My first experience with glue huffers was in Bogata Colombia when I was on a family vacation in 2nd grade (1994). I saw little kids with their faces breathing into a sock and I asked "mommy, what are they doing?" and she said "They're breathing glue. It gets them high and then they don't feel the hunger pangs." This shocked me, I felt so sorry for these hungry little boys. I think my mom said this to elicit that response. She then added "They probably won't live 'til their 12." And me being cheeky said "What if they're already 12?" I don't remember her response but I'm sure she rolled her eyes. I remember very little about this trip, but this particular scene stuck with me.
Glue huffers in Morocco are NOT cute little boys. And it's not a problem in Bouarfa, THANK GOD, but I have always seen them in Errachidia. You know a glue huffer because they walk around Out Of Their Mind, shaking really bad, drooling, slurring, and generally asking for money. They also have in their hand a plastic produce grocery bag. It looks empty but I guess it has clear glue in it and they take heavy breaths in and out of the bag.
Every time I've seen one, I haven't been alone, and I've generally been at a cafe sitting outside when they approach and ask for money. This last time though, I was killing time in Errachidia, waiting for my bus back to Bouarfa after the football game a couple of weeks ago. I bought a sandwich and headed for this pretty open air plaza with benches. I was sitting there minding my own business when a glue huffer approached. He hadn't started drooling yet but he was shaking and had the glue in his hand. And he got within a few feet of me and just kept saying "marry me, marry me, marry me, marry me, take me to France..." and I said the respectable phrase to say to beggars "May God make life easier on you" (Allah ysahal) and he took a step closer. So then I said "yallah, go away, Go away!!" And He took a step closer. Now I was a little alarmed and I picked up my backpack and started walking away. But he started following me and getting closer. I was getting a little scared. So I said in a LOUD voice "HSHUMA! Go Away!! Get away from me!" And two guys crossing the street a block away turned and yelled for him to leave, but didn't feel it necessitated coming any closer. So I continued walking away and he continued following me closely pleading "Marry me marry me marry me!" So I thought "OK I need to walk into a shop or something" So I walk toward the end of the plaza and into a little window front public notary with chairs and two women in it. I was searching for women on purpose because sisters protect their sisters and I thought maybe he wouldn't enter a shop full of women.
When I went in I said "can I sit here? I'm scared of that man." BUT he FOLLOWED ME INTO THE OFFICE saying "marry me marry me marry me, take me to France." And the two ladies made the connection of what was happening and said to him "Get out of here, my son. leave! She's married! She's married! right you're married?!" And while I thought that it was strange that these women were trying to reason with a clearly unreasonable man, I said "Yes! I'm WAY married!" (I added the pronoun for "I" at the end of the adjective married to make it stronger. MAZUJA, ANA! MUZUJA, ANA!" But he still didn't leave and still continued his pleadings. So the women threatened to call the police saying "my son, I'm calling the gendarmes!" (Police) But he still didn't leave, so one of the women left the shop and got a couple of guys who came in and, quite anti-climactically, threw him out....And then he re-entered "Take me to France, Take me to France!" and the same guys pushed him out of the shop, and then continued physically pushing him, forcing him to walk all the way to the corner, and then he FINALLY went away on his own.
The nice ladies let me sit in their shop until I calmed down because I was obviously a little shaken up by all of this. They mumbled amongst themselves "hshuma hushma, this poor girl. hshuma on him...." After a few minutes, I got up and walked to the bus station and these ladies insisted on escorting me all the way there. Back to Bouarfa!
I've never seen glue huffers here. Maybe they come out at night? I doubt it though because glue huffing messes your brain up so bad, after a certain point, it's not like you can live a normal life during the day and be a closet glue huffer roaming the streets at night. It fries your brain so that even when you're not high, after a while of doing it, you're still shaky and drooly.
The Adventure Never Ends.
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