Crtd 06-01-23 Lastedit 15-10-27

The Letter
The Kamkala Soap #9

Text of Jane's letter

Photo: It is high time that dhow gets ready: an insect family has chosen my bed,
made of cardboard boxes containing boat hardware, as its home,
probably reasoning that one should sleep near the food (me, that is).
I killed them. Now I am lonely, but the itching has gone.

In house, Gerald showed no sign of increased spending power, except for a new mobile phone that I checked was not an expensive one. He kept begging for small money loans, and for a bottle of my beer. He told me me I had forgotten to switch off the cooker after use, not exactly on a friendly tone. All suggesting, or meant to suggest, he was low on money. His outside drinking, however, increased dramatically. He would arrive home dead drunk in the middle of the night with his girlfriend (no doubt with a taxi) and start noisy rows with her in his room. When he raised the cooker issue again, and told me we would not continue to share the electricity bill equally if I would keep doing that, I went for retaliation and told him I wish he would be just as concerned with other people's money as he was with his own. Had he forgotten I thusfar had paid close to 50% of the electricity bill anyway? I told him to return his drinking debts too.
After this, I received, through Gerald, a beautiful interesting two page letter from Jane, Gerald's sister, girlfriend of Kees. Go to: Text of Jane's letter

Photo: Isamilo still life while I am taking a shower:
From left:
a piece of a local plant used to scour the dirt off your skin,
cell phone to cope with sudden awareness of problems and needs at the ship yard,
keys (my room is locked for in-house theft prevention), and Kamkala shorts

A few nights later I woke up in the middle of the night because Gerald and his girlfriend Jane, both dead drunk, had a long row with a lot of screaming and crying. The next night was quiet, for which a thanked Gerald, after which he told me Jane had asked when she would get an answer to her letter. I answered him that, even though the letter contained no questions, so I did not no what "answer" Jane was asking for, I would deal with it as soon as he, Gerald, had paid his drinking debts (as I know Jane has two problems with her brother, drinking, and debts, especially debts with me).
This seemed to settle the issue. The Kamkala family fell silent.
Again a few nights later I woke up at five. Two people were alternating fighting with some aggressive verbal intercourse. One was Victor. The other I did not know. After a while I started to feel unsure whether this was going the right way for Victor. We were in the third day of a serious power cut, so I took my torch in the mouth, keys in the pocket to lock the aggressor out, and, since I had no idea what I would see, opened the door armed with bow and arrow, three spare arrows under my belt. The aggressor was Gerald. Dead drunk. Later I heard the issue had been that Victor, who never drinks, went home earlier, and on arrival left his key with our night watch, Japhet. My arrival on the scene was not very helpful. Had I known it was Gerald, I would have stayed out of it. Gerald is fat and weak. Victor is strong and muscular. The same holds for their respective minds and characters. While Vic was fighting the drunken cow I proposed Victor I would leave the scenen to suppress his aggression. Vic agreed, and I went into my room. This however was the sign for Gerald to start trying to force my door. Vic thought it wise to let him thus waste his energy. After a while, the door broke vertically in two pieces and I had to support it from the inside to keep Gerald out. Victor kept arguing with Gerald. After a while I said low voice:
Vic!
Yes?
Cool down!
What? Vic asked, surprised he was the one I addressed.
Cool down, then he will also cool down.
OK, said Vic, and stopped interrupting Gerald's continuous stream of shouted words.
And yes, Gerald  got tired of talking and door hitting. He went to his room, continuing his sermon of self justification to his girlfriend.
I went to Victor. He was still seriously upset. Did not anymore want to live in one house with his brother. Wanted to call Kees, but had no air time. He called him with my phone. Kees said he would come but didn't. Called an hour later to inform about the situation
That was five o'clock, only 45 minutes before the alarm clock, so not a serious sleep interruption.
At saa moja I brought my boys to the ship yard.
Then I went back to repair my door.
Gerald came out of his room, still drunk, to tell me he did not break my door. He had been in his room all the time and only had heard the noise.
Coming home at sunset from my shipyard I found Victor sitting in front of the house. He shares keys with Gerald and did not like the idea to wake his brother up to open for him. I call Kees.
What is decided? I ask.
About what, Kees asks.
What do you think, ostrich.
If Victor and Gerald have problems, they should sort it out by themselves.
Ok, we'll solve it here.
I proposed Victor to change the locks, lift Gerald from his bed and kick him out. He can sleep in Kees' house just as he did before this house was rented. He can phone us to tell us what stuff he wants from his room.
Victor was against it.
I invite John, the house owner, to the restaurant where I am eating, offered him some beers and proposed to change locks as soon as Gerald is out tomorrow. John, like Victor, is hesitant and wants to give him another chance. He also tells me the power cut is due to a transformer total loss and might last three weeks. Stealing transformer oil is a popular type of crime, the thing burns and a new one has to come from South Africa. Since our water pumps are electrical this also means no water for three weeks.

I did plan to live in my boat before the end of this power and water cut. Neither Victor, nor Kees nor John support for my idea to lock Gerald out right now. I am not really interested in following the events to come. For me, the Kamkala Soap starts to be boring. Gerald will, I am sure continue his drinking expeditions to town and come home screaming and sprawling. Time to move out, "operation cabinet": put the cabinet in the place it was designed for, the platform of my pickup truck. Load it with all camping needs and start sleeping at the Yacht Club, with power, water, company, Tilapia next door etc. The motorcycle will not fit anymore but can permanently be stored with the rest of my stuff, at Feleshi's workshop, near Daniels shipyard.

Go to: Text of Jane's letter