by PJ Skinner
‘It’s been ten years. I think I always knew he must be dead. He would have come back for me otherwise.’
‘Still, it’s difficult for you, finally knowing for sure.’
Adanna stood up and crossed the room. She turned to face him.
‘My father told me that you want to discuss the Star of Simbako.’
Straight to the point.
‘May I see it?’
‘Of course.’ She stood in front of him, reached into a deep pocket on the side of her robe and found the stone. The smell of karité butter and rose oil wafted past his face. He put out his palm and she dropped the stone into it.
‘Wow!’ For a moment that was all Alex could articulate. He held the diamond between his fingers and stared at it. The oily hue did not disguise its near perfect interior. He could see a couple of flaws, but they were at strategic places in the stone and would not decrease the overall value by much. He estimated a weight of about twenty-five carats. Once they cleaned the stone, the valuation could be made in a matter of minutes.
‘What do you think?’ she said.
‘It’s amazing. I can’t believe it has been found again after being buried for so long.’
‘Blame Sam. She’s not a girl who gives up easily.’
‘I've been told.’ Alex chuckled. ‘She’s a gem too.’
‘How much is it worth, the stone?’
‘I’m not sure. If you can bear to part with it, I would like to get it assessed by experts in Njahili to ensure that you get a fair price.’
‘The stone is cursed. I’ll be happy to sell it and send it far from Fona. We need clean water and telephones here, not lumps of carbon.’
Alex smiled. He had never heard anyone call a fabulous diamond a lump of carbon before.
‘Would you like to come to Njahili and supervise the valuation? It’s important a representative of the village is present at the assessment. I presume your father will not come.’
‘He’s not well enough. Anyway, the diamond is mine to do with as I wish. He has given me his blessing.’
Alex did not show his surprise at her dismissive tone. It was unlike the woman he had grown to admire. Something had changed her. He did not wish to interfere in local politics or family feuds so he did not comment. ‘Okay. When can you travel?’
‘As soon as possible. Can we go tomorrow?’
‘If you wish. We can leave at mid-morning if that suits you?’
‘I’ll be ready.’
Chapter XXIII
Fatimata was getting ready to go to church when she noticed Adanna through the window of her house.
‘Good morning,’ she said. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Good morning, Auntie Fatou. I need to talk to you.’
‘Come in and have some coffee. We can talk in the kitchen.’
‘Will you be late for church?’
‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll say an extra prayer later. It must be important for you to visit at this hour.’
They sat in the small kitchen which smelt of spices. It was lined with shelves of mysterious bottles containing the potions bequeathed to Fatimata by her father, the witch doctor.
‘How can I help you?’
‘Fatou, my father is ill and may be dying. I want to be Paramount Chief.’
‘But, my child, that is not possible.’
‘Because I am unclean. But what if that were to change?’
‘Don't even consider the possibility. It's too dangerous. You are not young enough to use the bondo hut. The sowei will not attend you.’
‘I can use the hospital in Njahili.’
‘Hospital? You’ll die. Please don’t risk it.’
‘The hospital is modern and Sam told me people do not die there.’
‘How does she know this? Sam’s a clever person, but she’s not from here.’
‘I’m willing to try, but first I must be sure you will support me.’
‘For Paramount Chief? Of course. If you are clean, no one would oppose you. But what about your father?’
‘He doesn’t need to find out. I’m going to Njahili with Mr Simmonds to sell a diamond for funds to help the kingdom. I’ll have the procedure done while I am there.’
‘Are you sure about this? It's a big step and you can’t go back.’
‘Fatou, what future do I have otherwise? I've decided to go ahead.’
***
Alex Simmons packed his bag and took it outside to the veranda. Sam and Fergus were still at the breakfast table and he joined them for a cup of coffee before his trip to Njahili.
‘I’d like you to finish mining the pothole before you come to town,’ he said. ‘Don’t forget to leave a record of the production with the Chief so that we can square the accounts after I get the diamonds valued and sold. I left you a sheet to fill out. I have already noted the diamonds retrieved from the terrace before today.’
‘Can you leave the weighing scale here please? We’ll bring it with us too.’
‘Sure. And well done on the exploration. The work has paid for itself.’
‘I’ll make some sections of the terrace based on the pitting we have already done and narrow down the area that we should mine,’ said Sam.
‘Great. Ah, here is Adanna. We’d better leave right away.’
Adanna dropped her bag beside the car and came to the veranda to say goodbye. Sam gave her a big hug.
‘Can you please drop in and see my father while I am gone? He has been asking to see you.’
‘Of course. Is he any better?’
‘No, unfortunately his lungs are badly congested. Fatou has been trying to ease his breathing, but his lungs are weakening. He needs some relief. The last few days have taken their toll on him.’
‘Good luck in Njahili. I hope the valuation goes well,’ said Fergus.
‘Thank you. I’ll be back soon and everything will be okay.’
Alex and Adanna got into the car and drove off.
‘What did she mean?’ said Sam.
‘By what?’
