An Unstung Hero

We've hired a new gardener here at our house in Tlokweng: his name's Benjamin, and he doesn't speak much English, though he understands a fair amount. For the past couple of days, Chuck has had him up on a ladder in the back yard, cutting back some tall vines and a rubber tree, because they were blocking the security light from shining into the far corners of the backyard. He was finishing up that job this morning after I got back from the school and I could hear him just outside; I was sitting with my back to the sliding glass door, reading my Bible on the sofa. But I wasn't paying him much attention.

After a while, I heard him say just "Oh!" and I thought he wanted me to come to the door. I started for the back door, where he usually comes, and then I remembered that he'd been working just outside the living room door, right where I was sitting, so I turned around, and sure enough, there's Benjamin standing at the other end of the Boma. I went out to see what he needed.

He led me over to where the ladder was leaning against the outside of the Boma and he said, "Trouble," and pointed up the ladder. "What do you mean? Is it an animal?" Actually I was afraid he'd got an electrical wire and maybe snipped it, but that wasn't it. He pointed to his upper lip and said, "It bite me." The light dawned. "Oh," I said, "you mean zzzzzzzzzz ow!" "Eee," he said, which is Setswana for "yes."

I got him a little hydrocortisone cream and 2 aspirins; I know I have some benedryl somewhere, but I couldn't find it. The he asked me for "three plastics," which is simply 3 plastic grocery bags. I went back to my reading, but I could hear him crinkling those plastic bags outside, behind my back. When my curiosity couldn't stand it any longer, I got up to see what he was doing!

He had tied 1 plastic bag around his head, poking out holes for the eyes (& air, too, I hope!). He was working hard at tying the other 2 plastic bags around each hand, to meet the sleeves of his jacket. I helped him tie those two and then prayed for his safety. Even if he didn't suffocate, I wasn't sure those eye-holes would be sufficient to prevent him from stumbling around on that ladder and falling and breaking his neck!

But he didn't. Now he's done with the pruning and with the plastic bags, and with lunch, too. And he's alive and un-injured and un-stung!