He drove into Ateju St. in his Mercedes SLK 350. It was a typical Friday night. He had been invited to a new night club, Blue. He was met at the entrance by five skimpily clad girls, their bossoms spilling out. Dollar-Po is come.

Nobody knew how he made his money. He was barely 28. There were all sorts of speculation - juju, 419, serendipity... Truth is, he came from a rich family. He was living off his share of a trust fund set up by his dad. The beneficiaries were himself and his older brother. He broke the fund and exited the family business. He burst into the club scene and maintained a high roller lifestyle. Babes flocked around him like geese. And boy, did he blow money! 

He took the same aggressive approach to business. His burn rate was high. He kept haemorrhaging cash and soon became over-leveraged. Only his boundless optimism kept him afloat. But when the bitcoin market crashed he was totally wiped out. That was when he disappeared. 

No one knew where he was. He had in fact flown to the UK to avoid his creditors. But things went from bad to ugly in the UK. It got so bad he begged for alms in the London Underground. Disguised, he symbolically lost himself. 

One day he came to. He was tired of himself, drained. He decided to call his father to borrow some money. He didn't know how his father would react. He had lost millions of dollars. And not just money, he lost his family, lost his girlfriend, his name, his cars, his house, his faith, his confidence... There was nothing more to lose. He did contemplate suicide but "something" held him back. 

Back home his father was sick for his son. Nobody knew his whereabout. Then came that fateful day he made the call. When his father heard his voice over the phone he broke down. You don't want to hear a 70yr old man crying. It was heart-rending. The father sent him a ticket, told him to come home. All is forgiven. He just wants his son back. 

This is a modern take on the story of the Prodigal Son. It doesn't matter how far you've strayed, God, your Father is begging you to come home. All is forgiven.

And oh, Happy New Year!