17 – Leaving Club Indigo

3pm comes around too quickly and it’s time to board our ‘Tap-Tap’ and head back to CDB.

We wave goodbye to Club Indigo and the beautiful scenery, which will be a distant memory by the time we get back to the unfairly dilapidated buildings of CDB.

The music is pumped up once again and we sing along as before. Bev is feeling rather poorly and only manages a finger dance, which is perfectly in time to the brain-busting r ‘n’ b.

We notice Zacko singing his heart out to a French song and then, like horrible school girls, we take the mickey and perform a sort of backing singers dance routine. He doesn’t notice at first and then beams one of his beautiful, heart-melting smiles.

During our journey yesterday, Tracy and I noticed that we were travelling through Cabaret where the Bon Samaritan Orphanage (and our boys Johnny and Jeffty)was. We asked the others if they would mind if we popped in on the way back. As we draw nearer to Cabaret, Tracy and I hang out of the ‘Tap-Tap’ trying to get our bearings and make sure that we don’t miss the turning.

Tracy jumps out and asks a few of the locals where the orphanage is and they all point to the same place. She jumps back in and we head towards where they pointed. It starts to look familiar and we see the river and the wide gap at the side of the road. We turn in, and start to drive up a bumpy, winding and very narrow track. One false move and we could fall down the side into the river. Tracy, myself, Zacko and Samuel (Babby stays with Bev and Georgia) jump out and start to walk up to where we remember the tent orphanage being. As we get closer, we can hear the sound of children and we increase our pace to get there as quickly as we can. We reach the opening and the first person we see walking towards us is Johnny. He is walking. He recognises us and Tracy scopes him into her arms. Within second we are surrounded and have children hanging off us from everywhere – dress, hair and limbs. The others run to the opening and pop their heads round to see who else is with us. Fortunately, when they learn it is just us they don’t seem too disappointed and smile and dance for the camera which Zacko has and is kindly using to film for me.

I can’t believe how great the children all look. So much more alive and alert than they were just 4 days ago. I am being cuddled to death and am loving every minute of it. I start to ask where Jeffty is (“ou est Jeffty?”). Zacko asks Madame Ruth and Lucien (the 2 people who run the orphanage) in Creole for me and before they can answer a few of the kids jump up singing, “Jeffty, Jeffty, Jeffty” and run off to find him for me – even they remember the last time we met and my connection with Jeffty. Like a contestant on American Idol who enters the stage through a curtain of smoke, Jeffty appears through a curtain of children and is being led by his hand towards me. He is on his feet and looks strong. He climbs onto to me immediately and begins “bla, bla, bla” noises with his tongue. I spent about 5 hours doing this on Thursday just trying to get any response or reaction from him. I can’t believe this is the first thing he does when he sees me, which I know means he remembers me from the other day. When he then says “mamma” it nearly breaks my heart and for a second I wish I was.

Tracy and I have interrupted their prayer session and we realise that Madame Ruth and Lucien are very strict about timings of prayer. We apologise for the unexpected visit and give them whatever money we have in our wallet, which amounts to around $300. We trust that the children are being looked after properly and are happy to give them the cash as we know it will be used wisely and correctly. We leave smiling and crying and begin our brisk walk back down to the others and the Tap-Tap’ happy that we were able to see the fantastic progress of the kids.