After seeing that infamous VAR footage of Sabally in Brikama, passionately mocking Dr. Ceesay for stooping so low as to serve the very president he once called clueless, I couldn’t help but imagine how awkward it must have been when they inevitably crossed paths.
I closed my eyes to create it, and saw a long hallway in State House. I saw Dr. Ceesay, file in hand, walking with style toward a conference room. And mid-stride, he stops as Sabally turns the corner. Both momentarily startled, and then this scene:
Dr. Ceesay:
Jeh, Sabs!?
Sabally:
Doc.! E’bay cool ling?
Dr. Ceesay:
I guess congratulations are in order… nkayeh ko the firebrand orator himself, now turned presidential adviser.
Sabally:
What can I say? If the “clueless man” can poach from even the ivory tower, then he clearly has vision.
Dr. Ceesay:
Point of correction: I never called him clueless, but… even the so-called clueless knows talent when he sees it… But I thought you preferred your Darboe Kunda nyankatango with dignity to a kerreng kafoo?
Sabally:
Hahaha… I realised Darboe Kunda doesn’t issue diplomatic passports. Besides, Doc, you taught us that in today’s Gambia, the fastest path to office is relentless criticism.
Dr. Ceesay:
Touché! But I’ve always maintained that governance is about bringing expertise to the table. I guess the President listened.
Sabally:
Okay, I’ll address the elephant in the room: I was the one who said I’d never dine at the same table with squirrels… so?
Dr. Ceesay:
And yet, here you are… serving the very head-squirrel you once prophesied doom about?
Sabally:
Some circumstances can humble the proud. And if you read the Quran, which I like to quote, Surah Yunus to be precise, you’ll see that even Jonah (Yunus) ended up in Nineveh.Dr. Ceesay:
Yes, and quite fittingly so: You disobeyed, tried fleeing to Tarshish. A storm hit. The sailors discovered you were the problem, tossed you overboard. You were swallowed by a whale. You repented. The whale spit you out onto dry land. Now here you are… obedient. 
But then Jonah wasn’t on payroll.
But then Jonah wasn’t on payroll.Sabally:
Well, Jonah also didn’t have two rising stars, including a certain “teddy bear,” shadowing him in the prophets’ caucus.
Dr. Ceesay:
Yeah, that “teddy bear” is quite the character. *Extends hand* Welcome to the circle, Sabally. Opposition ya mang easy. The system, on the other hand, feeds well; you’ll see.
Sabally:
*Shakes hand* Amen to that, Doc… it is what it is: the youths are happy!
They laugh nervously as they walk together into the conference room. Two former adversaries, now fellow survivors of political realignment.
THE END