened it ever so slightly.” Third, my mom, beginning the lawyer she is, tried to negotiate the prices down. She explained to him, “Bring the prices down. It is for children at an orphanage and it is for Christmas. They will love you.” “ I am Muslim” Gloria laughed and looked at me. Then she whispered“ Did he just say he was remodeling and he couldn’t bring down the price?” “No,” I laughed “He said he is Muslim so he doesn’t celebrate Christmas” My mom and Gloria soon explained that we were Jewish and were helping the kids have a Christmas anyway. Then he explained he didn’t have all the instruments we asked for so we would have to go to another shop.
As we were paying at the first store for the things we already had, Robert looked at one pile of the money, picked it up and said “ I don’t take money that is not mine.” He handed back the extra 500,000 shillings that we had mistakenly given him. I think my mom really changed that man and made him a better person.
There wasn’t really any problem with the second store except for trying to bringing down the price for the keyboard and waiting for Peter’s van. Generously, Musa chipped in with his own birthday money to close the gap and we thank him very much. Sadly, since we had emptied our wallets for the day, we weren’t able to buy the keyboard but soon SMK will get the keyboard and I will be sure of it.
On the way to SMK we had a little adventure when Gloria decided to eat a fried grasshopper. It was so funny, and I keep on watching the video on my camera again and again, and I can t stop laughing.
When we finally got to SMK it was like the kids had been waiting there all day. They started to bounce up and down and when we finally got all the instruments out of the taxi they began to sing and march. It was incredible as I started to march with the kids and listen to their beautiful voices. Rosemary called me, Musa, my mom and Gloria up and told the kids that we bought the instruments for them. At that moment when the kids began to applaud and sing a real feeling of happiness rushed through me. That was when I felt I was giving everything they needed but they were giving something much more precious, heart. I feel that the wait and the bargaining was all worth it for their heartfelt thank you.
1 comment:
Sarah and Max, you have made a wonderful and everlasting contribution to SMK!! Both the kids and CTT thank you! with love.
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