Over here, where I live is what you’d call a compound. When I first heard that’s where I’d be residing, I said, “That sounds like a prison.” It is really. Women can’t go anywhere unescorted. There was a real big stank raised a week or so ago ’cause this one chick went past the guard and apparently got in a car and took off. No, she wasn’t driving but left all the same.
Now, we REALLY can’t go nowhere. From my understanding, one of the guards was threatened to be taken for questioning by the police chief but he caved in and told who left the compound. It wasn’t me, folks. I wish it was though. She lied her way outta that one real good. I have to give it to her.
Today, when me and the South African woman that I like okay were walking, this fella was driving slow with his music blasting and hanging all out the car with a big grin across his face, yelling, “I love America! Yes!” He was raising his fist and whatnot. Turned out, he’s a guard here too. Saw him on the evening walk tonight and he speaks very little English but it was quite clear when he said, “I love speak English,” and he was justa swaggin’ with his cute self.
Watercolor on paper. Copyright 2012 Totsymae
I find that folk here, while censored, know that they like places where they see folk with more liberties. Both men and women folk. A few weeks ago, I was talking to two young women around 2o maybe and they were charging me with all kindsa questions, “What is it you do in America? Do you drive? How do you dress in America? Can you go anywhere you want? Do you have children? How old are they? Do you have pictures? What do you think of us? What else do you think? …” I mean, they were pinning me down! When I told them how ole Mr Boy was, they both screamed, “We’re single!”
I said, “You’d marry an American?” They said yes and then one told me, “I would marry American but my father not let me. He make me to marry my cousin.” Naturally, I asked, “So, when will you marry?” She put on the pouty face and said, “I don’t like. I want go to America.”
Folks, being the westerner and person I am, I felt a deep sadness for this young lady. They told me how their brothers took them driving in the desert, that they wanted to study abroad, they didn’t want to study here and how bad they wanted to leave this place. I was like, shit! Damn!
So today, I met this other young woman and we chatted ’cause she knew the woman I was with. The woman I was with wants a Saudi Farmer, no matter how many wives he can have. I asked the young woman, “What do you think? You want husband with many wives?” and I put up one finger on one hand and three fingers on the other. She gave me an emphatic no and said, “He marry more, I kill him!”
Quite naturally, I’m thinking, That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout, girlfriend!
I'm an artist who's writing,mothering, blogging and doing a few other things under the sun. I buy toilet paper 99.9% of every trip I make to the grocery store. I'm a people watcher, so I know you're here but drop me a line anyway.
