“Make mine a half and a lemonade for Stephanie, she’s driving tonight,” said Peter.
The conversation then turned to a drama series currently being shown on the television and all further talk about Africa came to a halt. The girls started talking about who was pregnant and who had just had a baby, the price of food and the latest plots of their favourite soaps, and Amie sat and said nothing. She felt like a stranger watching a play in which she had no part. She had nothing to contribute.
The guys were talking about politics, social injustices and football. No one had asked them about other aspects of their life abroad; there was no opportunity to tell them about Diana and Richard, and the trip to the game lodge. Frankly, no one seemed interested. She caught Jonathon’s eye across the table and he gave her a slow wink. She knew what he was thinking. How soon can we leave?
The evening dragged on and on, but at last the group broke up with hugs and handshakes all round and lots of ‘we must get together again before you go back,’ and ‘we’ll see you before you fly out,’ but there was very little sincerity in the words.
“So, what went wrong?” asked Amie as they drove out of the car park.
“I’m not sure. I’m in a mild state of shock,” replied Jonathon. “Steve did ask me on the side what it was like to work in Africa, and said he would like to apply for an overseas posting himself.”
“Oh!” Amie was surprised. “So he’s going to …”
“No, he said he wouldn’t be able to leave the family, and it was all right for some, who could just take off,” said Jonathon gloomily.
“I just don’t understand it, Jonathon! These are our friends, the people we went to school with, grew up with. How is there such a … a chasm between us now?”
“Beats me, and it’s only taken a year! Have we changed?”
“No, I don’t think we have! Oh well, maybe we have. I do look at things differently now, I can see both sides of the situation in Africa. Maybe our eyes have been opened more than we realise.”
“You do want to go back don’t you?” he asked Amie.
“To Togodo?”
“Yes.”
“Do you?”
“Of course, I do! The people I’m working with can be so frustrating, and I know I’m bad-tempered at times and I work long hours, but I feel we’re going to achieve something in the end. It’s important work.”
“And necessary,” said Amie. “Your desalination plant will provide clean, safe water for thousands, which is a hell of a lot more value than a few pounds sent in to buy a bag of rice.”
“That’s a good way to look at it, but in the meantime are we now alien to what we left behind? And do you want to go back to Togodo?”
Amie didn’t even take a moment to think about it. “Most definitely, yes. Do you know, I feel closer to Diana, Anne and Kate than I did to the old crowd tonight. Let’s go back and make a fortune on the backs of the poor, downtrodden, black workers!”
“Now if they heard you say that and believed it, we would never be able to show our faces in this town again!” said Jonathon, which had them both in fits of laughter.
Despite Jonathon’s support and his understanding, Amie was deeply upset about the evening, so the next day, when Jonathon and her father had gone off fishing, she broached the subject with her mother.
Mary Reynolds listened carefully to her daughter as she described how the conversation had developed the night before.
“So Mum, what went wrong? Do you have an answer?”
“Did it occur to you both that the others might have been jealous?”
“Goodness, no! But I don’t think that’s the answer. We told them so little about our lives over there they didn’t have anything to be jealous about, except for the maid, gardener and the swimming pool.”
“That might well be enough, along with the beautiful weather, of course,” her mother smiled.
“But it’s not all perfect. There are lots of things we have to do without. We don’t have a really good shopping mall, no chain stores, I’ve had to learn to make my own clothes, and getting sick can be a bit scary. Then there are all the diseases we have over there, and the roads which are so bad in the rainy season, and …”
“That’s enough,” laughed her mother. “I must admit, I never thought when we encouraged you to take the job it would have this sort of repercussion. It never occurred to me.”
“Well, that’s what’s happened, and I’m not sure if we will ever fit in again,” Amie was quite despondent. Then, seeing her mother take the ironing board out of the cupboard, she recounted the story of Pretty burning the clothes and how she had then threatened to cut her wages unless she took more care. Although it was only a fleeting moment, Amie saw her mother’s face and sensed she disapproved of her behaviour. She changed tack immediately.
“I must also tell you about friends of ours who drove out into the bush and had two punctures, one after another. They were stranded, the sun was going down and they were by the river. They could hear the animals getting closer and closer and they were just so scared …”
Her mother broke in. “What a coincidence! We had a puncture too, on the way to Torquay. Your father had to walk over a mile before he found a garage which would send someone out to help us.”
Amie realised her mother didn’t understand either. There was just no comparison between breaking down on a busy tarred road and breaking down in the middle of the bush, no comparison at all. She swiftly changed the subject and asked about the rising food prices.
All in all, Amie decided it was not a very successful holiday. There never seemed to be any time for cosy chats with her mother round the kitchen table. While she had been so looking forward to recounting all about the school, the club and how her cooking skills had improved, other everyday events took priority. Just as she began to talk about her life in Africa, the phone would ring, or a neighbour popped round to say hello. Not to ask about Amie’s new life but to bring Amie up to speed on events in Castle Bridge.
