The godparents…the substitute fathers -1-
One of the most charming and beloved characters in travel, even if they are met with some grumbling at first, is the character of the guardian fathers. They are the only ones who are worthy of being called fathers in the solution, and guardians in travel, or they are like the “big brother” in the English term, who has no work or occupation, except to watch over you, and give you instructions, or they are like the godfather who loves for you to follow his teachings, because he knows what is best for you more than you do. Such people have no profession except to remind people of the basics they understand, and of small things, and they consider them big, that may not be absent from the minds of others. Their mission in life is to guard the memory of the group, and exercise guardianship over them. If one of these people travels with a group, he appoints himself directly responsible for their memory, and recommends himself to be the commander and the caring father. You do not know whether it is the fear for himself while traveling that makes his concern for the group greater? Or is it his panic from forgetting that could cause losses or disrupt a program that is the reason? Or is it the excessive caution so that things go as they should, so that there is no obstruction, stumbling, loss or problem that he wishes to avoid before it happens, so you find him armed with a bag in his hand, belted around his waist, and a “nylon map” that misleads thieves and pickpockets, and the greedy do not covet what is in it.
The first task of a scout leader is to remind his group traveling with him of their passports: “Do not forget your passports. I tell you: Everyone has his passport, or better. Leave them all with me. It is safest and most secure. We will not go to the airport, otherwise we will be halfway there. By God, I forgot my passport or (postponed) it is forbidden.” You put it in the bag for me, and you see it stays with a quarter of us, and we get nervous, drunk, and we rush back in our cars, racing down the road or missing the plane.”
If he forgets a little about his passports, he moves on to travel bags, which become like the smallest of his children that he “loves” and which never leave his sight, and he knows their colors, and whose original owner may not remember them. Travel bags are always his dilemma, because he is afraid of losing them or that someone will hit them while they are not paying attention. He is also afraid that it will go to another kiss, and we do not know what his story is with Africa and Africans. He always reminds us: “If your bags are lost, by God, you will not find them except in Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, or in the jungles of Africa. I mean, where is Satan, his children are his slaves.”
Our friend moves from the concern of passports to the concern of bags to the concern of money, which is second only to passports in the importance of loss, wandering, sifting, and the stumble that has no end, hence his repeated commands: “Put your money in a safe place, and do not be paralyzed with more than you need. Until you see one of you’s hideout, you say, “It’s a hack. The room’s safe is useless. You see, those who break into the room, especially the African women, are reassuring your consorts. Leave your money in the hotel’s safe deposit box, and oh… you will be paralyzed with more than ten thousand euros, and you will go to Europe and be kidnapped at customs.” Shining bright, good news will come to you. You see them fining you, otherwise they will confiscate it, and you will never find it lying in wait, piling on it, striking it with eunuchs and knuckles!”
And our friend continues to heap up his advice, reminders and commandments, as if they were for less than intelligent students: “Stock up with coarse clothes, and don’t wear fake glasses, because in Europe they will fine you, and they will take the value of the original glasses from you, and they will break the fake ones in front of your eyes, and don’t act coquettish when you see the women of the diaspora, because they have really fragrant mustaches, and the one whose arm can be walked on by a goat is too big, and the one who ties his head up without pain, the one with the motorcycle that can stretch his legs all the way, or the one with the tattoo, and a mustache redder than a pipe, and God will make you suffer, and I honestly don’t want to be beaten, and you, by God, you, and the work of the gym exercises, you see that at that time it is useless, and don’t forget to ask about the restaurant where we will have dinner tonight, and they emphasized that we do not eat pork, and by God if you listened to my opinion, the Turkish restaurant would be better for us, instead of this Chinese restaurant that you don’t know what They ululate and offer it to us.
The guardian of the community’s memory is always on the lookout for every big and small thing. If you travel with him again, you will hear the same tape from him. The older he gets, the more cursing he becomes. And if he retires, it is better for you not to travel with him. You see him obliging you to fasten and fasten, and his shortness brings about the break of dawn, and he whistles for you with his whistle. Military, and shouts at you: “Volyn!” And tomorrow we will continue.
#Godfathers. #substitute #fathers