Serendipity 2

Serendipity 2

The hotel has been empty for weeks but this morning, on the boat from
Ambidofotra, a couple arrive. They say hello when they walk past.

They are about 60 or 65. My parents generation.

Charley comes over almost immediately. He asks what I am doing and
tells me they are from South Africa. He has left Betty, his wife, to do
all the sorting out.

'There are nothing but blecks here', Charley says? 'I think I have put
my foot in it already, you know, to the French man who owns the
place'.

'What was that', I say

'I said there don't appear to be anything but blecks here and now I see
that he has a bleck woman'.

'Yeah I know',

'We white South Africans have a different way of looking at the blecks,
he says, 'we're Dutch Reformist'.

Betty is not happy. 'She is miserable', Charley says.

From inside I fetched a book by Garcia Marquez and handed it to
Charley. 'Tell her she'll love it', I say, 'she won't be able to put it
down', and Charley headed off, bearing the gift.

In the evening, in the big dining room, when I walked in, they asked me
to join them for dinner.

'That would be lovely' I say and Betty smiles at Charley, then she
nudges him, 'we'll get some wine, Charley, we'll get wine'.

Illianne, a young girl from the next village who had an intended in
Ambidofotra, rearranged the tables and I sat down in the comforting
presence of my parents.

'You have parents?', Betty says before the formalities are even
complete.

'In Ireland', I say.

'And you write to them?'

'Yeah' I say, and shrug to show the difficulties of the post.

'Tonight, you write to your mother, she says, 'Charley will post it for
you tomorrow, that's right, write to your mother'.

'I think he is searching for something' she says to Charley

'Ah well, maybe he is', Charley said

Then they started to tell me about the blecks.

'They're lazy, look at Africa', they said almost in unison. It was
obviously a big issue.

'You know, Betty says, 'these countries, when they were under french
rule or British rule, they didn't starve. The countries were governed.
And then the blecks, they say get out get out'.

Betty made a little jerky dismissive gesture as she said it, a little
pantomime she knew well.

'They say we raped and pillaged their countries but sure their
countries are rich. They say get out, you have no right to be here and
we can do it now so get out'

'So we go .. we go.. all over.. now they're all starving'

I nodded.

'You know their governments are greedy', she says.. 'riddled, riddled
with corruption.. you wouldn't believe it.. but what can you
do?'.

'You leave and then ten years later the people are starving, They are
lazy. The roads get worse, the telephones don't work, the hospitals are
closed and the schools also'

'It must be hard', I said.

Then Charley, who isn't saying too much, he says that when they were in
Holland recently and they asked three people for directions, not one
spoke dutch. 'the blecks', he says, they're a curse and a pest'.

While we ate the doctor's piece de la resistance, a side of fish and a
mound of rice, the whole way through, if Charley missed a bit, Betty
would interrupt and fill it in.

I was listening well. It was interesting.

When the plates had been cleared, Illianne approached the table to take
our order for dessert.

The choice was; Banane Simple - a banana,
Banane flambee, ou
La Tarte Banane

Illianne stood self consciously, trying to be a good waitress in front
of the older people.

'Which would you prefer', I asked.

'La Tarte' she said

'Voulez vous mange mon banane', I said*

'Oui monsieur' she said

'Will you come to my hut when you have finished?'

'Ah oui monsieur' she said smiling and she shimmied a little as she
swayed between the empty tables.

Betty's face was a picture. 'Your french isn't very good' she says. You
just asked her if she would eat your banana'

* Do you want to eat my banana
'I know', I said and I looked across at Charley and smiled.

Charley poured us all another glass of wine. Betty said she
shouldn't.

Then I pulled out the big bag of grass I had got off the doctor's boy
the day before and dumped it on the table. I had no papers so I was
rolling with photocopy paper stuck together with photographic
stickers.

'Is that drugs?' Betty asked

'Herbs' Charley says

'I'm asking him' she says to Charley

'Drugs' I said

'You take drugs?' she says

'All the time', I said, as I concentrated on tearing the paper.

'I smoked herbs in the navy' Charley says

'You smoked drugs?' Betty said in a tone akin to panic. Her world was
coming apart.

'Herbs', Charley says, 'Herbs'

When Illianne brought the banana, I took her hand and gently pressed
her palm. 'I love you' I said. She giggled and looked shyly at Betty
and Charley.

It was a nice moment. Betty was fumbling and looking at Charley, their
reform church meetings must have seemed very far away. Poor
Betty.

I'm not sure if Charley could have cared but I was more interested to
hear what Betty would say.

She leaned across the table ever so slightly, so that Charley bent his
head down too. 'Don't you think they smell dreadful?' she says.

'Aw yeah' I said and laughed, 'for the first few weeks I could hardly
bear it'

'The girl who cleans the room', Betty says, and she turned up her nose
and made a face that was revolting. 'They're not clean here'.

Actually I had started to think about the girl who cleaned the
rooms.

'The point is, Charley says, 'people aren't all the same. The blecks
are lazy, the irish a little stupid and so on? Africa is a country with
its hand out? I remember in the navy, all the nicknames? the irish were
the micks and we were the boxheads'

'Why boxheads?' Betty says

'Oh aye, and then there's the spics and the limeys', Charley says

'Why boxhead?' Betty says
When le drug started to kick in, I sat back in my chair and thought of
Illianne, while in the background, in the world of the Dutch
Reformists, Betty floundered around some other subject.

I liked them though. I felt relaxed in their company and it was only
when I needed to be standing shoeless on the sand, looking out at the
ocean that I thanked them for a lovely evening and walked slowly down
to the sea.

I heard the whirring of the big generator going down and I heard the
girls getting ready to leave for the village. I could see Illianne
lagging behind and then she said something to the others and ran
back.

They all walked on at the same pace and when they saw me, they laughed
and said good evening. In a few seconds they were round a small bend
and out of sight.

I could see Betty and Charley taking a drink on the porch with the
french doctor and I waited for some sign of Illianne. I was excited and
I laughed at the notion, as if I was young again.

When she came out, she walked down and motioned for me to come quickly,
'before anyone see us'

'Come to the beach', I said, 'lets make love on the beach'

'No' she says, 'you know about my intended in Ambidofotra, quick quick,
your cabin'

Like a spoilt boy, I walked slowly at first and then I remembered my
excitement and quickened up.

It was a grand night.

I washed her and made her laugh and held her tight and made her cry. I
think I cried too.