Girls! Let’s give them some privacy. See you at home. I grabbed Irene to me as I jumped.
1271
PART TWENTY TWO
Chapter Ninety Eight
The girls and I needed a lot of time together, to talk and love each other. However all our friends and families were waiting for us, they needed to celebrate with us also. I told the girls to make patience, we can go to the alternate world afterwards and spend a month there if we want and return in time for our meeting the next evening. That cheered them up and we were soon having a wonderful time, though both they and I made certain I always had at least one of them in my arms or by my side. Alki saw to it that there would be enough drinks and ordered enough food to feed an army and everyone over-indulged themselves.
After the first hour of everybody patting each other’s backs, the questions started. I suggested everyone sit down and I would open my mind to them. That way they would see clearly all I had experienced. I quietly invited the protector to join in. Only Ordinx and Solomon did not enter my mind. They could not, but preferred to see when in the void anyway. When it was over I opened my eyes to find them all staring at me silently. My mother came over with tears in her eyes and put her arms around me.
“My poor son, what you have suffered.”
“Actually I don’t think of it as suffering. I made a lot of new friends, learnt a lot and hopefully became a better person.”
Niko answered my comment with his usual wry humour, “Robert, would you do us all a favour and try to avoid situations in the future that would make you a better person.” That earned a few laughs and relaxed the atmosphere.
“Before I answer that, may I ask why Henry and Angelo are not here?”
“Angelo went to see his family, they had been very worried about him. Henry said he needed to walk and think by himself. I’m sure he will be back soon.” I took myself to his mind and saw where he is. I jumped there.
“Henry, are you troubled?”
“You are back! I’m fine, I thought you would be delayed in coming back. Guess I was too deep in thought to pick up your return.” He hugged me.
I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. “Are you still my brother?”
“I do not feel like one anymore. This has been a bad time for me Robert. To face danger together is one thing, and I would not have cared what it cost me. To have to sit by and know we are protected while you are out there with no powers and no protection, that is another. Every time I heard you had been attacked and injured I felt more guilty.”
“I tend to think of myself as the lucky one. Whenever we are attacked I seem to be the focus of the attack. As long as I know my loved ones are safe I do not care. To have to do what you did, sit back and wait, helpless to protect any of my loved ones that are under attack, that I could not bear. I do not have that kind of courage, I would fall apart.”
“You! You would just find a way to force the attacker to concentrate on you.”
“We have been very lucky. If Doris had realised from the start that I should not be the focus of her attack, if she had gone after Cherine, I would have gone mad. To lose her would be something I could not bear - ever.”
“It is strange how all of us have a favourite amongst your girls. Only you and Alki consider Cherine so special, I mean as far as love goes. I did for a time, but I think it was also because I felt guilty. Now, the rest of us respect her, but are a little afraid of her. Don’t take that the wrong way, I do love her, but it is difficult to feel loving of her, if you know what I mean.”
“That is because of me. You feel my fear and my respect for her. I think that beneath the surface aggression you are not able to see that she is the most vulnerable of all of us. Think of what the Cherinians are. All our gifts, the personality of us as a group stems from her. Her original gift, the one that shaped all of us, is her empathy. That means she feels your pain. That can be quite a terrible gift, especially when it is as strong as it is in her. Imagine her as a little girl on her own and feeling all she did!
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I think if any of us had her gift we would have become soft and mushy. Luckily she seems to have a spirit that fights back, a natural cheekiness; she was born to be a rebel. She also hides her vulnerability that way. If she had not loved me so much she might have hidden herself from me too. My little cub becomes so fierce when she feels I am in danger that even as a little girl she can frighten others, imagine what she will be like as an adult. I still cannot believe how brave she has been during this war. She showed a new maturity, she would never have allowed me to face the danger on my own before. It must have cost her a lot and I will need to spend time with her. I think this fight has cost all of us - as you have also shown me.
I am sorry there is nothing I can do to help you get over how you feel. I suppose you could say that you have all gone through what the family of a policeman go through. Each day they see them off knowing they are out there exposed to danger all the time so as to protect others.”
He finally grinned at me. “I can’t quite picture you as a policeman.”
