The Fourth Day of November

by Mark Campbell

  ---

  Before dinner, Lee and Anne Marie decided to do a little shopping. The kids and I went for a swim in the pool. I even attempted to dive. That went horribly wrong. The girls made fun of me as I chased after them. I had to bribe them with ice cream for them to stop duffing me up.

  ---

  The vendor handed Emma and Ellen a paper cup filled with guava ice cream. “Is this okay, sir?”

  I nodded my head with approval, as the girls took the cups of ice cream.

  “Yummy! This is nice. Daddy try some of mine.” Emma caught me off guard putting the pink flavored cream on my nose.

  “This tastes good.” I said licking it off my hand, before asking the ice cream man to make one for me.

  “Of course, sir.” He answered.

  “How much?” I asked.

  “There is no charge.” He smiled.

  “Are you sure?”

  “It’s on me.” he smiled. “You need it. You have your hands full there.”

  “My name is Alistair.” I extended my hand.

  “I’m Luke.” He returned my handshake. “This is my small business. The hotel allows me to stay here to sell my ice cream. It helps support my family.”

  It didn’t seem right that a wealthy man, such as myself, take freebies from a person not knowing when and where his next meal would come from. I insisted that Luke take payment. The young father of three refused.

  ---

  Lee and Anne Marie came back from shopping. Instead of carrying bags of gifts, both women wore bikinis, leaving me speechless. Both mothers walked towards me like Victoria Secret models.

  “How was the shopping trip?”

  “We did a little shopping here and there, then decided to have a swim with you and the girls before dinner tonight.”

  “I must say, you both look breathtaking.”

  “Is this too much?” Lee asked shyly.

  “Not in the slightest, honey.”

  “I feel as though all eyes are on the two of us.”

  “So, what?”

  The girls told their mothers how nice they looked in their swimsuits. A group of teenage boys walked by wolf whistling, making Lee and Anne Marie feel all the more uncomfortable.

  “Look at you showing your eight pack to all the women.” Lee mentioned. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the women looking at you.”

  “I'm a happily married man with not one, but two little girls.” I defended myself.

  Ellen had taken a liking to me. I was the closest thing she had to a father. A smile of content swept across the face of Anne Marie as she watched her little girl hold my hand, asking if we could go back in the pool before heading back to the hotel rooms.

  “Sir!” shouted Luke. “You left some money on the counter.”

  “That’s for you, as a tip Luke. Since you wouldn’t take payment, a tip would more than suffice.”

  Luke tried to hand back the fifty-dollar bill. I refused to take it back.

  “How about you make two of those delicious ice creams for my wife and our friend?”

  “I would be delighted to.” Luke stuffed the money into his front trouser pocket.

  “Good then, lets call it even.”

  Okay, Mr. Alistair. You win.” He looked at Lee and Anne Marie. “He drives a hard bargain, doesn’t he, ladies?”

  “Most of the time.” Lee said with a smile, knowing too well she had me wrapped around her little finger.

  “Mr. Alistair loves his two daughters, and they love their dad.” Luke remarked.

  Anne Marie and Lee looked at each other before they corrected Luke, telling him that Emma was my only child.

  “You wouldn’t think so. Both girls love him like their father.” Luke commented.

  “My husband is a loving father and special man.” Lee gushed. “I'm very lucky to have him, not just as my husband, but as my best friend.” She licked her ice cream. “Yum. What’s in this?”

  “We Africans like to call this guava ice cream.” Luke answered.

  “It's a shame we don’t get this back home in the States.” Anne Marie added to the conversation.

  “I have to agree. Scrumptious doesn’t even describe how good it tastes.” Lee squealed.

  “Well, thank you ladies. I'm happy to have given you some of my mouthwatering dessert.”

  “If guava ice cream was sold in the States, my freezer would be overflowing with the stuff.” Anne Marie added.

  ---

  Looking out the window, darkness fell late in comparison to other countries. New York had 6.9 hours of sunshine daily. England had 3.8 hours. South Africa, being the highest in the world, averaged 8.5 sunshine hours per day. Adjusting to the significant time change was a challenge. That, and the sweltering heat.

  October 10, 1997

  Systematically, each room door opened then closed, as if rehearsed to look that way. Anne Marie finished up a phone call to my partners, who were busy in Japan closing a deal with a rather high profile client. Mr. Akimoto was a man known for turning anything he touched into gold, figuratively speaking. Personally, it would have been a pleasure to meet Mr. Akimoto before closing the multimillion dollar deal. Instead, he insisted on concluding the deal the same week while my family and I were in South Africa. So, it was up to my best friends and business partners to do what they did best.

