Walking to Market
Tanzania
February 2016
They walk in the blazing
heat, in the middle of the afternoon, on a dusty road, to go to the market. I
ask if I can join them as I am curious to see where they shop. I start out with
them, two young women. But my laborious pace
creates too much of a gap. I am slowing
them down as they feel obligated to wait for me.
“Are we walking too fast,”
one of the young girl asks me when I finally catch up with them. I am out of
breath which seems to concern them.
“How much further is it,” I
ask with my fatigued voice.
“Only 5 kilometers,” she
answers.
Fuck, I can’t walk 5K in this
heat. But my pride won’t let me surrender without some sort of honorable
excuse.
“Oh, I must have
misunderstood. I thought the market was
right around the corner. I can not go
with you because I have to meet the others in half an hour. Darn, I really wanted to go with you. You
will have to go without me. Maybe I can
go again tomorrow’” I tell them with insincere conviction.
“OK, we will not get there
for another 45 minutes. So we will go
without you. So sorry,” they both tell
me with so much regret.
I am relieved but already
blotting my excuse for not going tomorrow.
