Lia's files 2_Heading down south

by Kathrin Kilambya

  “Another one of your kind.” Yuki mused with a smile. “Just as I said. I am very sorry for her family, though. And I won’t talk about it. Don’t you worry.”

  “What did you discuss with Senayit and Melat, by the way?”

  “Nothing of importance, just small talk. Mostly about cooking and food. They are very interested to try the fruit we brought. They have never yet tasted apples. So, let’s go and join everyone. They are waiting for us.”

  We sat down with the others. Tigist spoke a prayer and then started handing out the food. She made a point to serve Winter first. She smiled at her reassuringly, even patted her arm. Winter was clearly embarrassed to be the centre of so much attention and shrugged her shoulders. She smiled at Tigist, too, and thanked her for everything.

  We ate bread and some apples. Tigist and her ladies were obviously rather disappointed by them, but too polite to say it. They munched their slices but didn’t ask for more. Instead, they happily switched to the bananas we’d brought along too. Their bread was delicious, though; a flat bread; a bit like the chapatis we ate at home, a Kenyan recipe. But this flat bread here was thicker, softer and more bread-like. It wasn’t fresh and with hot tea it might have been even tastier, but it was nutritious and nice none the less.

  We were just about finishing up and had started to pack up things, when Idris, Goytom, Paul and Nin came in. They came over to have some food too, and then told us to hurry and get ready. Everyone wanted to make a move and quickly.

  Within half an hour, we had everything down by the cars and loaded. Before we all settled into the cars, Idris came over to us with Brhane and Goytom. Goytom translated for him.

  “Idris would like to know what your plans are like. He has been discussing with Brhane and his people. They have decided that they will try to find land to settle on the Western shores of Lake Tana. They will travel to Bahir Dar with us and then we will separate. Idris would like to know what you plan to do.”

  Rob looked quickly at the rest of us and said. “I can answer for all of us. We would like to reach Kenya as quickly as possible. We gather that there is an airport in Bahir Dar and we would like to see whether we might not find a plane and fly at least down to southern Ethiopia with it, maybe even all the way to Kenya. In that way, we could get around Addis Ababa, where, as we have been told by Goytom, another Nemesis base may be. Goytom and Degu want to come with us. And, if I may venture a guess, so wants Mahlet. Which is perfectly all right with us. Goytom indicated that his family is from southern Ethiopia, around Awassa, and that he wants to search for them there, rather than in Addis Ababa.”

  Goytom dutifully translated, but kept a studiously neutral face. Tigist and Melat looked outraged when he mentioned Mahlet. They immediately badgered her with questions and Mahlet appeared very self-conscious, but defiantly stood her ground.

  “Why on earth did you say that?” Winter exclaimed. “It’s presumptuous and you can’t know what she wants or what Paul wants. Really!”

  “But they don’t have the time to make up their minds, do they.”

  “So?” Winter asked incredulously.

  “So, by forcing their hands I am doing them a favour.” Was Rob’s cool reply.

  Which made me grin. He was taking a big leap here and could be utterly wrong. But it was kind of fun to see him playing deus ex machina for two souls probably destined for each other.

  “Really, bro, you are taking a huge guess here.” Josh gently scolded, all the while smiling.

  Meanwhile Idris and Goytom had been discussing back and forth for a bit and Goytom was now ready to inform us of what Idris had said.

  “That you want to fly from Bahir Dar, Idris says, is a sensible decision. He isn’t altogether happy that Goytom and Degu want to go with you, but he expected it and can understand it. About Mahlet, however. Well, that he can hardly stomach this. He is absolutely against her travelling with you. However, he says nothing is to be decided right now. He’ll want a word with Paul, though.” At this, Goytom chuckled.

  “That seems like a very sensible decision.” Rob answered.

  “Idris asks us to get ready to leave immediately. Is that okay with you?” Goytom added.

