THE GUARDS

We have security guards who have been watching over our villa for about a week. They are dressed in a yellow shirt that identifies the agency that hires them. Like much of Ivorian culture, they are a mystery to us.

The first guard was a tall elderly Ivorian armed with a slingshot. We invited him in for the semi final of the African Cup (for which I was scolded by a campus official). I predicted a 2-1 victory for Burkina Faso (his team) over Egypt. He thanked me profusely for predicting his team. I made the prediction because a soothsayer on Ivorian TV pointed out that the team dressed in green had won eight matches. Burkina was dressed in green and white. 

I was correct about the score except the wrong team won. I looked for the guard the next day and he was gone. Must have pissed him off. In fact, no guard came to watch over us for four days.

A couple of days ago, a second guard arrived. He mentioned that he had not been paid for four months. (Who does that remind you of?) We fed him everyday but refused to catch his hints that he wanted money. This agency was contracted by our Institute for 10 years so it is not responsible. The guards continue working because they expect a huge sum of money soon.

During the civil war, Natalia, a Russian ESL teacher, paid a different set of guards. They were rebels trying to overthrow the government. Natalia and others paid the rebels in food and cigarettes to watch over the Institute. They did so faithful except they looted the villa of the rector because he supported the president.

That villa is the one we live in now.