We walk toward the fire pit in the centre and get ambushed by several young ones. Some of the girls made beautiful flower hairbands, and we patiently sit while they decorate our hair with giddy giggles.
A little one tugs on my pants and I bend down to say hello.
"And who might you be little one?" She's too young to talk. About two and a bit if I may hazard a guess.
"Hello, Ma'Izzy."
Jelani called me Ma, short for mama. He was still so young when his mum died, so it came naturally to him.
"Hello, Jelani my boy. How are you?" hugging him like he is my very own.
"Very well Ma'Izzy. Meet our Imani. She's my little girl. The gods have blessed me. You are a big mama now."
My heart skipped several beats as I scoop the little girl up into my arms. He means I'm a grandmother. I have never even thought I would ever be as fortunate to be a grandmother. Albeit not a real one like I would be to Alexandra's kids. If she is ever going to get married and have one is a question for another day. She has never held down any boyfriends much. Says they are not going to fit in with a chaser family. Picky indeed or perhaps just scared of getting hurt.
" Jelani, she is utterly gorgeous. 'Faith.' You named her well my boy.
"She reminded me of you Ma'Izzy; when you couldn't make a baby. Before Lakicia. The Sangoma told you to have the faith remember? "
He's right. Faith.
"Well, Imani let's see if I can remember the song I used to sing to Alexandra when she was your age. You want to sing a song with me?"
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the sky so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
It felt good. I never thought I would have my own baby let alone a grand-baby.
Alexandra stands back as if she will bite. I giggle and hold the toddler out to her. She steps back and holds her hands up.
"No thanks, Mum. Babies don't like me."
"Don't be silly Alexandra. Try. She won't bite. Well, maybe just a little." chuckling.
"Yeah, thanks, Mum. I'll pass. My hands aren't clean anyway. Sorry, Jelani. No offense."
"When are you taking a husband, Lakicia? Imani will need a play friend, and you are not getting younger."
"Oh, no. I'm leaving that to you, my friend. I am not planning on ever getting married. Men are just trouble. You go ahead without me and string in as many as you wish. I’ll sit this one out.“
Charles comes over from behind.
"What do you mean we're trouble. I would watch my mouth if I were you sweetheart. Look around you. Half the villagers are men," resounding into another belly-bout of laughter.
Later around the fire, Charles and I sit gazing at the stars in silence. Something we have always liked doing. Being out under the stars eternally bonded us together somehow. Like the heavens hold an invisible blanket over us. A quilt only the two of us share. It was our way of uniting as one.
"What a beautiful night hey Izzy? I mean, you and I have been all over the world to some pretty amazing places. But where in the world are the stars brighter than right here in Africa?"
"You're right Charles. Somehow the air is much cleaner out here too. I could live here you know?"
"Well, tell you what my love. Find Rhapta for us tomorrow, and we very well could spend the rest of our days together here under the stars. Perhaps we can finally build that house we have always dreamed of. I know the Chief would gladly help. Right there on the hill overlooking the river. I'll build it on stilts. Safely off the ground, especially for you my love."
"You are such a sweet soul, Charles. I knew the day I met you that you were my soulmate. The one I am meant to be with all my days."
There is nothing this man wouldn't do for Alexandra and I. One thing is clear. I know, with all my heart, that he would much rather stay behind and be with us than fly back to London arguing over money with the snooty benefactors.
Instantly I feel regret for my outburst that morning.
"Make sure you hurry back okay, Charles? It might take us days before we find Rhapta."
"It's not up to me Izzy darling, but I'll try. I promise.”
"Well, if you hurry it along you would have enough time to go home, finish whatever those stiffs want from you and come straight back to make our discovery with us; right here where you belong."
"I would love nothing more Izzy. I think you are going to be successful tomorrow. You are going to somehow find the right spot by the river and figure out where or what the KEY is. You, Izzy Hunt, are going to find Rhapta, my love. I can feel it in my bones."