  We all nodded our approval and soon everybody was in their respective cars and we were just waiting for Paul and Nin. They had gone up to the look-out by the church before and Josh now went to fetch them. Soon, they came running down the path. Nin and Josh were laughing, and it was easy to see why. Paul was fuming. He shot Rob a nasty look, but refrained from saying anything or going over to him. Instead he got into our car and banged the door, which made Alice ask what was the matter.

  “Nothing, just some idiots making presumptuous assumptions.” Paul snapped.

  Alice looked at me alarmed, but I shook my head, indicating that she should leave it be. Josh got into the car too, just as Idris’s truck started forward, leading the way.

  “I gather that Nin and you never saw anything we need to worry about?” I ventured, trying to break the ice with Paul.

  “Yes,” he replied curtly. “The coast is clear. There are certainly no Nemesis coming after us from the North.”

  Paul was clearly very angry, because he drove jerkily and more than once had to break abruptly in order to avoid bumping into the front car, Rob’s car by the way. Alice didn’t like it and I also started to feel queasy. But before I could say anything, Josh intervened.

  “You know, mate, this reckless driving won’t help a bit. And, you have to take a decision.”

  He promptly had his head bitten off for that. “Do I? Indeed! Says who? Rob? Or you? How dare you? How dare he take decisions for me!”

  “He never meant it in a bad way, and well you know.” Josh tried to reason with him.

  “I don’t care how he meant it. Fact is that he meddled in my affairs. He is trying to force my hand; and I resent this. I hate it.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean ‘Why?’ I should say it’s obvious.” Paul was fuming.

  “But what do you feel about her? Don’t you want her to come with us?”

  Paul shot him a piercing glance. “Of course! But how can I ask her to join us? To come with me? She would have to leave all her family behind, her sister. And probably she would never ever see them again. I cannot ask this of her. I don’t even know that she’s interested.”

  “Maybe you are making assumptions, too. From what I have seen, she’s as much interested in you, as you are in her.”

  At this, Paul almost careened off the road. “What? How do you know?”

  I chipped in with my bit of observation. “Yes it’s true, Paul, she keeps glancing at you and follows your every move with her eyes. When you look at her, though, she is careful you wouldn’t know. I’d say that she is very much interested in you.”

  That silenced Paul for the moment. He shot me an incredulous look in the back mirror and opened his mouth as if to reply, only to shut it again and swallow hard.

  And, of course, Josh would rub it in some more. “You know, I don’t want to intrude, but it is a clear case to me. You fell in love and so did she.”

  “What are you all talking about? Who is to come with us? And why?”

  That was Alice. I had been afraid how she would take it, if she learned that Paul was not only devoted to her but had lost his heart to someone else. Josh glanced at me questioningly, but it was Paul, who answered Alice.

  “Princess, we are talking about Mahlet. She … I …”

  “Why would Mahlet come with us? Her sister Ifrah wouldn’t let her.” Alice wondered.

  Iiiih! She’d certainly knew how to rub it in. Perfectly innocently, of course, but none-the-less spot on.

  Paul’s mouth snap shut like a startled oyster. Josh turned around in the car and faced Alice. “You know, tiger, how I love Lia and she loves me. How we want to be together and how we would hate to be separated. Well, that’s the way Paul feels about Mahlet. And, from what I can see, it’s also the way Mahlet feels about P
aul.”

  Alice looked scandalized at this, but before she could commit another social gaffe, I intervened. “Alice, behave! Okay?”

  She looked from me to Paul and back, remained silent for a moment and then declared. “I like Mahlet. She is very nice. She helped us play yesterday. She knows English, you know. She can come with us.”

  I had to bite my lips in order not to burst out laughing. It was just too hilarious. This little person declaring her consent as if she was the decisive factor in this equation.

  Which, to judge from the sigh Paul heaved, maybe she was. Josh chuckled and blew her a kiss.

  “Tiger, you are one swell kitten!”

  “I like Mahlet. It would be great to have her come with us. She must ride in our car.” Already she was making plans for Paul and Mahlet.

