It was at the Zairian Embassy reception that Lucienne first met Daniel Olingo, an African-American who had recently graduated from the University of Chicago and joined the ranks of the US Foreign Service, specialising in African Affairs. Daniel was immediately attracted to Lucienne. She looked stunning in a loose pink floral dress and seemed to be smiling every time he looked at her. Although, due to the presence of a closely guarded President Mobutu, it had taken some time for Daniel to arrange for an embassy official to introduce them, it did not take long after meeting her before they were thoroughly enjoying each other’s company.
After the president had given a rather lengthy and laborious speech with regards to how the USA represented one of Zaire’s closest allies and friends, Daniel grabbed the opportunity to make a suggestion to Lucienne.
‘I hope you don’t think me presumptuous,’ he asked slightly nervously, ‘but I was wondering if you would like to come to see the new African-American art exhibition which has just opened at the Smithsonian? Afterwards, I could show you around some of city’s highlights and then perhaps we could have dinner. There’s a little Afro-American restaurant in Georgetown which has great food – what do you say?’
Lucienne accepted, and the following day the two enjoyed a memorable day of sightseeing, conversation and laughter. She hadn’t felt so happy and carefree for some time. On her flight back to Atlanta, she couldn’t help reflecting on just how engaging she had found Daniel’s company and how very much they had in common. ‘I would really like to see you again, Lucienne,’ Daniel had said when he drove her to the Zairian Embassy’s guest residence to collect her suitcase. ‘I could always come to see you in Atlanta . . .’ Much to Lucienne’s surprise, she responded by giving him her address and telephone number and adding, ‘That would be lovely, Daniel – keep in touch.’ She wasn’t sure if her reaction was due to the combined uncertainties of her pregnancy and her unhappiness about the heart-felt deterioration of her relationship with Mathew (especially that he was soon to leave Atlanta and return to the UK), or if her feelings when she said goodbye to Daniel were genuine. If they were, it was yet another situation that she would soon have to resolve.
After Lucienne’s return to Atlanta, she had only seen Mathew three times prior to the presentation of his dissertation although they had spoken on the phone on several occasions. This was not only due to the pressure of her personal academic commitments, but also to Mathew’s preoccupation with the submission of his dissertation. However, in the last week of November Mathew received the news that the committee had awarded him the PhD. He called Lucienne immediately to tell her and to arrange a celebratory dinner at the earliest opportunity. He also sent a telegram to his parents and his brother, as well as a note to Antonia, to inform them that he had at long last been successful in attaining a Doctorate of Science at Emory University.
Mathew arrived at Lucienne’s flat on the Friday evening feeling on top of the world, very much in a spirit of euphoria. Lucienne had her hair tied back with a colourful pink silk ribbon that matched the colour of her dress, and Mathew considered that he had seldom seen her looking so attractive. After a celebratory cocktail in her flat, they took a taxi to a new five-star Mexican restaurant, the Alma Cocina, in downtown Atlanta. During the course of the meal, and while enjoying some classic Californian wine, Mathew talked enthusiastically about his immediate future.
‘I can’t tell you what a relief it is, Lucienne. Now I can make the arrangements to go back to the UK before hopefully going on to Rhodesia. As my father has offered to provide an introduction to Roger Willock, the new British Senior Representative in Salisbury, I’m really hoping he’ll be able to help with any problems I may have getting in to the country.’
‘You’re lucky to have a father with friends in high places! I’m sure it will make things much easier for you.’
‘It should certainly help iron out some of the beaurocratic wrangles. I’m also hoping he’ll be able to introduce me to people who’ll be able to advise me on the best place to carry out the field studies.’
Mathew explained to Lucienne about the comparative methodology he planned to adopt. ‘The Samango and vervet group of guenons are native to Rhodesia, and if I have time, I aim to make some observations on the social grouping of chacma baboons . . .’ Lucienne listened, genuinely interested in discussing his plans, but changed the topic of conversation when the opportunity arose to tell him about her recent travels.
