Last night

Nikki and I went to the boys' house to spend my last night on the roof with them. When we got over there, Nikki was not feeling well, so she crashed on Alex's bed for a little while. Next time I saw her, she was sitting on the steps inside the house, looking forlorn. A minute later, Drisk was yelling at me, "Open the bathroom, Keziah! Nikki is going to throw up!" I couldn't get the key in the lock fast enough and although she tried to hold back, there was nothing to be done. She spewed vomit all over the floor, herself and my feet. I rubbed her back as she continued to heave. "Does that stop her from throwing up?" one of the boys asked, curiously. I laughed out loud, "No, it just lets her know she's not alone in her misery." "If I was puking, what would you do?" "The same thing."

Just as she finished and we began to discuss how to clean up, the electricity blew! So there we were, in the dark, with a pile of vomit and a whole lot of nasty clothes. We cleaned up by flashlight with Bernadin and Daniel's help, washed up in the downstairs courtyard, and went up on the roof with a bucket, just in case.
I slept between Bernadin and Emmanuel. Usually, we talk a lot before falling asleep, but this time, we were all so exhausted from a long week that we fell asleep almost immediately.
I woke up twice during the night because Emmanuel had reached across and was playing with my ear lobe. I know that sounds really strange, but back in April, Emmanuel discovered that Americans have softer ear lobes than Haitians. Ever since then, that has been his trademark sign of affection. So there in the middle of the night, although he must have been half asleep, Emmanuel wanted me to know that he loves me.
In the morning, we slowly woke up. Usually our early mornings on the roof are wild, but not this time. Most of the boys had to go downstairs to get ready for church and the few who were accompanying me to the airport were not in the mood to be wild. It was sunny, beautiful blue skies, but still relatively cool. I remember cuddling up with Bernadin on his mattress and thinking, "Maybe if we just stay here and don't move, I won't have to leave."
Wishful thinking. Luckner, one of the janitors, came up with a belt and playfully swatted the boys until they were all up and about. I stalled until 7:20 and then forced myself to go across the street and start packing. I hate last days!