Easter, Eggs and anticipating resurrection.

We left early to go to Kampala in order to beat the worst of the traffic. Glory and Gracie stayed behind because no child wants to wait for hours at an auto repair place. 

They wanted to know how to ask for tea. “Enjagala chia.”

We came home late—at least 3 hours later than we expected. The twins now have learned to recognize the car and run to the gate with the keys to let us into the compound. They were both still in their pajamas and dirty from head to toe.

There was lots of stories about chasing chickens and auntie, the lady who has been coming to help Stephen manage the hoeing in the garden and wash clothes. Auntie Joyce is a relative of my husband’s mother. 

Particularly, there was the story of the lizard burial. The twins had gone into the other bedroom and discovered a lizard egg. After reading about frogs hatching from eggs in science last week they were filled with ideas on what to do with this discovery. 

They were going to keep the egg till it hatched—then they could have a pet lizard! Lizards are plentiful in Uganda. They are in the garden primarily but they get into the house through any small opening and sit on the ceiling to wait for small insects to capture with their tongues. The lizards are really a menace to housekeeping. They leave their poop everywhere. I personally am not a fan.

No, they certainly would not have been approved to keep a pet local lizard. But the tale took a different direction. They put the lizard egg in a nest on the table and while waiting for it to hatch and during some animated horseplay, Gracie accidentally knocked the egg and exposed its contents: an undeveloped baby lizard. She was so distressed she cried and lamented that she had become a baby killer. Auntie, who understands no English but does understand tears, gave her hugs and comfort in Lluganda.

They decided to bury the baby lizard by the front step near the front porch and put a white stone on top of the site. Auntie helped or watched. There were prayers. Prayers that the living and the dead would all be reunited again one day. I cannot imagine what auntie was thinking!