by Tim Merriman
Ramla watched the men over her shoulder as the trio turned down a lane into the park. In a very short time they came to a giant field of grass, known as the Great Lawn to the locals. People were walking dogs and jogging on the trails, but no one seemed very interested in three children. The Africans trekked along the path, looking for a safe haven. Ramla pointed across the field and Daudi looked where she pointed.
“The tree, Ramla. You like the tree?” he wondered.
“Leopard Tree, no leopard,” she said, shrugging her tiny shoulders.
“I cannot see it, Daudi, but a lone tree is good if it is like our tree.”
“It is different, Masozi, maybe better. The limbs are bent over on all sides to touch the ground. It is like a boma of leaves and branches. We can go behind it on the path and then sneak into it when no one is watching,” Daudi said.
Ramla led Masozi by the hand and Daudi carried their two bags of food. They walked a long way until they were behind the tree and no other people were in sight. They swept the leaves aside and crawled up onto the huge low branches of an ancient weeping willow. It was very much like their Leopard Tree and they all felt a wave of homesickness.
“I wish you had the book, Daudi. You did not bring the book.”
“This was supposed to be a quick journey to get food, Masozi. We have left Miss Rosa and she will worry. We must wait only long enough for the police to leave and then get back.”
“I am waiting, Daudi. Let us eat.”
They popped open the bags and pulled out the wonderful sweet Danish and bananas they had bought. Masozi ate more than Daudi and Ramla together. His appetite had been legendary at the orphanage and travel only seemed to have created more of one. They had as much food left over as they had eaten, which was good, since they had planned to take food back for Rosa and Nancy. Daudi worried whether there would be enough after Masozi finished, but finally, he seemed sated.
“I have eaten sufficiently, Daudi. Ouch, maybe too much,” complained Masozi.
“Do not talk so loud, Masozi. We will attract attention of the dogs and people walking by. I am going to peek and see if it is safe to walk back to the apartment now. Miss Rosa must think we have gone back to Kenya.”
Daudi crept down the short trunk and walked out on the soft leaf litter to the braided limbs of the willow. He parted them just enough to allow him to peer through and was shocked to see three policemen on horses riding on the trail. He hurried back to the trunk and climbed up to the broad flat limb that served as their picnic table.
“More police, Masozi and Ramla. I think we must sit here a while longer.”
“Hakuna matata, Daudi. Ramla is watching for trouble and I am listening. We will be very safe, I assure you.”
“I feel better, Masozi,” Daudi said sarcastically. “I am thinking we should not have left the apartment, but I am happy you are watching and listening.”
They settled in to wait and hope the police became less common around the Great Lawn.
* * *
Nancy was up first and took a shower before going out to the kitchen. She did not see the kids but found the note on the table and immediately awakened Rosa.
“Aunt Rosa. Get up. It’s awful. The kids went out. They’re not in the apartment.”
“What? Oh no! Why would they leave?”
“The note says they went for food,” Nancy said, extending the small paper to Rosa.
“This could not be worse,” Rosa said, and then the doorbell rang.
“Oh my, not a good thing to say, Aunt Rosa.”
“You’re dressed, Nancy. Please get the door and let no one in except the kids. Hopefully it’s them returning. Use the peephole to check.”
Nancy hurried toward the door and peeked through the peephole in the door.
“Aunt Rosa. It’s a guy in a suit and a couple of cops,” Nancy yelled. “What do I do?”
“Don’t let them in. Just ask what they want,” Rosa yelled back.
“He’s yelling at me. You don’t think they’ll try to break it down, do you?”
“I’m throwing on clothes. Let them in, but please stall them.”
Rosa disappeared into the bathroom and washed her face and ran a comb through her hair in less than a minute, all the while cursing whoever had let it slip that they were here. She threw on safari shorts and a lightweight shirt and emerged with just a dash of mascara in a record time of two and a half minutes. Two men were having coffee with Nancy in the kitchen.
“Aunt Rosa, this is—”
“Captain Lennon,” the uniformed man said, sticking out his hand. You are Rosa Carson?”
“Yes, I am,” she said, shaking his hand tentatively. “Is something wrong?”
“This is John Ellison from Immigration and Naturalization Service. We’re expecting Lou Morgan from the mayor’s office any minute.”
“And why did our apartment become the local meeting place?”
“I think you know, Miss Carson,” Ellison said. He did not offer to shake hands. “We saw Barry Prince Live. Where are the illegals you’re harboring?”
“The kids are out right now. I don’t know where,” she answered honestly without thinking.
“They’re in your charge and you let them out in New York City alone?” Ellison asked flatly.
“They went out before I was awake to find some breakfast. Here’s their note. If you watched the show, you know they’ve traveled from Nairobi to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, all on their own. They can take care of themselves, have no doubt. I’m their friend, not their guardian. Clearly, I’m not their guardian, damn it, or I would stop losing them.” Rosa was so self-incriminating that Nancy was no longer willing to be silent.
“Look here, Mr. Ellison. I’m an American citizen and I resent your patronizing tone of voice. Aunt Rosa’s done nothing but help three orphans see the sights in New York. What is your problem?” Nancy stormed.
“Ma’am, harboring aliens is illegal under immigration laws. Especially since September 11, the security of the country is at stake,” he argued.
“Are you a complete idiot? These kids are from Kenya and they are disabled and sick and kids. What do you not get about this? The country is not being attacked here.”
“Calm down, Nancy. It won’t help. She’s sorry, Mr. Ellison. We both are. Help us find them. We’ll face whatever music you want us to face.”
“The kids will just be deported. I can’t say how severe the charges against you will be, but I’m sure there will be charges.”
“Miss Carson, I don’t share my federal colleague’s zeal for a pound of flesh. We just don’t want a big scene and you’ve invited a lot of people to the park without a permit. We’re hoping they don’t show up, but something tells me they just might,” the captain explained. The doorbell rang again.
Nancy answered the door, shaking her head and muttering under her breath. She opened the door and a forty-ish, attractive woman wearing a very stylish silk suit appeared.
“Hi, I’m Lou Morgan with the mayor’s office. Captain Lennon and Mr. Ellison are here I hope.”
“Join the party. I’m Nancy. You probably don’t want to meet me but you will anyways.”
“Having a bad day, are we?” Lou said, extending her hand.
“Sorry, yes, it is a frustrating day and it’s early. I don’t usually bite. I’ll try to chill.”
Nancy led Lou in to join the men she had worked with on other occasions.
“Ms. Carson. This is Lou Morgan. She is the mayor’s rep and can speak for him in most cases,” Captain Lennon said.
Rosa shook her hand and they all sat back down. Nancy brought coffee for all of them.
“Ms. Carson. Let me get right to the point. This stunt of yours is turning into a P.R. nightmare. Please tell me you’re going to accompany the kids to custody quietly and call off the rally. You have no permit to meet in the park, and I assure you we will not grant one under pressure.”
“Then why are you worried, Ms. Morgan? The kids
have slipped out and I don’t know where they are. There’s no rally without them.”
“I hope you’re right. There have been more than fifty thousand e-mails to the mayor asking exactly where to meet in the park. We’re more than a little concerned.”
Inside Rosa was rejoicing at the news of a flood of e-mails. Rosa’s cell phone rang and she stepped away from the table to answer it.
“Rosa, it’s Ilan, get over to the GNN affiliate station as fast as you can go. The morning news show wants an interview and then only the biggest talk show host ever wants you on later with the kids before the rally. The Alma Winters show will tape you and the kids and run it later with footage of the rally preparations.”
“Ilan, the kids went out to get food and haven’t come back. The police and immigration are here. I’ve got monumental problems right now. What do we do? Immigration is threatening me legally, plans to deport the kids, and the mayor’s office rep is here, totally freaked out. They’ve had fifty thousand inquiries by e-mail about the site for the rally. I’m out of my league.”
