Love @ the Market

Today was very eventful. We woke up early and made sure that Aninha was bathed, had eaten breakfast, and was dressed in some of her best clothes. Luis, Aninha, and I had a meeting with the social worker that tried to bribe me the day before. We met him in the city because we were traveling together to meet the chief of the area where Aninha was born.

After much winding and meandering back through narrow walkways, filled with trash, we had finally arrived at our destination. The chief immediately recognized Aninha, but Aninha also recognized him and seemed to be very afraid of him. She started to cry when he attempted to take her from my safe arms. I think she was afraid that we had come to drop her off. After sitting with the chief and having him explain Aninha’s story to the social worker, he had us follow him to his home.

When we entered his home, a lady that also immediately recognized Aninha greeted us. She told the social worker everything she knew about Aninha’s story. She explained how she had helped take care of her when her father had abandoned her.

Soon many more people had come into the chief’s house, all wanting to see the little girl that had returned to her village. Everyone was so happy to see how healthy and well taken care of she was now. All of the stories shared with the social worker, told of how they had found her with nothing but a pair of her father’s underwear on her body and wandering the streets. They had done their best to help her, but now they had a hard time believing that this could be the same little girl that was so malnourished just over a year ago.

It was neat for me to see these people and their reactions to the work that the baby house is doing in each of the little ones lives. These people knew the little girl at her worst and were now blown away at how good she was now doing. I’m glad that I was a part of maybe bring these few people a little bit of hope.

After we left the chief at his house with the many visitors, we went to the house where Aninha’s father was now living. He wasn’t home, but we talked to someone that also lived at the house who told us he was at work. We realized that the number her father had given to Luis and me, when we had tracked him down at his job, was not the correct number. We were now able to get the correct number from the lady that had told us he was at work.

The social worker also took the number and was going to try and meet the father later that day. The social worker told us to stop by the Social Welfare Office tomorrow and I think we will get what we need to apply for the Aninha’s passport. This makes me excited! Our day was however not over.

With Aninha in my arms, we walked a long distance to where we could catch a chappa to the market to pick up food for the two families that receive groceries from the baby house every week. I have started to build somewhat of a friendship with the 26-year-old lady that we buy all of the vegetables and other food from every week. Luis and I actually ran into her last week at a bus/chappa stop and she went out of her way to say hello and try to have a conversation with me. Keep in mind she speaks very little English, so our friendship is based on the soul fact that I spend a lot of money at her market store every Thursday.

As she started to gather all of the food for the two families, Luis is talking to her in Shangon(sp) [Shangon is the language of the locals here in South Mozambique]. I am waiting patiently and minding my own business, when in the middle of their conversation, she stops and smiles at me and says, “You – Love – Me?”

I immediately glare at Luis. He just starts laughing hysterically and says, “That is what you told me!”

I retorted with, “You asked me if I thought she was beautiful after we had seen her at the bus stop! I said yes, her face is pretty. That doesn’t mean that I love her or even that I like her!”

He just stood there laughing, while the girl continued to stand there with longing in her eyes as she put the carrots that I was purchasing into a bag. I demanded that he tell her what I really said, but he just shook his head and continued to laugh.

After all the groceries were bought, she followed us out of the market and helped us carry our many bags of food all the way to the bus/chappa stop. She stood there and waited with us, and she told Luis that she wanted to come with us to see the families that we buy the food for every week, and then she wanted to come and see all the babies at the baby house. This is obviously all happening because she thinks that I am interested in her and Luis is just laughing thinking that this whole situation is great. I told him that I didn’t mind if she came along with us. Luis just continued to laugh at me, and told her that we were in a hurry and had many more things to do today.

Using the little bit of English that she knows, she told me that she would see me tomorrow. I corrected her and said that I would see her next week. She smiled and waved down a chappa, we climb on, and were on our way to deliver the food to the families.

While at the Grandparent’s house, I measured the distance of pipe that we need so that we can get the water installed at their house. Hopefully, I can get that all worked out and hooked up in the next few weeks. It is just 2:00 in the afternoon here, but with a busy day like this, I am ready for a short nap while the babies take their afternoon nap at the house.