‘That everything will be okay.’
‘I guess she was referring to the money for Fona.’
Sam had her doubts, but she needed to concentrate on the final phase of exploration. She got to work drawing sections of the terrace from north to south and east to west using her notes and those taken by Tamba. She tutted at his terrible drawing, but he had recorded the important data so she extrapolated from that. The bedrock sloped into the northern sector of the gravels where they had found the diamonds. She traced contours onto the map, showing the depth of the bedrock and selected the best area for them to continue digging.
‘Any progress?’ said Fergus.
‘It'll be straightforward to mine the last part of the pothole. I don’t think we have reached the deepest part yet so we may yet find more diamonds.’
‘Fantastic. We’ll start again tomorrow. Do you have any plans for today?’
‘Do you fancy taking another trip to the diamond fields? I was hoping to recce the geology of the diggings.’
‘You have a one-track mind Miss Harris. So do I, but it’s a different recording.’
‘Take me to the mines and I may dance to your tune later.’
‘Okay, it’s a deal.’ He squeezed her shoulder. ‘Shall we go?’
‘Give me a minute to put this stuff away and get my gear.’
‘Yes, Bwana.’
***
Sam couldn’t wait to explore the diggings. She had vivid memories of their first visit to the site with the extraordinary panorama that lay below them. This sort of experience was a rare opportunity for any geologist. She would not miss it. When they reached Mano, they took a winding side road which meandered down the hillside until they reached the flats. They left the car and entered the diggings walking along the tops of the waste heaps.
Many of the pits were deserted, but they soon reached one where a whole family appear
ed to be working. A noisy pump was sucking water from the bottom. The men were excavating gravel and filling hessian sacks. Ragged, skinny children were heaving the sacks up the slope and emptying them beside a group of women who were sieving the material through ancient holey sifters.
The children surrounded her, chirping in their high voices, asking for money and touching her white skin. They had open sores and snotty noses. Sam’s romantic notions of Africa had long faded, but the extreme poverty was gruelling to see close up. She gave them some sweets she had bought in Fona. They examined them with suspicion until Sam showed them how to unwrap them and popped one in her mouth. Soon all of them were sucking enthusiastically with big smiles. Amongst them was an albino child with sunburn on his face and arms. Some of his burns were deep and weeping.
‘Poor little mite,’ said Fergus. ‘Albinos don’t survive for long here. They get skin cancer.’
‘That’s awful. Why don’t they cover him up?’
‘Many people believe albinos are the devil's work. Gangs kill them to steal body parts for voodoo.’
Sam gasped. The boy stepped back in fright at her reaction and she tried to reassure him by smiling. Then she remembered that she had an old long-sleeved T-shirt in her rucksack. She took it out and offered it to him. He shrunk back from her cowering, but she crouched down and held the garment out again. He grabbed it from her and moved away to put it on. The sleeves hung over his hands. The women laughed at him, but he modelled it, strutting along the top of the waste heaps. They called him back to work. They washed and sieved the material from the pit, but they had no luck finding any diamonds.
Sam examined the walls of the pit to see if she could help recommend where to dig. The material was not fresh, being a mixture of sand and gravels of all shapes and sizes. She wondered how often the same material had been washed. The ragged sieves they were using also illustrated how easily a diamond could slip through no matter how many times they processed the material.
‘The chances of them finding anything here are slim,’ she said. ‘They should look for fresh material somewhere else.’
‘I doubt there are any spots left. Every inch of this place belongs to someone and violent fights erupt if anyone trespasses,’ said Fergus.
‘I’m surprised they haven’t invaded the terraces at Fona.’
‘That is tribal land. The locals would have chased off any invader before they could start digging.’
They stayed a while longer, watching the vain attempts at finding a stone, back and heart-breaking work. As they turned to leave, the albino boy offered Sam his hand to shake. She looked into his burned face and gave him a wink. Taking off her hat, she placed it on his head. He beamed tying the string tightly under his chin. His long white eyelashes stood out against his pink cheeks. Fergus shook his head.
‘You can’t help everyone, Sam.’
‘No, but I could help him.’
He shrugged. ‘Okay, Florence, let’s go home.’
***
The new hospital sat on the hillside of a side road off the main highway into Njahili.
‘Can we stop at the hospital please?’ said Adanna.
‘Are you feeling alright?’ said Alex.
‘Oh, yes, I'm fine. I just want to check if they have a particular medicine for my father. He has run out.’
‘Do you want me to come?’
‘No, thank you, I shouldn’t take long. Do you mind waiting a few minutes?’
‘I hate hospitals. I'm happy to smoke a cigarette in the car park. Take as long as you want.’
Adanna pushed her way through the new chrome doors of the hospital. In front of her, the imposing reception desk was staffed by five formidable looking women. She chose the woman with the least terrifying expression and approached her.
‘Good afternoon, auntie.’
‘Good afternoon, madam, how can I help you?’
‘I wish to talk to someone about an operation.’
‘Is the matter urgent?’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘What sort of operation?’
