Getting Somewhere

by: Lilian A. Aujo

Summary

This short story is one that mimics the financial banality we’ve seen in previous texts. Beginning
with the tragic death of his mother, which seems to have occurred during a bus trip the two took
to Kampala, it follows the main character, Vincent. A single guy who appears to have a
girlfriend, but no kids of his own gets a call at 6:30 am from his father. Initially, he assumes it’s
his father calling to notify him of the death of a family member, but it ends up being a
conversation about money. Specifically, his two younger siblings (twins) need 5 millions
shillings in four days to pay their tuition. Their father cannot afford this amount because he’s
been waiting for his retirement for ten years, since the social security office doesn’t believe he is
who he says he is since his name has two alternative spellings. Unfortunately, even his
retirement checks wouldn’t be enough to cover the full amount. In the end, Vincent has to turn to
a colleague to borrow the amount and promise to pay a fourteen percent interest on top of the
amount in three months. The story concludes by saying “at least your brother and sister will not
drop out, they will get somewhere too one day, not so mutabaani?”

The Elements of “Getting Somewhere”

Plot

Introduction

Vincent waking up early getting ready to go to work

Initial Incident

Gets phone call from the father asking for money

Rising Action

Not being able to get a bank loan and having no way to get a money

Climax

Vincent going to into bosses office to ask for the money

Falling Action

Vincent’s boss giving him the money

Resolution
Vincent being able to call his father and tell him he got the money

°Characters:
1. Vincent -protagonist, main character, and salesman
2. Mzee - Vincent's father, and a retired primary school teacher.
3. Joel and Genevieve - Vincent's twin siblings
4. Katumwa - a.k.a little shark, well known in the money lending business, and Vincent's
collegue
5. Gerald - Vincent's friend that adviced him to go see Katumwa
6. Chantal - Vincent's wife.

°Theme: Family

-Family always comes first

-The narrator uses phrases such as "Hello Mutabaani, how is Kampala? How is work? or "Has
anyone died? Are the twins fine?", this proves that Vincent has genuine concern for his family at
heart.

°Conflict: Man vs. Society

-because Vincent is fighting society by living in a poor country and having a low paying job and
having to pay expensive school tuition.

°Setting

-In the story it was mentioned that they live in Kampala, which is a city in Uganda. The story
takes place in the late 1980's based on some of the wording that they used, such as "trousers".
The entire setting affects the story heavily, because of Vincent's needing money to put his
siblings in school.

°Point of View: 2nd person POV

-by using the words like you/yours, the narrator makes you/us connect to the character and
therefore delve into the story. The narrator also puts you into Vincent's point of view because it
helps us understand the motives behind why Vincent is so determined to get the money for the
twins.

°Tone: Pressuring

-the way the story was narrated added to the empathy effect of the story. You would really feel
the character's situation while you're reading it.

°Mood: Stressful
-because when you read the story you can feel that Vincent had so many problems to
overcome.

References:

https://theafricanwriter.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/short-story-getting-somewhere-by-lilian-a-
aujo/

https://prezi.com/82_sfqrq4hi4/getting-somewhere-lilian-a-aujo/

Full story:

https://www.academia.edu/24342779/
Suubi_A_collection_of_short_stories_and_poems_from_the_African_Writers_Trusts_creative_w
riting_programme_produced_in_association_with_the_British_Council