You See Me

Chapter 3: Max

That was much, much too close. That blind girl is suspicious about why I'm here.I don't want anyone to know anything.That's how I'll end up in the newspapers. It wouldn't be difficult for a nosy investigator to get information from one of these girls. If he offered them fifty dollars they would probably tell them everything right down to how I breathe my air.

As luck would have it the next morning after a very rough night sleeping on the floor with borrowed blankets, apparently we were meant to bring our own blankets, my parents call me to inform me that I will be running some of their interests in Zimbabwe. Aren't I a lucky shit...They don't have the decency though to tell me when this will be and how long I'll be at this village for. I sigh. My phone's battery is low. Where do I even charge it? There's no electricity here. I get up and look around. A chubby girls with rounded cheeks says good morning to me.

"Morning. Is there a place where I can charge my phone?" I ask her. She nods excitedly and leads me to a solar charging panel. The sockets seem full but she takes one of the phones and chargers off and puts my phone on. Well at least it won't switch off.

I go back to my hut and take my toothbrush and toothpaste. Patrick is still fast asleep. I swear that guy could sleep anywhere. I go back out and ask where I can brush my teeth but I'm just given a plastic cup full of water. I suppose that the entire village is my bathroom. I brush my teeth by the grass. This is a bit dehumanising. I wonder if I'm going to have to take a bucket and bath in the open as well. When I get back Patrick is yawning and waking up.

"There's no bathroom," I tell him. He laughs.

"Were you expecting a Michelin star hotel? You're Asian not white, even in Asia the rural areas are quite ratchet,"

"This place is sponsored by a people from around the world though..."

Patrick gets up and pats me not the shoulder.

"My friend, you need to learn that whatever money we donate to third-world countries first has to go through multiple corrupt officials who need to sponsor their children's private school education and numerous mistresses before it reaches its beneficiaries. They are doing the best with what they receive at the end," he tells me. I sigh, well I might need to do some research into this...

"Come with me," he tells me and leads me outside to a brick square building. He takes me through the entrance and I'm struck by the bad smell. There's a paved floor and a hole in the middle. "This is where you pee and bath," he tells me. Hell no, I'm officially bathing and pissing in the bushes. Damned if I care who sees me. I tell Patrick that and he laughs.

"Not surprising mate, the first time that I went to the village I bathed in the bushes as well. And if you want to do that you probably have to do that now because you won't get any privacy until night time but by then you might run into a few snakes as you bath,"

Patrick somehow gets a bucket for me and goes to the kitchen...what they call a kitchen and gets them to boil me a pot of hot water. He puts the hot water in there and then pours some cold water.

"Enjoy your bath..." he tells me with a cheeky grin. He's obviously amused by this. I give him the middle finger and find somewhere secluded in the bushes. It's weird at first especially since I can feel the branches and leaves around me but I have to put up with that in order to have some privacy. When I'm done I walk back to the hut and Patrick laughs when he sees me.

"You do know that you're in a conservative country right and there's no place more conservative than the rural areas in an African country. The girls here don't even wear pants if you haven't noticed," I look down at myself. I'm wrapped in a towel that reaches my knees.

"My towel is long man," I tell him. He shakes his head.

"You're basically naked according to conservative culture. Here even men go swimming with their tops on in public areas,"

I sigh. This is going to be a very long stay.

I get dressed and wonder what I should do next. Yesterday they were rather unprepared for me. The runner of the village a Dr. Nadine van Drescher told me that they would have everything ready for me today and I wouldn't have to worry about getting my own blankets. That's a relief. The day goes by and I see the blind girl. She doesn't seem like the other girls. I know that sounds very misogynistic of me, but she stays by herself and reads most of the time unless she's doing chores and activities around the camp. Today was cleared of all activities because they thought that I would be arriving today. This German girl called Karen is persistently by my side and helping me do things. I can tell that she's a little infatuated with me. It's weird that so many girls suddenly find Asian guys attractive, growing up girls were made fun of if they found those "squinty-eyed" guys attractive. I will admit though that she makes the realities of this village a lot more bearable. In the afternoon an aid truck arrives with supplies and Dr.Nadine and some other women take stuff from the truck and enter one of the huts. After two hours they call me.

"Your place is ready," they tell me. I enter the hut that they tell me to enter.I notice that that hut is in much better repair than the others. Inside there's a single bed with cheap linen bedding and a side table. It's not much but it's much better than where I thought that I would be sleeping. There is also a welcome package on the bed with toiletries that I won't be using and some groceries bags full of snacks. Well at least I won't starve for now. The closest shops that I saw must have been more than an hour away. I sigh and take a Cadbury Chocolate bar and bite into it. Well, I might as well get used to this new normal of mine.

