As I sat silently, in the early hours of the morning facing the Atlantic Ocean in the West African City of Lome - Togo, thinking of what to eat and drink due to a rather severe thirst and hunger, I noticed a certain pregnant woman walking toward where I sat. She was wearing a stripped pajamas, looking rather pale, with a disheveled hair. She appeared to be in her late 30s and of Asian descent. Either of her parents could be Korean, Japanese or Chinese. She was lanky; her mouth was drooling; and she appeared to be a faded beauty that had fallen on hard times. She reminded me of my half-sister-Cecelia.
"Wow! Wow! A demented Asian woman?" I cried aloud.
Until that time, I had never ever conceived witnessing such a bizarre scenario. She was an unpleasant demented woman who snarled abuse at passersby. I also noticed how hard she toiled to shoo away those nasty African flies - they wouldn't leave her alone!
"Who on earth might have been responsible for her pregnancy?" I asked myself.
"Could it be another Asian lunatic? No! I shouted out to myself.
To rule out any such possibility, I found solace in the fact that, the Koreans, the Chinese, the Indians, the Lebanese, the Bangladeshis, the Pakistanis, and indeed, the Burmese - who all come to Africa to do business are wealthy individuals - at least from the African perspective. How could they have neglected their off-spring to such an extent that she would actually become demented and go scavenging for food through the African garbage? At least, she would have been whisked away to her fatherland as soon as signs of lunacy were detected. To be sure, she wouldn't be allowed to grow mad in Africa - knowing the plight of mad people on that continent.
The other side of me countered:
"What has wealth, beauty and mixed blood got to do with lunacy?"
"After all, I had read about, and seen on TV, some lunatics in the USA, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Germany - to name a few."
The other side of me disagreed:
"Yes, there are mad people everywhere. But not Europeans or Asians being seen in Africa roaming half-naked with dirty clothes scavenging for food through the garbage."
The other side of me would not agree:
"OK. You maybe right. How about those 'white' tourists who arrive scantily clad everywhere in Africa just to 'enjoy' the beautiful African sun... are they mad people?"
The other part of me declined to answer - rather choosing to concentrate on who might have fathered the un-born child of this hapless woman.
At this time, my hunger and thirst had become unbearable. However, I would not stop being inquisitive.
Forgetting of my own plight, I begun to wonder what had happened to this woman. I could no longer feel the intensity of the hunger and thirst that had overwhelmed me. My thoughts had now been hijacked by the sight of this unfortunate woman.
"Could it be one of those powerful businessmen in this port city, or a powerful politician of sorts?" I continued my cogitation.
"But then, how could such an attractive middle-aged woman get crazy?"
There were no easy answers. But what I could assure myself of, was that, this could be the handiwork of a sane and powerful man. I vowed to find out before I left town. It could take me a week or two - even months. I believed those nasty flies hovering around her had a lot of secrets to hide.
Then the eureka moment came at last! See you next time!
This author has been a true love advocate for over two decades, and has worked in various capacities to enhance true love and teach its meaning to various communities all over the world. He has visited many countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and has been a networker, a motivator and a writer. He loves making friends all over the globe. And in the organization that he belongs to, they provide holiday packages to couples and individuals who wish to take a vacation away from home in order to relax and re-energize their relationships.
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