I chuckled. “I agree. I would be more likely to ask the criminal to hold it a moment while I paint their portrait.”
When I sensed he was ready, we jumped back home. Cherine was instantly in my arms and Henry walked off grinning.
“Cherine love, we need to find another alternate world.”
“Why?” She did not care, her impudent grin telling me she had other things on her mind.
“When everyone leaves we can go with Rob back to his world. Once there we can spend a month or two if we want to. That does not solve the problem for me. I feel I would like to spend at least a week with each of you. With so many of you I cannot. If we had a third world to go to I could then go there with each of you in turn and return after ten minutes, having spent a week or two there alone with each of my girls.”
“You are going to make me dizzy with your crazy ideas. We have to find another world, how do we do that Robert?”
I scratched my chin as if giving it serious thought. “Guess I better have another dream.” I grinned to show Cherine I was teasing.
“Not even as a joke, please Robert.”
I was immediately contrite. “Sorry, I keep forgetting how terrible it was for you.”
She looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. “You know, if I were not already married I’d ask you to marry me.”
“I’d marry you any time you want. Even again if you want me to.”
“I’m aching inside from wanting you so much, it has been so long.”
“I know what you mean. I thought for a few minutes that Aganthi was going to help me on that score, but of course Doris chose her moment to appear.”
“Why are you amused inside you when you speak of her?”
“I think she chose the name out of a sense of humour. I’m sure she chose the name on purpose as she is the exact opposite of what Doris Day means to everyone. Who knows, maybe she was her favourite star. If she was, it shows me there is hope for her. It would mean she yearned to be good and wholesome.”
“Her!! You must be joking!”
“We’ve seen stranger things happen my love. I better put you down, holding you like this is not doing me much good and I think I should also circulate with the others for a while. As I found out from Henry, it is not just my girls who have been traumatised.”
1273
I do not know if my long absence is to blame or not, but I have become more sensitive to everyone. It did not take too long for me to find myself by the one who needed me most.
“Outside of my girls I missed you the most Alki.”
“I missed you too. You have made me very proud, there can never be one voice to question again that you should be our leader.”
I grinned. “Why? You mean taking a walk qualified me?”
He shook his head. “When I first saw Manoli I could not believe what you’d sent us. Once I got talking to him I saw he may seem uneducated, but he has a sharp mind and beneath that rough look of his, is a soft heart. How did you know? I’ve replayed in my mind your meeting with him and thereafter, I never saw anything to justify the trust you showed him. If I did not know you had lost all your gifts I would have thought you used a new gift.”
“I used my brains, for once I cannot say I used my heart. Why would a man who is a troublemaker be popular with the rest of the crew. They are all men used to a hard life, they do not like bullies and people who cause trouble. I thought of your Greek word, ‘philotimo’ and I took a chance.”
Alki, I sensed, wanted to hug me so I hugged him and grinned. “What was that for?”
“But you…oh, I was just thinking that you are becoming more Greek than most Greeks nowadays are and it made me happy.”
“Yeah? I thought you said you are not a Greek anymore, that you’re a Cherinian now?”
He squirmed, “You know what I meant.”
“I do. Alki, I sense the adoptions turned out well. You really love them.”
“I was foolish, I should have done this many years ago. I never realised how impossible it is not to love a child, I thought the child would have to be of my seed for me to love it like this.”
“I bet when I first opened up to you, let you know what Cherine and I were, on Ydra, you thought life was going to be one long happy time of love. How could we have guessed it would turn into such a tumultuous life. War with aliens, then with another group of gifted people. Makes me wonder what is to come.”
“Don’t forget Henry.”
“I never mention that Alki. If he hears it will only cause him pain. He has become very special to me. Dearer than a brother.”
Alki laughed, the way my old Alki used to. “And who hasn’t Roberto?” I looked at Jonathan who saw me look and smiled back at me. Suddenly I realised he too has become special to me. Alki had watched me and saw my thoughts and his heart was in his eyes.
“Promise me Roberto, anything like this ever happens again, you will not try to be such a pallikari and let us all stand by you. While you were gone there was not one happy heart in this house.” He hesitated. “Robert, I had a strange phone call - maybe you know what it means? A man called and asked for you on your mobile. I asked who he is and he told me he is the man from Dubai. He closed the phone before I could ask more questions.”
“I know who it is, I’ll call on him as soon as I can.”
I wandered all over the room talking to all, touching one on the shoulder, another on the cheek, some I gave a hug to, it was wonderful to feel how each responded and dropped whatever burden their heart had been carrying. I had done the opposite of what I normally would have done. I’d left the kids for last. I went to them now. Agapi and Klo clung to me and I felt a burst of love in them and I hugged them back. After we talked a while and I got them smiling again, I asked a silly question.
“Things alright now? You know what I mean.”
“But you’ve been gone!”
1274
“I meant with your parents silly.”
“I know. How would I know. Nobody has been much in the mood for making love, not while we waited in fear, thinking any minute we might hear you were killed. It was very good just before you left us.”
“Who would dare to kill me? With so many girls ready to avenge me, nobody would dare.” It was good to feel, behind their giggle, a slight pride growing in themselves as I left them.
I was worried that Honey might be carrying a sense of guilt so I took the time she needed to open her heart to me and feel my love. When I left her to move on to others who needed me, I felt her as she returned to her Robert and I was happy. I was enjoying myself and hardly noticed the time passing. Finally I realised they were beginning to look forward to getting back to their own homes for a change. I had one thing left to do.
“If I may ask all of you to give me a moment please. Tomorrow night we have Eddie coming over. If he brings his wife, please do not become hostile. I know I’m upsetting a lot of you, but I really would like to give her a chance. We will do our love blast for Savva and for our new friends to experience and then I suggest we all go dancing. I want us to link with Eddie, he will be one of the best things that has happened to us. I felt his power and I can tell you that if it had been him instead of his wife attacking us, we would not have lasted long. You have all seen how he brought me back, filled as I was with at least fifteen bullets. Even my healer could not have coped.
…and now, on to something more pleasant. I have deliberately avoided speaking to Rob - sorry,’ I sent him a smile of love, “I am taking my name back again.” There were a few amused titters and he blushed. “Rob, I wanted to tell you in front of everyone, the way you and your Cherine stood up to this crisis has made me very proud of you - talk about praising oneself!” I chuckled, more amused than anyone else seemed to be. I sent him my feelings so that he and his Cherine would know I am in earnest and mean all I say. “You have spent all this time since I met you thinking of yourself as some sort of shadow of myself. I do not understand why. The fact that we are the same person basically does not mean you should use me as your yardstick. Just as your Cherine is unique and different from mine in many ways, so are you. You both have your own special qualities.
Be as it may, during this time when I was helpless, you took over and I think the fact that not one person questioned your leadership speaks for itself. The two of you devoted yourselves to watching over my loved ones and I owe you a debt of gratitude I can never repay. You definitely have proven to everyone’s satisfaction that you are not the son your father thought you were. I have felt in him the pride he takes in you and I think that ghost may be laid to rest forever now. Rob, I think of you as a brother, a sort of younger twin and I am a very proud brother right now.
The three of you are leaving tonight with your families. We will see you often, in your world and here, but I know I speak for everyone when I say that all of you are part of us here and always will be. We love you.”
Once everyone was gone, I explained to Rob what our intentions are. I had received from Alki enough cash for us to have six months of expense money plus what is needed to rebuild the farmhouse. That led me to another thought and I jumped back to Dar, hoping Eddie is still there.
“I’m sorry to wake you up Eddie. The alternate world, we were attacked there too. Are there any persons there who do not know the fight has ended?”
“You can send your alternates back without worrying. Hettie had one person capable of making the jump and you have disabled her. It was a young American girl who represented her interests in New Zealand. There will be no more attacks anywhere, relax.”
“See you later then.”
“I understand that when I see you later today, for you it will actually be more than a month later.”
“That’s right. I need to spend time with each of my girls.”
“I heard you wishing there were another alternate world. I’m sorry I cannot help you with that, but it does seem to me strange why you would need one. Surely all you need do is jump back here with a girl each time, spend time here and return there?”
“When we all arrive home, I’m not sure we could come back within the same day as we plan.”
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“Make your individual trips back to a different time, perhaps slightly in the past.”
“More than slightly,” I grinned, “don’t want to come back during our fray with Doris.”
“Use this house, I’ll go back and warn Dimitri so that he is not here. I’ll also see to it that you have transport. John will sleep here with one of his wives so that you have someone to look after you.” He grinned. “And cook for you.”
“What date?”
“Come back a year before your fight began. I’ll arrange for you to have the house from September till end of February.”
I returned home and gave them the news. They were all happy, they loved the warmth, the sea close by and the occasional use of the hotel for meals. I told Rob, Honey and his Cherine to take the first week of September, giving them enough cash to enjoy themselves. I warned them to go there with Cherine as a young woman, they can revert to whatever age they want when they are alone at home. I also thought it prudent that Rob and his girls change their appearance slightly, as I will be doing when at the hotel or in Dar to avoid causing a paradox - nobody had known me when I arrived there.
“My loves, before we leave, I think I should deal with the man in Dubai airport, otherwise I’ll keep worrying about him - plus I’m also feeling very curious about him, I want to know what gifts he has and why he spends his entire life in the airport. I’m damned if I can solve the question of who he is and why he thinks I should know him and it bugs me.”
“You’re not going anywhere without me.”
Of course all the girls echoed her. I tried to sense whether I have any misgivings, any warning of danger. I did not. “Why don’t you all come with?” I grinned. “We can’t all appear in public, but we’ll arrive in one of the store rooms and while the rest of you wait, Dommi and I will go to bring him to the rest of you.”
Dommi’s arms were flung around my neck and they squeezed hard. She pulled back, her eyes staring into mine. “Thank you Roberto mou, but you must take Cherine - she must be the first so that she can accept him or not, otherwise we could be risking all our loves.”
I did not worry about the local time, I had a feeling he will be there at whatever time I choose to arrive. The store rooms were empty and the doors were not locked, so, with Cherine as a twenty year old, we walked out onto the wide duty-free shop-lined concourse. As we walked around the partition I saw him sitting with a book in his hand and three coffee cups before him.
As we approached, he must have signalled, for a young man arrived with a tray and poured coffee for us. The man came to his feet and pulled out the chair for Cherine. She paused and then, as if she needed to confirm what she’d felt, she placed her hand on his, the one that was holding the back of her chair. Without a smile, but with a slight softening of her eyes, she gave me the okay.
“May I introduce myself? My true name, unused for over forty years, is Ryan Mullins. Locally I am known as John Smithson.”
“I am Cherine Teller.” I had not intended giving her name, but was careful not to frown.
“The young lady they have all named themselves after? This is indeed an unexpected honour.”
I leant forward slightly. “How do you know so much about us?”
He gave Cherine a smile. “That is the English in him - he wants to cut straight to the end of the story, only interested in the answers to his questions. I am used to the Arab way…they always want to know how the story begins. Will you indulge me?”
“I would, but all our loves are waiting in the store room…can they come out?”
For the first time he looked perturbed. “The Mansfields, they are not a danger anymore? That must explain why you took the risk.”
“I thought you knew the war is ended.”
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“But…there is still anger and hate? She fears you?” He asked me.
I shrugged. “I suppose so.”
“Then we do not have much time.” His eyes darted around and he was swamping us with his fear. “Once she senses me, directly through you, you will not be able to protect me Robert. We must act quickly, there are certain things I must teach you before you leave me to her mercy.”
It seems the coffee shop did not expect him to pay, for nobody chased after us when he rushed to the service door. By the time I had closed the door behind me, he and Cherine were with the girls and he was pressing Cherine to have them leave immediately. His panic was hurting Cherine, so all our loves left. He leant against the wall, his face a pasty colour and shining with perspiration.
“We’ve accommodated you, now tell us what this is about without long stories to delay us.”
“If you are to understand, some of it I cannot avoid.”
I took Cherine’s hand in mine, touched him and jumped us to the beach in Dar, at a good distance from the hotel. “Nobody will sense you here, so relax and tell us your story…as abbreviated as you can manage.”
