The Ruined Bride of Velvet Nights by Brick Moving Ant

Chapter 62

  • Chapter 8

  • The first time I met Joseph was in a camp in Goma.

  • At that time, the situation in eastern Congo (DRC) was chaotic.

  • Militants, driven by the scramble for mineral resources and ethnic conflicts, frequently attacked villages. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge in larger cities.

  • When I arrived at the refugee camp, a few doctors were treating a little girl.

  • She had been injured in an explosion, with a small pebble embedded in her ear. She cried in pain and struggled violently, making the doctors hesitant to proceed.

  • Someone called out, “Joseph!”

  • A tall man responded and stepped forward.

  • He examined the situation and surprisingly pulled out a few playing cards from his white coat, -performing a magic trick on the spot.

  • The little girl was quickly captivated and stopped struggling, giving the doctors an opportunity to act.

  • When the pebble finally fell into the tray with a “clang,” the cards in Joseph’s hand had disappeared, replaced by an African violet.

  • The little girl stared wide–eyed in amazement and tugged on his sleeve, trying to find the vanished cards, but to no avail.

  • She clapped her hands in delight, pulling at her parents‘ clothes as she squealed with joy.

  • Joseph handed the flower to the girl and escorted her grateful parents out of the medical tent.

  • The scene was so unique that I couldn’t resist taking a photo on my phone.

  • The clicking sound of the camera caught his attention. He turned around, slightly surprised, and asked in French, “New faces are rare here. Where are you from?”

  • 09:23

  • The Puined Daid

  • Chapter 8

  • I replied.

  • lit up, and he switched to Chinese,

  • Goma.”

  • I asked, “Where did

  • were a rarity in the camp.

  • proudly. “I grew it! Want to

  • him to his quarters, I discovered a small garden he had created using scavenged foam boxes, plastic bottles, and

  • African violet, agapanthus, tropical orchids, and Congo azaleas…

  • grow these?” I

  • the table, he answered confidently, “Because

  • happy.”

  • I was puzzled.

  • he chuckled and explained, “You probably

  • and flowers are

  • I nodded.

  • gentle but firm tone, he said, “Here, everything

  • they’re alive, that there’s

  • hope,

  • spread across his face,

  • matter.”

  • passion were like a beam of light, striking a chord deep within me.

  • to look away

  • camp, only Joseph and I were

  • 09:23

  • of

  • 2%

  • Chapter 8

  • my first impression, Joseph was incredibly dedicated to his work.

  • casualties and patient treatments and even assisted me in completing my first–ever surgery–successfully delivering a

  • an unusually high mortality rate

  • antiretroviral drugs, but they’re still dying in droves…”

  • make sense unless they’re not taking

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