“Rosa, don’t panic and don’t cave in to them. You’ve got the country on your side and I’ve got connections. Find a way to get to the station. Ask them to help find the kids. We need everyone to come to the park. Make that your mantra. And I’ll get to work on an attorney, just in case.”
“How do I do all that with the police here, Ilan? They haven’t arrested me yet, but it’s just a matter of time. I’m sure they’re not going to let me go anywhere. This is not going to work.”
“You’re resourceful. Make it happen. I’ll call back as soon as I make a few calls.”
Rosa turned back to the guests, who were now under Nancy’s spell. She had flipped from southern Illinois wildcat to charming hostess and they were eating it up.
“I’m sorry. Excuse me, Captain, Mr. Ellison. Can you clarify for me? Am I under arrest or in custody? If I am, I need to get an attorney and quit talking with you right now. And if I’m not, I’ve got things to do.”
“The mayor would like this all to disappear under the radar, Miss Carson. Can you suppress it?”
“These kids just want to tell their story to the United Nations and they’ve been denied that chance. At this point, I don’t even know where they are, so I’m pretty sure we have no plan. I just want to find them, get Daudi to a doctor, and arrange to fly them all back to Kenya.”
“If you mean that, Miss Carson, I think we can keep this from becoming a major legal issue,” Mr. Ellison offered.
“That would be the perfect solution,” Lou Morgan added. “We just need it all to calm down and if you don’t show up at the park, surely everyone will just go home quietly.”
“Miss Carson, where do you think they would go?” Captain Lennon asked.
“Toward the park, I think, Captain. They’re not frightened by nature, but the city is pretty strange to them. I can’t imagine them staying on the streets. It’s got to be the park.”
“I already have extra police in the park due to the potential for demonstrators to show up at your request. I can turn this in to search and rescue easily. I’ll be back.” Captain Lennon stepped outside the apartment to relay orders.
“I’m curious, how did you find us so easily?” Rosa asked.
“Oh, they pressured GNN, Aunt Rosa. Captain Lennon told me. The camera crew wouldn’t tell and Barry Prince didn’t know, but they log their trips and the good captain swiped the log book,” Nancy explained.
“Subpoenaed,” Lou corrected.
“Could we just go out to the park and look for them ourselves?” Rosa asked.
“Let’s leave that to the police, Ms. Carson,” Mr. Ellison suggested. “You two stay put for now. We’ll have a New York police officer out front if you wish to contact us and we’ll let you know the moment they’re found. Just plan on staying put until we have the kids in custody.”
“How could we leave without you knowing? There’s no back door here and you’ve got the front covered,” Nancy reminded them.
Lou Morgan and Mr. Ellison left abruptly and Rosa and Nancy could finally talk.
“What do we do, Nancy? We may not be under arrest, but we’re definitely being detained. We’re stuck here and Ilan has me booked on the the morning news show and maybe Alma Winters.”
“You go ahead and leave and take care of business, Aunt Rosa. I’ll tell them you’re lying down with a migraine, if they come back.”
“Do I tunnel out or learn to fly?” Rosa asked rhetorically.
“Climb would be a better choice, Aunt Rosa. There’s a fire escape out of the patio and no one monitoring the back that I can see.”
“You’re a genius.” Rosa gave Nancy a hug and changed into something a little more appropriate for TV appearances.
“Wish me luck,” she said, waving goodbye to Nancy as she slipped out the patio door.
She climbed onto a bench, grabbed the pull-down ladder, and started to climb. She had nowhere to go but up until she reached the roof. She climbed over the roof parapet and onto the next roof, continuing until she was at the corner of the block. A similar fire escape went down to an alley behind a Starbucks. She was down it and in the Starbucks quickly. She bought a coffee and Danish and then realized Nancy had little or nothing to eat at the apartment. She worried for just a minute and then decided that it wouldn’t take long for Nancy to charm the policeman out front to help her get something. Rosa left the Starbucks and walked right into a group of policemen getting instructions on looking for her kids. She walked around them as if she had not a care in the world, realizing they weren’t looking for her just yet. A taxi responded to her wave and she was soon on her way to the GNN studio. She called Ilan and he picked up on the first ring.