‘I met some really interesting people at the reception and had the chance to have a look around Washington – it’s a wonderful city. A diplomat I met at the Zaire Embassy took me to see a fascinating African-American art exhibition at the Smithsonian. Then he showed me round the city’s major landmarks, there’s a lot of beautiful architecture there.’
After the conversation had lapsed for a little while, Lucienne reached over the flickering candles on the table and took Mathew’s hand.
‘I’ve been putting this off but I can’t leave it any longer. I’m two and a half months pregnant.’
Although Mathew looked as if a bomb had just exploded by his side, he squeezed her hand tightly, got up from his seat and bent over to caress her. Lucienne’s eyes were soon moistened by tears as she tried to battle with her emotions in having at long last released herself from keeping her pregnancy a secret from him. Mathew returned to his seat, still holding tightly onto her hand, and silence prevailed for a while.
Eventually, Mathew said quietly, ‘We must spend the day together tomorrow to talk about the future. We’ve got to do everything we can to make the right decision, for all our sakes.’
It had subsequently taken them the whole weekend of mutual soul-seeking, weighing up all the pros and cons of a possible future of remaining together and even getting married, until they reluctantly concluded that the previous romantic magic of their intimate relationship was now a thing of the past. Although they both recognised that they were still extremely fond of each other and would always remain the greatest of friends, it was not just their contrasting cultural and ethnic backgrounds but the different career paths they had chosen that had started to separate them. They both acknowledged that even with the birth of their child, their future together would be unlikely to last the test of time.
It had taken a further two weeks before Lucienne had rather hesitantly agreed with Mathew that the best way forward was for her to undergo an abortion before the signs became too evident. Before Lucienne had told Mathew about her pregnancy, she read about America’s Abortion Act, Roe v. Wade, which had only been passed by the US Supreme Court on January 22nd of that year. The law had nullified state restrictions on abortions and now allowed women in all fifty states to obtain an abortion within the first trimester, for any reason that a woman so required.
However, Lucienne was also aware of the strong feelings in the Southern States against the new law, with many people believing that an abortion should remain on the statute books as a criminal act. It was for this reason, and for not wishing in any way to experience the regrettable stigma attributed to women who had undergone abortions in some areas of Georgia, that she had decided to travel to a more liberal-minded and sympathetic part of America in order to go ahead with it. It was thanks to a very understanding college obstetrician that she was given the name of a well-respected private abortion clinic in San Diego. As Mathew wanted to be as supportive as possible during this emotional and stressful time, he had insisted that he should accompany her to San Diego and stay for the clinic’s initial mandatory consultancy.
Although Mathew had told Lucienne that he would be responsible for all travel expenses to and from San Diego, and the subsequent private clinic costs involved in carrying out the operation, Lucienne had made it quite clear to him that she wanted to be by herself when the operation took place and to be totally on her own when she returned to Atlanta. She insisted that Mathew go ahead with his travel plans and return to the UK in early December as planned. She promised to keep in regular contac
t with him.
During the course of Mathew’s last week in Atlanta, he kept himself as busy as possible by gathering all the things that he had amassed during his time at Emory University and clearing out his flat prior to his imminent departure. Whenever he started to relax and reflect on the events that had taken place during the past month, his thoughts were preoccupied by his concern about the harrowing time that Lucienne was going through. He very much regretted that he had been unable to make Lucienne change her mind about travelling to San Diego alone. He had tried so hard to impress on her that he considered it to be very much his responsibility to be with her, and to keep her company throughout the traumatic times ahead. He had also reiterated that he would be only too willing to delay his departure from Atlanta in order to be with her; Lucienne had refused to be swayed.
The only highlight of their last few days together was a dinner given for them both by Osman and Yvonne Hill. The circumstances were very different to the last time they had visited, when Mathew had just returned to Atlanta after staying in the UK, and they had held hands excitedly throughout most of the journey. This time, despite her sadness, Lucienne looked as attractive as ever and was as outwardly cheerful as any host could have wished a guest to be.
