Fire Fire's New Clothes
Fire fire is our village crazy man. Named such because he likes to start fires. A fact I learned one day when an unattended fire started coming too close to the YWCA and the women had to pause the meeting to redirect the fire - all the while saying "Fire fire" and tisk tisk tisking.
Fire Fire was not always crazy. He had a wife once and speaks English fairly well. Well enough he can harass me in it. Now he spends his days picking up trash in the market place. I think sometimes for his own little keepsakes but also probably so he can burn whatever is not edible. Sometimes he does small chores for the people who own the tavern. Like carry water or sweep. He often is the the witch/villain's tavern and I sometimes can't help but imagine him as a henchmen doing evil bidding. I think they pay him in beer because sometimes he is very polite and sometimes he is drunk and not. When he is being polite he greets me as "Hello Mr. Karen! how are you?" or proposes marriage nicely. When he is drunk he is more obnoxious and aggressive and says "I want to damage you so your family will pay me money." At which point I race off huffily on my bike yelling "They won't. They will kill you! I will kill you!" No worries dear family I am not afraid of him. He does not come to my house and the village is pretty good about watching out for me.
Once I had a Peace Corps friend visiting and as we were walking to the market Fire Fire approached us thinking my friend was my father. He told "my father" that he wanted to marry me and my friend kind of moved him along saying "no, no." Then Fire fire said "Karen I want to marry you!" and I shrugged my shoulders and said "He said no. What's a girl to do?"
The sad thing is that Fire fire is in direct competition for my hand with five year old Jr. Zulu. Who I adore. One night Mr. Zulu asked Jr. why he was not wearing a jersey when it was cold and Mrs. Zulu responded that he refused to put one on because Keli was coming and he didn't want me to think of him as an old man but a fit man. So cute.
And both of them are in competition with a number of other Zambian men who have wasted no time in declaring their intentions. I have lost count. I try to explain that I wouldn't cook and they would be unhappy but that only works sometimes.
Anyway, the other day I was riding past the tavern with my neighbor Ruben and saw that Fire Fire had on new clothes. I commented to Ruben as I passed. When I came back by Fire Fire came running out saying "Mr. Karen, Come! Look! I'm clean! Look! I'm Clean!" It was pretty endearing. There is a strange place in my heart for Fire Fire.
And though I make light of it - people who are mentally ill and poor without any services available to them are tragic.
_________________________
It will cost an obscene amount of money to bring my cat home so that probably will not happen and I am heart broken. Even if I can find someone to care for him properly - I am convinced I am the only person he will ever love.
When I think about leaving him the scenario plays out like that scene from Princess Bride when Buttercup finds out Wesley has been killed by pirates and neither sleeps nor eats for days. Garbanzo also will sit forlorn in his hey strewn room saying "I will never love again." Only the movie ends there. Unlike Wesley and Buttercup there will be no joyful reunion in the fire swamp for Keli and Garbanzo. Just forlornness forever.
Fire Fire was not always crazy. He had a wife once and speaks English fairly well. Well enough he can harass me in it. Now he spends his days picking up trash in the market place. I think sometimes for his own little keepsakes but also probably so he can burn whatever is not edible. Sometimes he does small chores for the people who own the tavern. Like carry water or sweep. He often is the the witch/villain's tavern and I sometimes can't help but imagine him as a henchmen doing evil bidding. I think they pay him in beer because sometimes he is very polite and sometimes he is drunk and not. When he is being polite he greets me as "Hello Mr. Karen! how are you?" or proposes marriage nicely. When he is drunk he is more obnoxious and aggressive and says "I want to damage you so your family will pay me money." At which point I race off huffily on my bike yelling "They won't. They will kill you! I will kill you!" No worries dear family I am not afraid of him. He does not come to my house and the village is pretty good about watching out for me.
Once I had a Peace Corps friend visiting and as we were walking to the market Fire Fire approached us thinking my friend was my father. He told "my father" that he wanted to marry me and my friend kind of moved him along saying "no, no." Then Fire fire said "Karen I want to marry you!" and I shrugged my shoulders and said "He said no. What's a girl to do?"
The sad thing is that Fire fire is in direct competition for my hand with five year old Jr. Zulu. Who I adore. One night Mr. Zulu asked Jr. why he was not wearing a jersey when it was cold and Mrs. Zulu responded that he refused to put one on because Keli was coming and he didn't want me to think of him as an old man but a fit man. So cute.
And both of them are in competition with a number of other Zambian men who have wasted no time in declaring their intentions. I have lost count. I try to explain that I wouldn't cook and they would be unhappy but that only works sometimes.
Anyway, the other day I was riding past the tavern with my neighbor Ruben and saw that Fire Fire had on new clothes. I commented to Ruben as I passed. When I came back by Fire Fire came running out saying "Mr. Karen, Come! Look! I'm clean! Look! I'm Clean!" It was pretty endearing. There is a strange place in my heart for Fire Fire.
And though I make light of it - people who are mentally ill and poor without any services available to them are tragic.
_________________________
It will cost an obscene amount of money to bring my cat home so that probably will not happen and I am heart broken. Even if I can find someone to care for him properly - I am convinced I am the only person he will ever love.
When I think about leaving him the scenario plays out like that scene from Princess Bride when Buttercup finds out Wesley has been killed by pirates and neither sleeps nor eats for days. Garbanzo also will sit forlorn in his hey strewn room saying "I will never love again." Only the movie ends there. Unlike Wesley and Buttercup there will be no joyful reunion in the fire swamp for Keli and Garbanzo. Just forlornness forever.
posted by Keli at 12:21 AM
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