Adanna blushed and gazed at the floor. She searched for the right words but found the hard stare of the receptionist intimidating. She wrung her hands and looked imploringly at the woman whose expression changed to one of sympathy.
‘I think Dr Kamara is free. I will ask him if he can see you. Please wait in the reception area.’
The woman whispered something to her companion who winced. Then she disappeared behind some swinging doors. A few minutes later, she reappeared and signalled to Adanna to follow her.
‘He’s in room twenty-two at the end of the passage. Good luck.’
Adanna walked along the shiny linoleum floor, sliding her shoes over its smooth surface. She knocked at the door.
‘Come in.’ A man’s voice, soft and rich.
‘Good afternoon, Dr Kamara. I am Adanna Sesay from Fona.’
‘My backyard. What can I do for you, young lady?’
‘I need an urgent operation.’
‘Please don't be shy. Patients often come to me with this issue. Do you suffer from a fistula, or are you incontinent?’
‘No, neither.’
‘When were you cleaned?’
‘Oh, no, I haven’t been yet. My father wouldn't allow the sowei to operate on me.’
‘He’s a wise man. So why are you here?’
‘I want to be circumcised, so I can be Paramount Chief. My friend told me the procedure is safer to do in hospital.’
‘We can’t help you here.’
‘I have money.’
‘My dear, it’s a barbarous practice which the government are about to make illegal. I can’t help you.’
‘Please, you must. I …’ Adanna broke into piteous tears. She wept silently, but the tears soaked the front of her dress.
‘Now, now. Don’t cry.’
‘But I have to do this. There's no alternative. The only way I can change our kingdom is from the inside. If I don't become chief, they will elect someone who doesn’t permit change.’
‘It's a big sacrifice.’
‘One I am prepared to make.’
The doctor peered into her face and sighed.
'I understand your position. My family is from Mano. A female Paramount Chief would be an excellent change. Perhaps we can do something. Wait here.’
The doctor left Adanna with a box of tissues. After a few minutes, he returned with another doctor.
‘This is Dr Mohammed. He's an expert in this field. Talk to him and see if he can provide an answer for your dilemma.'
Thirty minutes later, Adanna emerged from the hospital, a radiant smile on her face. She found Alex on his third cigarette.
‘I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting,’ she said.
‘Not at all. But where is the medicine?’
‘Oh, they ran out and had to ask for a new order. I must pick it up on Wednesday.’
‘Good, well, that gives us two days to get the valuation and sell the diamond. Let’s go to the office. You can use Sam’s room.’
***
Sam was quiet on the way home. Fergus drove with studied concentration, avoiding the worst of the potholes and they were soon back at the compound. He stopped the car and turned to her.
‘Are you okay?’
‘I don’t know what I was expecting. I’m a little drained, that’s all.’
‘It’s a tough life for people in Simbako. At least finding a diamond gives them a chance of a better life.’
‘The odds are horrible. I feel like a fraud.’
‘We all do what we can. Many families in Fona are better off because of us.’
‘I suppose so.’
‘Come on. Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.’
They raided the fridge and heated some leftovers on the stove. Fergus mixed them up the last of the gin with some old tonic and they sat down to eat.
‘
Cheers,’ said Fergus.
‘Cheers. Thank you. I'm better now.’
‘That’s all right. Mano is a depressing place up close.’
‘How long did you live in Simbako?’
‘Until I was ten, when …’
‘When what?’
‘My mother died of malaria. We left for England soon after.’
‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.’
‘It was a long time ago.’
‘Do you remember her?’
Fergus sighed. He shut his eyes as if trying to see into the past. He opened them again, but he was looking right through Sam as if she wasn’t there anymore.
‘She was beautiful and funny. Every day was an adventure. I remember the time we found a snake in the garden. She wouldn’t let the gardener kill it and trapped the snake in a bucket. We took it to the riverbank and released it. The funny thing is it tried to bite her. She thought the whole episode was hilarious.’
‘She sounds wonderful.’
‘My father never recovered from her death. He sent me to boarding school so he could drink in peace.’
‘That must have been ghastly for you. I’m so lucky to have both parents alive. I'm ashamed that I complain about them sometimes.’
Fergus pulled his chair closer to her. His eyes were shining.
‘She was like you, Sam. I thought I would never meet someone who came close to matching her, but then I met you. You confuse and beguile me in equal measure. I don’t understand my feelings for you.’
Sam felt as if she would faint under his scrutiny. She searched his eyes and read pain and confusion. This was not her usual experience of love, but she sensed its intensity penetrate her being.
‘I'm not sure what to say,’ she said.
‘Say nothing. There are no words for this.’
They stood up and he embraced her. His heart hammered in his chest, or was it hers? He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Her passion almost overwhelmed her and she pressed her body against him, but he drew back from her.
‘Let’s take it slow tonight,’ he said. ‘We have all the time in the world.’
Chapter XXIV
Fatimata bent over Chief Sesay and put her hand on his chest.
