THE TEMPORARY NATIVES (Tales From The Heart Of Africa)

By Cindy Goff

The start and peak of the Peace Corps is given, Cathy's fam living the middle class dream in America, Minnesota 1980s, her ma giving her bro Matt crap for getting mud on his school clothes after he came in to deliver a letter from Cathy, who is in Central Africa chatting with other volunteers. She decides to chat to a fellow Minnesotan, Jack, who can't stop chatting about himself, and how he feels he's getting the royal treatment from the town he aids, she only wanting to have someone to chat about home with. Next morning she and her girl pals go to the huge market to locate awesome beignets. After chatting with the biddies, she wanders the market on her own.

Cathy's checking out a piece of fabric when she sees the self involved Jack, he getting her to help carry his shit out to his truck, then disregards her when she says she is starving, but then Jack gives a boy some cash for food. Every time Cathy attempts to relate to the idiot, he cuts her off, this time to pick up wheel barrows, so wouldn't offer her a ride, so, byyye! Meanwhile, she sees the upside of how he seems to respect kids more than any adult. After this, she can forget about him, since they each had their own projects in different villages, he apparently being gossiped about by locals of he running into some issues.

As Cathy and another lady along with Jim are learning words of VDs in Sango, dumb Jack comes back to see if he can get Cathy to agree to chat with his town's villagers. Jim comes to pipe in of Jack needing to check his privilege when he blanket states of his village being lazy. The 2 boys square off like they about to throw down, but just leave each other, Jack asking for Cathy's decision, and she agreeing, again he leaving her to figure out how she'd get there. Cathy specifies her reasons for going were selfish, she knowing projects were short, and if they were actually doing any good.

Cathy gets the okay to fuck off and has a wk to donate to the fool. Cathy takes a dirt bike and begins her 5 hr ride, the people kind along the way. She's warmly welcomed by the town, she being appraised of their work, but Jack avoiding showing her the schoolhouse in progress. Next morning she's woken by hammering, and sees the building isn't even close to being done after a month's work.

Cathy asks Jack straight and he finally confesses of the only fella helping being his translator, David and for some reason he isn't sharing. So, Cathy speaks with David, and it starts to sound like Jack is micromanaging, but when Cathy and the 2 get the village elders to elaborate, it seems to be more about how it's being built, and the men thinking they should be paid. Since it's a U.S. Peace Corps building, and they had paying jobs, they not having time to waste on this project, Jack getting pissed about this meaning they were lazy. So, Jack turns it around and places all the work on his, David, and now Cathy's shoulders.

After she speaks with David, his reasons for wanting the school built is what has her confide to Jack of she staying to help. So, they begin to complete the wall they'd started, and soon Cathy's noting the advice from the elders were giving is regarding the support needing to have been built first. Cathy deduces Jack's problem, now being every time he hears a tip, he auto refuses, saying they should be happy he's working for them. Then, the wall falls, and Jack is pissed, the people yelling about how they'd warned him.

Later in the night David confides of Jack still being sour when she goes to the site, and he's clearly losing it, his god complex hurting his brain about how they aren't accepting his help. Cathy decides it's time for Jack to go to hospital, he getting sent back home for having a nervous breakdown. Cathy returns to the village to explain to David what had occurred, she happy to see him still working. Matt's ma comes upstairs for the letter, and it says of she looking out for Jack if he contacts her, and to give him a pic of their progress. Annoying character, for sure, but swell story. It gets the point across regarding cultures and how one should truly listen to what people are attempting to share.