There's a knock on my door. It's Karen.

"You comfortable?" She asks me.

"Yes thanks," I tell her.

She closes the door behind her and takes out a bottle of Russian Bear behind her back.

"This may make you feel more I home I guessed," she tells me. Actually I don't really like those low quality brands but it would help to have as many allies on my side. Alcohol is good for making strong friendships.

We take a few shots and she tells me that she's from a small town called Kehl at the border of Germany with France. She came to Zimbabwe as a volunteer because she wanted to know more about Africa after her family had a Zimbabwean au pair. They had expected a poor African girl but instead found a well-educated and well-spoken girl from a good family. They had become like sisters and the au pair had told her that she chose to be an au pair because she wanted to explore Europe but the requirements for a tourist visa for third-worlders were ridiculous. That's when she wanted to know more about Africa out of what media had taught her.

I don't tell her much about myself though if that's what she's expecting. Even though we're both tipsy at this point I don't want to reveal any unnecessary information.

"You're cute," she suddenly tells me then leans forward and kisses me. We fall back into my bed and she begins to take off my shirt.

"Wait, I don't have any condoms," I tell her. I honestly hadn't been expecting to have s*x when I came here. She giggles and takes out a packet of Carex condoms from her pocket. Okay, this is happening.

The s*x is quite good and she's good at riding. She has to leave after we're done because she thinks that the blind girl will worry about where she's gone. I doubt that though. I haven't been here long but I don't think that the blind girl is that sort of person.

I lie down in the bed after she's gone. I take a spray bottle out of my suitcase and begin to spray my bed with a mix of Dettol and water.

Patrick comes in soon after.

"Already f*****g the ladies I see," he tells me. "Oh, you were drinking without me?"

"Do I look that drunk?" I ask him. He shakes his head.

"I just know you well enough to know when you're tased," he tells me. "Word of advice though, don't do that often. We're still in a conservative country and people will start saying that Asian men are coming to our country to f**k our women..."

"I slept with the German girl..."

"That Asian man is racist and would only pay attention and respect to the white girls at the camp..."

"So basically I can't win?" I ask him incredulous. He shrugs.

"Asia and Africa have a weird relationship. We exaggerate and escalate the smallest issues and have a deep unhealthy hatred and distrust of each other that we try to cover with fake smiles and business deals," Patrick says.

"Is this your way of saying that we're not friends?" I ask him. Patrick laughs.

"C'mon, whenever your family came to Nigeria for business deals my parents would be so friendly and nice but start talking s**t about how Chinese people are like this and that. And don't lie that your parents are probably the same as well," he tells me. I want to say they're not but my parents did the exact same thing.

"It's a bit ridiculous isn't is?" I tell him. I laugh. "But we don't have to be like that do we?"

"Yeah, we're going to be better than our parents..."

"At least you are..." I tell him suddenly feeling sober. Patrick pats me on the shoulder. A gesture that has probably been one of the few things keeping me sane.I wonder what I'll do when he's not here anymore. He's leaving tomorrow. I sigh and out my head in my hands.

"You still have a very bright future ahead of you," he tells me. I shake my head. "Look investigations are still going on, you're not the Red Bull heir,"

It's nice that he believes in me so much. But if I am at fault that means that I deserve whatever is coming my way. For the first time I let a few tears fall down.

"Dude...c'mon things will be alright..." he tells me and seems like he doesn't know what to do for a moment then hugs me. I know that Patrick isn't really a hug person. After a while I gather myself.

"f**k," I groan.

"Dude, you don't have to keep it in," he tells me.

There's a knock on the door and I start to wipe my tears and make myself presentable.

"Come in."

A tall guy with a very clean, barber's cut is at the door. He looks like he could be one of those models on the cover of GQ.

"Hi there," he says with an accent similar to the blind girl's. Are they related? "I just arrived here and I'm looking for Lilith and Dr.Nadine?" He asks. He's quite lost then because my hut is separated from the women's huts.

"Who's Lilith?" I ask.

"The blind girl," Patrick tells me. It's weird that I found her and had her hold my arm the entire way back to the village but I don't even know her name.

"Um ,let me show you her hut," I tell him. The guys smile and thanks me. I walk to the girl's side and knock on the door. Karen opens and beams when she sees me. I hope that she's not expecting to become my girlfriend or anything. Casual s*x is normal in Germany so this won't be a problem right?

