by Ron Sewell
The doctor returned with another cup of his potion. “How do you feel?”
“What colour was the truck that hit me?” she croaked.
“Your voice has improved. Are you sure you’re up to answering questions?”
Her eyes narrowed to slits as she mixed the truth with fiction. From experience, if you must lie, make it as close to the truth as you can. She nodded.
The doctor managed a smile. “Strange as it seems I do not know your name.”
“Linda Adams.”
He smiled as he wrote it on the form. “Your father was English with a name like that.
“Age?”
“Thirty two.”
“I’ll write early thirties. Can you tell me how you ended up half dead on a beach close to the Somalia border?”
“Pirates attacked our yacht.”
“Were you on your own or are there other survivors?”
“When they killed my husband, I jumped overboard.”
“Is there anyone I can contact?”
“My husband and I kept to ourselves. We had each other and didn’t need anyone else.”
“How did you reach the shore?”
“I was lucky and drifted on a wooden pallet. I’ve no idea for how long.”
“That’s all the questions for now. Finish my brew and I’ll bring you a jug of fresh water.”
“Who found me?”
“Three soldiers on patrol. Another day on the beach and the crabs would have had a feast.” He fumbled in a drawer and then from a foil packet removed two tablets. “Antibiotics. Take these with water.” He stood and left the tent.
Linda lay in the bed and gave her future a lot of thought. With her passport, money and South African Identity card lost, she had major problems. Her main concern was the Mombasa police; they would ask awkward questions. She had a vague idea where she was and wondered how she could escape.
The doctor returned with a plastic jug filled with water. “I want you to drink every drop of this. Not that you’ve asked but there’s a chemical toilet at the far end of my tent. When you’re fit enough to use it, I’ve arranged for your transfer to the hospital in Mombasa. Once you are there, you can contact your embassy.”
“Can’t I stay here? At least until my feet heal.”
“Rules and regulations. This is the army but I’ll arrange transport to Mombasa. Can you turn your head towards me?”
“Okay.” There was a flash from his mobile. “Need the photo to complete my report.
Deep in thought she asked, “Can I see it?”
He handed the mobile across.
“With my fat blotchy face it doesn’t look like me.”
He shrugged. good enough.”
Later he returned with an assortment of army fatigues and a bucket of warm water along with a bar of soap. “These are the smallest I could find. Try them on and choose? I’ll wait outside until you’re washed and dressed.”
“No need, you’ve seen every part of my body and anyway you’re a doctor.”
He nodded. be at my desk. I’ve plenty of paperwork. My proper patients sleep in a tent next door.”
She washed her hands, and face. In seconds, she sorted through the shirts until she found the smallest. Without embarrassment, she removed the hospital gown and slipped the shirt over her head. It smothered her small frame. As she pulled on a pair of trousers, a sharp pain erupted from her feet. The swelling had reduced but not enough to slip on a pair of sandals. “I need a belt.”
He lifted his head. “I’ll ask around but you may have to do with a piece of string. Most of these soldiers are big men.”
“I must be on the mend. I’m getting bored.”
“Do not leave this tent without me as your escort. A few of those men jump at their own shadows and are trigger-happy. Oh, I forget. What size shoes do you wear?”
“Size five. Why?”
“You need footwear and we have spare boots.”
“My feet look like balloons.”
“Large boots and army socks will do the job. Without footwear, you’re stuck in my bed. I’ll get three pairs.”
She watched him leave. Soon he’d declare her fit to travel. That thought worried her. She had no papers and it wouldn’t take the authorities long to discover her escape from pirates was a lie. Between the camp and arriving in Mombasa, she must escape.
He returned with three pairs of boots. “I’ll apply plenty of salve to your feet, and then the bandages. With the thickness of the socks as protection, you can try on the boots. He turned, rummaged in a drawer and removed her knife still in its sheath. “I hope you never need to use this.”
A silence settled over them.
She took a deep breath. “These are great. Snug fit and not painful. Fancy taking me for a stroll?”
“My pleasure.”
***
Later that evening the doctor returned and looked at her with half a smile. “Good news, two of the men have to return to Mombasa in the morning. It’s a fair distance with nothing but dirt roads until you reach the main highway. To make sure you arrive in daylight, you’ll be leaving at nine.”
She frowned. “So I’ll be back in the real world.”
“Yes, and I’ll get my bed back.”
She showed signs of embarrassment. “Believe it or not, I never realised.”
He grinned.” Get a good night’s sleep. It will be long hard day travelling.”
As she lay there, she thought of Daniela and wondered where she was tonight. Hopefully, out having fun. Maybe she could borrow a mobile from the doctor and make contact.
***
Early the next morning, dressed in her oversized army fatigues she boarded an APC. Two armed men joined her for the journey to Mombasa. As the vehicle rumbled away, she waved to the doctor.
The driver and his colleague chatted in their own language. Now and then they would laugh.
Linda did not understand and leant against the rear door. Nothing sensible entered her mind but to stay put was not an option. The last thing she wanted was the hospital asking awkward questions. Her mind spun, and she closed her eyes. These men were fit and strong. One might succumb but not both. She sank back in the seat as her survival mentality took over. The life she led meant one conclusion. If the truck stopped, she would take her chances, jump out and run.
