Boss Takes All (20 page)

As the song rocked along, heads began to turn further out on the field. Tom moved off to encourage patients, residents or whatever to move in closer. Some seemed to be unmoved, even unaware of what was happening in their safe and normally tranquil home. But most were more positive. They stood up and peered over to where the new noise was coming from. When a fat young man made the first move and trotted in across the thick grass with short, pattering footsteps, green tunics were coming in from all sides.

‘This is something new! I've crossed this field hundreds of times, but look at this!'

Part of her was thrilled to see this animation, this life bursting out on a recreation ground where inertia was normally king. There was a risk that these men were about to have some fun and enjoy themselves for the first time in years.

But Caroline, the professional guardian of law and order, saw danger, too. Rebecca was stirring the emotions of potentially volatile, in many ways, childish men. The excitement must not be allowed to boil over. When she looked up at Rebecca, she saw from her expression that she, too, was aware. What Caroline could not see was that Rebecca had been in front of large audiences and understood a lot about the dynamics of group emotions.

Gradually she reduced the pace of the song and calmed her movements. Without a break she moved into a wordless lullaby. Instantly the clapping and the swaying ceased. The rise and fall of the beautiful voice and its power held them firmly in her emotional grasp. A hundred men, most of them bewildered by what was happening in front of them and inside them, stood silent and motionless.

Caroline touched Tom on the shoulder and, without a word, started on her way towards the police station. Lydia followed while Tom held out his hand towards Rebecca as she stepped unhurried from the mound. There was no break in the lullaby, but she raised and let fall her arms gracefully like some fish eagle coming in to land on the surface of a calm lake. Distracted by the movement, her audience hesitated and, in the brief interval, the four friends were united.

Caroline, well aware that the harmony of the moment could easily be shattered by some hasty action, slipped back to walk with Rebecca. Someone watching from a distance would have been puzzled but held by the scene opening in front of him. At the head of the procession four people dressed in blue jeans and an assortment of other colours were leading a large platoon in dark green uniforms. The leaders were moving in unison, following the rhythmic rise and fall of a soothing melody sung by one of the three women in the group. Some of those behind were imitating the example of the gliding movement, but as the slow march continued towards the hedge that marked the boundary of the field, there was a gradual falling away of the followers as each felt he was straying too far from his territory, the area where he was used to spending his long days out in the field.

The Volvo was visible through the gap in the hedge. They were left with a single follower.

‘Michael, I saw you singing. You knew all the words.'

‘I'm feeling very good, just like in the old days. I know this because I am remembering things. Today I would be no trouble at home. I would like to see the lake again. Someone told me that if I climb that hill, in the distance the lake will be there. Perhaps tomorrow …'

‘Michael, I wish we could take you.'

‘Yes, but this is a peaceful place and I have friends here.'

He smiled sadly and held out his hand. She took it and felt his firm grasp tightening briefly.

‘Kwaheri, beautiful Rebecca.'

‘Kwaheri, Michael. Thank you for being a good audience.'

* * *

It was quiet in the car on the bumpy road out of Gilgil town. The contractors had not been in to fix this loop off the A104. Tom knew every speed bump and most of the potholes from travelling this way to school in Pembroke. When they had passed the tollgate and were cruising down between the groves of yellow fever trees, Rebecca broke the silence. It was obvious to her companions that she had been shaken by their visit, but her reaction was not what they had expected.

‘Wow! Now that was no easy way to learn a good lesson!'

‘So it wasn't a mistake for me to take you.' The smile returned to the face of a relieved Caroline.

‘My stomach still feels like liquid jelly, but I can't feel my heartbeat any more. My, my, I was one very confused person there for a while.'

”Becs, are you all right?'

‘Yes, Tom. And thank you for being anxious about me.' She sighed before going on. ‘This may sound crazy, but seeing all those men made me feel like a, what's that word you like, Tom, a prat, stupid, arrogant, naive, all in one lump. What kind of fool would think that she could go on some kind of crusade to save the women of Naivasha? Tom, when you become the MP for Nakuru South, those men will be your responsibility.'

‘Oh, gawd!'

‘Donkey, don't look so scared. You can make those big shots down in Nairobi take notice of the little people.'

‘Salina Amin, I've told you about her. She owns hotels in Kisuma. She's in Serena, another female dynamo.'

Lydia was puzzled by what Rebecca was saying.

‘Do you mean that there will be no hospital in Naivasha?'

‘Lydia, yesterday I was sure. Today, I just hope.'

bi pulled into the lookout point at the highest part of the Escarpment for the boss to take a call. It was his secretary ringing from home.

‘Joan, an hour ago?'

‘I waited to make sure they arrived at the hospital before I let you know.'

‘The doctor and the nurse travelled in with her. Everything was fine.'

‘But a week early. Okay, we'll go straight there.' Turning to Reuben he continued. ‘You've worked that out? Your brother's on the way. Obi, straight to the hospital.'

‘Congratulations, Boss. Nothing like a new baby to make a man feel young.'

‘So, Obi, my friend, you think the bwana is a mzee already!'

Looking in the mirror, Obi was relieved to see a smile on the boss's face.

‘Oh, no, Boss. It's just that my seventh …'

‘Made your point. Seven eh, Obi. You need a raise. I won't forget. But, for now, I want the inside of this car to be as quiet as an empty room in the middle of the night. Time for a little silent prayer.'

Reuben looked across at his father with a quick double take. Prayer? This was a first. All the same, he was glad to hear the call for silence. Pa was into one of his unpredictable moods, angry one minute, friendly the next. Reuben pushed himself into the corner of his side of the seat and closed his eyes. He considered making a mumbling movement with his lips, make out he was praying, just like his daddy.

