Launching Into the Unknown

I was at the office when one of our employees, Pasquale, came to ask if someone would drive one of the group vehicles to help with a burial. I volunteered. Before I could ask questions, we were in the Toyota pickup. When we came to a compound, Pasquale told me to stop and wait. He got out of the truck and entered the house. A few minutes later, a woman appeared and got in the front seat beside me, holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. Pasquale joined us while several men piled into the back. I was waiting for the body, but Pasquale told me to go ahead. It was then that I realized it was the baby in the mother’s arms who had died. My heart went out to her, but she had no tears and showed no emotion. She sat there quietly as we bounced slowly through the dirt streets of Juba.

Back on to the tarmac road, Pasquale directed me toward army headquarters. Instead of driving onto the army base, we took off through the grass to a cemetery. Someone had dug a grave, so as we drew up, the men jumped down. Pasquale helped the woman out of the cab, still holding her dead child. I shut off the engine, got out, and followed the procession to the graveside. I did not know what to expect but felt sad for this poor young woman. There was no service. I had assumed there would be. No priest or pastor attended, no talking at all. There was just silence as they placed the child in the blanket in the grave and covered the little body with earth. The mother was silent; she shed not one tear. When the burial was completed, people began walking back toward the truck.

At that point, the talking started, and it was not quiet! The men shouted at each other and the woman joined in. Not knowing the language, I was mystified. I sat in the truck, wondering what to do next. After half an hour, the shouting and arguing attracted the army and soldiers came to investigate. I learned that the husband’s family failed to make the proper payments after the child’s birth and the wife’s family was threatening to take their daughter back. The soldiers insisted they finish their argument at home and not near the base. Everyone got back into the pickup, and Pasquale instructed me to return them to town.