Rwandese Flowers_ 1 to 6

Then, a nurse came to me, saying that she had walked Anne-Marie into the emergency
ward and everything was ready for the small surgery. Therefore, I went in and said goodbye to Father
Jumpe and Dr. Mike.
The disquiet with the prostitutes amounted to some impulsive mistakes I made in
Kigali, contributing to the highlight my reputation of being dotty. I was a funky and uninhibited
woman, who surprised the Kigalians, and even worse, my loose and informal way to dress up and the
sloppy practice of hair care created an adverse visual to the local society and by doing it, I was the
subject of gossips. Some Rwandans loved me, and others hated me, for I was able to die for my
friends and kill my foes. In short, I could not ease myself when I was disturbed. Oddly enough, many
Rwandese understood and tolerated this outburst with complacency or even admiration. After all,
they experienced a conflicted epoch when being alive or dead, in many cases, was merely a matter of
chance. They saw, moreover, the bravery I expressed as a virtue in a hostile environment like
Rwanda. Even Dr. Mike used to pronounce that my qualities made me well suited to living in that
society, fitting myself to its craziness, naturally.
"I hope you can accept my apologies, Dr. Isabelle."
"Why, Dr. Mike?"
"I tried to convince you to refuse this Rwandan project."
"You did not discuss the question with me. You just tried to push me out of your team
once I had already decided to stay."
"All that is it quite over now, and I apologize all the same for this."
"What do you mean, Dr. Mike? Come to the point, please."
"First, I was afraid you could get hurt in Rwanda, but..."
"But...?"
"I have to back down because now I know this country cannot take you, Dr. Isabelle...
Hahaha. Have you ever seen an American physician getting into a fistfight, exchanging punches and
kicks with three hookers in Kigali downtown? Hahaha."
"Don't be insulting and hateful, Dr. Mike!"
He knew she reddened when was upset.
"Please, calm down! I don't want to take a Kung Fu too. Hahaha."
"I don't see what's so funny! I am sorry, but I need to go home, sir."
I left the hospital and rode home to sleep, given that I was exhausted and needed a little
privacy. The Englishman stayed in the hospital, making small talks with other listeners in front of all
eyes, disconcerting or perhaps dishonoring me. On walking away, I heard his known mocking laughs.
"Hahaha."
Five days after this episode, a hunter ran across one of the three prostitutes dead in a
hilltop close to Kigali. Immediately, everyone believed I had hired a gunman to kill her. The other
two were gone too. I think that they fled, given that they feared to be the next ones to die. In fact, I
do not know if someone shot the other courtesans dead, as nobody had ever found their corpses.
Maybe, they went to another house of ill repute far from Rwanda. Anne-Marie reported to the Tutsis
that the nosey girl had discovered she was an Inkotanyi sympathizer and threatened to tell this to
Canisous Rubuga. Knowing that a slut had the goods on an RPF spy was sufficient for the guerrillas
to murder the unlucky woman. The Tutsis thought she could find some advantages in letting the
secret out. Actually, I do not know if Anne-Marie sentenced to death the rival for fear of threats or
for jealousy. Lamentably, I did not convince anyone of my innocence. Although neither Dr. Mike nor
Rose believed me, my close friend Tharcisse Mugabe stayed at my side. He was not worth as a point
in my favor, since he would swear on his eyes just to please me. Strangely, people thought it was fair
for me to have paid someone to assassinate the three Tutsi prostitutes. In spite of deeming me
responsible, they saw no crime in killing do-nothing women or worthless harlots. In summary, I had
acted in accord with the local practices in that sin city in a severe year of war.