Reunion

I ran into a few of our local kids the other day. It was the first time I’d seen them in nearly a month. Elmo and a few of her sisters were there, along with her brother Rafudi (pronounced “raw food ee”). Rafudi is a few years older than Elmo and his other sisters and usually hangs around and takes care of them. I can always count on him to make the kids behave and help me pass out shoes and candy. Definitely one of my favorites.

When I walked up to say hello to the gang I of course went straight to Elmo. When I was at home on leave I often thought about her and her friends and wondered how they were doing. I hadn’t gotten a chance to say goodbye before I went away for three weeks and I knew that my friends on patrol would probably get a whole lot of “Where’s Joey?”. For me to disappear for so long would seem strange to them since they’re use to seeing me every few days. My return received mixed reactions. Elmo was all smiles, just as I would have expected, but Rafudi seemed a little pissed off at first. He walked straight up to me and demanded to know where I’d been. He only acted irritated until I explained that I was home in America and that I wouldn’t be leaving again for some time. He smiled and gave me a high five. I loaded him up with candy and some necklaces to give to his sisters and promised that I’d see him again soon. He shook my hand, said “I love you sadiqi (my friend),” and ran off to play with the other kids. Sometimes it’s not so bad being back here.