06.02.04 How the Differences in Purpose, Direction and Vision Between Lydia and Sebastian Destroyed a Budding Relationship – A Fictitious Story

How the Differences in Purpose, Direction and Vision Between Lydia and Sebastian Destroyed a Budding Relationship – A Fictitious Story

Lydia met Sebastian at a friend’s wedding. She was a trained cosmetologist, courtesy of her grandmother who had exposed the young entrepreneurial woman to simple ‘beauty herbs’ that had been used for generations. That was how ‘Lydia Organics’ was born. In addition to making beauty products, she planned to establish a model farm of organic herbal beauty plants. Sebastian, on the other hand, survived on chasing deals in ‘downtown’ Kampala. His loving nature had seeped through the soft walls of Lydia’s heart; as he would always vow to make her happy. “My Queen, I promise to build an empire for you,” he would say. While Lydia was so thankful to God for giving her such an ambitious, hard-working and self-driven man, Sebastian was grateful for getting such an enterprising woman for a wife. “Who am I Lord?” he would frequently pray with emotion.

In the months that followed, Lydia’s skincare brand began to attract attention on social media to the extent that Sebastian’s best friend Tito remarked, “Seba, your queen is gold, man.” That was when an idea hit Sebastian. Apparently, his mum and sisters had migrated to the US to do odd jobs. Given the hard life downtown, the family members had compelled him to apply for a green card so that he could join them. “Rather than struggling with odd jobs, I can start Lydia Organics in the US,” he convinced himself. The more he thought about the idea, the more he saw that he and Lydia were sitting on “big money.”

That evening, he shared the idea with Lydia. “My Queen,” he began, “our doors are open; it is time to find treasures in hidden places. Lydia Organics is bigger than what we can imagine.” Lydia was impressed, thinking that they were on the same page, until he unpacked the idea. In brief: migrate to the USA then build a global brand. Although Lydia reminded him of her desire to establish a model farm and a manufacturing plant in Uganda, Seba was stuck to his views. But deep in her heart, moving to the US was out of the question. Moreover, the over-excited Seba had not thought of crafting a business plan at all. However, Lydia decided to keep quiet rather than quenching the man’s enthusiasm.

Thereafter, Sebastian would talk about their business as if it was already multinational. “Queen, I watched L’Oreal launching in Washington. We shall launch ours in New York soon, just like that…,” he would say, eyes bright; but with no mention of licenses, premises or any other regulatory requirements. Whenever Lydia raised such concerns, the man would wave them off. “Queen, those steps are for mega businesses. We are starting small, by faith… in my mother’s house in Boston. Let us not despise the days of small beginnings. Trust me; once I get there, things will fall into place.” Listening to Seba talk as if a business could be started by waving a magic wand, Lydia started suspecting that the man was just fascinated with his lifelong dream of living in the US above everything else.

Then came the time when the two of them were invited on a panel to discuss business. As Lydia shared her passion for ‘Buy Uganda, Build Uganda’, Seba added lightly, “We are believing God to go global and shine out there.” People clapped but what they did not know was that he was vying for building Ugandan products in the US; the very opposite of Lydia’s vision, purpose and direction.

Lydia vividly remembers the day Seba burst into her office, excited. “I got it…! I got it!” His green card had finally gone through. “Let us thank God,” he said, holding her hands. “This calls for a celebration.” So, he took her out for lunch by the shores of Lake Victoria. As the man picked bones from a freshly grilled tilapia, he declared, “Now… I see us launching our brand.” That night, he called Tito, so excited he could hardly sleep. “Guy, I see myself in Boston, handling green notes in the land of opportunity my friend!”

He was not the only one awake. Lydia sat on her bed, combing through her thoughts. “Seba is not a bad guy. He really loves me and wants my brand to go global. The issue is, his top priority is to vacate Uganda. Lydia Organics is just a vehicle to save him from the hard life downtown. And for me, I want to expand the brand here, build my country, a manufacturing plant and a model farm of organic beauty plants.”

A few days later, Seba’s mother paid for his ticket. “God has fulfilled my dream,” he testified at church one bright Sunday morning. “Finally, I am going to the USA after praying and fasting for over five years,” he said as the congregation clapped and stretched hands to bless the trip.

On arriving in the US, Seba shockingly informed Lydia that his idea of starting Lydia Organics in ‘the land of opportunity’ was next to impossible; and that joining him would not be easy since he was staying with his family. Thereafter, the once excited and loving man stopped communicating consistently, claiming that he was too busy as he had two jobs.

Then came the night when Lydia’s friend shared a video. “I thought you should know this,” she texted with several weeping emojis. It was a wedding clip showing Sebastian’s mother and sisters jubilating at the event. Guess who the bridegroom was: Sebastian. Lydia dropped her phone and just like that, the relationship was gone.