Chapter 8

Salifya

“I imagine you lost of a lot of people you cared about in the attack. I am sorry.” Asante said pulling me into an embrace. We talked about the attack.

There was something else on her mind. I pulled myself from my lying position and perched myself on the couch. “What’s wrong?”

“We have a man in Order. He told us about the attack a week before. That’s why Kaulimi Police were able to stop the other four bombs from going off. After the attack he has gone quiet. He missed two meetings. I am worried about him.” She explained. “He never misses check-ins Salifya. My boss won’t let me pull him out. He says he is more valuable in there.”

“You want us to find him?”

She passed me a usb. “These are my files on him.” Her voice was cracking.

Nobody is that worried about a colleague. Unless? “Is this the man you told me about?”

She nodded her head.

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“I thought you would refuse.”

I leaned back on the couch. “You thought right. I am not risking my team’s life just because you miss your boyfriend.”

She rapidly shifted from the couch she was sitting on, to there one I was on. “Salifya,” she squeezed my arm. “I have a feeling something is wrong.”

“Why won’t your boss pull him out?”

“Because he wants enough information to bring Order tumbling down so it can propel his career.”

“After what Order did, I agree with your boss. Order should be annihilated.”

“Yanja has done enough. His intel saved lives in Kaviti. He should not have to die because his boss is an opportunist.”

“You are not objective...”

She squeezed my arm again. “What if it were Xo in Yanja’s place?” Her eyes were red.

“I will discuss it with Xo and I will get back to you tomorrow.”

Xo was seating at my knees while I sat on the edge of the kama.

“I found out my cybernetic eyes would not work the night you asked me to escort you to Utawaleza. I was so frightened my sight would not return.” Xo said. “I kept having nightmares about that. The whole time, I was afraid a snake would bite me in my sleep or as we walked through the bush.”

I began weaving his locs into intricate flat-twists. “What was being shot with the arrow like?”

“Terrifying. My fears had come alive. I hated not being able to contribute in the fights we were involved in. More than that I hated, slowing everyone down because of my injuries.”

“Nobody thought you were slowing us down.”

“I know. Now I am used to being here and my fears are waned.”

“I still don’t understand why you agreed to come when you knew you would go blind.”

“Then you don’t understand my love for you.” He retorted.

My fingers paused, a smile tugging at my lips, I resumed plaiting his long locs.

Anganile and her husband Chikondi brought Lusubilo. At the baby shower she told me and Xo that she had missed us. So Xo suggested she should stay with us the upcoming weekend. I was drinking my evening cup of tea while Xo sat with me in the dinning room. The dinning room and the sitting room shared an open wall covered with beads I got in my mother’s village. Through the brown beads I could see Lusu playing with her dolls.

“She is in-objective.” I argued.

“That maybe or she is there only one close enough to see the truth. What if she is right and Yanja is killed. Can you live with that?” Xo said.

I took a sip of my tea then lowered my mug slowly. “What if she is wrong and years later Order resurfaces like Waranda did?”

“Waranda is not Order.”

“You let your emotions govern you sometimes. And you end up making stupid decisions.”

His expression tensed. “Like when?”

“Like the time you sent your sister money for upkeep even though she had a job.”

His shoulders contracted upwards. “Salifya, she had moved to a new city and had a lot of expenses.”

“She is an adult. She should be able to handle her own affairs really.”

“Family helps each other with affairs.”

“I don’t send money to my sisters.”

“First off Anganile is financially secure and Ipyana probably asks your mother for money when she is in trouble. Nikiwe doesn’t have a mother.”

“The whole she is an orphan speech would make sense if she was not 27.”

Xo wanted to prevent his younger siblings from suffering even if it involved large amounts of money on his side and irresponsibility on their side.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” He said with finality. He dispersed the beads as he walked through them. He walked over to where Lusu was and sat with her.

Later that evening, Xo read her a story and I listened then he put her in her bed in the other room. Her lips began to tremble.

