Laurels

My namesake was born on Monday (the 30th of July) in the Baka village 2 miles away. Mama Lendo, our neighbor, is the grandmother of this baby girl. I had no idea that they were planning on naming the baby after me until after the baby was born. Mama Lendo broke the news to me, that the baby had “ee-mo”, my name (and I smiled real big). Not long after that, I told her that Nathan and I would go to the village the next day to see the baby. She then told me that Nathan would be happy to see his other woman at the village. I was a little confused at this, thinking that she was talking about the new baby, but still confused by how she said it. I asked, “What other woman?” And she said, “Your friend, Nathan’s other woman.” She saw the confusion on my face, us both knowing that I was thinking that she was telling me that Nathan had another wife at the village. I started naming names, trying to figure out what “friend” of mine was Nathan’s “other woman”. “Tendi? Marie?....??” Mama Lendo really didn’t want me to be confused so she sat down next to me and very animatedly explained what she was talking about. Then it finally clicked in my mind that the Baka word for “my friend” is the same as the Baka word for “my namesake”. We both laughed a bunch about it, as I came to understand that she was telling me that Nathan has another Laurel at the encampment, my namesake!