As the beach goers start packing up for the afternoon, Ashley suggests that they watch a soccer match at the municipal stadium. Kevin asks if they can still get tickets and she replies, “For a few dollars, we can get all the seats we want. Although since everything is general admission, we’ll probably end up standing.” They load back into the Land Cruiser and head for the game. Walking toward the stadium, they can see the bleachers are packed with fans on both sides of the field with multi-color pennants and signs, all swaying with the pulsing music. No loudspeakers but just raw people power. There are kids climbing over and under the chain link fence. A guy in security guard uniform with a pistol on his belt seems more interested in talking with the girls than making sure everyone is paying at the ticket booth.
Ashley buys their tickets and leads them to a spot near one of the goals. There are competing ra-ra bands making a racket on either side of the stadium. The whistles, drums, and chants are impossible to resist and they soon find themselves swaying along with the rest of the crowd. The energy is celebratory and the Haitians seem genuinely happy that some blan are here to watch their local athletes compete. Kevin never learns which team is the home team since the crowd argues every call and cheers wildly when either team makes a play.
As the sun goes down, they notice there’s a blackout so there won’t be any lights on the field. The fans don’t mind and the players seem to be willing to keep playing as long as they can see the white ball. But Ashley leans over to Matt and Kevin and says quietly, “We should get going. I don’t want to get caught in this crowd after dark.” Kevin looks around to see that most of the people around them are young men. Jocelyn and Ti Mon have stayed close by, so the group is able to quickly shuffle their way toward the stadium exit. There are street vendors waiting outside with their little carts. The hand crafts are of exquisite quality and the food smells delicious. Kevin asks Ashley what he’s smelling and if any of it is safe to eat. She looks closely at the nearest carts, “That’s grio which is fried pork. I never trust the pork. That’s banan peze which is deep-fried plantain. The oil looks rancid though, so I wouldn’t eat any of that either.”
They walk toward their truck and pass a woman selling shaved ice. Ashley begins talking quickly with her in Creole and Kevin again hears the word Culligan several times. After some back-and-forth Ashley says, “This will be safe. The ice block is from purified water and she’s serving the shaved ice in paper cups. I love the licorice syrup. Do you want to try one?” Kevin does and feels like he’ll melt into himself. He realizes it’s the first time he’s tasted anything this cold in weeks. As the ice melts in his mouth, he closes his eyes and enjoys this moment of luxury among friends.
The little band make their way back to the grass/mud field where their truck is parked. Kevin notices that the Toyota’s windows are all open and exclaims, “Oh shit, did someone break into the truck? We should we have hired a guard.” Ashley just laughs, “Oh, I doubt it. There’s nothing to steal except the truck itself!” Matt grins and slaps Kevin playfully on the shoulder, “It’s the oldest trick. Never leave anything valuable in a vehicle. Instead, open all the windows and unlock all the doors. Leave something silly on the floor like an old pair of panties or one shoe. Thieves will ignore your car, assuming someone else already robbed it!”
As they get into the Land Cruiser as Matt continues, “This old truck hasn’t had a radio since its original was stolen. But the speaker wiring is all good. On road trips, we bring the boom box out of the house, plug it into the dashboard and then we be jammin!” The Australian impersonating a Haitian, impersonating a Jamaican, causes uncontrollable laughter. They all start singing in their own language and key, singing their own version of Redemption Song as they round the corner onto their street.