“When Ryan was fifteen, a man placed a knife at his side and ordered him into an alley. Ryan thought he was going to be killed and tried to use his gift to influence the knife-holder so that he can get away. The man was impervious to Ryan’s gifts. It is just as well that he was, for those who were waiting to meet him would not have been understanding. He was told that they are aware of his psychic powers and that they want him to work for their organisation. It sounded good. First of all, Ryan would no longer have to feel such a freak, for he would be working with others who also have special abilities. Almost as important were the assurances that his powers would be contributing to the welfare of others and so he would be employed fulltime, earning a good salary.
At first Ryan was happy and pleased to obey orders. Once they were convinced he is theirs, they stopped making an effort to justify the actions he was ordered to take and even joked about the destruction of their victims. Ryan found it almost impossible to stomach, but he knew he would not be allowed to live if he resigns.
The second world war began and Ryan was conscripted and he served in the navy. The organisation could not object and reminded him that he must report for duty as soon as he is released. Luckily, not long before the end of the war, his ship was bombed and it sank. On that instant Ryan Mullins stopped existing and John Smithson began to exist.
Local fishermen found me floating, half-drowned and unconscious and they brought me in to what is known today as Dubai. Though I was not conscious, my gifts continued to work on my behalf and I was taken to one of the wealthiest men and without hesitation he ordered a physician to heal me. He waited until it was reported that I am completely healed and then he had me removed to a camp of theirs, far out in the desert.
I had been provided four chairs and a table and I was reading when something dragged my chair backwards. I found myself incapable of moving and as the back of my chair arrived by a pole, ropes wound themselves around me. My instant thought was that I have been found by the organisation, for nobody else could have such powers. Then a wizened Arab entered and sat before me.
‘What is your name?’ I told him. He ignored what I’d told him and said to someone out of sight, ‘His name is John Smithson.’
‘He understands?’
The wrinkled face stared at me and I nodded. ‘He thinks he does.’ The unseen man chuckled and entered the tent from behind me. I was careful not to attempt to turn and see him.
‘What do you understand, son of Smith?’
By now I no longer believed my gifts were solely responsible for their hospitality and dared to essay a guess, ‘You are like me, but an independent?’
I heard the hiss of his indrawn breath. ‘You are part of the Mansfield organisation?’
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‘I do not know the name, but it is a very powerful organisation and they enrolled me by lying and by threats. Till now I thought I had escaped them - if you plan to return me to them, as your guest, will you show me mercy and kill me, for I refuse to work for them again and death at their hands will be very painful.’
‘What are your powers, John Smithson?’
‘They are weak and unimportant, unless they are misused - as the organisation forced me to use them. They lull the mind so that it is happy and wishes to please me.’
‘You have used your powers against me?’
‘Not that I know of - but I think they worked for me when I was unconscious, for I am told it is more usual for the fishermen to rob and throw the bodies they find back into the sea.’
‘It is why you still live.’ He came out from behind me and I saw an Arab who is obviously well fed and wealthy. Then his eyes locked on mine and I sensed that his powers far surpass mine. ‘I studied in England and it is a pleasure to converse with someone who speaks the language without an Arabian accent. I will ask you a question and please be certain your answer is true, or else I will sense it.
I want you to work for me and I will ask you to use your powers on my behalf, but even though you may find you sometimes doubt the ethics of my request, you will never find them objectionable, not to the extent you do with the Mansfield organisation. John, I am not careless of the lives of others, but when trading it is reasonable to wish to enjoy some advantages. Though you must never leave our country, for you will be sensed by the others should you do so, you shall be provided all the comforts you could ask for - including a substantial income.’
He did not need to spell out what would happen to me should I refuse him, for it was obvious I could not be allowed to leave with the knowledge of his being one of us, a man with extrasensory powers. If the organisation found me, they would learn about him and he would be destroyed. Still, I asked him, ‘This may sound strange to you, considering my situation, but I too have a question. If I give you my loyalty, will you in return give me yours?’ ‘In that, it will be as equals.’ He is a man of honour and has kept his word, as have I - until now.”
I did not like what this suggested. “You feel free to break his confidence and your agreement because the Mansfield organisation has been neutralised?”
