Mother Mary of Our Eternal Peace
Since he’s arrived after 3 pm, Kevin is given a small cubicle with cot and wash basin for the night. Aside from a chair, table and ash tray, not a lot else. But in a safe place with God’s angels watching over him, he sleeps like a baby. The next morning, he joins the priests and nuns for a cup of coffee and communal smoke. Kevin is carrying a tray of coffee mugs, when 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 with a smile. Kevin’s face brightens when he sees the priest, “Oh, oh! Father Vitor! I thought you were andeyo.” A passing nun smiles and takes the tray, while the two men embrace.
With a slap on Kevin’s back, Father Vitor breaks the bear hug, “Glad to see Ashley 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 Ashley was Gustavo’s tape recording source. But you’ve been pulling strings all the way to Miami this whole time!” They laugh together while Fr. Vitor helps Kevin carry his footlocker and backpack upstairs to a large bunk room and shared living space. After inventorying his foot locker’s contents with the priest, Kevin receives a little ticket and his foot locker is safely secured.
Then Father Vitor asks Kevin, “Is there anything sensitive about your situation? Anything that could cause scrutiny by the authorities?” Kevin pauses and then replies that he can’t think of anything new. Then Fr. Vitor asks, “What about the Americans at the radio station. You’re quite exposed if you stay there. Are you sure it’s safe? The base communities could use your skills to get their radio network online. Maybe it’s time to get out from under those pastors.” Kevin looks thoughtful and then replies, “I think it’s worth the calculated risk. I do have a few friends at the station, and their board can’t walk back those letters. I’ve closed that whole discussion 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 the station and your NGO!” Kevin laughs along, “Right?! Who knew it would be a bad idea to let me off my leash?”
Father Vitor laughs and takes a cigarette from Kevin’s pack on the table. “I can’t believe you smoke these local things!” But he lights up anyway as Kevin shrugs, “It’s not a matter of taste. I just won’t pay ten times as much for stale Marlboros.” Fr Vitor takes a deep drag and slowly exhales into the ceiling fan, “You’re not really off the leash though, are you?” Kevin’s grin fades as Father Vitor continues, “But it is a very long one… What if you stay at the station as their necessary evil? They’ve already exiled you to Mount Boeffe, so it can’t get much worse. Maybe it will buy your NGO some time to put a good spin on things. I could connect you with a base community near there and they could help you instead of the pastors.”
Kevin begins nodding, “I like it. Hiding in plain sight… But I’ll need a LOT of gear.” Father Vitor smiles broadly, “I’ll give you contact details and directions to the Ti Legliz community. They’ll be able to provide security and as many hands as you need. Maybe you can add a solar repeater for their radio network.” Kevin’s face shows visible relief as he replies, “That’ll allow things settle at the station. The wrong people would follow me to the community if I went there now.”
They finalize a few details before joining the rest of the house for a lunch of beans over mayin moulin. After the meal, everyone joins in to clean up the empty plates and serving trays. Kevin asks, “Why do you 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 needs to be 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 kisses are exchanged, and Kevin leaves Mother Mary’s Eternal Peace with his backpack, a handheld tape recorder, a pocket full of gourdes, and a blessed mission from God.