Mma Ramotswe's creative thinking and compassion make her an exceptional detective. The first case Mma Ramotswe was assigned to was Happy Bapetsi's problem with her Daddy. Happy was unsure of the validity when he says that he was her real father; therefore, she must take care of him. To get to the truth in this case, she came up with the idea of dressing as a nurse. She describes her costume when she thinks, "Mma Ramotswe picked up the nurse's uniform from her friend…It was a good disguise, she thought" (11). This was a tough case to crack for Mma Ramotswe but by using her creativeness, she designs a disguise that fooled the Daddy into confessing his false identity. Mma Ramotswe utilizes her creative talent not only in this case, but also in many others to come. While Mma Ramotswe is using all her creative ideas and costumes to help solve her other cases, one letter that has been sent to her, that was reporting a missing child, has been lingering in her mind. When she comes across a clue that would help her solve this mystery, she immediately takes it because her heart was full of compassion for the separation of the missing child and his parents. She goes through great lengths of trouble but through the power of her big heart, she eventually finds the young boy. When Mma Ramotswe drives up to the child's house, the reunion was beautiful and she thinks to herself, "There was too much suffering in Africa that it was tempting just to shrug your shoulders and walk away. But you can't do that, she thought. You just can't†(230). She realizes that the reunion of the son and father would be more rewarding than any money that could be paid. When one's heart is able to interact with the plague of goodness, and not the common distractions of money, that is when ones heart is truly filled with compassion.
Tags: