See you on Sunday *7*

I watched my first James Bond movie today. Or part of it, at least. Senam pawned me off on his brother so he could go bathe, he told me he was watching movies in his room and i could just hang out there for a while.
i walked into a tiny dark room, all painted pink with pink bed sheets and fake flower arrangements and a holographic picture of the white Jesus. Senams brother, Gilbert, was sprawled out and welcomed me by fluffing a few pillows for me to sit on. He did a quick once over of his room, shut some dresser drawers and smoothed his shirt.

"do you like James Bond movies?" and then he handed me a pirated case cover which showed all the movies he had. "how much are dvd's in america?" he asked.

i told him.

"ehhhhh!" he screamed, throwing his body back like he'd just been punched. "that much? this was only about, hm, let's say, 25,000 cedis!"

thats roughly $2.50. i really didn't care one way or the other but it obviously excited him into further questions.

"that much? oh. well, these are all copies of copies but they play well" he pointed to the t.v. "see they are a clear picture. and you say you've never seen a James Bond movie? You white people seem to not see very many of these films."

we had gone out to a restaraunt the night before and he went down the list of all the movies he had recently seen, and who starred in each. i knew of neither. i am completely ignorant when it comes to Hollywood, which really puts a quick end to a lot of budding conversations here. next time i come i should grab a handful of People magazines and study up on the plane ride over.

"well make yourself comfortable" he said, stressing each syllable in com-for-ta-ble.

i leaned back and looked around the room.

"is this your room?" i was certain it was for an older lady in the family, maybe his grandmother.

"yes!" he said.

"oh" i smiled. "you have a lot of stuff." i couldn't think of anything to say. i didn't want to tell him how it dripped with femininity and did he do the flower arrangements himself?
not to mention, i found some sort of bizarre pleasure seeing him kicked back enjoying James Bond amidst lace and frills. like the new fad of fraternity boys wearing pink pastel polo shirts, a little odd but highly enjoyable, as if we are all going to join the same tribe soon.

"you should watch, if you'd like." he noticed i was taking mental note of every possible detail, even though i was trying to be casual i don't think it was working. good thing i hadn't brought a pen and paper.

"okay" i said. i leaned back and instantly wanted to be outside. it was too dark, i wasn't interested in James Bond, and the lace curtains were blowing ever so softly that i knew the weather hadn't turned unbearable and there was still time to enjoy the morning. but i didn't move, i just let the urge pass and settled down into docks exploding and little bodies flying like fleas jumping off dogs.

an hour passed and we were on to our 2nd film. i was starting to see why my family was excited when they saw Pierce walking down a beach a few years back in Kuaui.

"Pierce, who's Pierce?" i kept asking.

We ended up walking in groups of two down the long stretch of sand, trying to appear non-chalant and get a closer look.

"its him!" they said. they were certain.

"Gilbert" i was interuppting the movie but i know he didn't mind, he had been going out of his way to make small talk with me the entire time. "Gilbert, did you know that i saw Pierce once when i was in Hawaii?"

He gave me a long slow nod.

"Hawaii? Is that an island?" he asked.

Yes i said.

"oh yes, Hawaii, i'd like to go there one day. i've seen pictures, its so colorful and..." he wiggled his fingers around in the air, like he was playing a piano up by his forehead.

we kept watching the movie. my news didn't seem to impress him, but it didn't really impress me either so i didn't mind. i could feel a wad of thick frothy saliva forming in my mouth but hadn't wanted to get up for the past hour to spit it out due to my laziness. my mind kept skipping from remembering the water i had used to rinse after i brushed, James Bond, and whether i should just swallow it. the water wasn't clear. was i harboring millions of harmful bacteria inside my mouth and if i swallowed what would happen?

a rocket shot through someones chest a pinned them against the wall. seconds later, Bond shot a lady dead.

i swallowed, i should be okay.

I heard Senams father calling from the other house for his grandson. The little boy ran into our room and told Gilbert something in Ewe. Gilbert nodded and looked at me and told me someone was here to greet me.

"in fact, its my eldest sister. come she's just outside." and he stood up and waved me over towards the door.

I walked out and the sunlight was blinding. His sister was old to be his sibling, in her late 50's. She was shorter than me and had her hair greased into a short bob. she stuck out her hand and i shook it.

"hello, you must be Gilbert's sister." how on earth did i know?

She laughed... "yes, yes, i am the eldest sister, the first born. veeeeeeeeery first that is."

she spoke english well. all of Senam's family does.

"you are welcome." she said, offering the typical Ghanaian greeting.

"thank you." i replied.

"so i hope you are enjoying your stay here. i have come for just today." she said "i am a midwife in a village just 30 kilometers from this place, i have to go back soon but will be returning on Sunday, this Sunday. It is my hope you will be here when i return. Is that the case?"

I responded that i was planning on leaving Sunday to head back to Boamadumase. I didn't want to be gone from work for too long, that i wanted to be exposed to more "cases" (Ma's term for women delivering).

"oh, i see. So you are a midwife." she stated.

"well no, not really." i felt embarrassed. again, like a wannabe. so i just admitted "no, i'm not, i just want to be."

that really made her laugh and then she reached out and slapped my arm. "then you should come with me! you will see a lot. but i'm leaving today and coming back on Sunday."

She and Gilbert shot Ewe back and forth and came up with the conclusion that it just wouldn't work.

"okay" she said "maybe instead, when i come on Sunday i can bring you to the local hospital, then you can see how it is for yourself. Maybe Sunday night i will come, is that alright with you?"

"Yes." anything was alright with me, anything that had to do with birth. scrubbing blood splatters off the wall would be okay with me. i didn't say that though. "Yes, that sounds great."

"Okay then, i'll see you on Sunday." she said. "but i don't even know your name. I'm Ernestine."

"I'm Kacie."

"Great, see you in a few days." and then she left.

Ma told me she had worked in the Volta region as a midwife for a good number of years. I wonder if Ernestine knows Ma, and if she did I wonder what she would think of her. They seem to be from two different planets. Ernestine appears so mobile and personable. I could never imagine her yelling the way Ma does, loud and long till my belly trembles and my bones shake.

She was wearing a purple matching skirt and top, the color of a perfectly dyed easter egg, and just as friendly. and i'm going to see her in 2 days.