After work, one Sunday afternoon, we were sitting on the front porch, when this Ivoirien approached us. Never saw him earlier. He asked that we take a photograph of him. "Prend moi photo", he may have said. Sure, why not? Gave a few poses, captured them duly.
Once done, gestured him for his WhatsApp number, so that I could send him the pictures. He didn't want them, he conveyed. He just wanted us to have these. Exchanged a few words. A handicraft, that you could hold in the mouth as a Tobacco Pipe, he made himself. A woodwork artisan, he was. Having arrived in Cote d'Ivoire a little over a month earlier, our French, then, was as good as 0.
He smiled, we shook hands, he waved at us & he walked away. The next one year that we were in San-Pédro, never saw him again.
Godspeed