Monesa's Morning

I woke up very early to the sweet sound of my dear friend, Monesa, whispering to me from the other side of my hut's wooden slats. "Wake up Soana, the sun is coming."

 "Yes, sister, I'm getting up now."

 A few moments later, she's at my side as I start up my gas stove and put on a sweatshirt. It's dusty from disuse. I rub my eyes and ask her to hand me the eggs. "You haven't any eggs, of course." She says with a smile and hurries back to her hut to fetch some from underneath the still sleeping ducks.

The goat tied up outside my house bleats as she comes back in. "I hope that one goat and 2 chickens will be enough food," I say.

"It's enough, Soana."

"If I bought a turkey too, would that be good?"

"It won't go uneaten."

"So it's a good idea?"

"There will be enough to eat."

"Ok, I'll trust you."

"Thank you, Soana."

As I sit down to eat my 3 fried duck eggs. The yokes are bright orange and gigantic compared with chicken eggs. I bite in. They taste roughly like chicken eggs, only with a stronger yokie aftertaste. They need lots of salt.

Monesa's baby waddles in the door. Her name is Ziena. She is my favorite person in Madagascar. She is adorable, sneaky, clever, quiet, and has a veracious apatite for a 3 year old. She has a special little buddah belly. Everyone in the village is rewarding her cuteness with extra rice cakes and fried bread. I pull her up on my lap and give her the last of my eggs.

"She's going to miss you, Soana."

"Really? Will she remember me? She's so little!"

"She'll remember you, I think."

"Ziena, listen to me really well. I'm going to tell you something very big and important. I'm going away tomorrow. I'm going home to the land of my ancestors. I won't be here in this hut anymore. However, I promise to come back and see you. I don't know when. Maybe a long, long time. But, I'll come back. And here's what you have to do. You have to remember me. Don't forget me oh! Don't run up to every tall white man you see, yelling, 'Soana, Soana!' No. Remember me and don't be confused. I will miss you, mon cheri. Don't forget!" My voice cracks as bit as I choke back some tears.

Ziena looks over to her mother and then starts to cry furiously. I pull her into my arms and rub her back. "It's ok, cheri. I'll be back. Don't be sad." She's asleep in a few minutes.

I hand her over to her mother so that she can put her back to sleep in her house. When she comes back I say, "Oiy, aiy, I didn't really think she could understand me. She doesn't talk much yet."

"She understands enough. Now, come. Who do you expect to cook all this food today?

"All of us?"

"Yes, yes, of course. now let's go get everybody out of bed." 

Comments

[gleb]

that's really beautiful. wonder if she knows you're coming back. bring back more memories this time :)