We break out into another laughing spout...
"Oh, Charles... I love you!"
"I love you too Izzy."
Chapter Nine
Alex
The shrill shrieking sound of a Hadeda flying circles above our thorn tree wakes me. I hate those birds! It is quite possibly the single most annoying, shrieking sounds I have ever heard. It's enough to set you off to a bad start with any day. I look down at where several Hadeda's and a couple of vultures fight over Jelani's remains left by the Lions' attack last night. It's disgusting to watch knowing that it is an ill-deserving human they are contentious over. I still can't believe he is gone. He has always protected me and now, I failed hopelessly in shielding him. The only genuine friend I have ever had, and I have failed him miserably. I don’t have the foggiest clue how I am supposed to tell his father.
I can't much feel my bum bones from having sat in the same position on a poky, thorny branch all night.
The sun is just about up casting a bright orange backdrop against the horizon. Stiff body and all, I stand up in the tree, as far as the dense thorns allow, to stretch and take it all in. It is surpassingly beautiful out here I'll give it that. Of course, it would have been far better to wake up in a comfy bed in a bungalow on stilts. However, given the circumstances, I at least got about an hour of sleep last night. Against the odds.
My head still hurts. Like I've been drinking or partying all night. Not that it is a regular occurrence in my boring life, but I remember all too well what I felt like that morning after graduation. And then, through squinted eyes looking across the dry grasslands, I spot it.
"Quinn! Wake up! I see it! The river, I see it!"
I climb up higher in the tree just to be certain it isn't a mirage or something. After-all, we haven't had any food for days now and very little water so my mind might just be hallucinating.
"Quinn! Get up!"
How in heaven's name can he sleep so soundly on a branch filled with thorns?
" QUINN!"
" What's the commotion about Alex? I usually like my cup of coffee first."
"So funny Quinn. Look. There's the river! I can't believe it; We were almost on top of it. We couldn't be closer. Crap! We should have walked faster yesterday then... then Jelani might have still been alive."
I cry for the first time since the incident. I don't cry. I NEVER cry. This crying is ridiculous. I'm probably exhausted or something. Perhaps it is a culmination of all of the events coming to an abrupt climax right here and right now. The stress of having had to leave my home, face my disease and come after my father who is still missing somewhere. And now losing Jelani. It is entirely too much. But still. My hard exterior wall has just come tumbling down, and that is so not cool.
Quinn stands up behind me in the tree, and I note the scratches on his face for the first time. We climbed the tree to escape the lions in such a hurry last night that we couldn't be bothered much with dodging the thorns.
"I'm so sorry Alex. I know he meant a lot to you but, please rest in knowing that Jelani's injuries were quite severe. Even if we had gotten him to a hospital, or the sangoma for that matter, immediately after the accident he might not have made it either way. He had excessive internal bleeding."
"But at least his father and the tribe could h
ave said their goodbyes and they would have had a body to bury. That, right over there by the river, is his village. I cannot believe how close we are, Quinn. Now, I have to go there with, not only the sad news that he is never coming back but nobody for them to bury. On top of it all, I have to explain why we don't have his body to bury. Because the damn lions devoured his son. And that as much as in their backyard. It is simply too disgraceful for words."
"Alex I'll help you, okay? Delivering bad tidings to a family is something I've done many times before. It's not my first time. Trust me, I've had my fair share. It will be okay, I promise."
His comment entices me to react but instead I suppress the urge to throw a rock at him. How can this be okay? It will never be okay.
"Do you think the Lions have left or are they still hanging about?" he asks, already moving on from the topic.
My eyes, still filled with tears, start searching amongst the bushes for the lions or any sign of any predators for that matter.
"I can't see any. The animals quite possibly left for the watering hole already after they had their fill last night."
"Do you think it's safe for us to climb down then?"
"Well, it isn't as if we have a choice in the matter, do we? We would have to take the risk and hope for the best."
