It is nearly two weeks ago since I saw Keita. Tomorrow his wife returns to Segou. And what will happen now? I do not know. The idea that he just returns here as if nothing has happened seems wrong somehow...I feel tense about his friends- what will happen? How can I stomach them here at the hotel again after how they behaved? But then I remember that this really is about Keita and not about how I feel about his immature friends- they do not matter. He is the one who is desperately ill and who is suffering.
A few days ago he sent his elder sister to meet me at the hotel, possibly as a preamble to our marrying- but we have not even talked about it of course. She was a warm and motherly sort of woman who hugged me immediately and called me 'Cherie'- whether this was sincere or not is of course impossible to know.
The hotel has been more or less full the whole time. Today I finally managed to put together the application to the British Library for funding for the Djenne Manuscript project. The deadline is the 28th of February, but I have no idea what tomorrow brings and if I will have any time to do such things again for a long time.
I have been sleeping on the roof under a mosquito net several nights running because I gave up my rooms for hotel guests. I lay awake listening to the hum of the airconditioners.
Sometimes in soppy American films about happy families mummy and daddy go and look at their sleeping children at night- this invariably means that all is well and they feel close.
Keita and I used to go up on the roof and listen to the airconditioners.
Now I don't know if he will ever do that again.