Anything but an Emotional Reunion

Judy and I arrived on Thursday night to Entebbe, quite uneventfully and on the other side of customs there Jack waited, excited to see me as I was to see him. We loaded up the vehicle and headed to our hotel. I had told Josephine it wasn't necessary to come meet us at the airport and it wasn't until the next day when I saw her, I may have hurt her feelings. I of course was looking out for her best interest we were landing late I really didn't want her to have to be up so late but in hindsight I should have had her come to the airport.
Friday morning we woke up and headed to the Market to meet Josephine. It was a super hot day I was getting sick and my non smoker "smoker's" cough was not getting any better. I was really not in the mood to shop at the market. We then got in the car to head to AGL, Mahadi's school. As we drove there it was strange I didn't really have any emotion, I wasn't nervous or excited, it was just more of a "matter of fact" feeling, maybe it's my stoicism or maybe it's because I didn't feel good.
We got to AGL and we were greeted by lots of children, but no Mahadi. Emmy, one of Mahadi's teachers came to greet us and said he was was asleep in her house. She said he had been so excited but that morning he woke up and was not feeling well. We walked into her room and there he was passed out cold, with fever and what I undoubtedly assumed was malaria. We woke him up and we sat in Emmy's front room with him on my lap. He was very melancholy and you could tell he did not feel well. Josephine suggested I come back and pick him up tomorrow when he felt better, but I was afraid if it was malaria that it wouldn't be treated, so we agreed I would take him that night.
Mahad's Jja-ja packed some things up for him and we left AGL. In the car he was in and out of happy and melancholy, many of you have seen the photo of him smiling in the car it was only one of a few that day. We went and had lunch, he ate well. And then we went to the clinic to get him tested for Malaria.
As we walked into the clinic Mahadi put it all together and made a beeline for the door, Jack and I grabbed him and Mahadi grabbed the railing and began to scream bloody murder, which I'm fairly certain if you had been listening closely all of you in America could have heard him screaming. Mind you I've just filled out the paper work trying to explain who I am. I have him in a bear hug saying soothing things in English and Jack in Lugandan is saying "they are just going to give you some tablets, they won't stick you". Full on lying but we were pulling out all the stops to get him to calm down. We finally calm him and get him into see the doctor. His fever is 100 degrees and the dr says we have to do a blood test. I asked Jack if it's just a prick because there is no way they are drawing blood out of this kid. We take him into the room to be stuck and he's sitting on my lap and the tech is preparing and he comes in for the prick but he's not quick enough. Jack, the tech and I all had to wrestle him in order to get the blood prick finished. Again bloody murder screaming, it was intense.
Blood test comes back positive he has malaria and an upper respiratory infection. We leave the clinic with three types of meds...the total cost visit, scrips, etc for less than $15.00. As the nurse was going over the prescriptions with me she said "he needs to take this one with milk or some kind of fat". I said "we are going to go have ice cream, will that work?" She gives me the best "you're a dumbass" look and says matter of factly "well ice cream has milk in it doesn't it?" Me sheepishly "um yes, just checking" So off to Nakumatt (Target) for ice cream which then turned into ice cream, fanta and popcorn at 8pm at night.
When we got to the hotel he was quite happy, I gave him a few toys to play with explaining to him that all the toys he was playing with weren't all for him and that at some point he would have to share them. He went to bed and I spent a good part of the night checking on him and his fever. It finally broke sometime in the middle of the night.
Saturday his disposition was so much brighter and you could tell the medicine was already making an improvement to how he was feeling. I on the other hand still felt like crap and had not gotten a good night's sleep. As happy as I was to be back in Kampala, I was drained from 2 weeks of travel prior, a cold and little sleep in the past 72 hours...the pollution and dust in Kampala was not making things better.
That's it for now...It's 2am and I'm hoping I can go to bed but the night club by our house is bumping so ol' R&B cuts which while I do appreciate them I'd appreciate them more if it wasn't keeping me awake.
Good night for now.
ag