Maleikum Salaam
Ten minutes. That’s it. No, eight. It takes me eight minutes to get from my house to where I’m going – but if the taxi driver is annoying, it might take ten. Today it started with me saying: Salaam Aleikum. Cite Sonatel 2. Yes, I’m poor. No, I won’t pay more than that. I get in, and the door slams shut – it was going to be a ten minute ride.
“You can pay more than that.”
“No, I can’t.”
… shut up… he woulda stopped talking then...
“Yes, you can… look at you!”
“Look at me what? I’m a university student with no income – you make more money than me.”
“You’re a estudent?”
“Yes.”
… I see you watching me through that mirror old man…
“Then you need to find someone to support you.”
“Hunh?”
“Are you married?”
… oh god…
“No. Engaged.”
“Really? To who? A estudent?”
“Yes.”
“Is he sene-sene-senegaleez?”
“No. From Bissau.”
“You should marry a senegaleez man.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Like me.”
“Would you like someone to tell your daughters that?”
“Hunh?”
“Never mind.”
“I have a wife. An’ four daughters. But my wife, she old you knoh. 43. I needah new one.”
“Don’t you love your wife?”
“Can a estudent take care o’ you like I can?”
“Oh. Cause you can take care of me?”
“Of course.”
… duh!...
“What would you give my dad?”
“A goat… and a cow, for you.”
“How would you support me?”
“I’d give you apartment in HLM, and 30 000 francs a month.”
… wow! Fifty dollars, sewage, and five kids…
“No… you should marry a beautiful Senegalese woman. There are beautiful peulhs women.”
“No.. no… I don’t want from here.”
…
“I want white woman.”
“Now why would you want that?”
“Because white woman, she know what the love iz.”
o sleep.
|
Students:
Back to Intro to Creative Writing: Section 1
|