“I’m out and on my way, Ilan. Alert the media.” She giggled. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
“Cool. Listen, I’ll meet you there. There’s one hour left in their programming and they assured me you were the hottest story in town right now. They’ll bump the fall fashions for you. How did you get out?”
“Nancy figured it out. The police have us barricaded in the apartment and likely won’t approve my being out so whatever we do, we need to do fast before they officially put me under arrest. See you there. Bye.”
Rosa worried about the kids but knew there was little she could do. She also knew they were resourceful beyond anyone’s understanding. She hoped they would not run from the police. It might be better now if they were in custody. When she entered the studios, Ilan was pacing back and forth, waiting on her.
“Thank goodness you’re here. I can’t work for the wire and be the storyteller in person. They‘re waiting on us. Mark Bower will do the interview.”
“Good grief. I hope I can speak. I’ll be in awe.”
“Just another TV camera. You’ve done this before.”
“I prefer shooting still photos and writing stories on my laptop, not being the subject of the interview.”
“They want to help the kids—your three and all the others. You’ve gotten the world’s attention. Time to tell the story. Be the change, sweetheart,” Ilan reassured her.
The director, Lois Travis, introduced herself and then pushed Rosa into makeup quickly. “You’re on in five minutes, Miss Carson. You’re dressed perfectly, but need a little touchup on makeup.”
“No kidding.”
The makeup man, Andy, quickly brushed her short hair into something passable and added some light makeup touches to make her show up under the bright lights, then she was shuttled off to the Green Room where Ilan waited.
“This is wild, Ilan. What do I say? The kids are lost. I lost them. I’m an idiot!”
“You’ve been terrific, Rosa. Quit the self-flagellation. Get in there and ask everyone to come to the rally. Don’t admit they’re lost.”
Lois stuck her head into the room and said, “Show time. Mark will be on with you in two minutes. Let’s go.”
Lois led her to the hot seat where interviewe
es wait and she was introduced to Mark Bower, one of the biggest names in the business.
“Hi, Miss Carson. May I call you Rosa? Please call me Mark.”
“Okay, Mr. Bower. Mark. I’m too nervous to know what I’m saying.”
“They tell me you’ve done this before. You’ll be fine. I’m going to ask you about the kids and the rally, ok? Barry Prince Live and news articles you’ve written have given people background. We’ll just bring them up to date.”
Lois was back pointing at them. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four. . ..”
Her fingers finished the three count.
“We’re with Rosa Carson, companion of three young Africans who came to New York City to attend the U.N. Children’s Conference. What went wrong with that Rosa?”
“Really nothing, Mr., uh, Mark. The U.N. folks were gracious but firm that kids who are victims were not allowed to be part of the conference. These three young people hitchhiked halfway around the world to meet Kamau Akama at the U.N.”
“And apparently their efforts have been frustrated so far. What message would they bring to the U.N. that the statesmen there don’t already know?”
“Their message isn’t necessarily new, Mark. They just want to put a face on the facts. They are living testimony to raw courage. Their message is that we need to turn the incredible war machine of the U.S. and the rest of the world into a peace crusade so children no longer have to suffer for the ignorance and prejudice of the so-called adults who are the decision-makers. How do we make that message heard if it doesn’t come from the mouths of those who have to live with the consequences?”
“Indeed, I think most people would agree that’s a message worth hearing. So what happens today?”
“We have a rally at the Great Lawn of Central Park today at noon. We want people there to hear the kids speak for themselves.”
“Where are the kids now? We were hoping to meet them.”
“They’re in Central Park already, and the police have a big contingent there as well.” She hoped to avoid being more detailed.
“So the city is cooperating.”
“The mayor’s office has been wonderful. I can’t say enough good things about them, Mark. We met with Lou Morgan, the mayor’s personal representative this morning and she was very helpful in explaining that they already have security in place.” Does not telling the whole truth constitute a lie? she wondered. Rosa hoped this would all turn out right, but she had no idea. She was flying by the seat of her pants, working purely out of instinct.