"Hey, I have a visiter for Lilith," I tell her. She seems to deflate a little. But turns around and

"LILITH! Someone is here to see you," she says. Was it necessary for her to yell?

"f**k Karen was it necessary for you to yell?" I hear Lilith's voice say from her blankets. She gets up and walks over to where I am standing with the guy.

"What?' She asks me.

"Hey Lilith," the guy behind me says. Lilith tenses up visibly at the sound of this guy's voice.

"What the hell are you doing here Munya?" She asks. If I thought that she had a cold and unfriendly voice before I was wrong because the way she talks to this guy would be enough to freeze a polar bear. I hear the guy sigh.

"Well dad is quite worried about you and insists that you come home now so I've come to collect you," Munya tells her. Lilith's face grows darker and her nostrils flare.

"Both of you can..."

"Lilith!" Karen stops her. Lilith responds by feeling for the door and slamming it our faces. This Munya guy sighs.

"I'm guessing that you're her brother," I say to him. He nods, a bit sadly I notice. "Hey, siblings always fight and Lilith seems a bit headstrong," Munya laughs at that.

"I guess I should see Dr.Nadine now,"

We find Dr.Nadine at the kitchen helping to cook by the fire. She smiles when she sees Munya.

"Are you here to check on your sister?" She asks. Munya rubs the back of his head.

"Actually my father wanted me to take her back home after the incidence yesterday," Munya explains. Dr. Nadine washes her hands in a bowl and wipes them on her apron. She walks to Munya.

"Have you talked to Lilith about this and has she agreed to it?" She asks him. He looks down, she seems like a very shy guy. "I'll take that as a no. You do know that Lilith is a grown woman and unless she consents than I can't let you take her against her will right?" Dr. Nadine explains. And she has a point. I hadn't thought that the blind girl was above the age of eighteen. Was it because her hair was plaited in the way that high schoolers often have it done here? Dr. Nadine is right though, she has the right to make her own choices. Munya sighs and rubs the back of his head again.

"Let me talk to my dad," he walks away and makes a call. Even though we're some distance away I can hear yelling from the other side. Munya comes back looking a bit frustrated.

"I guess I'm stuck here until I can convince her to come her," Munya tells Dr. Nadine. " I know that your village doesn't allow boys so is there somewhere nearby..."

"Actually we have a special male visitor with us at the moment," Dr. Nadine says pointing to me. I bulk. I wonder how much my parents paid so that they would accept males. "If you don't mind Max then Munya could sleep in the same room as you," she says. f**k, I don't want to share a room with a complete stranger especially when Patrick leaves. But what choice to I really have with these circumstances. I have to be as nice as possible to protect my peace and place here.

"No problem. We can share a room," I tell him hoping that he doesn't stay here long and convinces Lilith to go home with him. From what I saw though, Lilith isn't too fond of him. Maybe that's why I thought that she was younger than she was...because she's as sullen as a moody teenager.

"Let me make space for you," I say trying to sound cheerful. I head back where Patrick is Whatsapping on the bed. I sigh.

"Looks like I have a room-mate," I tell him. Patrick looks up and I explain what just happened. Patrick laughs. "Oh, this is funny huh?"

"Nah. I was just thinking that this is probably the first time that you've ever had to share a room for real with someone," Patrick tells me.

"Wasn't I just sharing a room with you since we arrive?" I ask him a but annoyed.

"I don't count, I'm Patrick," he tells me. "I can put up with your rich boy s**t,"

"As if you're not a rich boy Mr. Your-Family-Has-Been-Listed-In-Forbes-Africa," I retort. Patrick laughs.

"Hey, but my parents would make me go to the village for a week once a year to visit my grandma. This type of life is not unusual to me," he tells me. He's right. I have had a cushioned life.I have never even been to the rural areas of Thailand and China because my mom didn't want me in such uncouth environments and Patrick has been there even though he's black and in the rural areas of Asia you get followed and have pictures taken of you if you're a foreigner. Wow, my mom once cared enough that she didn't want me in rural areas or ghettos...how the times have changed. There's a knock on the door. It's Munya.

"Um, sorry to disturb...I'm going to get some stuff from town then come back..." he begins. Patrick gets up excitedly and puts his arm around Munya.

"No worries friend. We have plenty of toiletries in here and you're about the same size as me and Max here. You can have some of our clothes and shoes." I look at Patrick. Was I consulted in this?

Munya rubs the back of his head again. "That's really nice of you guys,"

"No problem," I tell him trying to unclench my teeth.