Spotlight

The training program in Thies was fairly gruelling.  We studied and worked about 10 hours each day, and had little time to visit the town or take in the sights.  One day we had an evening off and decided that we'd go into Thies and hit the bars.  One of the other volunteers and I were going to follow on after the rest of the group, which was going in an overloaded Peugot pickup truck.

The central courtyard area of the barracks we stayed in during training in Thies.

At about 7 PM they were getting ready to leave.  My friend Rich had just gotten out of the shower and clad only in a towel was walking back to his room to get dressed, with me following behind.  The pickup truck full of rowdy volunteers ready for a night on the town turned on its lights and was headed out.  For a moment, it was facing us and we were caught full in the glare of the headlights.

The imp in me took control and without thinking, I reached forward and snatched the towel from around Rich's waist, leaving him standing there in the full glare of the spotlight in his birthday suit.  His look of utter astonishment was met with howls of laughter from the revelers in the truck as they drove off to Thies.

Forever after, Rich promised me that he would get his revenge and that one day I would receive a hot pepper enema.  Whenever I saw him after that, he would tell me that the women in his village were stirring it up and slowly boiling the peppers into palm oil for maximum absorption.

I never did get that enema.  I suppose that one day, there will be a knock at my door ....