I stopped at the payment center this afternoon to pay my electric bill. It's run by a Nigerian couple. Ebony black with pearl white teeth. Always smiling. Always a kind word or a clever remark. They were unusually happy today. In fact, as I approached the window they were choking back laughter. The wife was reading an email out loud in their native language, a dialect she finds difficult to explain. I could see the picture attached to it — a goat standing on what looked like the roof of a house. She read a few more words and they burst into uncontrollable laughter. The picture was amusing, but not hilarious. A goat standing on a roof. The husband was now laughing so hard he had trouble punching the keys. "Sorry," he said, gasping for air. "Sorry. Sorry. Just… In Nigeria? At Christmas?" He pulled himself together, somewhat. "At Christmas? We like for dinner goat."
Saxon Henry
December 29, 2009
Hi Evan: Love your blog. A friend of mine, Jo Ann Locktov, pointed me in your direction. I've started a creative blog and have put you on my blog list. Happy writing!
Evan Jones
December 29, 2009
Thank you, and thanks for the link. I'll try to catch up on your blog as well.
Evan Jones
December 29, 2009
I think you're right. It seemed somewhat savage to be laughing so hard about a goat trying to save its life, but the goat didn't really know, and my opinion about this is obviously colored by the fact that I don't eat goat. I've never thought of turkeys as having individual personalities. I certainly don't turn them down with gravy and mashed potatoes at holiday time. So, I had to remind myself as I wrote this that it's the goat that makes me nervous, not the laughter. I'd be laughing too.