But prayer was the furthest thing from Abel's mind. He liked to be driven at just above a sedate speed, way below the capacity of the powerful German engine.

‘Slow it down, Obi. Try being a racing driver with me and you'll soon be behind the wheel of a taxi downtown.'

Abel wanted time to take in the passing scenery and the sight of his countrymen going about their daily business. It was never dead time. He did some of his clearest thinking in these interludes of peace. Unfortunately for Mister R, joyful thoughts were not uppermost in his mind at this special time. Yes, it would be good to set eyes on the new Julius. He hoped he would come out of the womb heavy, with strong bones. But Abel counted himself as an expert in the processes of thought. He fully understood that the mind too often had its own agenda. On this occasion he could not shake off events of earlier that morning. The anger that had grabbed him hard when he was sent on his way twice by those jumped up farm people had loosened its grip but not released him. The stone that plopped into the centre of the pool sent its unpleasant eddies out to trouble him. It severely tarnished the image he had built about himself and his career, the village boy who made it big through natural talent and hard work, the Kenyan version of the American dream.

The line of successes was unbroken for so many years stretching back to his schooldays. He had been a good servant to his president and his country. He had cut profitable deals, charmed foreign envoys, never touched a shilling of the wananchi's money. Alongside this, he had married his childhood sweetheart, raised a family and made himself the richest man in the country by simply understanding the ways of money and having the nerve to back his own judgement.

For the last ten years it had been accepted that it was not the president but Abel Rubai who was the strong man of Kenya, the shadowy figure who had no official position but made the big decisions. It was well understood that it was unwise for his countrymen to oppose his wishes. He was ruthless and had the boys to deal with the fools who tried.

The list of achievements was long and as a special bonus he had preserved good order and stability in the country.

Then along came … Londiani. Looking out as they joined the dual carriageway that would bring them down to the city centre and the hospital, he winced and saw the reflection in his window of a face twisted by anger and regret. That insignificant flower farm that he could have bought out a thousand times over had bred the scum that turned his life upside down. The eldest McCall kid whom Julius had called piggy face should have been dead long before he engineered the death of his own boy out on that accursed golf course. His own hesitation, his weakness at a crucial moment had helped to send his world crashing down.

His hate was as strong as ever, but even since that morning he had felt an involuntary shift in its focus. At last, he understood. It was the woman, the wash girl. It had taken a long time for him to see the truth of it, but her defiance when he had caught her fooling about on that rough land, talking rubbish about building a hospital confirmed it. She had had her revenge and her careless tongue was giving her away.

He recalled the afternoon almost a year before. He was visiting that place with Julius and Sally. He and McCall were going through the usual banter about selling the farm. He had just laughingly trotted out the street vendor's cliche, ‘I give you good price,' when he was astounded by the sight of his son naked and unconscious in the arms of the witch's father who, minutes before, had beaten the boy senseless.

Whether the talk about rape had any substance or not, he understood how that hour in that place set in train the tragedy in the lives of his family. From that moment Julius became her target. She would bring him down. She sang her way into the hearts of the people. She played the innocent, simple country girl part to perfection. Perhaps she had used piggy face and her ‘love' for him as a front.

He looked up through the trees that lined the road into town and saw the peaceful blue of a beautiful African morning. Surely he had earned the right to a share of the wonderful gift of peace of mind. But he had been a blind fool, a blind fool! He also saw the danger of being swept along by the storm of anger. It would be so easy to be careless and overreach himself. He must not lose control.

When the hospital came into view, he experienced another mind shift. An involuntary smile formed on his lips when he thought of the ironic link between the death of one Julius and the imminent birth of the new child. As he stood in the lift taking him up to be with Sally, excitement got on top of his hate. When he peered through the porthole window of her room, he saw his wife sitting up with the child lying on her breast.

‘Papa, let me introduce you to the new man in the house!'

‘Sally, what's happening here? You have just given birth but …'

‘But I am sitting up like the queen of the world? Well, let me tell you, no queen has ever had such a beautiful jewel to show to the world.'

‘He is a big boy for his age!'

‘And something else. It was so easy. He gave me not a moment of pain. I hardly knew that he was coming. And …' The smile was replaced by a serious, solemn expression. ‘We share everything, Abel, but don't think me crazy. When the nurse took him to give the smack …'

‘Is something wrong, Sally?'

‘No, but when the little cry came, I swear to God that little fellow looked into my eyes … and smiled.'

‘You sure he didn't give you a wink as well?'

‘Abel, my heart is beating so fast. It was like he knew me.'

Abel broke down in tears. Even if they had not been alone in the room with their new son, he would not have been able to hold back the surge of the conflict of emotion.

‘Sally, I am so sorry. It's just that Julius, big Julius …'

‘No need for sorry, Abel. Perhaps there is a cleansing here. The child is starting his work.'

‘Work?'

‘Don't forget where he has come from.'

Abel was baffled. His eyes narrowed. ‘You mean …'

‘Of course, all children come from God's presence.'

‘Oh, yes. I forgot.'

‘Time for the old poison to be drained away.'

Abel let the sobbing pass off. He sat silently with his head lowered and his eyes closed. He was taking the chance not to have to speak. ‘We share everything.' Did Sally really believe that? Perhaps she was stronger than him and could shut off thoughts that were uncomfortable and inconvenient to the point where they did not exist. He looked up to find her smiling down on him with pity in her eyes. He shuddered.