  Paul didn’t let on how he felt about this. His erratic driving had stopped, though, he was calm again and drove on silently, but seemingly no more angry.

  Josh, however, wouldn’t let go. “So it’s decided? Right? You’ll ask her?”

  At this, Paul shot him a hard glance. “Mind your own business, bro. I never interfered with yours either.”

  “Oh did you. Not the way I remember.” Josh mocked.

  “Leave me alone.”

  “If you promise to speak with her.” Josh insisted. “It’s her choice as much as yours.”

  This seemed to infuriate Paul to the point of bursting. But before he could say anything, Alice chipped in again.

  “I think she will want to come. She asked me yesterday about all of us.”

  “And you told her what?” Josh carefully asked. Paul just glared at no one in particular and kept driving.

  “Oh, not much. She wanted to know about Paul mostly. But I didn’t know your profession or where your family is from. So I just told her that you are a pilot or so and my friend, my special friend. She liked that.”

  Josh and I shot each other a glance and grinned. I tousled Alice’s hair, “Well done, tiger. Well done.”

  Paul rolled his eyes at this but he seemed to calm down. A pensive and even calculating look in his eyes, he drove on at a more moderate style than before.

  Suddenly he broke his silence, startling me not a little with this unexpected question. “Is it okay with you, too, Lia, if I ask Mahlet to come along with us?”

  “Of course. No problem with me. Why do you even have to ask?”

  “Because. I don’t know really. It’s just. I am afraid.” With an effort he cleared his throat before going on. “I hardly know her, but I feel drawn to her like to a magnet. What if I make a mistake? What if she won’t really like me and will find herself stranded with us?”

  “Do you doubt your own heart?” I asked.

  “No, I am sure about myself. But I can’t ask her to make this huge sacrifice, can I?” He seemed utterly dejected.

  “Why, tell her about how you feel and let her make her decisions.”

  “But it is all happening so fast. How can I expect her to take a decision and act upon it today!”

  I reached out to pat his shoulder. “Paul, these aren’t normal times. Right? Nothing is the way it used to be. Yes, it is a huge decision. But if both of you are sure, you’ll work it out. Together. And anyway, how do you know that we will never again see Idris and his group. Maybe a permanent connection between our groups can be established. At the very least once we will start organizing the fight against the Nemesis. Right?”

  At this, even Paul had to laugh. Josh shot me a piercing smile and said. “Wow! You and your warped mind. Really! But you might be right. Have I recently told you that I love and adore you?”

  I turned crimson at this. Not because I was embarrassed, but for sheer love. Without answering him, I touched his shoulder and he took my hand and kissed it.

  Paul never even made any snide remarks about lovers and kissing and so. He was too intend on thinking about what we’d all said,

  We drove on in silence after that. The scenery was much the same as yesterday. We were getting closer to the edge of Lake Tana, though. The vegetation along the lake shore was lush and big trees spread out their canopies. Huge, wonderful fig trees, but also Acacias and fever trees. It was splendid. The road sloped gently downwards and Josh, after consulting his maps, suddenly declared that we would be in Bahir Dar in just a few kilometres.

  Indeed. Within some minutes, the first houses of Bahir Dar appeared and coming around a corner, we found ourselves suddenly in the outskirts of a rather biggish town. We followed the other cars and drove along empty roads passed apartment blocks, tall office towers, huge squares with statues in their centre. It all looked unusual and was certainly unexpected.

  “I had gathered that it would be a big town, but I haven’t expected something that big!” Josh exclaimed.

  “Look, there are lions over there, on that statue.” Alice pointed toward our left. We had just passed a very official looking building, something governmental for sure, and at its iron-wrought gates there were figures of lions on pedestals to the left and right of it.

  “Impressive.” Paul murmured. “This certainly was a rich and prospering place.”

  Yes, and all the gloomier it seemed, now that it was utterly empty and devoid of life. Thankfully, we didn’t see many corpses. The dead were obviously elsewhere, probably in their houses or churches. Some stray dogs roamed the roads and we saw several donkeys and goats grazing in a park next to the road. There was even a baby donkey, which pleased Alice to no end.