‘It couldn’t have turned out much better under the circumstances,’ said Mathew as they discussed the outcome of the potentially disastrous situation in Macon. ‘Dr Cohen and Otto Gwyne negotiated brilliantly with the Police Department and the Tourist Advisory Council, successfully persuading them how badly it would reflect on the town if the incident were made public.’
‘I wouldn’t be surprised,’ added Osman Hill in a rather jocular fashion, ‘if the dropping of the court case didn’t owe something to Murray Cohen having so many influential friends among the elite of Macon society and his involvement with the upper echelons of the Cherry Blossom Lions Club.’
‘Whatever it was, it worked and I’m immensely grateful. I never want to see the inside of a police cell again!’
The conversation moved on to Mathew’s return to Africa and his hoped-for field research, which he promised to keep his professor fully informed about. Osman Hill also took the opportunity to say how very impressed he had been with the high standard of the data collection that Lucienne had carried out on his behalf, and just how important this had been in the writing of volume 9 of his primate monograph.
It was a convivial evening, though for Mathew and Lucienne it was poignant that circumstances differed so greatly to their previous dinner at the Hills’ home. There had been a great deal of happiness during their time in Atlanta, but now it was time to move on.
When the day of Mathew’s departure arrived, Lucienne had decided that it would be less traumatic for her if they had a quiet farewell lunch together at her flat rather than if she accompanied him to the airport. There was an understanding that they would talk about anything but her forthcoming trip to San Diego, which was due to take place at the end of the following week. It was a sombre and tearful occasion when Mathew caressed Lucienne for the last time, as he found himself saying goodbye to someone who he respected and loved so much. They had shared so many diverse and wonderful times in Africa and in North America during the past eighteen months. As Mathew’s taxi drove away from the flat to take him to the airport, Lucienne put on the bravest of faces and amidst a flourish of farewell waves, she blew him a final kiss.
Later on that evening when his British Airways flight had lifted off from Atlanta, it was an extremely depressed and dejected-looking Dr Mathew Duncan that was to be found seated in business class with a double whisky and soda clasped in his right hand. Mathew had found himself in a state of emotional disarray and emptiness of spirit, and he could not help feeling that he had not only greatly let down a person who he admired and loved so much, but that he had also failed to satisfactorily live up to the moral standards of his upbringing and the faith and confidence that he once had in himself.
By the time Mathew’s flight had landed among the mists of Heathrow the following morning, Lucienne had been in contact with the clinic in San Diego to cancel her appointment for the termination. She had decided some time ago to continue with her pregnancy and keep the child that had been fathered by a man she had loved so deeply. Lucienne had also made up her mind that Mathew would not be told about the birth of their child, due in the spring of 1974, for many years to come.
Part Two
A Return to Africa; 1974–1979
5
Leopard’s Rock
The route through the attractive township of Umtali on the south-eastern border of Southern Rhodesia with Portuguese East Africa (PEA), took Mathew along avenues lined with blazing flamboyant blossoms, intermingled with the pinks and yellows of the aloes. The tarmac road soon gave way to an impacted earthen surface that wound its way some 32 km up into the Vumba Mountains. As Mathew drove his newly acquired (second-hand) 4 × 4 Land Rover higher into the densely forested mountains, a thick mist or guti came rolling down, reducing visibility in places to less than 10 metres. Here, thick vegetation flanked the track, sometimes meeting overhead to form a tunnel then clearing suddenly to reveal precipitous ravines, leading eastward to the dramatic range of Chimanimani Mountains. At intervals, crystalline streams could be seen cascading down the mountainside, flanked by abundant forest ferns and lush tangles of vegetation. Mathew was delighted to see laughing doves and purple-crested turacos swooping to and fro through the spray.
