Mother Mary of Our Eternal Peace guest house
Since he’s arrived after 3 pm, Kevin is given a small cubicle with cot and wash basin for the night. Aside from a table, chair, and ash tray, not a lot else. But in a safe place with God’s angels watching over him, Kevin sleeps like a baby. The next morning, Kevin joins the priests, nuns, and brothers/sisters for a cup of coffee and communal smoke. As Kevin helps to clean up the coffee setting, an older Haitian priest steps into the dining area. His hair is cut close to his scalp and his short beard is flecked with gray. The priest scans the room until he sees Kevin and walks toward him, his smooth face revealing deep smile lines as he grins widely. Kevin face shows surprise as he sees the priest approaching. He almost shouts, “Oh, oh! Father Vitor! I thought you were andeyo!”. One of the Haitian sisters smiles and takes away the tray while the two men embrace.
With a slap on Kevin’s back, Father Vitor breaks the embrace, “Glad to see Kat got you here last night. She has a rare ability to gather wayward blan.” Kevin laughs and replies, “Well, thanks for connecting the dots for me. All this time, I thought Kat was Gustavo’s tape recording source. But you’ve been pulling strings in DC all along!” They laugh together, while Father Vitor helps Kevin carry his footlocker and backpack upstairs to a large bunk room and shared living space. After inventorying his footlocker’s contents with the priest, Kevin receives a little ticket and his foot locker is safely secured.
Then he asks Kevin, “Is there anything sensitive about your situation? Anything that could cause scrutiny by the authorities?” Kevin thinks for a bit and replies that he can’t think of anything new. Then the priest asks, “What about the Americans at the radio station. You’re quite exposed there. Are you sure you’re safe to continue? The base communities could sure use your technical expertise to get their radio network online.” Kevin looks thoughtful and then replies, “I think it’s worth the calculated risk. The station board can’t walk back those thank you letters from the Generals and US agencies. I just sorted that out with the American station manager. He can explain his programming decisions to the Haitian pastors and I’ll stay focused on the transmitter outage. That’s all they really care about and it’s what I’m supposed to be doing down here anyway.” Father Vitor bursts into laughter, “You’ve already taken enough liberties with your NGO’s rules!” Kevin laughs along, “Right?! Who knew it would be a bad idea to let me off my leash?” He pauses before continuing, “How about if we try both? I stay in my current role as necessary evil at the station but use my exile in the provinces to get connected with a base community in the south. Isn’t there one near Miragoane?”
Father Vitor takes a cigarette from Kevin’s pack on the table and chuckles. “I can’t believe you smoke these local things!” But he lights up anyway and Kevin laughs, “Well, I’m tired of paying ten times as much for stale Marlboros.” Fr Vitor takes a deep drag, exhales into the ceiling fan, and thinks for a bit. “I like it. You’re hiding in plain sight. And, you won’t need to kiss the ring of those right-wing pastors in Cayes. We can help you get your gear up and down the mountain if needed. Maybe even add a solar powered repeater of our own at no cost to anyone.”
Kevin’s face shows visible relief as he replies, “Honestly, I’d be afraid the wrong people would follow me to the community right now. But if you give me a contact, I’ll find a time to stop by when no one expects me anywhere else. I’m not leaving the country or going into hiding. But I definitely need some cover while I get myself settled in Carrefour. Then we can start getting those recordings across the border to the brothers in DR.” The old priest agrees, and they join the rest of the house for a community lunch of beans over mayin moulin and sweet Haitian coffee.
When only a few of the priests and brothers remain, everyone joins in to clean up the empty plates and serving trays. Kevin asks, “Why is it you always eat mayin moulin instead of rice? I thought rice is what goes with beans!” Father Vitor suppresses a grin and glances at one of the younger brothers. “Well, why is that?” The younger man smiles broadly and replies without hesitation, “Because rice is imported. What we grow in the Artibonite is stolen by the Macoutes. But we can grow corn anywhere. And the upper classes refuse to eat mayin moulin because it’s peasant food. So there’s always enough for the rest of us!” With that, hugs and two-cheek French kisses are exchanged, and Kevin leaves Mother Mary’s Eternal Peace with his backpack, a new handheld tape recorder, a pocket full of gourdes, and a blessed mission from God himself.