Lieutenant Hotshot

by Julia North

  “You boys will make belts today,” says Mama Zuma with a happy smile. “Here, choose some nice buckles.”

  “Are they for us?”

  Mama Zuma smiles some more. “I’ll tell you in a minute. Now sit down.”

  I take a shiny buckle from the pot and sit down in front of the strip of leather. The buckle is round and silver like the moon. It has many markings on it all around the edges and must cost much money. I look down with big eyes. Ay, it is too good.

  “Bengu’s here,” whispers Richard, poking me in the side.

  I frown and look up to see Bengu walk like Mr. Main Man into the hut. He’s wearing a Coca-Cola T-shirt and smart khaki shorts with zips and buckles on them. I look at his shoes. They are white Adidas with a bright blue stripe and look new. He’s put black and white beads around his neck and braided his hair like he’s Bob Marley. I hate him. He thinks he’s so cool. I see him look sideways at Tula and smile. She smiles back and waves at him. I hold my teeth so that they hurt. I glare down at my buckle. It doesn’t make me feel good anymore.

  I hear Tula laugh. I look up. She’s making clay pots with the two small girls Zinzi and Lily. The red clay is going everywhere so they are full with it on their faces.

  “What a mess,” says Mama Zuma with a laugh. “But I can see a good pot coming. Your father will be proud, Tula. Now he’ll want you to be a teacher.”

  I see Tula pull a face but she says nothing.

  Bengu turns to look. “Yes, Dr. Zuma will like that one,” he says, and laughs showing his straight white teeth.

  My body stiffens like the angry lion. My fist wants to hit him. He talks like he’s one of them.

  “He thinks he’s too good,” whispers Richard.

  I nod and glare down at the floor. “Fuck him,” I whisper back.

  My mood is dark again. I pick up the leather strip and begin to hit it hard with the stone like it is Bengu. I cut a deep pattern into it with the stick. Richard takes my buckle and tries to put it on. I grab it back.

  “Fuck off!”

  “I am helping. You are making a mess.”

  “I am not,” I shout. “Leave it alone!”

  I can hear my voice talk back around the hut. All the eyes are looking at me. I see Tula look up and I feel my cheeks go hot. Then I see that Bengu with an ugly proud smile. I get up and stomp out of the hut. I want so bad to stab Bengu until all his blood runs out.

  “Modetse. You okay?”

  “Fu…” I stop. Tula is here. My cheeks grow hot. I don’t know what to say. I just nod. She’s wearing blue jeans shorts and has a black T-shirt with “No Problem” in white writing. There are colored beads around her neck and dangly ones in her ears. She looks too good.

  “My mother says to come back in once you feel better. We’re going to make Christmas presents,” she says, and smiles.

  I nod as if I knew that and say, “I’m coming now.”

  She smiles again and I give a small smile back before she goes inside. She has made me sad inside. So many moons have gone that I don’t know how long it is since I lost Thandi. Christmas makes me think even more of her. I would always save some of the money to buy the good food from the KFC shop and lots to drink. Umama always made Christmas special for us. A heavy stone sits in my stomach. My heart pains for my sister. How will I ever find her again? No, I will find her. I will get strong and use the LRA to help me. I won’t let these weak thoughts live in my mind.

  I march back into the cool of the Craft hut keeping my eyes on the ground so I don’t have to look at anyone. Richard moves to the side so I can sit back down in my place. He’s put my belt in front with the buckle resting on it. I sit back down pull a face pushing it out of the way.

  “We’re going to make each other presents,” says Mama Zuma. “It’s nice to have presents that have been specially made by us. There’ll be other presents too which we have bought for you. It’s going to be a great time.”

  “Christmas! That’ll be good hey, Modetse,” says Richard. “I hadn’t thought it was Christmas.”

  I just look at him and say nothing. I wish he would just shut up.

  “Okay, boys and girls,” says Mama Zuma, clapping her hands. “What we’re going to do now is pick the name of someone from this pot. Whoever you pick is the person who is going to get a present that you are going to make now. The ones you have just made are for you to keep yourselves. You can now choose to make any craft you want to match the person whose name you draw,” she says. “Tula, will you please take the pot around?”