Yes, I'm grumpy. I am tired, irritated and saddened beyond words. And yet, Sam Quinn manages to simply deflect the arrows I continually shoot at him.
"Come on then. Let's get down. It doesn't seem that far so let's get on with it. I don't think I can last another night in a tree."
I lower myself through the thorny branches mulling over our conversation in my head. 'I'll help you' he says. Yeah Right.
Do I tell him now that the 'i'm so sorry for your loss' thing doesn't in fact work? Or, do I let him experience rejection by an African tribe who places high emphasis on burying their loved ones for himself firsthand? None of those typical phrases ever work in the western world and far less even here where tradition is everything to them.
The Chief is going to want to know how, where and when it all happened, and his death was just too gruesome for words. No. I'm going to have to tell him the truth straight out as it happened. Without the I'm-so-sorry-for-your-loss spiel.
The fact that these doctors think they can pacify anyone with that mambo jumbo is besides me. I mean, how can a complete stranger be 'sorry for your loss.' They never knew our deceased parents or friends. The very people we would never, ever have a conversation with again. To them, it is just another patient that didn't make it. A job. Just what are they sorry about?
I have watched enough Grey's Anatomy episodes to see that they are all drama at the time of losing a patient, but it is almost always only about themselves. How they failed, didn't give their best, should have know better. Whatever!
Riled up with the monologue in my head, I jump the last bit from the tree and almost step on what looks like a piece of Jelani's leg. The bile pushes up into my throat. If I had a full meal in my stomach I would hurl it right here. Yuk, this is so gross. Freaking lions. I grew up being in awe of these cats, but now. They're beasts! Carnivorous savages built only to kill and prey on defenseless creatures. They don't care who or what they prey on as long as it's meat. It's disgusting. If I had a gun, I would have shot them to pieces on the spot.
I storm off in the direction of the river not looking to see if Quinn is behind me. I just want to get out of here. All I feel is anger right now. Rage and a whole lot of guilt. Okay, probably nervous as well. I deal with this much better on my own. Alone in my home. Am I like the Grey's now? Making this about me when it should be about Jelani and his family's grief? Can I honestly bring myself to shoot a lion or any other live creature for that matter?
Disappointed, I realize that I could never do that. Two wrongs don't make a right.
"Hey, Alex, wait up!"
I slow down and see Quinn still trying to get down from the tree. He got stuck in the thorns, and I didn't even care to look back. It genuinely isn't his fault, I know. He has been nothing but kind and supportive. I stop and watch him try to catch up to me. He looks like a Greek god with the glowing orange sunrise behind him and his half torn shirt as if he is running from a big ball of fire. Tall, dark and handsome. All right and dirty.
"Take it easy Alex. Dang, girl? Have you forgotten you still have a head wound and by now, are severely dehydrated? Let's just take a slow and steady walk okay?"
He is always thinking about me first. The fact that he is bleeding trinkets of blood from the thorn scratches on his head doesn't even come into this man's equation. As long as I'm okay then all is dandy. One of a kind I'm sure.
And he is right. Again, of course. I am a little dizzy, and I do need to take it easy. So I start my breathing exercises and look dead ahead across the savannah. I might as well chuck my emergency bracelet. I can't possibly be an agoraphobe out here in the middle of the freaking African bush. I think this cured me of that completely.
"I think you have come a long way with your disease, Alex. Fine, your emotions are a bit volatile still but look at yourself. You are out here in the open grassland in the middle of Africa. You fought off lions. Twice! If that doesn't say everything about your inner strength to overcome, then I don't know what will."
I can't help but stare at him. How in blue blazes did he know what I was thinking? Is the man psychic as well? He's in my head! I choose not to answer him back in fear of him cracking my cocooned interior even further.
I change the topic.
“We should be there in about twenty minutes or so. It's an easy walk.”