“No, it is not so. My first loyalty cannot be to any person in particular, it must be to those who are my brothers and sisters - mutants like myself, and to those who are not mutants and have no powers to stand against us. It just happens that I think the Cherinians represent our best hope for a future worth living, for both groups.”
Cherine asked, “Are you planning to open your mind to us so that we can find the doors to your gifts?”
“Not the minor ones, those I have promised to my employer and friend. Some which are not gifts, I will not share. However, there is one gift…or power, I do not know which it is, that I have kept to myself, hoping to share it with people like you, who will someday lead us in a peaceful and ethical manner. Robert, there is a condition attached.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
There was the slightest hint of irritation in his voice as he replied, “I have attempted to be honest with you, while you have not reciprocated, so I think the implications of your comment were not justified.”
Cherine chose to speak aloud, but she let me sense her surprise, “He is speaking the truth Robert.”
I did not relent. “I’m feeling cynical and I admit, that even should you only be speaking the truth, it is not enough to soften me. I have the feeling you are holding back some important facts.”
His eyes widened. “I’m impressed, you have good instincts, but, at the same time, I am disappointed by your lack of judgement…by the changes in you since I last met you - and it goes without saying, when I first met you as a child. I am speaking of my life and dreams and because I do so sequentially, you accuse me of not being totally open? There is a new meanness of spirit in you…perhaps we should call an end to our discussions, for it seems I have erred; you are not the man I hoped you are - perhaps your father influenced you after all.”
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I felt stung by his comment, but in a way, I had to acknowledge there is some truth to it. “You wish to be returned?”
“No, this is as good a place as any.”
Cherine asked him, “Can you teleport?”
“You misunderstand me, I will not be leaving here. It is a good place for a person who has lost his will to continue fighting.”
I asked Cherine, “Please wait here,” showing him more trust than he realised, and walked along the beach. When I returned, I asked him, keeping my voice gentle, “I have three questions. What are the conditions? You speak of meeting me when I was a child, when and how did that happen? Also, can you explain why you told me that we cannot protect you?”
“A psychic trigger was placed in my mind, in the days of Ryan. Any attempt to neutralise it by anyone other than the person who placed it will scramble my brains. As for my condition, for you to understand it ,I must first explain what is the gift I wish to share.”
Cherine shared my thoughts and grinned. “John, Robert does not like the sun and he wants to take us to a local village where they can grill some prawns for us while we sit in the shade and drink coconut milk. We also first want to learn why it is we both feel we should know you…when did you meet Robert as a child?”
The atmosphere between us was definitely a lot more relaxed as we finished eating. John said, to Cherine, “We pay a fortune for these tiger prawns in Dubai and they are cooked by our best chefs - and yet, they do not compare to what we just ate. Incidentally, this is not my first time in Kenya.”
I laughed, “But it is your first time in Tanzania?”
“My mistake, sorry. It was my way of opening the discussion about how we met. I’ll begin by explaining that I met you because I’d met your parents before you were born. Let me start from the beginning - rather, a few years later.”
Cherine said, “One moment please, I want Dommi to join us.” She arrived and sat next to Cherine. I sensed he seemed to find strength from the presence of Dommi, so she remained with us. I grinned when the women from the village brought her freshly grilled prawns and coconut milk - they’d seen her suddenly arrive and felt it would be good politics to keep happy the powerful witchdoctors visiting them. It is just as well we took the precaution of altering our appearances before arriving.
John took up his story again, “We all know the sayings about gilded cages - you’ll even find that because certain truths are universal for our species, many cultures have their own version of such a story, so I did not need to speak of my feelings. Feizal had provided me with a home any millionaire would have envied, beautiful cars and many other things he sensed I wanted. For instance, when I saw an advertisement of a painting to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in a magazine and idly wished I could buy it, after the auction I learnt it is mine and he took great joy in presenting it to me as a gift from him once it arrived in Dubai.
Feizal sensed me champing at the bit and without warning me arranged for a Saudi prince to take me to Italy as his guest on his yacht. Excited to be travelling, I agreed to take the trip and, as arranged, slipped off the yacht while immigration looked the other way at a tiny coastal village in Italy and I was taken to a large port where I was sneaked onto an Italian passenger vessel. At sea, not far south of the Canary Isles, I was transferred by motorboat to a British passenger ship which was on its way to Mombasa.