  I watch as Tula unwinds her long legs and walks over to her mother. She takes the big red-brown clay pot around and everyone puts in their hand to draw a folded name.

  “Dig down deep, Modetse, and choose a name,” she says, and smiles at me.

  I put my hand down into the cool clay and take a folded piece of paper from the pile.

  “Unwrap it to look, but keep it secret,” says Tula, putting her finger to her lips.

  She gives me a wink before going over to Richard. My stomach trembles and I give a small smile. I look down and unwrap the folded paper.

  The name Bengu stares back at me and I breathe in sharply. Bengu! I don’t want to give him a present. The only thing I want to give him is an AK bullet. Why him? I glare down at the name and crumple it in my fist.

  “What?” says Richard.

  “Nothing,” I mumble. I shove the paper aside and dig down in the buckle pot until I find the most ugly one I can. It’s square and dull. Good it won’t look nice on him.

  “Who you got?”

  “Bengu.”

  “Oh, now I see,“ says Richard, and laughs. ”You must make him an ugly belt.”

  I give a sly smile. “I will make it very ugly. I think I’ll write ‘Fuck you‘ on it.”

  Richard laughs. “You would, too. I know you.”

  I begin to stab the leather with my stone like I’m smashing in his head. All of a sudden my mind jumps. The stone’s become a bayonet. I can see myself like my spirit has left my body. My face is the devil face. My eyes are like the mad hyena. My mouth is open in the ugly scream. I am stabbing a body with my bayonet. Stab, stab, stab! There is big blood on my hands. There is the small child screaming. I’ve killed her mother. I’m laughing at my kill. “No…I don’t want to be this boy. What have I done? What have I done? But the body is not the small child. It is the enemy. I must kill him or he will kill me.

  I begin to scream out my hate but Richard shakes me and throws water on my face.

  “You are screaming,” he says. “Shh.”

  My spirit is back. I shake my head. I am shaking. What is happening to me? I am numb and my cheeks feel hot. I look around the hut. Everyone is talking and busy with their craft. They are not looking at me but I know they are just pretending. Inside I feel sick. My body is wet and my mind is full of clouds. I don’t know what to think anymore.

  I see Richard staring at me. I want to smash his face in. What’s he looking at? If the darkness is wrong then we are all killers and are black inside. I get up and run from the hut. This time I won’t come back. I’ll run to the forest so that I can be alone.

  I run over the hard red soil as the hot tears prick behind me eyes. I reach the thick forest and keep running. The cool of the breadfruit trees and the hands of the palm trees make me better inside. I run and run until I’m deep inside like a cave. I sit hard on the soft leaves. My body is wet with sweat. My mind thinks back to the camp. Inside a voice is asking how did I change so much? I was a good boy. I was Thandi‘s big brother; Umama‘s only son. How did I become so bad?

  But then another voice tells me No, it is right to kill. I must not be weak. I feel the darkness rise up in my soul. It will give me strength. The blood comes in my nostrils. Its iron smell makes me retch. I don’t want it anymore. I’m sick of the blood. I shake my head. I wish the darkness would cover me so that I can sleep and never wake again.

  Chapter 30

  The jeep screeched into the camp and
five soldiers jumped out with their AKs held high. They ran over to Mobuto and handed him a paper. He read it and turned and showed for me to come. I hurried over.

  “Go get some of your squadron and the others. Give these instructions to Bilole.”

  “Yes, sah.” I saluted. I took the instructions and found Bilole before running to call Richard and Jabu and three of the boys from my squadron.

  Jabu and I jumped into the front jeep with Bilole driving and Richard got in the one with Nkunda. I put Joshua, Vincent and Bongi in the back.

  “Hold your AKs high,” I said. “And keep your eyes straight.”

  They nodded at me with big eyes as we spun off bumping onto the dark jungle path. The jeep climbed the trees roots like a mountain goat. Jabu and I held out our machetes to slice away any thick vines which dangled in our way.

  “Where are these rebel bastards hiding?” I said as we bounced through the jungle.

  “Near the river,” said Bilole. “We’re going to make the ambush to kill them.”