  “Where is Idris driving to? I thought we should have taken that junction there.” Josh wondered. “But I guess he knows what he’s doing.”

  Paul followed close behind Rob’s car and we soon left the centre of town and came into more residential areas. Some huge compounds with villas and extensive parks and gardens could be gleaned; and lots of apartment blocks.

  “Will we cross over the river Nile, the Blue Nile, I mean, somewhere here?” I inquired.

  Josh consulted his maps and explained that we had already done so when entering the town. We just hadn’t noticed.

  Alice held Piglet and Malinda to her and moved closer to me. She seemed overwhelmed by all this. “There are no people anywhere, aren’t there? I am scared.” She said in a panicky voice.

  I lifted her unto my lap and held her close. “I know, Alice, it really is spooky, isn’t it. But we will soon get to that airport. And then the worst is over.”

  Josh rolled his eyes at this, but remained silent. Paul drove on in silence, busy navigating his way and probably still mulling over in his head what he would say to Mahlet.

  It didn’t take us long to reach the airport, which was situated in an open area a bit to the north of Bahir Dar and we easily found the road leading to it. Idris parked his truck alongside the road and everybody stopped and got out.

  “First things first.” Paul murmured and headed for the hangars.

  “I wonder whether this is really a wise move?” Josh mused, following him. Nin and Rob, too, together with Goytom and Degu, disappeared into the hangar.

  That left everyone else waiting, and we stood around a bit awkwardly.

  I was debating with myself whether I should approach Mahlet but refrained from doing so. She stood next to Tigist, who was apparently reading her a lecture, but her eyes were on the hangar. She seemed tense like hell. Her sister Ifrah, however, stood in a very relaxed manner next to her and held her hand. Every now and then, she would lift it to her mouth and kiss the back of Mahlet’s hands. Finally, Tigist wouldn’t stop lecturing Mahlet, she intervened and held a little speech.

  “Do you understand, what they are saying?” Winter whispered anxiously.

  “No, they are talking Amharic.” Yuki said. She was holding Alice close to her and helped her putting on her little backpack and getting Piglet and Malinda ready.

  Suddenly, Mahlet made a move and came over to us. She was clearly very shy, but determined.

  Good for her.

  We all smiled encou
ragingly at her. She heaved a sigh and began. “I. You. You will leave today, by plane, will you not? I, I want to come with you.”

  Alice wriggled out of Yuki’s hold, strode over to Mahlet, took her hand and shook it vigorously. “Of course. You can sit next to me in the plane, you know. It’s a very good idea.”

  Mahlet looked from her to us, uncertain what to say or do. I tried hard not to laugh, but I couldn’t help myself and burst out giggling, while Yuki declared with a lot more dignity, that Mahlet was very welcome to join our group. Winter inquired rather rudely whether she’d already talked with Paul.

  “No, not yet, but he will agree.” Was Mahlet’s confident reply to this. At that, we all burst out laughing and hugged each other.

  Paul couldn’t have chosen a better moment to reappear from the hangar. He looked a bit perplexed at all of us, but then a smile stole over his face. He seemed to brace himself, and strode toward Mahlet. Taking her hand, he looked into her eyes, pleadingly, all the while caressing her with his eyes, and asked in a tight voice. “Will you come with me? With us?”

  To which she simply nodded, a shy but vibrant smile spreading over her face. He turned and, still holding her hand in his, led her over to where Idris and Tigist stood in rigid disapproval. He gestured for Goytom to translate and then addressed Idris, but mostly Ifrah.

  “I know that you can’t like this. But I do love Mahlet. And it seems that she loves me.” At this, he shot her an incredulous but happy look. “I will take care of her to my last breath. She will be safe with us. I promise. We will try to contact you, as soon as we have reached Kenya and found out what happened with our families. Please, do give us your blessings. It is important to both of us.”