Written by A, a worker serving in a sensitive location among “Pearl” people
As I shut the door to my car, I hear from somewhere above me, “The white ladies are here! The white ladies have arrived!”
I look up and see two Pearl boys sitting in the tree that hangs over my friend’s gate. I greet them and they respond with giggles. I reach up and try to tickle their dangling feet, which sends them laughing and scooting further up the tree.
Soon, my teammate and I are settled in my friend’s room drinking juice and eating some snacks. Suddenly. the door bursts open. There stand the two boys, trying to push each other into the room. They were clearly daring each other to go in.
My friend stands up and shoos them away while scolding them, “They have been driving me crazy all afternoon asking what time you all would arrive. They put on their best outfit and even did their hair. They are so excited.”
After some chit chat with my friend, we are served homemade pakoras and samosa with milk tea. Just as we are about to start eating, we hear thuds coming from above us. Soon after, all the other women in the family are yelling. We open the door and there are the two little boys, running around on the roof. Their mom, aunt, and grandmother are all screaming at them to get down. My teammate and I are left alone in the room while this family chases after the boys.
Soon the commotion dies down and my friend returns. “They are so naughty!” She says. “They are doing this because they know guests who are women are here and that my father won’t be able to come back here and spank them.”
Whenever we enter a Pearl home, we never really know how it will go or what will happen. Sometimes, it ends with little Pearl boys leaning over the roof giggling at you.