“What is it?” Xo asked.

“I don’t want to sleep alone.” She burst out in tears and climbed into my arms. “I want to sleep with you.”

I glanced down at her. “But you sleep alone all the time when you are at home.”

“Please can I sleep with you?” She wailed.

So I took her to our room and lay in bed with her. I thought she would remove her arms from around her neck but she did not. I put my arm around her back and held her close. She loosened her grip a little.

“Why were you and Uncle Xo fighting?” she asked.

Me and Xo shared a look. She was not supposed to hear that. This something we had to work on. It was not okay to have fights in front of a toddler. We certainly did not want our child having memories of us fighting.

Xo climbed into bed. “We just don’t agree about something.”

“My mommy says it’s not good to shout even if you are angry.”

“Your mommy is right. And me and your aunt should not have yelled at each other even if we were upset.”

I stroked her loose braids. “I am sorry that me and Uncle Xo yelled at each other in front of you. It was silly of us.”

“Do you yell at each other when you are alone?”

Xo laughed. “Not many times.”

“Okay,” she yawned. “My mommy says you have to say sorry when you shout at someone.”

I glanced up at Xo. “I am sorry I shouted at you.”

“I am sorry too.”

“You have to hug now, to show you made up.”

“I am cuddling with you, I can’t hug Uncle Xo. I will have to hug him tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Her eyes closed slowly.

Lusu was softly snoring.

“I am genuinely sorry I have been mean.” I said, my eyes locking with Xo’s.

“It’s okay. Let’s pray about the Sante thing and make a decision tomorrow.”

“Could you get her off me? I need to pee.”

Xo slowly pulled the sleeping toddler off me.

“What if it isn’t safe?” I said watching Ama drag her bag out of my house.

She loaded it into her pod. “You sound like Anganile. You saw the files from Kaulimi Police. They’ve neutralised the threat. Plus I have my life to return to.” Ama retorted with a chuckle.

“I am against this.” Ipy said.

Her gaze rose to meet mine. “I will go and wind up my classes so I can be here during your last month of pregnancy. Don’t look so glum girls.” Ama embraced us both then gave Lusubilo a long hug and a peck.

“Xo take care of your wife even when she doesn’t want you to.” She said getting into her pod. Xo nodded.

“Goodbye my sweetheart.” She said waving at Lusubilo.

“Bye Abuya,” Lusu said waving vigorously.

“I did not want to do this but I know this is what God wants us to do.” I said. “We’ve found where he is and we will attack tomorrow night. You are not allowed to come.”

Asante lips tightened. “What?”

“You are too close to this one Sante.”

She conceded. “All the best.”

I nodded.

“Can I at least see your plan?”

I tapped my sitting room’s glass table twice, the table displayed an image of the warehouse Yanja was being held out.

I enjoyed watching the mission from my team’s cameras. It gave me the best view point to make decisions.

“I see five armed men coming your way. Ipy, Mwase and Ntawale take the left door. Fya will take care of these men.” I said.

“Rodger that.” Ntawale retorted. Even just hearing his voice irked me. When I met him that afternoon to go over the plan I resisted the urge to pull him aside and tell him to back off with the romantic advances on Ipyana. I felt a tightness in my stomach. Then a cramp. I ignored it and focused on the mission. Another cramp quaked my lower abdomen more painful than the last. A succession of cramps followed after this. I had to switch off my earbud, to let out a groan.

“I am really tired. I need to sleep. I am moving Fya to command mode.” I lied to Xo. I did not want to distract him with my pain. I immediately called Khetiwe to come take me to a hospital. I could not walk at this point. I wrapped my arms around my belly.

“Dear God, I know I have not been a good mom to my baby. But please don’t take my child away from me. It would destroy Xo and it would destroy me if I lost our child.” I prayed. I thought of Mother.

