[[I'll call my fling girl "Mlle. X" since she has a job at a high profile restaurant in Douala and want to avoid making her identifiable as much as possible.]]
It was already about 8:30 am when I woke up. Mlle. X was still asleep after her late night dancing.
I took a shower and brushed my teeth and then went out to ask the desk clerk how to get to Yaoundé. She said there is one bus each day and it leaves at 9am. Hmmm.... Too late for that one. But there are plenty of bush taxis all day long to Douala and I can get a bus to Yaoundé from there. I went back to the room. I hadn't unpacked too much. So it didn't take much to pack. I was waiting for the inevitable. Mlle. X would wake up and ask me what I was doing. Then it happened.
I sat on the bed and told her I was going to go to Yaoundé today. She didn't seem too surprised. I asked her if she planned on going to work today. She said she understood what I was saying--that I was breaking up with her. "Je comprend. Tu me monque" is what I think she said. I don't know the the term "monquer" but I assume it means "to dump". "Desolé" was all I could say. I didn't explain. She didn't need an explanation. I'm sure she knew she had overplayed her hand was half expecting this. We pretended that it wasn't really a break up but that I was just going on my way and that we'd meet again. She gave me her number for when I return to Douala--my flight which leaves from there. I said I would call. I won't. She said she either works in the afternoon or the evening at her restaurant. They have good food so I'll go back--but not when she's there. I had brought her to Limbe from Douala, so it's only fair that I pay to get her back. I gave her CFA 10000 which is just enough to cover the whole trip for the two of them back to downtown Douala. She wanted more. OK, breakfast is fair game. I tacked on CFA 5000. That was her golden parachute.
She tried to get me to stay longer and we could all go to the Mile 4 station together, but I declined. I wanted this ending to be short. We headed out. She got Michelle and we bisoused goodbye. Then off to the reception where they called a taxi for me. While waiting for the taxi, she got me to buy a cup of coffee for each of us and an omelette for her. The master of the kitchen was there--the guy to whom I confessed last night that I was going to dump her today. He seemed interested in our interaction knowing remembering what I had said. He knew I was exasperated with her and he knew that she lost a second night here in Limbe would would be forced to give up her fantasy as a princess and return to her mundane life as a waitress as day earlier that she had hoped. He seemed happy that this princess was getting her comeupance.
The taxi arrived. We hugged and I left. Whew! It's over. The value of what I was taking from her in our "arrangement" was diminishing while the value of what she was expecting from me was increasing. It was time to cut my losses.
The taxi took me to the station and it wasn't long before we left. We got snagged by a couple of checkpoints. At one, they wanted to unload a woman way at the back of the van so about 6 or 7 people had to pile out to let her out. They questioned her for a few minutes, then let her back on. I had to show my passport to a guy. When all was in order, he asked for my yellow book to see if he could extract a payment from an irregularity in that. But, no. My papers are all in order. A second checkpoint guy flipped through about 10 pages of my passport and gave up before finding the Cameroonian visa and just handed it back to me. these Cameroonian checkpoints are insane.
Finally, we made it to Bonaberi. I couldn't get a mototaxi for CFA 1000 so I had to pay CFA 1500. In fact, the guy sort of deserved the extra since we had to deal with a big parade (why a big parade on a Thursday?). The moto-taxi rides are too much fun. It's definitely for those with a death-wish. He got me to my hotel. I checked into the Hila again. They were happy to see me. They seem to be impressed by my ability to get a super hot chick to my room. And she shows up wearing the uniform of her high profile restaurant, so they know she's not a hooker. Actually it's rather nice to have the men (and women) at the desk so impressed by my conquest.
I got a ticket for Yaoundé for the next morning. I was expecting to pay CFA 7500 (US$15) for the luxury bus, but it was only CFA 6000 (US$12). So tomorrow afternoon, I'll be in Yaoundé. Yaoundé is the capital, but it's cheaper by the prices in Lonely Planet. It also has museums. Douala doesn't have anything really. I got a pizza, a plate of hummous, and a couple of beers at the Mediterranean restaurant while I watched that same parade we passed go by again. Then off to the internet and then back home.
Whew! What a couple of days. I'm so glad it's over.
Thursday, December 4, 20:26 Cameroon local time
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6 comments:
It was never meant to last. I've always had a certain contempt for glamorous girls who got by on their looks and not much else. As a girl, though, I can't help but empathize with her just a little bit. Girls are wired a bit differently than men. It might seem bizarre that she was talking marriage already. Everyone is different, I suppose, but I've never been able to completely separate my emotional self in a fling and find myself wanting something more long term, even if it isn't right. I consider myself a smart and logical person, but when intimacy is involved, I can be a stark raving lunatic as the next girl and I can't help myself.
Interesting female perspective. OK, I empathize a bit too. I even have ambivalent feelings of guilt. But I know that she was ultimately taking advantage of me. The ambivalence comes from the fact that I was also taking advantage of her. Maybe two wrongs just make two wrongs--though we both certainly benefited in our own ways even thought there was no future in it. We both knew what we were getting ourselves into. She knew I was leaving. I told her no promises. She even helped me with with the pronunciation of the word promêtre or whatever it is. But, I truly bellieve that her appeals to marriage weren't out of love of me--they were out of love of the American lifestyle and a desire to have a hook into it. It wasn't me she wanted at all. She doesn't even know me. We don't even speak the same language.
She thought she could get me by having sex with me right away. Huge mistake. I thought of telling her there is a woman in America who I think about a lot and she never even let me kiss her. But I didn't. Women who don't give it all up right away are so much more desirable. But, It's a lesson lost on her.
I'm on beer #3 at the Lagos International Airport. There is a problem with my plane to Accra, Ghana. I expect problems like this with bush taxis, but not Boeing 737's. Probably some problem with a poorly retrofitted gas tank or something. ;-)
Absolutely, Mark. I empathize with her - just a little bit. But the first thought that went through my head when this fling started was, "Don't come back with a wife!" But I knew you were smarter than that anyway. ;)
Ut oh - who is the airline? I hope it isn't one of our customers. If so, I'll put in a word right away!
Come back with a wife...ha ha ha. You're too funny. :-) I'm not that desperate. I'll never marry anyone without knowing full well what I'm getting myself into.
Virgin Nigeria. But better safe than sorry when it comes to airplane safety. And a guy coming home from an offshore oil rig bought me 2 beers because I didn't have Nigerian money. So that took the sting out of the delay, too.
It is safe to fly planes even when their maintenance is done using systems created by stark raving lunatic girls who are wired a differently from men and unable to help themselves, right? ;-)
Unable to help themselves?!?! Look here, one thing I have NEVER been is a damsel in distress! I HATED the Rapunzel story as a kid because I couldn't figure out why Rapunzel couldn't rescue her own damn self.
See? I do that lunatic thing pretty well, huh?
Have a good flight!
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