When I think of my life’s most remarkable experiences, my mind goes back to that dark night at the age nine, when our car broke down on a dirt road in the middle of the forest, as we drove from Tanzania to Kenya. It was a very dangerous place at so many levels, from the risk of being attacked by lions and cheetahs, to being robbed and more…I remember my mother and father being extremely worried about being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with two little children.
After what felt like ages, a car stopped to help us. I vividly recall this young Englishman, probably in his early thirties walk over to our car and ask my dad to open the hood. He was dressed in a black suite, white shirt and a bow tie, accompanied by a beautiful young lady wearing a long, beige dress…they were going to a New Years eve party. I believe they must have lived on a farm/ranch in the area.
He brought his tool kit from his vehicle and worked on fixing our car for almost an hour. We took turns holding the torches to ensure he had plenty of light as he battled with whatever was damaged under our car engine. By the time he was done, his hands were covered in oil, white shirt totally ruined, and pants coated in orange safari dust. He started up our car and explained that we could make it to Kajiado, where further repairs could be done in the morning. We thanked them profusely and I recall my mother apologizing to both of them for having messed up their New Year’s evening. He simply smiled and said, “It’s not safe for you to be here with the children…I am glad the problem is fixed for now.” His wife/girlfriend also warmly wished us a Happy New Year, completely undisturbed about their ruined plans. They followed us all the way to safety and then waved as they turned off towards wherever they were headed for their party...
Each time I think of them, I salute those two precious souls with a prayer that they be blessed for eternity, wherever they may be…they were amongst the first angels I had ever encountered.
©Amyn Dahya