  Anne Marie relayed a message from Mr. Akimoto that didn’t make sense; nevertheless, I told her not to worry. If anything was aloof, I'm sure my peers would sort things out.

  ---

  As any good gentleman, I first let Anne Marie enter the dinning area, then walked alongside her to where my wife and two girls patiently waited for us.

  “Is everything okay?” Lee asked.

  “I guess so.” I shrugged.

  “How are Peter, Ronnie and Hyacinth doing?”

  “I didn’t get to speak with them.”

  “That’s strange. They usually stay in touch with you when it comes to business.” Lee was skeptical. “That seems out of character for them to do something like that.”

  “I agree. But, for now, let’s enjoy the night and we'll talk more when we go to our room.” I changed the subject.

  Without warning, a man’s voice bellowed from the stage, followed by drums beating softly that grew to an intense sound. Native women filled the dance floor, moving rhythmically. Lee and Anne Marie shifted their bodies to the enchanting, Afrocentric sounds, unknowingly drawing the attention of the advancing dancers. They pulled the women from their seats. Both hesitated at first, but didn’t need much coaxing.

  Watching Lee, in her sleeveless low cut pink dress gyrating, got my heart beating wildly, like a sprinter running the hundred-meter dash. Once the music stopped, my heart stopped racing. People in the dining room rose to their feet giving a standing ovation for well over a minute.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could’ve sworn I saw my business associates among the applauding guests. I quickly dismissed the idea, knowing Peter, Ronnie and Hyacinth were on the other side of the world with a very important client.

  “Honey, that was amazing!” I squeezed Lee’s hand when she returned to the table. “Would you do that for me later in the bedroom?”

  “Stop that.” Lee chuckled slapping me playfully on the wrist.

  “Would you like a glass of water?” I offered, filling Lee's glass first then Anne Marie's. “I never knew you had it in you Anne Marie, dancing like that onstage. What will people think?”

  “I'm sorry, Mr. Scott. I just wanted to dance. I've always loved dancing. It relieves me from stress.” Anne Marie said nervously.

  “You don’t have to apologize for enjoying yourself.” Lee interjected. “Besides, my husband was joking. Isn’t that right, darling?”

  “I was not.” I kept a straight face.

  Lee kicked me from underneath the table. “What was that for?” I yelped.

  “Not everyone knows you’re joking. Anne Marie may think you’re serious.”

  “
I bloody well was. What will people think about my personal assistant gyrating onstage with my wife??”

  “Oh, just ignore him, Anne Marie.” Lee shooed me with her hand. He’s being silly, again. You’re here to have fun and relax.”

  “That’s right, and along the way, do a little work for me too?” I jokingly added.

  ---

  Zelda approached the table, looking dazzling in a wine-colored dress. “May I join you?”

  “Of course.” I pulled out a chair next to Anne Marie so she could join us.

  “Mrs. Scott, you and Anne Marie did an outstanding job dancing up there. People will be talking about it for weeks.

  “You’re too kind. Please call me Lee.”

  “Okay Lee.”

  “So, will the president be coming?” I inquired.

  “He's scheduled to arrive shortly.” Zelda answered. “Here he is now.”

  The lights dimmed, giving way to a spotlight shining on the grey-haired, aging president. He sported a grey suit with a white shirt, black tie and a badge showing the countries colors. I, for one, could not believe we were in South Africa meeting the president. He walked from table to table, shaking hands with his guests before stopping at our table, taking a seat with his security detail close by. Whistles and cheers came from all corners of the room.

  “Good evening. How is everyone? The ladies are looking radiant this evening. Not to mention, our smaller guests.” the president made sure not to leave out Emma and Ellen, who politely said thank you.

  The president wasted no time starting conversation. “Why do you think you’re here?”

  Lee gently cleared her throat to answer. “You’re quite simply seeking our help for breast cancer awareness.” Lee continued. “Which leads me to a question for you, why us? There are many other organizations to choose from.”

  The president put the last bite of bobotie into his mouth before responding to Lee's question.

  “Across the table, sits Mary and Job Obi. They have spent their lives looking for a cure. Both were educated at Cambridge University in your country of birth, Mr. Scott. Their life story reads like a novel of defeating adversity in their homeland.” He continued. “Job comes from a poor part of town, while his wife, Mary, comes from a middle class white family. Her parents are very good people. They accepted Job from the start. With his being black, however, it was the people around them that didn’t accept their union. They needed to change. Are you following me so far?”

  “I'm not sure where this is leading.” Lee was perplexed.

  The president took a roundabout way to answer the question that was put forth. His method of doing so would make sense as he continued to annotate why Mary and Job were now the subject of the conversation. The young couple stood out because of their passion for life and the many years they spent in exploration of cancer advancements.