This was the type of environment that Mathew felt very much at home in, and he was already finding that his recent return to Africa was acting as an effective tonic to all the traumas he had experienced during the past three months. In particular, the emotional disarray that he had felt during his last few days with Lucienne in Atlanta, and the stress of their final parting when his mind had been so preoccupied by her insistence on both going to the clinic and returning to Atlanta alone. He had dearly wished to be allowed to support her.
On his return to England for the Christmas of 1973, Mathew had phoned Lucienne on a number of occasions from the privacy of the Red Lion Inn in Burnsall. She had told him how her doctor was very pleased with her progress, but he couldn’t help feeling responsible for her and being concerned about her future welfare. During his time at Hartington Hall, Mathew often felt depressed and deceitful for keeping such a major event secret from not only his parents, but also from Sebastian and his close friends.
But now, after having been away from Africa for over a year, Mathew had returned to the continent that he so delighted in and found he had the opportunity to make a completely fresh start, hopefully with the benefit of the important lessons learnt over the past twelve months. He soon realised that in Ian Smith’s Republic of Rhodesia, it was important for him to keep his liberal views on race to himself initially in order to focus his attentions on his field studies. He would be studying the samango and vervet monkeys; both groups lived in the idyllic, lush habitat of the Vumba Mountains, along with other representatives of Rhodesia’s rich wildlife.
Before Mathew’s journey to Umtali to begin his field studies, he had stayed for ten days with Sir Roger and Lady Devra Willock at their sumptuous home in Salisbury. During his stay, Sir Roger had been extremely helpful by arranging for him to meet a cross-section of the people who could be of the most assistance to him. Some of the many useful contacts he made included Dr Simon Vaughan-Jones, Curator of the Victoria Museum in Salisbury, and his wife Anna, who were both carrying out behavioural studies on a captive colony of vervet monkeys; senior members of Rhodesia’s Game and National Park Departments (from which Mathew had to obtain permits) and the Professor of Zoology at the University of Rhodesia.
‘When I arrived here,’ Sir Roger had explained, ‘it was quite without any publicity. Britain withdrew its High Commissioner soon after Ian Smith’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965, and my appointment was a result of the findings of the Pearce Commission of 1972, to try to find a settlement that would be satisfactory
to both the African and European communities. Since the High Commissioner was withdrawn, there’s been no direct contact between the Rhodesian and British governments, so that’s where I come in.’ The Commission had recommended that as there was a degree of optimism in finding a political solution, it would be useful to have a senior British diplomat to set up a UK representative’s office in Salisbury, which could act as a reliable conduit of recommendations from all sides of the conflict – and so appointed Sir Roger Willock to the task.
During Mathew’s stay with the Willocks, he was delighted to hear more about Sir Roger’s time serving with his father in the Second World War. They were both in the 12th Royal Lancers during the Italian campaign, in the course of which they had both ended up as captains.
‘We lost far too many of our friends during the war, but we both felt very fortunate in having concluded our military activities with the liberation of Venice in April 1945. I’m sure your father’s told you that after VE Day on 8 May, we celebrated in some of the best bars and restaurants around St Mark’s Square. Nothing can compare to that experience, the sheer exuberance everyone felt once the war was over. No more fighting. People were cheering, shaking hands, hugging, kissing . . . The farewell dinner was at the Locanda Cipriani restaurant on Torcello, just off the Venetian coast – we had the finest food any of us had tasted since the beginning of the war. I shall never forget it. War can be utter hell; there’s nothing like the joy of being alive when it comes to end.’
Mathew had to have a meeting with a superintendent from Rhodesia’s Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). Such interviews had recently become mandatory for any non-Rhodesian resident or passport holder who wanted to visit or stay in a border region with either Portuguese East Africa to the south-east or with Zambia to the north. The authorities had started to consider that due to the potential of increased insurgency by factions of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) involved with Rhodesia’s fledgling Bush War, these border areas could become areas of conflict in the future.
Someone Wishes to Speak to You Page 12