It was also early in the academic year and her mother had test papers to mark and deadlines to meet, so on a couple of occasions, Amie either went shopping on her own, or met up with some of her girlfriends for a coffee. Even then, she found she was out of the loop. Taking care not to mention her maid, the size of the house, the swimming pool or anything else which seemed out of place in her home town, she found her mind drifting off as the conversations included the train ticket increases, or the new tax laws, worries about redundancies and the like. Nothing, in fact, that had any impact on Amie’s current lifestyle.
She also had the worry about Sam, who seemed genuinely depressed and convinced her marriage was on the rocks. Even the night Amie dragged Jonathon along to babysit her niece and nephew, they arrived to find Sam all dressed up and ready to go out, and no Gerry.
“Is he still at work?” asked Jonathon.
“I have no idea where he is,” moaned Sam, “but he promised to be home early tonight, just for once.”
Gerry eventually appeared over an hour later, and Amie could hear them arguing loudly as they got into the car and drove off for their romantic dinner.
“I don’t think their evening is going to be a great success,” she muttered to Jonathon as she chased the children up the stairs and into the bathroom to pop them into the bath.
“This holiday has been a disaster,” said Jonathon after they had told the obligatory bedtime stories and kissed Dean and Jade goodnight. “Next break, we’ll go somewhere else. Paris, or maybe Venice.”
“Wow, that would be fabulous,” replied Amie, “but how can we? Everyone will expect us to come home and they’ll be angry with us if …”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Jonathon, looking through the paper for something to watch on TV. “Goodness, what a lot of rubbish! Do you want to see people losing weight, real life drama with the police, or one of the soaps?”
“None of the above,” said Amie. “Did we really sit and
watch this rubbish night after night after night?”
“I guess we must have done. It all seems a world away,” said Jonathon looking for a suitable CD to play instead. And that is exactly where my thoughts and heart are, Amie realised, a world away. She was thinking of Angelina and wondering what she was doing. Did she stand by the school gates every day waiting for Amie to arrive? Was she thrilled with her new clothes?
Amie had tried to explain she would not be coming to the school for several days. She held Angelina’s hands and showed her that for each of her fingers Amie would be far away with her family.
“One day for every finger on your right hand, Angelina, and then a day for each finger on your left hand, and then one more time on your right hand again, and then the left and the right. Then I will come and see you. It will be twenty-one sleeps until I am back.” She wasn’t at all sure Angelina understood, but it was the best she could do.
“I think your folks seem more interested,” said Amie. “At least they asked lots of questions.”
“Um, yes, but mostly about work and the difficulties. I just get the impression they’re looking for ammunition to prove we’re not having a good time and whenever I try to explain the problems, changes of agreements, or when the government moves the goal posts, they don’t fail to remind me ‘it’s not the way they do things in Britain.’ There’s lots of implied criticism, though they haven’t come out openly and said anything I can put my finger on.”
“What I can’t understand,” said Amie as she cut the cake Sam had left out for them, “is that this time last year they almost pushed us on to the plane, insinuating we were total wimps for not jumping at the chance.” Then seeing Jonathon’s raised eyebrows she added, “Well, all right, I was the wimp, not you.”
“Maybe they had second thoughts and now they see us in a different light. We have changed, you know.”
Amie thought for a moment. “Yes, I suppose we have. We’re more confident, more adult, and we have seen another side to life. I’m a bit nauseated by the reports on television about Africa, and the backlash about the damage we did when we were in power over there in the days of the British Empire.”
“Well, let’s forget about it for now and try and enjoy the last few days off work. We have no idea what’s gone wrong while we’ve been away. We might be in for a shock!”
7 A VISIT FROM THE COLONEL
Amie and Jonathon gave a sigh of relief as they kissed everyone goodbye and jumped into the taxi that arrived outside the house. It seemed too much disruption to ask people to take time off work just to take them to the airport. When they were first leaving England, it was understandable, but now they were seasoned travellers it wasn’t necessary.
As they flew in low, approaching President Mtumba Airport, Amie could see the shantytowns surrounding the capital on three sides, wide areas of scrubland and savannah, and beyond, the dark green, dense forest with patches where the land had been cleared for firewood. A low cloud of smog hovered over the shacks as the fires were lit for the evening meal. I’m not even going to think about what a disappointment our trip has been, thought Amie. I’ll put it down to experience and know better next time.
But it wasn’t possible for Amie not to be quizzed about her holiday. Next morning, as she got out of her car in the mall car park, she could already see Kate and Diana waving to her from their favourite table outside the coffee shop.
“Welcome back,” smiled Kate as Amie sat down. “So how was it? Did you have a fabulous time?”
“We saw a show in the West End which was great, and we took a drive down to the coast and had an ice cream on Brighton beachfront,” replied Amie.
“But you’re glad to be back,” Diana observed.
Amie looked at her. She had forgotten just how perceptive Diana could be. “You could say that yes. Yes. I am glad to be back, in the heat and the flies and the dust and the screaming naked children running about and the …” Amie waved her arms, trying to think of all the other things she was delighted to see.
“Told you,” said Diana to Kate. “She’s got the bug. She’s really one of us now.” Everyone began to laugh.
