There’s a very large group making its way outside with a collection of luggage trucks. The group is typically bewildered and is struggling to get itself collected. Now the street kids are mixing in with them like sharks among among baby seals. In the center of the maelstrom is a tall black guy wearing an LA Dodgers ball cap. Kevin knows he’s African-American and not Haitian, simply from the way he’s dressed and how tall he is. But for some reason, the Haitians aren’t picking up on this.
LA Dodgers seems to be in charge of the American group but from raised voices, Kevin can tell they’re from Texas or someplace in the deep south. The white folk are yelling things to LA Dodgers, because they seem to expect him to magically communicate with the Haitians. Kevin watches him shrug his shoulders toward the group, his facial expression saying, “How should I know?”. LA Dodgers grabs his bags and makes his way toward the waiting line of taxis and passenger vans. Not knowing what else to do, the Texans follow him.
The Haitians pick up on the fact that the Texans don’t seem to trust LA Dodgers, so this seems to convince them that he’s Haitian. The street kids start swarming him and try to grab at his bags and slip their fingers into his pockets. But he just laughs and playfully but firmly bats their hands away. The kids start yelling at him in Creole but he stops, grins, and says loudly, “M pakab pale Creole!” Mwen se Ameriken” Then he pulls an LA Lakers towel from his bag and puts it around his neck.
Suddenly, he’s like a celebrity and the Haitian kids start practicing their English with him. Singing lyrics from NWA and other songs Kevin’s never heard. Some even say, “Fuck LAPD!” which horrifies the Texans but has LA Dodgers doubled over laughing. Eventually a driver appears with a sign and everyone loads up into a nearby van, while LA Dodgers fist bumps the Haitian kids and climbs in after the last Texan is aboard.
Kevin’s arriving delegation is a church youth group down to help “build a school” for the Haitians. For some reason, they don’t have any local contacts other than him but they do have the name of a local van/camion company. As Kevin’s trying to decide what to do, a Haitian man approaches with a placard and explains that he’s supposed to take this group to their project. But the driver doesn’t know where their project is either. They decide to get everyone and their luggage into his big school bus so they won’t all get robbed. After they’re inside, Kevin talks with the middle-aged couple who are chaperoning the teenagers. “My NGO only gave me your flight number. What else can you tell me?” Church Couple argue their way to an explanation that Kevin can understand. It seems the group raised funds and shipped supplies to the school location a few months ago. But when all the political trouble started, they lost contact. They’re hoping Kevin can help them find that school and then their building supplies. They need to build the school and return to the US in a week.
The next problem is that no one from the Haitian church arrived at the airport to meet them. The Americans don’t know anything else, except that the church is near Hinche. Keeping his voice low to avoid alarming the kids, Kevin explains to the couple, “That’s up in the Artibonite valley way north of here, and it’s already late.” They look at him with blank stares but he continues, “It’s very remote and the area has almost no paved roads. The Macoutes haven’t been pacified up there, and they’re having daily gun fights with the Haitian military.” Church Couple looks at him in bewilderment, “Macoutes? Gun fights? We’re not getting involved in any of that!” Then Husband looks at Kevin as if just noticing that he’s not much older than the youth group, “Your NGO said you’re their fixer down here. But if it’s so hard to get up there, how do you know any of this?” He looks at Wife and back to Kevin triumphantly. Kevin blinks, raises an eyebrow, and smiles thinly, “Protestant Radio has a transmitter up there. I’ve made the trip but only by motorcycle and NOT during the rainy season, which is what we call this time of year. Unless you’re in a military convoy, no one is going to care what you think you’re doing. Either way, they’ll shoot first. And since I’ll be with you, I agree we shouldn’t get involved in any of that.”
Since everyone is already on the bus and Church Couple is staring at him in stunned silence, Kevin steps out of the bus to smoke a cigarette and consider options. He finishes the cigarette and steps back into the bus. “Look, if your supplies made it to Hinche someone will already have made use of them. Possibly to build that school.” The couple both open their mouths at the same time but Kevin interrupts them, “I have another idea that will be safer for the kids and is nearby so you won’t spend half your week getting bounced around in this school bus.” He explains his proposal and since no one has any other options or ideas, the bus follow his Lada north from the airport, away from downtown, to a small village in the mountains an hour away.
One of Kevin’s friends is running a huge project in the area for NGO Housing. They’re building an entire village, including a steel suspension bridge to connect with the nearest available road. Even though the bus full of Americans is unexpected, there’s plenty of work to go around. Kevin and his friend get the group into dorms and everyone seems very happy with the arrangement. Kevin sticks around to make sure the kids and Church Couple are settled in. Then he shakes some hands, reminds everyone that they’ll need to get back to the airport without him next week, and makes his exit. As he’s climbing into his Lada, his NGO friend bangs on the cargo door, opens it, and pushes a crate into the back of the SUV. She comes to his driver side window, leans in and winks. “Thank me later”, she says. Laughing, they exchange cheek pecks and remind each other to stay safe. When Kevin gets back to his apartment and looks in the back of the Lada, he discovers a whole case of Barbancourt 3-star in exchange for the free labor. Not a bad day. Hope LA Dodgers is doing OK.