preparation for "my friend"

"your friend will be here the day after tomorrow! ahh you are happy i can tell!"

Secetry kept calling the German man whose visit we had all been awaiting, "my friend". in fact everyone at the clinic was calling him "my friend". this was strictly based off the fact that he was white too.

"but what if i don't want him to be my friend?" i teased.

"he is white and you are white" Vera joked as she passed me in the clinic hallway "so you have no choice."

"what if he's a killer, then can i have a choice?"

"NO!" Secetry and Vera agreed.

"okay then, what if i want my killer friend to be your husband, how about that? and i won't give you any say!"

we all laughed.

it was probably a good thing the volunteer had delayed in coming. he was supposed to have arrived at the beginning of January, and it was the end. but Auntie had become like an obstinate little child during that time and decided the volunteer was not allowed to live in our house. he would have to find some other accommodation.

"but there isn't any other accommodation?" i told Secetry. it was his job to oversee foreign visitors and work out the details.

"yes, i know this. i will beg auntie to let your friend stay with you, but in the meantime let us go walk through the village and look for a place."

we walked slowly, greeting people, and scoping homes built of mud and sticks. "i think the volunteer would prefer a room in my house."

"haha, i agree. i am meeting with auntie tonite, let us pray she gives us the room, then your friend will have a nice place to stay just as you have had a nice place to stay."

we parted and i walked back home. auntie was on the porch, chewing on something and mumbling under her breath. i sat down next to her.

"the oburoni is coming soon" i said.

she grunted.

she had told me a few days earlier she did not like Secetry. i was walking back to my room to read a little and she cornered me in the hallway to say Secetry had disrespected her and once that happens she will never do a favor for that person again. i prefer to stay out of drama so i did not ask how he had disrespected her, but she quickly offered the answer to my unasked question.

"he took the bed back when he found out you were sleeping on the floor. they came and brought it to the clinic. he disrespected me. i said 'bring a bed' and then they come and take it away!"

the story didn't make sense to me, gossip and drama is full of entangled truths but pumped mostly full of lies, ego, and miscommunication. i didn't expect clarity. i wanted to read.

"i'm sorry" i said.

"so the germani is not going to stay here."

out on the porch i sensed the same conversation was about to take place, and i had primed it by stating the volunteer would be coming shortly. before she could open her mouth i changed the subject, but that didn't work.

"if Secetry wants him to live in a room in my house it won't happen."

"okay." i said "i'm sure you can tell him that tonite."

i was surprised auntie didn't want the extra money generated from somebody actually paying rent. NanaKwame, Sakola, Cheif, and Collins didn't work jobs that paid in cash so i knew she wasn't getting any from them.

i left her on the porch in the sun, and opted for the relief of a cool dark house.

Collins was inside napping on a mat in the living room. His eyes were closed and his shoes had been removed, so i took a quick second to look at the awkwardness of his feet. the shape of his foot didn't seem to be compatible with his shoe. it was too much of an L. i'm sure it took quite an effort to get them on and off, a simple task i really quit thinking about after kindergarten.

a day in the life of Collins. what would that be like?

Sakola emerged from his room shaking his head.

"auntie" he said. we could see her through the windows.

Secetry had just come and they were chatting outside. she quickly stood up and moved inside. Secetry left.

that was a short visit.

the next day at work Secetry looked troubled.

"auntie said no." he told me. "she refuses to let the doctor stay with you because of the bed."

"so what will you do?" i asked.

"i will go to your house later today and beg her."

i was shocked by his persistence. i also admired it.

the talk later that afternoon was more successful. the german man could have a room under a few conditions. glass must be inserted into the empty bedroom window to keep the mosquitoes out, they must buy a new bed and clean everything before he was to come the next morning.

vera, efreeyeh, and two men showed up around 5 pm and scrubbed down the room. they ordered me to inside. i needed to help them. i didn't agree with their cleaning style, wiping down dirty surfaces with dirty rags dipped in dirty water and i had no alternative due to lack of cleaning supplies so i told them i'd just watch.

"you are lazzzzyyyy!" vera said while she swatted me.

"hey! don't call me lazy. i spent all day sunday on my hands and knees washing the floor of the entire house. there are 4 of you doing this tiny room. YOU ARE LAZY!" every interaction with Vera never carries any seriousness. and if i did need to approach her about something important, that matter quickly turns into a joke or a play fight.

"you washed all that floor?" pointing to the living space.

"yes i did. and sakola." we had skipped church to clean. it took quite some time and i became very intimate with the places babybushmeat liked to defecate in.

the men began to install the glass once the room was clean.

"aren't you going to wipe down the walls?"

i annoyed myself asking that question, but they were filthy. dark red hand prints filled the white space like some sort of scattered art project gone awry.

"no" she said.

"did you clean like this when i came?"

"yes."

i was curious how much Vera and Efreeyeh got paid. They constantly worked over hours and doing things outside of their 'job requirements' but the idea of 'job requirements' seemed out of place. life in a village is not clear cut like that. when somebody needs help, you help. the german man needed a clean room so they came.

they left back to their homes shortly after sunset.

i waited for my roommates to congregate around the kitchen table, i was getting hungry. no one came.

the house which had been so full before was now empty. it was just me.

where were they?

i walked out on the porch and screamed in the direction of Collin's mothers house "SAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKOOOOOOOOO!!!"

i waited for the echo to settle, then i yelled again. "SAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

a baby sound came from that direction "akkkuuuaaa! me ba!". they were coming! i was glad. i didn't like being in the house alone at night. i wasn't scared, the darkness just made solitude feel like loneliness, and i didn't like that feeling.

i heard collins crutches tapping outside. so he hadn't left, he had just made a trip to the latrine.

