The Old Man and the Cat

This week had some interesting events. I have been wanting to have some excuses to meet more of my neighbors (wandering around, poking your head into their yards, isn't considered appropriate) and this week my wish was granted.

Last Sunday, we got a new addition to the family. We had Molly when she was a kitten, for about a week before various circumstances sent her off to another home. She returned to us this week (despite our "no receipt, no returns" policy) and good ole stinky butt is somewhat unhappily installed on our veranda. She really is a nice little cat, but being here with two very loud, active boys, three dogs and another cat who keeps trying to be her friend despite her fervent attempts to avoid acquaintance, has been rather traumatic for her.

Anyway, on Thursday she was put into the yard while the dogs were locked up, and took off. We searched high and low for her but no sign. So, I started the rounds to the neighbors looking for her. People think cats are valuable around here, because they keep the rats and snakes at bay, so were concerned that i find my cat. I ran into a group of children behind my yard (we have a 10 foot wall, so it is like another world back there, full of gardens and mud houses) and told them I would give them a present if they found my cat. Now, there is nobody better than a pack of 10 year old boys to scour the bushes for a missing cat. If they can't find it, nobody can. Within 15 minutes they were back at my house reporting success. Unfortunately, it was a dead cat they had found. They led me on winding paths for about 1/4 mile before we came to a cat that looked exactly like Molly. My heart just sank. But after inspecting said cat for about 5 minutes, I realized that she didn't have Molly's tail. Molly has a very distinctive serpentine tail, and this one was short and fluffy. Phew. I was fortunate to run into a neighbor that I'd met before, and she confirmed that said dead cat had been running around for several days before.

Later that night, a tremendous ruckus in the yard brought us out to find Molly, cornered by the three dogs. She had come home. We are so thankful.

That same night, our neighbor from across the street called to tell us there was a "strange person" in our front yard. He and Kevin met outside to discuss the situation and decided that the old man was drunk and, since it was a warm night, to just leave him be and see if he moved on after he recovered himself. Next morning, he was still outside, albeit a bit farther down the sidewalk in front of another neighbor's house. Clothed in rags, he was a pitiful sight. A neighbor gave him some breakfast, and we wondered what he would do. Not drunk, but mentally ill or senile. I waited to see what the community would do about the situation.

Unfortunately, they just left him there. By two pm, when the sun was hot, we was lying on his back on the sidewalk, naked to the waist and looking pathetic. People just walked around him and I began to wonder if I was in America where people ignore those in distress. So, I told my guard that we were going to move him into our front yard and put him on a straw mat under a shady tree while the community president decided what to do with him. My guard looked horrified. But he's crazy, he protested. Well, tough luck. We can't leave him out there to die. Reluctantly, he brought out the straw mat and we went out to inspect the victim. I went next door to find someone to help us pick up this six-foot tall man (who probably weighed 110 pounds) and they looked uncomfortable. Did not want to touch him. As I walked back to my guard and the old man on the sidewalk, there were a couple of passersby standing there, and I asked them to help us. They readily agreed, and we all lifted him up and helped him walk to the shade. He was wet with urine and staggered. His clothes were rags and he was missing most of his teeth, and thin as a rail. We laid him on the mat, and people started coming. There must have been 20 people in my yard, discussing the situation and what to do. The neighbor brought cornmeal to make some porridge, and my guard agreed to feed him something since I was late for a meeting. It was so odd - nobody wanted anything to do with him while he lay out there, but once he was in my yard they all had advice and agreed that it was good that we were caring for him. Why? Probably because they didn't want responsibility for him (for reasons explained below) and were glad I had taken it on.

Later that night, the president of the community still hadn't done anything and I suggested that we bring out the rope bed and let the man sleep on my front veranda or inside the backyard. My neighbor and guard became very upset. No, they said. If he dies here you are going to have major problems. I could see their point - there would be a police investigation and it is quite likely that, as a foreigner, I might be charged with murder. Rumors would fly about what we had done to the old man and there would be all kinds of unpleasant repercussions. But I suspect that there were other "problems" they were concerned about, like bad spirits attacking my house, funeral arrangements and ceremonies, etc. I suggested we take him to the hospital, as he was obviously ill. No, my neighbor said, they'll just give him an injection to kill him since he doesn't have anyone to advocate for him. So, in the end we took him to the police station at 8 pm, and they were surprisingly helpful. They were respectful to him, and accepted him without hesitation after asking for my neighbor's details like name, address and occupation. She looked very frightened and did not want to give this information because, as she told me later, they might come back to her with problems. I was surprised to hear this since her husband is a transit cop. In the end, they let us go after only about 10 minutes and the old man waited there for a transport to take him to the hospital. I don't know what happened to him, since he wouldn't tell us his name or who his family is, and without family it is not likely he'll end up anywhere very good. The police station was a broken-down old building with a couple of benches, a desk, and an old couch where the police watch tv while they wait for a call. They seemed quite competent and professional though, and none of the bad things I expected happened (requests for bribes, harrassment of the foreigner for dragging sick people around and dumping them at police stations, inspection of the foreigner's documents with threats of confiscating them, etc.).

All in all, satisfactory endings to both situations, and some interesting insights into the behavior of people in this culture. I do hope the old man ended up with good treatment, and with the intervention of the police that is quite possible. Meanwhile, it was sad to see how fear prevented the community from caring for him. - Cami