The monotonous growl of the truck and the two men talking made her drowsy. When she awoke, her throat was sore and dry. Holding on to a rail, she went forward and gestured for water.
The driver’s companion pulled a water bottle from its rack and handed it to her, laughing as he did so.
She drank her fill and went to hand the bottle back. The soldier made a gesture for her to keep it so she retreated to the rear. With her back resting on the rear door, she stretched out on the other seats. It became a bone-jarring ride as she contemplated where they were going. With luck, there had been no contact with the outside world except to the hospital.
How can I get out of this? she asked herself.
The APC travelled along the rough dirt roads for an hour or more, when it twisted and stopped. Relaxed, the sudden jolt sent her sprawling onto the metal floor. She said nothing as the driver and his associate jumped out.
She heard them shouting at each other as she eased the rear doors’ securing clips. The two men were still shouting and pointing at something as she opened the door and holding the water bottle slid to the ground. Her eyes scanned the locale. In front of her, trees and bushes flourished. This will hurt she thought as at full speed she sprinted for cover. She worked her way through the vegetation until she reached the sea. Bird screams and the sea crashing on the shore drowned any noise she made. She stopped to get her bearings. To go south meant having the ocean on her left. Pain from her feet surged through her legs. Automatically, she went to take off her boots but commonsense prevailed. If removed, she would never get them on again. Shit, she thought, as she walked inside the tree line. Through the rest of the morning and most of
the afternoon, she plodded along the shore. The fear of being found kept her moving. Her pace slowed as the pain from her feet slowed her progress even more. At dusk, she stopped, rested and drank the warm water. Her face twisted in agony as she continued. Everything ached as she trudged along the stone-covered track.
The lack of traffic on the coast road made her sense it was much later than she believed. A full moon hung high in the sky showing it might be early morning. To her left she made out a small harbour built for tourists and pleasure craft. The concrete breakwater stretched at least two hundred metres into the sea. She forced her mind to collate the facts.
Daniela lived in a flat along this road. She placed one foot in front of the other, halting often to read the name of a housing complex. Hours later her spirits rose as she read, Planet Earth Apartments for rent, long or short term. With a grimace, she hobbled to the main entrance, found Daniela’s name and pressed the door entry buzzer.
After an eternity, a female voice came from the speaker. “Do you know the time? Who is it?”
“Danny, let me in,” she pleaded.
“I thought you were overseas, working. Come up, you know where.”
The lock clicked, and Linda shoved the door open. Dizzy, the pain from her feet made her nauseous. One at a time, she mounted the bare concrete steps.
Daniela, wearing a thin white cotton nighty, waited. “What the hell?” Shocked at the sight of Linda, she dashed forward and helped her into her flat. “You look terrible and scared the life out of me.”
Linda made a face.
“What happened to you?” she stared at Linda’s clothes. “Stay there and don’t move. What the fuck am I saying? Put your arm around my shoulders and I’ll help you into the bedroom.”
“I need a bath.”
Daniela hesitated and then shrugged as she placed Linda on a chair in the hall. “I’ll fill the bath. Can you wash yourself? I can do it. I don’t mind.”
“Help me take these clothes off.”
Between them, the oversized uniform and boots littered the tiled floor.
Linda staggered to the half-filled bath and with help lowered herself into the warm water. She squirmed as her feet throbbed and stung.
Later wearing pink pyjamas, she rested on the bed in the spare bedroom. Daniela layered antiseptic cream, and bandaged both of Linda's feet. She coated the salt sores with a gentler cream. “You might not win a Miss World contest but at least you smell better. I must go to work in a couple of hours. When you wake up, there’re cereals in the kitchen cupboards and juice in the fridge.” She kissed her on the forehead, switched off the light and left the room.
Linda tried not to move as she lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She waited for the painkillers to start working before she closed her eyes.
A warm breeze wafted through an open window. Linda awoke to the sound of waves lapping the shore. The few hours rest did little to make her aches and pains any better. In slow time, she lurched to the kitchen and filled a bowl with cornflakes and milk from the fridge. As she ate, her main concern was getting the services of a doctor.
She finished breakfast, made a cup of strong black coffee and in the lounge sat in an armchair. The two-bed flat contained the bare necessities. For the rest of the day she read old magazines and slept.
***
Daniela stepped out of a taxi carrying two large bags. In less than a minute, she stood over Linda, her head nestled on the arm of the chair. She studied her face, the salt sores had scabbed over and her dark hair shone. There was a mystery about her and she longed to kiss her.
Linda stirred and smiled through cracked lips. “Hi. I’ve spent most of the day sleeping.”
Daniela laughed. “You’re a lot better than when you arrived.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re a great liar?”
Daniela switched on the kettle. “This morning you were the most exhausted woman I’d ever seen. Coffee?”
“Black, please.”
“It’s none of my business, and you don’t have to tell me, but what the hell happened?”
