I already knew that mice LOVE chocolate, however, I had no idea that rats do, too...or so I'm told. This afternoon, Claudine and Johnny helped me to bake a big batch of caramel brownies. Brownies are a treasured treat in our house.
In the evening Keziah came to visit so we all (Kez, me, Chacha, Mich, Rosa, and Claudine) sat in the living room and had brownies. Kez and I got to talking and didn't notice that Chacha was gone for quite some time. Usually when he is missing and we can't hear him, it means he is up to no good. So, after he came back I went into the kitchen for a glass of water. I happened to notice that the brownies left in the pan looked a little mangled. Upon further investigation, I thought that it looked like little finger marks. Just as I came to this realization, Chacha walked back into the kitchen. I showed him the pan and asked him if he knew what happened to our brownies. He immediately denied touching them and insisted that it was a rat. Then, he went on to elaborately describe how he was standing on the other side of the kitchen getting a drink of water when he saw a giant rat climb into the pan of brownies and eat them. Then, the rat climbed back down and hid behind the stove. To those of you in the United States, this probably seems like quite a far fetched lie, but in Haiti it is quite possible. However, Richardson is prone to telling lies AND sneaking into the kitchen and eating food.
I did not believe his story about the rat and took the pan of brownies to show Kez and the other children. Chacha told his elaborate tale again and continued to stand firm on his story of the rat. Kez was as skeptical as I was. So, we took him into the kitchen away from the other children to have a "chat". I talked to him in English and then she took over and did it again in Creole. Let me set up this scene for you: Chacha was sitting on the far side of the kitchen in a chair, Kez was squatting at eye level with Chacha and I was standing a few feet behind Kez at the kitchen counter. Just as she was really laying it into him about how we can't trust him because he lies so much, I felt something brush my feet. My instant reaction was to jump because you never know what creature is in the house. I looked down in time to see the tip of a tail under the lip of the counter. I assumed it was a mouse as usual and didn't worry about it (I know that sounds crazy, right?). Then, as I was about to look away, I saw the creature come back out from under the edge of the counter. It was NOT a mouse. In fact it was a very large mangy looking rat and it RAN RIGHT OVER MY BARE FEET! I've learned to put up with a lot since I've moved here, but that is not something I am comfortable with.
I think I jumped about three feet into the air screaming and lept to the other side of the kitchen. Because Chacha was facing me, he saw the whole situation take place. As you can imagine, his smile could not have possibly gotten any wider. After I explained to Kez what had just happened, she laughed and told me that she thought at first it was all an act to get Chacha to tell the truth about the brownies. Believe me...I am not that good of an actress!
After we settled down and Chacha skipped away as happy as could be, Kez and I both agreed that we still think he was lying about the brownies. He is one lucky liar that is for sure! We are not sure if he ate the brownies, saw the rat, and then came up with that magnificent tale, or if it was all really true. All I know is that a very large disgusting rat WAS ON ME....I am sleeping with one eye open tonight...no joke!
PS...I'm pretty worried about what is coming next, ha! If you've been reading my blog since I came to Haiti, you know that I was bitten on the toe by an unprovoked mouse my first week here. Then, there were a few spiders and roaches on steroids, and now there is a rat on my foot....Please, Lord nothing else!
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