The transfer occurred at about four in the morning and it was planned that no passengers would know about it. I expected, with the help of my broadcasting, to sit by the pool, at the bar and in the dining room, without anyone questioning my presence. However, just to be certain I’m safe, before I did so, I planned to stay hidden to spy on the passengers, just in case someone from the organisation is aboard. The next day, I stood by the railing, as if watching the ocean, mostly concealed by a lifeboat hanging from a davit. A man walked around the boat and came to my side. He was young and as far as I could sense, had no gifts or powers.
Without any kind of introduction, he spoke. ‘I’ve not been sleeping well during this trip and I saw you arrive last night. Are you a spy? Was it part of a transfer of spies…Russians maybe?’
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I laughed at his innocence and suddenly felt old, but making an effort to be kind, told him, ‘That was astute.’
‘But not true?’ He stuck out a hand. ‘I’m Wilfred Teller - and don’t tell me what is true, I want to guess it if I can.’”
“Jesus! You’re joking! My father said that? He hated having to guess.”
“He offered me a drink, but I let him see I was nervous about being seen in the bar so he took my order and brought me an ice-cold lager. We toasted each other a ‘bon voyage’ and I drank almost the entire bottle in a long series of gulps. I put out my hand to stop him from going for another.
‘I needed that!’ I told him. ‘Thanks, but one is enough.’
‘You’re welcome. Actually, I’ve been feeling that way since our first day on this boat. What is galling is that my wife frets all day, driving me crazy, and then sleeps like a baby, while I end up walking the decks on my own, worrying all night.’
‘You do not enjoy travelling by ship?’
‘No problems with that. No, we made a big decision, sold everything we had and bought, sight unseen, a coffee farm in Kenya. I know nothing about growing coffee, which is why I’m too busy every night berating myself for a fool for me to sleep. On top of everything else, I’ve never liked the idea of running my own business, I prefer to hold a job I know how to do and leave it to the boss to worry about making a profit.’
‘I know what you mean,’ I told him, ‘still, once you made the decision and committed yourselves, you’d be wiser worrying at how to make a success of it. How far is your farm from Mombasa?’
‘It’s a few hours drive out of Nairobi.’
‘That’s too far. A pity, I would have liked to see a coffee farm. Maybe next time.’
For the rest of the voyage, I spent every day with your parents. The truth is, I was beginning to fall in love with your mother by the time we docked in Mombasa, despite our difference in ages, so I was glad to get away from them. However, on arrival I learnt I would have an unplanned stay in Mombasa of two days as the dhow Feizal sent for completing my trip around Africa and my return to Dubai was late in arriving. Your parents wanted to ensure their luggage will travel with them on the train and asked me to meet them afterwards for a last drink. We agreed to meet in a hotel lounge and parted.
I dumped my one bag in my hotel room and walked over to the hotel we would be meeting in. I was early, so I entered the bar and ordered a drink. I then walked out and ambled a short way down the beach. As I was returning to the hotel to meet your parents, a man walked out from behind a bush and stood facing me. I sensed he is an organisation man - well, that he is powerful…and that he intends killing me. Luckily I am a coward and my fear showed on my face, for your father appeared behind the man, saw my terror and before I could blink he impulsively swung his bottle of beer at the man’s head.
I grabbed Wilfred’s hand, told him the name of my hotel and urged him to run - to get himself and Rose out of the hotel. We later learnt that the man reported the assailant as being a black person, so I knew he intended finding me and dealing with me in their own way…in other words, he wanted my soul.
I was afraid to allow your parents to spend any time with me and only took the time to thank Wilfred, in as heartfelt a manner as I could, and promised to make another trip to Kenya someday and visit them on their farm. I then waited outside of Mombasa until the dhow arrived and with relief I was soon heaving my guts out almost all the way home.”
It felt as if Cherine were crowing within my mind and she demanded of me that we find my father and help him. I felt very strange, sort of uncomfortable about the idea of having a father who was not just a shit - that he was also a hero. I bet that once cold reason reasserted itself, he regretted involving himself in the problems of another person.
