“In the spring of that year, violence and chaos governed Burundi. To the west, the hills above Bujumbura were burning. Smoke seemed to be pouring off the hills, as the winds of mid-May carried the plumes of smoke downward in undulating sheets, in the general direction of the airport. A large passenger jet was parked on the tarmac, and a disordered crowd was heading toward it in sweaty haste.”
The muddled war upsets the Burundians’ lives by rescinding their domiciles. The smoke is a display of the ferociousness that indicates the obliteration of livelihoods. With the omnipresent diffidence and trepidation, it would be dreadful for the Burundians to withstand with their typical routines; their concentration is enduring the war.
“Maybe the worst was over now, or maybe he was just in shock. "I don't really know where I'm going," he thought. But if there was to be no end to this trip, that would be all right. A memory from world history class surfaced. Maybe he was like that man who got lost and discovered America. He craned his neck and looked upward through the window. There was nothing but darkening blue. He looked down and realized just how high above the ground he was seated. "Imagine if this plane crashes," he thought. "That would be awful." Then he said to himself, "I don't care. It would be a good death."
Deo has not recuperated from the disturbance of his first-hand witness of the warfare in Burundi. His misperception encumbers him from discriminating the terminus of his life. A recollection of the history memories replicates his unconscious trepidation which relates to being banished from his homeland. Besides, his submission to death gathers that the war has galvanized his Death Instinct; thus, he is not petrified to succumb in a crash.
“Deo thought: "God, I'm still in your hands." She did the interpreting. The airport policemen wanted to see Deo's passport and visa and ticket. Deo wanted to know where he should go to pick up his bag.The policemen looked surprised. One of them asked another question. The woman said to Deo, "The man asks, 'Do you know where you are?' ""Yes," said Deo. "New York City." She broke into a smile, and translated this for the uniformed men. They looked at each other and laughed, and the woman explained to Deo that he was in a country called Ireland, in a place called Shannon Airport.”
Deo’s ‘Moment of Grace’ is palpable upon his appearance in New York. Although he does not grasp English, his seat mate comes to his aid for she acts as his decoder. The woman is factually an enigmatic angel because her presence unshackles Deo from the awkwardness and discomfiture of language obstacles.