Auntie and her son were no where to be found. Perhaps they had gone into the village.

within a matter of minutes, my family was back in the house. Sakola had brought food to cook, Collins had returned and NanaKwame was cradling his stereo how i imagine he'll be holding his firstborn.

african hiplife was blasting from the quarter size speakers and he was moving his hips all around. "i'dliketosay MUSIC, hehehhahaha!!!!!". he turned the corner and pranced through the living room, dancing in a few circles and singing words too quick for me to recognize.

i walked outside with my bucket to fetch some water.

the music had been turned up a few dozen notches, i could hear it loud and clear in the backyard. when i walked back in i noticed Sakola had stepped away from the kitchen. instead of preparing food, he was standing at the edge of the dining room table with his arms raised high shaking his butt on rhythm from one side to the other.

NanaKwame was on the other side of the table, hugging himself and gyrating.

Collins was sitting in a chair, throwing his arms all around and screaming from delight.

The dance party had begun! instead of joining i watched them. they were so pure in their enjoyment of the song, each in their own world, that i didn't know how to break through and i didn't want to.

Sakola opened his eyes and caught me staring. then the man who told me he would never dance in town, that it "isn't christian behavior" ran over and pinned me against the wall. he danced to the beat and i wiggled myself out from his forthrightness.

"ahhhh kessywa! dance dance dance i'dliketosay dance!" NanaKwame commanded. he thought my rejection of Sakola's offer was a decline to the party.

"i'll dance i'll dance!" i said.

i just didn't want to "freak" on the wall.

i was thrilled at the spontaneity. i felt very much at home. my family loves to dress up in costume for dinner; boas, sequins, cowboy gear. Our dinners are complete with persona's (each character having their own accent of course) and we then finish the night with a similar sort of dance party, everyone fully expressing themselves however they'd like to- jumping, spinning, flailing arms. whatever. people, my family, can spin on the floor and jump off the couches. if anyone feels inspired, which we often do, we'll take flying leaps into the pool with all our clothes on. it is a favorite past time that has developed in my santa barbara home over the last 10 years. i always laugh till my stomach hurts. when we all are exhausted we go back in the kitchen and eat dessert.

i looked at my boys and cut loose. i started by taking a few warm up laps around the living room. i stared at the ground. it was so smooth, and clean. should i break dance?

i thought a better question would be to ask myself first- did i know how?

No.

second- did i want to break my head open?

No.

instead i focused on how perfectly the lantern had reflected my shadow onto the wall. if i kept a fluid motion going it looked psychedelic. i was sure the boys were entranced, except when i looked over at them they were spinning and throwing their hips out in all directions. they could care less what i was doing.

this was great!

every now and again Collins would throw a fist up and holler, then i'd jump up and down and holler back. the song had changed, this next one was a bit slower with a stronger beat. i ran over and grabbed one of his crutches then waltzed with it across the room. i would have much rather preferred Collins, but he didn't want to budge. i handed him back his tool and went back to my moves.

we kept moving through 3 or 4 songs, then Sakola sprinted to the gas cooker, removed the rice which was about to burn, and called us all to the table.

NanaKwame went to his room and emerged with his newly created version of a headlamp. the boys had been admiring my headlamp, how i could walk around without even having to hold my own light. he had found a huge black rubber band, and tied it to a very large flash light. the flashlight rested above his ear on the right side of his head. it looked incredibly funny because it was so big and it didn't point down, it pointed straight, into all our eyes. i felt more like i was being interrogated by him than sharing his company at mealtime.

"ahh NanaKwame you are shooting me." Sakola said.

"yeah the light is kind of bright" i agreed.

he didn't respond. he kept eating his rice as if no one had said anything. then he'd look up and blind us all.

"ei! NanaKwame. Stop. Your light, its shooting us."

he laughed.

Sakola grumbled.

i hit NanaKwame and then stripped him of his headlamp.

we ate in peace and conversation about the volunteer followed.

"tomorrow he will come." Sakola said.

NanaKwame looked at me. "i won't stay here no more. me and collins we are moving!"

"what?"

"i'dliketosay we are moving!"

"no you aren't!" my heart sank. i was hoping he was lying.

"it's true! to collin's mothers house. Auntie told us we can't stay here."

i looked at Sakola.

"it's true." he said.

"but why?" i was sad.

"because, auntie, she say NanaKwame and Collins, no stay here any more because..." he was struggling with english.

"say it in twi" i said.

he quickly explained that auntie had yelled at him for things he didn't understand. and she didn't want NanaKwame and Collins to stay there once the german man had arrived. they needed rooms of their own, and since one of the rooms was being taken that wouldn't be possible. they had to leave.

auntie was really beginning to bother me. mostly because she was upsetting my happiness. why couldn't she have sent Cheif away? i would never notice that. but NanaKwame and Collins? they were my lifeblood, making my house a home.

"oh Kessywa, don't worry!" NanaKwame said.

"but when will i see you if you aren't living here?" i pleaded.

"i will come. every day i will come. but i will sleep there, at mothers house. do you understand?"

"yes i understand. but still."

i realized why Sakola had been shaking his head at auntie all day. she had kicked out his brothers.

"okay. so you are moving tonite?"

"yes, tonite, the oburoni is coming tomorrow. will you be happy?"

"i don't know." i said. "i will only be happy if the oburoni likes to dance."

"ohhhhh kessywa!"

but i was serious. i was prepared for the worst. the worst being a stiff arrogant white doctor who came to teach "the africans" a thing or two.

but... i was hoping for the best, possibly a retired professional break dancer who happened to know a lot about medicine and was willing to share knowledge?