  Jabu and I lifted our eyebrows up and smiled. This was the first time we’d laid one; it was going to be too good. Suddenly Bilole switched off the engine and the jeep jerked to a stop. We fell forward. Vincent and Joshua let out a shriek.

  “Shut up, you fools, before I beat you,” I said. I held up my hand as if to hit them and they cowered before me with big eyes. I glared at them and then turned back to Bilole.

  “We’re stopping here. Nkunda is staying further back on the other track in case they go that way. We’ll hit the lead truck; he’ll get the end one. Get out,” said Bilole.

  I obeyed and shouted at my boys to do the same. They jumped out and stood to attention. I marched over like the main man with Jabu and we squatted next to Bilole who was busy unwinding a long cable for the claymore trip wire.

  “Crawl there, Hotshot, and tie this across the dirt track. Jabu, you go behind Hotshot and help and then take his boys and go lay the mines over there.”

  Bilole pointed down the sand track.

  “Put them all in and make sure you cover them well with the soil. Brush the soil in an untidy way with the palm fronds after.”

  “Yes, sah.” Jabu saluted.

  He took the rucksack of mines from Bilole and put them on his back. We fell to the ground and crawled like mambas through the bush. Sharp rocks and stones pricked my stomach but I ignored the pain. Through the gaps in the yellow grass I saw a track in front where the jeeps rode.

  “We can tie the rope low around that lala palm,” I whispered.

  Jabu nodded. I leopard crawled to the edge, keeping my ears tuned and my eyes sharp for any sound or movement. Nothing! I slithered fast across the track and hid my body behind the thick rough trunk. Its sharp pineapple edges hugged the rope and I secured it easily. I gave Jabu the thumbs up. He nodded and showed for my boys to follow.

  They crept onto the red soil and dug to hide the mines. Jabu smoothed the soil down and then brushed it with a palm frond, which I threw him to make it look like nothing was there. I showed with my eyes for us to go and we slid back through the bush to Bilole.

  “Done,” I said, and made a big grin.

  “Good work,” said Bilole. He gave me a nod. “Now send your boys to keep watch. They must give the signal when they see the jeeps coming. We’ll lie in wait downwind.”

  “Yes, sah. Boys here,” I commanded.

  “Yes, sah,” they said, and ran over to salute me.

  I narrowed my eyes and looked at them. “You’re going to be the meerkats. You’ll hide in the thick clump of leaves of those marula trees and watch for the jeep of the enemy pig. When you see them coming in the distance I want you to give a call like the rainbird. Do you hear me clear?”

  “Yes, sah. We are clear, sah.”

  “Do the call now. You, Joshua –let me hear.”

  “Boo-o-o-o, boo, boo, boo, boo,” said Joshua, closing his big eyes and holding back his head with his fat lips pushed out in an O shape.

  “Okay,” said Bilole. “That sounds good. Now go.”

  I turned to my boys and looked at them with hard eyes and a firm face. “Remember if you fail I’ll kill you! Come! I’ll show you where to wait. Get down!”

  I crept through the bush towards a clump of marula trees to the side of the track with my boys creeping behind me. The branches were full, with thick green leaves and bunches of small orange berries. They would give good cover.

  “Joshua, up that one, Vincent –there, Bongi –you that one. Go!”

  The boys saluted and scattered to climb up the trees like baby baboons. Seconds later they were well hidden among the leaves. I stared at them and suddenly felt a deep ache in my belly. Thandi had come back in my head and was asking for me. Where had she come from? Why did she come into my head now? My stomach went weak and I shivered. I frowned and jerked my head. This was not the time to think of Thandi. I was a soldier. I had an enemy to kill.

  I stood still and smelled deep from the musky jungle. I closed my eyes and imagined a picture of dead rebels full of blood. The thought of their blood made my heart beat fast and I smiled and straightened my back. I was already a Lieutenant. If I did this kill good then in a few months I would go higher in the LRA and be a Captain. Then I would ask Mobuto if I could go back and get Thandi. I could not allow any weak thoughts in my head to stand in my way.