Linda swung her legs off the chair and onto the floor. For a second or two she gave thought to her story and with a few twists of the truth said, “Wrong place at the wrong time. I was at a party, and some bastard slipped a mickey into my drink. The next thing I wake up in a shed along the coast.”
Daniela stopped as if someone had kicked her in the guts. “Bastards.” as she handed over a cup of steaming coffee.
“What’s in the bags?”
“Clothes and underwear for you. You can buy your own when you’re better.”
“I need to visit a doctor, and have you a laptop? Don’t worry about money, I pay my debts.”
“Don’t know how to use one but you can stay as long as you like, but without cash a doctor might be a problem.”
“Can you borrow one? If you can, I’ll transfer money from my account to yours.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I can ask the weirdo in the top flat, he tells me he’s a writer.”
“Why’s he a weirdo?”
“Because he wants to get into my knickers. I’ll go and ask.”
“Flutter your eye lashes with a promise you’ll never keep and he’ll grovel at your feet.”
She glanced back and winked as she left the flat.
Five minutes later, she returned and gave a slight smile.“He tells me his wifi will work in here.”
Linda snatched the Dell laptop and placed it on her knees. In seconds, she was onto the net and her Cape Town bank account. Her fingers rattled the keyboard. Login, password, account number and adding Danny’s account, prepared to transfer. For a second she considered an amount and chose forty thousand rand. She pressed the key. “Done. If we need more, it’s not a problem.”
“How do you memorise your account details?” asked Daniela. “I write mine in my diary.”
She shrugged. I’ve credited your account. Can a doctor attend me here?”
Daniela finished her coffee. “In this town you can have whatever you want if you have money. I’ll withdraw enough cash from the ATM and I’ll have a word at the airport tomorrow morning. Time you tried on those clothes.”
Linda gave a look of expectation. “You want to see me naked and have your wicked way.”
“For the moment, I’ll dispense a gentle massage.”
“I can live with that.”
Daniela helped Linda into the bedroom where she stripped and tried on the underwear and the one dress. She let the dress slip to the floor. “Did someone mention a massage?”
“Face down on the bed.”
“Best offer I’ve had today.”
Daniela slapped backside. “Behave.”
For fifteen minutes, she pressed and kneaded each muscle from the shoulders to her hips. Linda whimpered with delight at her touch. Another slap on the backside dragged her back to reality. “Go have a hot bath while I cook supper. Roast chicken with fresh vegetables, okay?”
Linda rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Wonderful.”
***
The doctor arrived the next evening. Her face devoid of make-up and her smile ice cold. When the prodding, testing and inspecting was over Linda waited.
She peered at Linda and let out a deep sigh. From a small black case, she lifted a bottle of pills. She handed it to Linda. “These will stop any infection. Take two now and then one every eight hours. The sunburn and salt sores will clear by the end of the week. I recommend you allow your feet to breath and the wounds to dry. Whatever drug they gave you will clear your system in a day or two. I advise you to report this to the police?”
She stared into the doctor’s eyes. “And what will the police do? Nothing.”
The doctor placed her hand on Linda’s thigh. “If you must have sex, delay the urge for a while.”
Linda squeezed the doctor’s hand. “See you around.”
Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, picked up her case and left.
; ***
Eight days of doing nothing drove Linda insane. As part of her morning ritual, she checked the soles of her feet in the bedroom mirror. “A few scabs but they’ve healed.” She shoved her feet into a pair of Daniela’s thick socks and slipped on a pair of cheap trainers. For five minutes, she roamed around the flat before preparing to go into town for some retail therapy.
She tied a scarf around her head and checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror. With one final glance around the apartment, she plucked the spare set of keys off the hook by the door and left.
The seafront overflowed with tourists shopping, and strolling along. Many ate fresh snacks purchased from the street stalls. Perfume and cooking formed a strange aroma in the hot, humid air. There was excited chatter between sellers and buyers. Using Daniela’s card and pin, she withdrew ten thousand shillings. Cash for haggling was always best. If the trader could see the money, you were halfway towards a deal.
Content, she weaved through the crowds, edging through the dense flow of people. She entered the Nakumatt mall and found a clothes shop. When she passed a jeweller’s shop window, she paused. As a thank you to her friend, she haggled with the owner and acquired a good deal on a gold wristwatch. Two hours later and with several large bags full, she wandered back along the sea front. At a fruit and vegetable stall, she bought the ingredients for a fresh salad.
With a bag in each hand, she made her way to a taxi rank and returned to the flat
Linda made a cup of coffee and gave thought to her future. To stay here was no longer an option. She mulled over her situation and recalled the best forger in Kenya lived not far away. At a price, he might help. Her security box in Cape Town contained everything she required. She ran a hot bath, lowered herself in, relaxed, and allowed her mind to wander.
Later she lay on her bed naked and hoped Danny might finish early. From a sound sleep, she woke. Nude, she strolled out of the bedroom. She smiled. "I love your uniform and the way it fits snug into your waist."
Daniela cleared her throat. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. I went into town this morning.” The corners of her lips curled into a smile.
“Have I a zit on my nose?”