  It was now lucid. Mary and Job were just like Lee and me. They were galvanized for the good of mankind.

  Mary and Job acquainted themselves with all who sat at the table. The couple was expecting their first child. Mary was close to her due date. It was just days away, in fact.

  Conversational matters never seemed to be lacking at our table. But, my receptiveness proved correct when I noticed, several tables over, my friends and business partners. They should have been in Japan, but they were feet away, sitting at a table, eating and laughing with an Asian man in a dark suit. I was bewildered.

  “Honey, what’s wrong?” Lee seemed to notice my consciousness was elsewhere.

  “Look to the right, sweetheart.” Lee looked over her shoulder.

  “Not your right, my right.”

  “Why didn’t you say that, silly?” With a sudden screech in her voice, Lee said, “Isn’t that--?”

  Before my wife could finish what she was about to say I answered. “Yep those are our friends sitting over there with what looks like Mr. Akimoto, the owner of Akimoto enterprise.”

  “I was wondering how long it would take Mrs. Scott or yourself to realize the other members of AI and Mr. Akimoto were here.” Anne Marie mentioned. “It was brought to my attention that I may have unknowingly scheduled this affair at the wrong time, right in the middle of a big business deal. Nevertheless, Mr. Akimoto called me to ask if it would be okay to meet Alistair Scott here in South Africa. I was quite happy to accommodate.”

  My wife and I excused ourselves from the table to meet Mr. Akimoto. The tall, dark-haired man stood and bowed. We shook hands. His young assistant welcomed us in the same manner.

  “It’s my pleasure to meet you and your wife, Alistair.” His English was good. “Please sit.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Akimoto.”

  “Sorry for the surprise visit.” Mr. Akimoto apologized.

  “That’s truly okay. My business partners will have a lot to answer for later.” I joked.

  Mr. Akimoto laughed, sitting with an upright posture. He turned his head to consult with his assistant. Her eyes stayed fixed on me, as her boss continued to talk.

  “Alistair, Mr. Akimoto would very much like to be apart of AI. Our lawyers will meet in New York upon your return. Is this okay?”

  Peter wasted no time answering. “We’re all in agreement.”

  Our exceptionally hard work had paid off. But celebration was short lived. The president was waiting for my wife and I to return to our table. Mr. Akimoto understood my reason for being in South Africa and didn’t want to take up much more of my time. Before leaving, Hyacinth presented Mr. Akimoto with a signed baseball and an official New York Yankees shirt. His assistant received it on his behalf. They both smiled like kids receiving Christmas gifts.

  Back at the president’s table, Anne Marie did her best to keep the president company, talking about facts surrounding breast cancer. Neither Lee nor I knew that our trusty assistant spent her spare time doing research. But to be honest, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. Anne Marie kept her head in books all the time. Ellen inherited her mother’s love of books.

  “Mr. President, I would like to thank you for putting this together.” I said returning to the table.

  “what do you mean, Mr. Scott?” he inquired.

  “Without me being here, my partners and I would have never closed a billion dollar deal with Akimoto Enterprise.”

  The president modestly rejected the claim, assuring me that a person’s good standing in life would always yield good results. There it was again, another lesson about life from a man who spent half of his life trying to do what was right.

  October 11, 1997

  The following morning, we requested a wake up call from the front desk. Not long after, Lee and I were ready for the busy day ahead. Our first stop would be at Cape Town Hospital, also known as Somerset Hospital. Founded by Dr. Samuel Bailey in 1818, it was the first civilian hospital in Cape Town. It was named after Lord Charles Somerset. The north wing was for non-white patients, and the west wing was for white patients. Things had since changed.

  This hospital had a history. Now we were here to bring our knowledge to what once was one of the most controversial places of the 20th century. We would learn just as much from the South Africans as they did from us.

  Mary and Job Obi described their research and findings. It was understood that through being able to research cancer cells, one could find out what kind of breast cancer a woman had and how it could be treated, rather than just handing a woman any cancer fighting drug. The Obi’s knew these facts were true. They worked hard to study each case differently.

  AI gave generously to their efforts, bringing the latest in breast cancer detecting equipment to the hospital. Lee and I were shown around the facility and met several breast cancer patients and survivors, that day. Many of them were familiar with our efforts.

  ---

  Anne Marie had spent the afternoon babysitting the girls, while Lee and I made our hospital rounds. Despite being worn out, we promised to take the girls to the amusement park. It didn’t take much coaxin
g from the girls for me to give in. so we headed back to the hotel to change in to more comfortable attire.

  We walked into the hotel entrance. Behind the desk, a clerk stood idly chatting to four bellboys before holding her head up and shooing them off.