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My parents chose all their friends to be godparents to their kids. As a result, each of us kids has four godparents of varying quality. My brother got a college friend of my dad's, Conan Doherty, a swashbuckling type who lived in Africa since I first heard of him. He’d show up every few years for dinner and we’d all be on best behaviour as we were told fantastic tales of Africa.
As I grew older I realized that he was quite strange. He helped us move house once, and as everyone was hauling furniture, me and my cousin found a bag in a cupboard that we thought had been left behind by the previous owners. When we ransacked the bag we soon found Conan’s passport, and hastily repacked the bag and put it back, but not without seeing about fifty condoms which amused us greatly. Conan had a wife and several children who he left at home in England.
By the time I grew up I’d met Conan perhaps half a dozen times and, for some reason, I didn’t like him. The condoms hadn’t helped, and I heard he’d got divorced due to his having another family in Africa. And rumour had it that instead of saving the world, his work was not as humanitarian as we’d been led to believe.
Many years later, I found myself in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. I was wandering the streets with an Australian man called Pete, looking for a cheap bite to eat. We found a street café selling noodle soup, so ventured in. As we took our seats, I told Pete that I recognized the guy at the next table. Pete didn’t care, but as we ordered and ate I explained that the man was my brother’s godfather whom I had last seen about fifteen years previously.
In spite of my mixed feelings about Conan, I could not help myself going up to him once we’d eaten. I introduced myself, and after some remarks on how strange it was not only to meet in such a place, but that I’d recognised him, he asked politely after my family. He seemed rather unimpressed with the fact that I was merely ‘travelling’, while his work had brought him to Laos – no doubt saving the world still.
Many years later, I still wonder why I bothered to approach him. Well, at least I confirmed that my childhood feelings were right - I didn’t like him, and now I knew so for certain.
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