Ford
I needed to get away from Adelaide. There’s nothing wrong with her asking about my past, but that doesn’t mean I have to or want to talk about it.
She doesn’t need to know about all the messed-up shit I saw and did back then.
I gave her some excuse of needing to check the perimeter. Although it really isn’t an excuse. I really need to check it to get a full picture of what I’m working with while I protect her.
A few huts down the road, I see several women grouped together. Nothing wrong with that. What puts me on edge, though, is the way they’re all staring at me.
They’re all whispering to one another, so I can’t make out anything they’re saying.
All of a sudden, they all giggle and wave at me as I walk right past them.
Probably don’t get many new visitors around here.
I acknowledge them with a nod.
It doesn’t take long to reach the edge of the village.
The whole village is exposed, with no protective fencing or wall.
Any animal or person could easily walk in and out with nothing to stop them. At night, no one would even see them or have any warning of another’s presence.
Jesus. This is going to make it ten times harder to do the job I was hired for.
If anyone can do it, though, it’s me. There’s a reason I’m considered the best of the best, and Adelaide’s brother trusted me to protect his sister.
I loop around to the east side of the village. Here the village has set up the village garden the women take care of to ensure the village has food to eat.
The garden’s organized and has a makeshift border around it to guard it from small scavengers. They protect this, but not the village itself. I shake my head.
Another group of women are grouped here, but they aren’t whispering to one another. They’re arguing.
I listen.
I soon realize that they’re complaining about the garden being damaged by animals.
I look closely at the garden, and sure enough, the corner farthest away from the village is destroyed.
The protective border’s been torn through, and vegetables are strewn around. Leaves and roots lay on the ground, shredded to pieces.
The village women are steadily getting more and more worked up.
If animals keep destroying their crops, there’ll be less food for the villagers. With less food, life will become increasingly difficult, and already tough conditions will become almost unbearable.
Looking at the damage again, I don’t know what else they can do to protect their crops. I’m a soldier, not a fucking farmer. There aren’t many resources here for them to work with, either, so they have to work with what they’ve got.
Without a word, I walk away and wish them luck in finding a workable solution.
This is going to be one fucking long assignment, I decide, and keeping patrolling the perimeter.
Later that night, I gather with the rest of the village for supper.
A goat’s been killed and made into a stew.
I walk up to the women serving the stew to everyone.
One woman hands me a wooden bowl filled with the stew. She has a huge grin on her face.
They all look at me expectantly.
“Eat. Eat,” they encourage me.
I hesitate.
Why are they so persistent for me to eat the damn stew?
I look at the stew. It doesn’t look like it’s poisoned. I bring the bowl up to my nose and take a whiff.
It smells fine. Actually, it smells fucking delicious. Then why are they all smiling at me?
Slowly, I take a small bite.
It’s not half bad.
Not the best I’ve had, but definitely better than I would’ve expected it to be.
The women appear to be extremely pleased with the fact that I’m eating their stew.
“It’s good. Thank you,” I tell them.
“Eat. Eat,” the same woman repeats.
I take a few more bites.
My head turns to look around the others eating. I soon spot Adelaide. She’s smiling, and her eyes have a glint of humor in them.
I’m not sure what she thinks is humorous right now.
I give her a quizzical look.
All around me, there’s chatter. It sounds more like chooks in a chook pen than women talking, but it’s the villagers who’re making this racket. I don’t understand a word ’cause they’re talking in Swahili.
As I try and make sense of what’s going on, I hear someone burst out in loud laughter.
I see Adelaide bent over from laughing. It’s one of those hearty belly laughs—the one that has you nearly wet yourself.
Her laughter’s amazing. It’s genuine and would be contagious if I knew she wasn’t laughing at me.
Time to figure out what the hell’s so funny.
“What’re you laughing at, Adelaide?”
I pointedly scowl at her.
“You think it’s funny that they’re making fun of me?” I add.
She gets herself under control to where only a tiny giggle escapes as she talks.
“They’re not making fun of you, Ford,” she starts.
“Then what the hell are you laughing so damn hard at?”
“I’m laughing at what the women are saying in terms of what they want you to do for them,” she explains and is wiping away the tears with the back of her hands.
What I can do for them? What the hell do they think I can do for them? And for what purpose?
“Explain,” I grunt. My fuse is getting very short.
She lets loose one more big laugh and then makes herself put on a straight face.
“The women say they need a big, ferocious man to piss around the village garden so it scares the animals away from eating the vegetables. They say it’s best if the man has recently eaten meat. Then, first thing in the morning, he should piss around the garden for the best results.”
I stare at her.
She can’t be serious. She has to be fucking with me.
My face must’ve had some kind of expression of shock or disbelief on it because she bursts out laughing again.
“That’s not funny, Adelaide,” I tell her in a raised voice so she can hear me over her boisterous laughing.
I glare at her.
“I’m not joking, Ford,” she manages to spit out. “That’s exactly what they said, and that’s exactly what they want you to do. They believe it’ll help. It’s a different world here, Ford. Take one for the team. It’s a simple bathroom break you take in the morning, anyway. Just in a specific location.”
Jesus, I never thought I’d hear a woman tell me to take one for the team in terms of taking a piss in the morning. Around a vegetable garden, no less, to ward off hungry animals.
Her laughter gets to me.
I let out a laugh. Then I’m full on laughing alongside her.
The situation is, of course, utterly fucking ridiculous.
I glance over at the village women. They’re staring at us in amazement.
We must look like utter fools. In the moment, though, I don’t care.
After a few minutes, we get ourselves under control.
Adelaide’s looking at me.
“Well?” she asks.
“Well what?”
“Are you going to help them out with the village garden?” She chuckles.
She’s looking at me hopefully. I know she cares about these people and wants the best for them.
Even though the solution to the problem seems a little crazy and doubtful in it being effective, I can’t deny helping the people of the village. I can’t deny making Adelaide happy, either.
“I’ll help them. First thing in the morning, I promise to go to the village garden and take a piss there.” I chuckle.
“Thank you, Ford.”
I grunt in acknowledgment.
Turning away from her, I head to the group of village women to tell them I will help.
They all break out into clapping with huge smiles on their faces. One woman even pulls me in for a giant hug.
I hug her back awkwardly.
“Asante,” she mumbles.
I give my usual grunt reply, assuming she said thank you.
I see Adelaide looking at us. She has the same smile the village women have right now. And yet hers is somehow completely different.
It’s the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen. I can’t stop staring at her.
This is part of why I agreed to the ridiculous plan concerning the village garden. Her smile.
The happiness of the villagers is an added bonus.
Looks like I have a date with the village garden tomorrow morning.
Let’s hope the women don’t go so far as to come to check on me in while I’m doing my manly duty by taking a morning piss.
I chuckle as I pick up the bowl with the rest of my stew.
Time to eat up, Ford.