“This may be one of the biggest embassies I’ve been in,” I said to Tefare as I swiveled my head, taking in all the houses and buildings.
“Yes, this is one of the oldest embassies in Addis, from the time of King Menelik, more than a hundred years old.”
I nodded as he turned onto a smaller road. “I think I knew that,” I mused, remembering my dad’s stories about an Ethiopian monarch granting old allies like the U.S. and Britain acres of land for their embassies.
A while later we drove up to a set of buildings enclosed by rows of eucalyptus trees. “This is it, Desta.” Tefare pointed.
After saying a quick goodbye, I exited the taxi and made my way toward the taller building with the sign that read Aid USA, hoping it was where I needed to go. As soon as I walked into the lobby, a lovely woman with an impressive mass of honey-colored curls and the most amazing cheekbones I’d ever seen showed me to my new boss’s office.
From the moment I met her, I knew Bonnie Watts and I were going to hit it off. She was tall—a bit taller than me—with very curly white hair, which she kept on a messy bun on top of her head. Bonnie was wearing a flowy tunic over loose jeans and had gold Birkenstocks on her feet. The patented expat look, but she wore it well. She also had deep laugh lines and the most mischievous blue eyes.
“You must be Desta,” she said as she stepped around her desk, her hand extended. “I’ll be the person you complain to for the next eight weeks.”
I laughed while shaking her hand, a weird flutter in my stomach. Anticipation, I supposed. All of this felt big.
Bonnie kept chatting around the friendly smile on her lips while I turned my head, taking the place in. “I can’t guarantee anything you’re supposed to accomplish here will actually get done, but I promise to take you out for beers when the shit hits the fan.”
I laughed at that. “The most important part is covered then.”
Her smile lifted into a full grin. “You got it. And seriously, thank you again for being willing to come on such a short notice. I know it was a big ask.”
I could already tell she’d be a good boss. From my experience in this kind of work, a sense of humor went a long way.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad to be here.” To my surprise, I really meant it.
“Good man. I like you already.” In a way, she reminded me of my dad. Bonnie had that same ever-present adventurous streak, with a glint of trouble brewing just under the surface.
“Desta, you’ll be in the cubicle next to Sam’s.” She lifted a hand to a row of cubes right in front of her office. “You’ll meet him tomorrow in Awassa.” The eye-rolling when she mentioned Sam was interesting. “He’s been there for a few days trying to meet some people and get some surveyors set up for you guys. He’s a bit of shithead—”
Awesome.
“—and he will most likely piss someone important off before this is all said and done. But he can run data like a wizard, and we’re hard up right now.”
I did not like the sound of that, and I was sure Bonnie could tell. She waved a finger in my direction, as if trying to contain whatever was happening on my face. “Your job will be to run these surveys and to be kind to the local staff. Because they’ll be busting their asses to get us the data we need, and you’ll need to overcompensate for the fact that the guy running the numbers is an asshole.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled at her directives. “You’re pretty good at giving shitty orders in ways one can’t say no to.”
She laughed as I fretted about Sam’s shithead ways. I could fake it ’til I made it with the best of them, but I had hard limits when it came to expats acting like assholes to the staff in the field offices.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to handle him,” I assured her. I’d been around enough to not put up with bullshit from overzealous dude-bros trying to show off. “So how will I get to Awassa?” I asked, trying to get the more practical details in order. “Will I get a car to drive down there, or will I have a driver?” I knew me driving would probably involve a visit to a local government office to sort out a driving permit, and wanted to get it cleared up if that were the case.
Bonnie flicked her hands like I was talking nonsense. “Oh no, you won’t be driving yourself.” She sounded like I’d suggested I was going to fly myself there. “You haven’t been here! There’s a learning curve, my friend. You’ll go down with Elias, the logistics coordinator for our project.” Her face lit up at the mention of the man, which I guess was a good sign. “Eli’s a star, one of my favorite people.” Her grin got wider with every word spoken about the magical Elias. “He was a driver for a few years before getting the coordinator job. He’ll get you there in one piece.”
I could work with that. “Sounds good.”
“He’ll come by your guest house tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. to pick you up. Make sure you’re ready to go by then—it’s about five hours to Awassa, and I’d like you to be there by midday.”
She waved a hand in the direction of the cubicle I was supposed to occupy. “All the stuff you need to go over is there. There’s a copy of the contract, so you know exactly what we need to deliver on.
