December 3, Friday.
Twenty-seven days after Sankara's coup.
Dugagu City Hall, Republic of Burkina.
It was called city hall, but it was really just a small six-story building less than twenty meters tall. After thirty years of wind and rain, the plaster on its exterior walls had begun to peel.
Before,
the national government departments and municipal government departments had all worked in this building. It had been so crowded that the slightest inattention would have you stepping on someone's heels.
Now,
after becoming president, Sankara had moved all the national government departments into the presidential palace, turning what had previously been a "presidential palace" in name only into a real one.
In an office on the second floor.
Several officials with thinning hair sat at their respective desks. Their hands looked very busy, but their mouths never stopped chatting.
"Now that we're not stepping on each other's heels anymore, I actually feel a little empty inside."
"You stepping on other people's heels? Every time, you were the one getting your heels stepped on, then coming to complain to us with a gloomy face. You complained when it happened every day, and now that it doesn't happen, you're still complaining. I think you're just a glutton for punishment."
"Hahaha..."
"By the way, have you heard? Our new president apparently got a huge sum of money from somewhere, then gave it all to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health."
"That's not right, is it? I heard he gave it all to the Ministry of Agriculture to import a huge shipment of grain. That cheap grain that showed up on the streets a few days ago came from there!"
"Bullshit! Why did I hear it all went to the Ministry of National Defense? Don't forget, the army was recruiting on a massive scale a week or two ago. If the money hadn't gone to them, how could they suddenly recruit so many people?"
"Is that the point? Shouldn't the point be our salaries? They promised us a raise, and now they've put the money elsewhere. What about our pay?"
"Uh... I guess you're right, but the paperwork for the raises came down ages ago. Surely they can't just take it back now?"
"Heh! Is there anything that can't happen in our Republic of Burkina?"
"Exactly. Don't forget the last president. He left our salaries unpaid for a whole six months. We thought the government was having financial problems, but it turned out he'd taken our money to build himself a mansion and buy luxury cars and yachts. We still haven't received those six months of pay!"
"Could you all stop talking about it? The more you say, the more nervous I get. I was planning to use the extra money from the raise to buy my wife some gifts once we got paid. Now, listening to you, I feel like we can forget about a raise. Whether we'll even get our original salaries is a question!"
"Sigh... Is this something we can decide by talking about it? In the end, doesn't it all depend on whether the people at the top act like human beings? All I hope now is that the new president meant what he said on the radio."
"Seriously? Everyone having enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and a job-you believe that bullshit? You might as well believe I'm God!"
"Creak-" Just as the officials were sighing, a middle-aged man suddenly pushed open the office door and said excitedly:
"Why are you still sitting here? Don't you want last month's pay? Those big shots at the Finance Bureau are handing out salaries to all the departments right now!"
"!?"
Fourth floor, Municipal Finance Bureau.
The corridors, which had emptied out after the national government departments moved away, were crowded again.
The corridors and stairways were packed with people waiting to collect their pay, every face full of joy and eagerness.
"Why are they paying us today?"
"Are you stupid? The fifth is a Sunday. You planning to come to work all by yourself on Sunday?"
"But that's still not right! Before, if the fifth fell on a Saturday or Sunday, they always put it off until the sixth, or even the seventh. Now they're actually paying us early?"
"Hey, hey, hey... Stop pushing! Stop pushing!"
"Which bastard stepped on my heel?"
"My brand-new leather shoes!"
Everyone scrambled to push forward, as though afraid they would miss out on their pay if they were late.
Uh... all right!
In the Republic of Burkina, there really had been cases where people arrived too late to collect their salaries. It was like some high school cafeterias: arrive late, and you wouldn't even see any scraps.
"Huh!? This isn't right!"
Just as everyone was pushing forward, an extremely surprised voice suddenly came from the front.
For a moment, the noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
Because they had heard the key phrase-"This isn't right."
What exactly wasn't right?
"Don't tell me they never actually gave us the raises they promised?"
"Maybe we're not even getting our original salaries!"
"What exactly isn't right? Don't leave us hanging!"
As everyone speculated in low voices, they heard the voice at the front continue:
"Under the latest pay scale, my salary for last month should be five thousand North African francs, right? Why did you give me twenty-four thousand extra?"
"What? This extra twenty-four thousand is the new president making up the six months of pay the last president owed us!?"
"???"
"!!!"
The instant those words came out, it was as though someone had pressed pause on the whole world. Everyone froze where they stood, their little eyes filled with enormous confusion and shock.
At that moment, everyone wondered whether something was wrong with their ears.
Could "the new president," "making up," "the last president," "owed," and "six months of pay" really appear together? Were you sure this wasn't science fiction?
After a brief silence came an earth-shattering uproar.
Everyone erupted!
"They're really paying us those six months of unpaid wages?"
"Am I dreaming?"
"Let me see! Let me see!"
"Stop pushing! Stop pushing! You're going to crush someone to death!"
"Move aside! Move aside! It's my turn to get paid!"
"Stop stepping on them! These are my brand-new leather shoes!"
After everyone had collected their salaries, they looked at the noticeably larger sums and fell into a silence of self-doubt.
Who knew how much time passed.
A few scattered voices rang out in loud cheers:
"Long live the new president! Long live!"
Then everyone was cheering long live the new president, their voices bursting through the roof and ringing through the clouds.
Had Sankara been there, he would certainly have discovered that almost everyone's loyalty had shot up at that moment.
Officials whose loyalty had previously been around only 60, or even 50, had all risen to 70+.
If Sankara's rule had previously been a castle in the air, at risk of collapsing at any moment,
then now, at least at this moment, for almost every official-
they recognized no one but Sankara!
Back in the office from the beginning.
The men who had collected their salaries were happily counting the banknotes in their hands.
"One hundred, two hundred, three hundred... A full forty thousand North African francs. Hehe, I've never seen this much money all at once!"
"I'm so jealous. If only I could reach your grade. Then I'd get an extra two thousand North African francs every month!"
"No rush. Stick it out for another five years, and you should pretty much reach my grade."
"All I can say is, starting today, I'm the new president's most loyal dog. Whoever he tells me to bite, I'll bite!"
"Bullshit! I'm the new president's most loyal dog!"
"Seriously? You're actually fighting to be dogs? Have you no self-respect? I'm different. I want to be the new president's most loyal hound. Hehehe..."
Just as they were laughing and joking with one another, a loud commotion suddenly came from outside the door.
"Who are you? Who gave you permission to enter my office? Get the hell out right now!"