Part II: Adventure to a Promise Un-kept
Having watched the pleasure of enjoying her first photographic memory, I talked to Franceline’s brother Jean Luc, about giving her one of my cameras. He thought she would be serious and would appreciate the gift. I explained to him, I would like her to send me pictures with a story, in English. He liked this idea, since the schools were not so good in teaching this would motivate her. Therefore, it was agree I would give him a camera for Franceline and he would send me the photos with a story from his phone.
There then became a hitch, he did not have a smartphone. So I told him I would give him one of my phones, which had become a spare when I lost it, bought a new one and then found it. With this, the plan would work.
Well not quite. Electronic items require electricity; the disco last night was powered by a generator. Jean Luc took me to his 3X3 meter one room house, and showed me how he charges his electronics with a solar panel and a motorcycle battery. I would give him extra batteries, so he would have ones pre-charged if needed.
We had recovered from the Village Disco, of the night before, it was time for Juston my taxi driver to take me home and Jean Luc to follow me back to the hotel, to get the items promised. The Lamour family, including the parents, Franceline, her brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts and others nearby bid me farewell.
With this being a Sunday morning I was not surprised when Juston my driver said he needed to make a stop to go to Church, a Jehovah Witness church. On the way, we spoke in our broken FranzEnglish, and I learned that he had a son living with his parents on the main island, and his wife who we would meet at church was expecting their second child, a boy. As we came to the church Jean Luc met up with us and took me for a ride on his motorbike, across a grassy plane runway to a beach side resort. Juston went to join his flock and wife.
Returning near the end of the service, I sat next to a Belgium family, parents and daughter; using a combination of French and English to manage the greeting. We all joined in with final hymn, which they had on their tablet which they shared with me so I could at least sing the right words out of tune. After the service I met Juston’s wife, who could speak more English than Juston, and was able to help clarify some the chit chat we had shared the day before.
With Juston’s home across the ‘street’ from my hotel, I bid he and his wife goodbye and best wishes for their baby, as Jean Luc arrived on his motorbike. This sojourn from his village to the hotel with the stop for church had taken 3 hours to cover the 40miles/60km. I arranged for Jean Luc to have lunch while I organized the camera and phone for him and Franceline. He did not seem to mind, eating and interacting with the staff who like him were single, and of the same age but opposite gender.
Once I got to my room. I begin to look at my spare mobile to erase my data, but I could not determine how to do this. Then I took out the camera, and took some pictures of the view of the beach an pool outside and noticed spotting. While was downloading the 2,000 photos that I shared in the taking with
Franceline, Jean Luc patiently waited, as he was still being entertained and vice versa with staff. A little over an hour later, having done my best to clear the phone of data, and the camera of dust t to no avail, I brought to Jean Luc a flash drive with all the photos of the weekend. He was very happy when I showed him the pictures that had been taken by Franceline, he was proud of her. He was not so happy, when I told him that neither the phone nor cameras were in a condition where I could give them. I told him I would find a way to get them to him once they were in good order. With a full stomach, and flash drive, but hands empty of camera and phone, he went back for the 2 hour drive his village, I am sure thinking of the promise un-kept.
Juston ella marie Noemie Imran