  I blinked and stared back at the jungle. The afternoon sun was bending down towards the earth but the bush around us was still hot and my uniform stuck against my body. The air hummed heavy with silence and the sweet scent of the jungle vines.

  I shuffled on the ground and stared hard through the bush at the waiting road. “Come on, you bastards,” I whispered. “Come on. I want to blow your fucking brains out.” I looked over at the lala palm in the distance. Where were they? Why were they taking so long? Maybe we had got the wrong place?

  Bilole shifted uncomfortably and glared at my questioning eyes. Then all of a sudden we heard Boo-o-o-o-o, boo, boo, boo, boo.

  Bilole gave me the thumbs up. My boys had done well. Seconds later the distant drone of jeeps could be heard. Jabu and I smiled at each other like jackals.

  The sound grew, and through the trees I saw a line of enemy jeeps full with government rebel soldiers. They were holding M16s high in their hands and talking loudly to each other.

  I held my breath. “BOOM!” Nkunda’s claymore mine exploded under the last jeep sending out many spikes of steel in a shower of fire and dirt high into the sky. The forest trees cracked and splintered and bits of bloody bodies flew up and fell back to the ground like broken pigeons. I put back my head and laughed. Nkunda had done a good job.

  “AMBUSH,” screamed one of the rebels as the jeeps in front screamed forward towards us, thinking the ambush was only at their back. The rebels fired like the mad people at the bush behind them.

  Then Bilole shouted, “Now!”

  Jabu and I kept down low and pulled hard on our hidden rope.

  “KABOOM!” our bang was bigger. The first jeep jumped, twisting its steel and throwing the rebels high in the air.

  The brakes of the second jeep screamed and the rebels jumped from it and began tearing the palms and marulas apart with their bullets. The ground sprayed hot and high in the air and bark and leaves splintered around us.

  “Go!” I shouted to Jabu and Bilole and we jumped out of the bush and fired back at the rebels. They took fright like we were forest devils come to life and madness broke out with them shouting and thudding through the bush as they tried to flee from our killer bullets.

  They darted through the forest and turned back to fire on us but my aim was too good and one by one I shot down their fleeing backs, splattering thick red blood onto the green leaves of the forest.

  “Boys, fire!” I commanded at my soldiers who had slid down from their marula trees.

  They put their big AKs under their arms and fired madly with no fear after the enemy knowing that the magic juju would protect them. Vincent
held his AK at his chest and ran forward with his arms tense around it and his small finger stuck on the trigger. The bullets flew out like fire in front of him. Joshua’s gun was pointing up but that was okay because he was so small. His bullets flew across the bush and joined with ours. The rebels had no chance. We pushed on through the bush firing at anything that moved.

  Rainbirds and honeyguides flew upwards, squawking their terror at the killing. The forest was scattered with bloody bodies. Good –this would give the rebels a clear message not to mess with the L.R.A. Next thing we’d visit their villages and cut the lips from their girls. My body bristled with excitement and I gave a sly smile as I saw their bloody faces in my mind. This was too good!

  I exchanged high fives with Jabu and Bilole and gave the thumbs up to my boys.

  “Let the rebels come find their dead,” I made the ugly face and kicked one of the mangled bodies lying in my path. The iron smell of blood and broken flesh was strong and I breathed it in deep, feeding power to my dark spirit.

  “They’ll be waiting for their five jeeps by the river a long time,” I said, and gave a devil laugh.

  “We’ve hit them hard,” said Bilole with a sneer. “How many bodies you count?”

  “More than thirty,” I said. “It is a good kill.”

  We grinned at each other and high-fived again.

  “Mobuto will be pleased,” said Jabu with a grin. “Let’s go tell him.”

  I nodded and we jumped back in our jeep and headed back shouting our victory to the jungle.

  Chapter 31

  Mobuto was happy with our ambush and gave me the day off. I put the piece of grass in my mouth and whistled as I went over to the clump of high pine trees where Jabu was sitting playing cards with Bilole. They were sitting nice on sawn off tree trunks with a middle one for the table. My head smiled at the sweet pine smell of the trees. I went to the shade. My boots crunched over the dried needles.