It wasn't long before I heard the tribal whistle from a nearby tree. I recognize it in an instant and just about jump for joy. Folding my hands over each other in front of my mouth, I manage to answer back with the same whistle indicating that we are friendlies. I spot Quinn glancing at me from the side in admiration (or astonishment). Just you wait, Sam Quinn. There is a whole lot of me you don't know yet.
A watchman jumps out from a tree about five meters in front of us startling me a bit. I don't recognize him but answer him back in Swahili before following him to the village.
It is great being back in the village. Within minutes we are surrounded, and I spot several familiar faces. We made it. I look around and notice a few burnt down bomas currently under repair by some of the woman. There is plenty evidence of the attack and quite possibly one of those burnt down bomas was the exact one my father was in. They undeniably burnt it with deliberate intentions of destroying all his evidence.
The Chief, Jelani's father who immediately rushes over to welcome us greets us. He pushes the puzzled look on his face aside. Clearly expecting to see his son somewhere behind us.
"Lakicia, welcome my child. We expected you days ago. It has been too long since we have had the pleasure of welcoming you back in our village. I'm sorry it is not under more pleasant circumstances."
Straight off my throat closes up as he seemingly has no idea yet of how dire the circumstances are. My father, at least, God willing is still alive somewhere but his son — I have no idea how I am supposed to tell him any of this. He lost his wife and now his son too.
He hugs me, and it is warm and reassuring. Exactly what I needed right now.
"Come Lakicia. You need water and food." signaling to some of the women who hurriedly bring us clay jugs of water and fruit while we sit down around the fire pit.
"Are you okay? What happened to you? Jelani left days ago to fetch you at the airport. I don't understand. Did you not find him waiting for you?“
The Chief looks Quinn up and down. Seeing this as a welcome escape to buy more time before I need to deliver the sad news, I quickly answer.
"Forgive me Chief." swallowing a chunk of sweet melon halfway through my sentence. I feel sick to my stomach and not in the mood to eat, but the fruit is a welcome excuse to occupy my mouth and prevent me from having to speak.
"This is Sam Quinn. He is from the university. He h
as come to help me find my father."
And babysit, I add in my head.
"Welcome Sam Quinn." still looking around for Jelani.
My eyes meet Quinn's as I silently exchange a plea for his help he so kindly offered in the tree earlier. There is a giant marble lodged in my throat that I just can't seem to swallow down. I look up at Quinn again, before clearing my throat and force another chunk of fruit down.
"Chief? Hmm... Ahem... I'm afraid I have some devastating news."
Feel free to jump in anytime you wish Sam Quinn! I throw him another look from the side. Why the hell isn't he talking? He is supposedly the pro at this, right?
The Chief's eyes hold mine firmly. As if he knows the very thing I am about to say, but he doesn't flinch nor speak. He just sits there, hands on knees, waiting for me to talk. Is he mentally preparing himself in advance or doing this for added torture?
"I... Ahem …Jelani... well..."
Darn it! Where is the bloody manual for telling a father his only son, heir to his throne, was devoured and ripped to shreds by a pack of lions?
"Chief. The Jeep lost traction on the road on our way here. We had a head-on collision with a tree. Your son, Jelani was severely injured in the accident. We tried our best to sustain his injuries, but he developed a severe fever and went into a coma. There was nothing more we could do for him, and he subsequently died from extensive injuries to his abdomen. He was fearless and a real fighter right until the end. I am truly sorry for your loss."
I look at Quinn after his perfectly executed medical handbook script. Wow. WOW! That does sound a lot better than my version I was preparing in my head. So effortless but yet with the utmost warmth and tenderness in his voice and eyes. Even though he didn't mention anything about the lions, he conveyed the exact sequence of the events leading up to his death. I look back at the Chief. Does he indeed need to know the rest? I mean, how is that going to make him feel any better? Maybe not, I resolve.
ALEX HUNT and the Chase for Rhapta Page 9
