Michael Hood
I met the doctor, finally, in his clinic and we struck a deal.
We will moto out to Dani’s house at 3p and take the cheek swabs. Me and Baby Chuck will do 3 each. The swabs will be wrapped and sealed in a pre-addressed envelope not to be opened until it arrives in a lab in Utah.
The lab work will be placed in the hands of Mormons. Hell, if that was good enough for Howard Hughes, it’s good enough for me.
The doc is a pleasant young man who trained in the Dominican Republic, and has a little English. We went into serious negotiations for the price of his time, me starting at $50 American, he at a 100. I countered with 75, he with $100. I battled on, offering him $100, and he was forced to take it. (you have to be an old Haitian comme moi, to know how to handle these things).
I brought the test from the US. Tomorrow Pipi, my fixer and I’ll go to Port au Prince to ship it. We could do it from Aux Cayes, but it could take weeks longer. Shipping from the capital, we are assured it’ll go out the same day. ‘Assured’ is perhaps an unwise choice of words in Haiti referring to services, but I’m a half full glass kinda guy.
The test is supposed to take but two days after it’s received at the lab. Results will be given on the IndentiGene website.
There’s no law here holding me to anything concerning my maybe-baby, but getting this done cleanly by a third party, and giving it the imprimatur of a real doctor is important to me.