A young Nigerian man remembers his childhood when he connected with one of the houseboys, Raphael, that helped at his home. A bond was created around the same interest in martial arts that overcame the age and social differences. Raphael catches Apollo, a bizarre name for conjunctivitis, and their bond becomes stronger with the young man caring for Raphael and going to his room every day… Until the young man becomes jealous and betrays Raphael, having him fired from the house. A sad childhood memory.
“By the third day, Raphael’s room felt familiar to me, welcoming, uncluttered by objects. As I put in the drops, I discovered things about him that I guarded closely: the early darkening of hair above his upper lip, the ringworm patch in the hollow between his jaw and his neck. I sat on the edge of his bed and we talked about “Snake in the Monkey’s Shadow.” We had discussed the film many times, and we said things that we had said before, but in the quiet of his room they felt like secrets. Our voices were low, almost hushed. His body’s warmth cast warmth over me.”