“When we arrived, I did not call on Feizal and stayed in my home for the first day, not wanting to speak to anyone. Then I phoned and asked to meet him. I told him about my meeting an organisation man and how I was helped by an acquaintance from my voyage. He sat with hooded eyes, immersed in thoughts that obviously displeased him.
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Then he asked me, ‘In your opinion, is he enough of a trader to succeed?’
‘No. For the first years, I do not think he will even be effective enough as a farmer.’
‘It is as I suspected. We will discuss this at another time.’
I admit I was a bit let down at his lack of interest, but I could not think of any way for me to help Wilfred. A couple of weeks later I happened to affect a Japanese traveller in transit so that he made purchases of a quarter of a million dollars. He gave in to temptation and purchased certain luxury items he had always wanted but had been too stingy to buy. Feizal deposited twenty five thousand dollars in my account and I requested a meeting.
I asked him, ‘Do you have an agent in Nairobi? I want to arrange for Wilfred to be given, under some excuse or other, forty thousand dollars. It should carry him through his first year of mistakes. If you have, I’ll transfer the money back to your account.’
He acted affronted. ‘You are part of my family, how could you think I would leave his loyalty to you unrewarded? Do you think our family has no sense of honour?’
Once he had toyed with me till I’d reached the stuttering stage, he smiled. ‘Your way is not honourable and it is more likely to cause him to fail, since he’ll have a false sense of security. I have arranged for an Indian trader to introduce him to a person of great experience in running coffee farms. The person will offer to work for one year for a very low wage, at the same time instructing your friend so that he can run his farm on his own afterwards. My Indian friend will offer to purchase the crop at ten percent over the market price, so your friend will have a solid start to the second year.’
I was touched and awed at the honour he was showing me, so I stupidly compared him to Saladin. ‘When I was younger, I read a story about the crusades and King Richard the Lionhearted and I was impressed by the enemy leader called Saladin, for he showed an extraordinary wisdom and sense of honour. At first, I thought of all Arabs being like him; then, as a teenager, I became more cynical and thought none are like him, that the writer only made him up. Since meeting you I am being forced to reconsider once again.’
‘You compare me to a man of another tribe?’
Fearing I had insulted him, I backpedalled, ‘Not really, what I was trying to do is let you know how impressed I am by you.’ He laughed and I later heard that he told the story to many, especially those of his family, all of them enjoying the embarrassment he’d caused me to feel. It did not matter to me, for I really was beginning to feel as if his family are my family; as if his father is my father.”
He remained lost in thought and I needed the time for me to recover from the need for me to alter the image I’d had for so long of my father. Both my loves respected my need and stayed out of my mind, but their eyes remained glued to my face. When Cherine turned to look at him, John (sorry, but I decided I was wrong, he must stay John, Ryan is not a substantial part of who is now - though I hope his childhood was happier than mine), continued with his story.
“For the next few years I did not feel the need to leave the Emirates, the encounter in Mombasa had purged me of what I now considered was a foolish need to travel. The Indian trader in Nairobi sent an annual report and I was pleased to read that Wilfred is doing well. I guess the man did not think we would be interested in the news of a son being born to them and so he did not mention it.
Then, one day, while in the duty-free area, I noticed a passenger in transit whose briefcase stub showed he’d come from Nairobi. Because of his weathered face, I decided he must be a safari hunter-guide and after first securing confirmation from one of our men that he is safe, I greeted him. He was pleased to have company during his wait and was surprised when I was able to provide him with a Tusker Beer.
He asked me, ‘You have been to Kenya?’
I chuckled. ‘Not that you’d say so, I was in Mombasa for only one and a half days. Still, I have good memories of the place.’
‘I agree, such a short visit does not count, especially if you neither visited Nairobi nor went on a safari.’
I grinned. ‘I’m the kind of man schoolboys call sissies; I hate guns and don’t enjoy taking the life of any kind of animal - apart from certain human beings who form a sub-species of their own.’
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)29th June, 2019
- posted on Steemit: 29th June, 2019