“I’m not sure where I belong anymore, it was all so foreign! One main topic of interest, for example, was the forthcoming nativity play at Dean’s school at the end of term. They’re going to have a real donkey for Mary to make her grand entrance. I must say they’re being quite progressive having a nativity play at all, as many schools don’t now because they have so many different faiths, it’s not politically correct any more. But…” Amie paused to build up the suspense, “... guess what? Mary will have to wear a crash helmet and elbow and knee pads!”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” spluttered Kate. “Has the world gone mad?”
“Even here they’re not that daft!” exclaimed Diana. “What kind of generation are they rearing these days?”
“I’m beginning to wonder if we’re looking at the real survivors of the human race,” observed Kate pointing to a small child rummaging in a nearby bin for leftover food.
“If he reaches adulthood, he’s going to be tougher and stronger, both physically and mentally,” Diana commented wryly.
When Amie described the parents’ lack of interest, the alienation she had felt among previously close friends, and even Sam’s marriage problems she didn’t feel disloyal. It was amazing that after only a year, she felt closer to the people she now called her friends than any comradeship she’d experienced before.
The weeks stretched out ahead, with the promise of warm sunny days, get-togethers at the Club, stimulating dinner parties and long, cool swims in the pool.
“Are you coming to the school tomorrow?” asked Kate.
“Sure. I’ve missed Angelina,” said Amie. “Is she still there?”
“I haven’t noticed her,” said Diana, “but I’m sure she’s fine.” Diana didn’t approve of the interest Amie showed in one child, however cute she might be. It would only lead to trouble. She had gone so far as to mention to Mrs Motswezi that perhaps Angelina was getting too fond of Amie, and in the long term there was no future.
But Mrs Motswezi was not too sympathetic. Her view was that if Amie wanted to give Angelina a home, then it was a good thing and could only benefit the child. Even though Diana repeatedly reminded her that most overseas expatriates were in the country for a limited period, and there was no chance of Amie ever getting permission to remove the child from Togodo. The headmistress’s view was that even if it was for a couple of years, then at least Angelina would have a good life while it lasted. She did not seem capable of thinking ahead to what would happen when Amie and her husband finally left, and were forced to abandon the child. It was the African way, think of today and let the future take care of itself.
In the end, Diana gave up and reasoned there was little she could do. It was Amie’s problem and something for her to work out for herself.
Within a couple of days, it was as if they’d never been away on holiday and they were back in their usual routine. Amie was thrilled to find Pretty had made an effort to cook some meals and put them in the freezer for when they returned. She’d expected Pretty to slack off and do as little as possible while they were away, but she returned to a spotlessly clean house and William, too, had remembered to water the grass.
“But it rain one day, Madam,” Pretty told her proudly, “and I tell William no water then.”
“Thank you, Pretty, you have done a good job. I am very pleased.” Amie had to restrain herself from giving Pretty a hug. That would be going too far!
Jonathon always left very early for work each day because it was cooler, and he could catch up on paperwork while the office was still quiet, so when there was a loud knocking on the front door a few minutes after he drove off the next morning, Amie assumed he’d returned for something and forgotten his keys.
She was still in her nightdress when she flung the door open. She was shocked to see a tall, thickly set black man, in an imposing uniform
festooned with lots of gold braid, standing in the doorway. He stared at her for several seconds and Amie had the impression he was enjoying her discomfort.
“I have the pleasure of addressing Mrs Fish?” His English was excellent and his accent would not have been out of place in a British public school.
“Uh … yes.” Amie felt uncomfortable and not a little alarmed. “But how, how …?”
“Ah, yes. Your gardener was kind enough to unlock the gate for me. I wonder if you would spare me a few moments of your valuable time?” He smiled, showing an abundance of bright white and gold teeth. His smile was not reflected in his eyes.
Amie wasn’t quite sure what to do. She didn’t want to invite him in while she was still in her nightclothes, yet to ask him to wait outside and close the door in his face, didn’t seem like a good idea either.
As if sensing her indecision, he turned away from the door and took a few steps towards the front gate. “I can wait a few moments while you …”
“Oh, yes, thank you,” said Amie, gently closing the door. She raced into the bedroom to throw on a t-shirt and a pair of trousers. She called out to Pretty to tell her they had a visitor.
Amie felt uneasy when she ushered the man into the house. She’d heard enough tales to realise that authority in Togodo was generally trouble. Wasn’t it unheard of for an official to call on an expatriate wife, when her husband wasn’t at home? She indicated for him to sit on the sofa, but ignoring her gesture, he put out his hand and shook hers so firmly she felt as if her fingers were being crushed.
“I am Colonel Mbanzi.”
“Well, you know who I am,” Amie replied nervously.
Pretty appeared in the doorway, and her eyes swept over the visitor. She licked her lips nervously and then disappeared swiftly back into the kitchen.
“Can I offer you a drink?” asked Amie.
“Just a glass of water,” Colonel Mbanzi said, sitting down.
Amie found Pretty in the kitchen, halfway out of the back door. “A cup of coffee for me, please Pretty, and a glass of water for the uh … visitor.”
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