Khetiwe must have heard the urgency in my voice because she came in five minutes with her husband. They helped me into the pod. Khetiwe laid me in the back seats of the pod. She knelt beside the seats. As her husband flew us to the hospital she rubbed my belly telling me “It would be okay.”

“We will laugh about this one day.” She said flashing a fake smile. I could hear the anxiety behind her words.

“Are you okay?” Ama asked.

“I am much better. The Doctor said I had Braxton hicks.”

Anganile was perched on my hospital bed. “I was so worried when I got Khetiwe’s call.” She pressed her palm against my belly soothing it gently. “I am glad my nephew is okay.”

Ama sat down on the chair next to the bed. “Where is Xo?”

“Him and Ipy are on a raid.” I replied. Just then Xo, Ipy and Naledi rushed into my hospital room.

“When I came home and didn’t find you,” He panted. “I just assumed the worse.”

“I am okay.” I smiled.

“The baby?” Ipy asked. She and Naledi were standing beside Xo. They were all still dressed in their black raid attire.

“The baby is okay too.” I told her.

A nurse came in and announced visiting hours were over. “She needs her rest.”

“Get some rest,” Anga said still rubbing my belly.

Ama bent over and kissed my forehead. “Take care of her Xo.”

Anga got up.

Ipyana held my hand, caressing my knuckles. “You had us so scared.”

“I am okay. Goodnight Ipyana.” I smiled.

Ipyana climbed on the bed and kissed my cheek. “Goodnight.”

“These were the most severe Braxton hicks I have ever seen.” Khetiwe said.

“I could see you were scared.” I retorted.

“I was. I don’t want my two favourite patients. Goodnight.” She kissed me on the forehead and left. I had had my doubts about having her as my doctor, her prompt response and loving care tonight made me glad she was my doctor. They all left, all except Xo.

The middle aged man popped his head on the door frame. “Sir you have to go too.”

“I am going.” Xo replied slightly irritated. The nurse withdrew his head into the corridor.

“I kept thinking that if you got kidnapped and killed it was my fault for pushing you to have a child. That in wanting more I had lost that which I already had.”

“I am here. And you didn’t push me to have a child.”

“You two are the most important people in my life,” his spiralled fingers rested on my belly. “You are my heart.”

I titled my head forward pressing a kiss on his lips. “You and this baby are my heart too.”

The attack on Kaviti reminded all of us the fragility of life. The vulnerability that lay in loving and our lack of control over our lives. Tonight had roused these fears and they had come out full throttle in this hospital room. But it had also reminded me that God was sovereign. Everything happened for a reason. My baby and I could have died tonight, that much was clear from Khetiwe’s reaction but God saved us.

Yanja was being tortured when they found him. He spent the night in intensive care unit because of the extensively of his injuries.

“You were right. He was in trouble. I almost didn’t listen to you.” I said. “I am sorry.”

“Well you did, that’s what matters.” Asante retorted perching herself on the edge of my bed.

“How is he now?”

“He is better still recovering. He told me that Kaulimi’s defences were breached by some organisation called Ulalo. All Order had to do was denote the bombs.”

I nodded my head. Who was Ulalo? What was Waranda role in this?

“Enough about that, how are you? I am sorry I did not come yesterday. I was beside Yanja.”

“I understand. I am okay. Just can’t wait to leave this hospital.” My eyes darted around my apple green room.

She chuckled. “When do they discharge you?”

“I think in a few hours.”

I placed a large bowl of popcorn on our sitting room table. Xo brought juices, water, tumblers and smaller bowls. Xo dished out popcorn for our bowl, Ama’s and then sat down beside me.

“Kuleza do the needful.” Naledi said. Kuleza gave her a look. “What? You are closest to it.”

Kuleza chuckled. He pulled himself from the couch. Then placed popcorn in three bowls and distributed the bowls between Ipy, himself and Naledi.

“Waranda was a head of Ulalo.” Ama said. “All this time trying to find information on Waranda has been like milking a dry cow. When I started looking for information on Ulalo; I found that Ulalo was the real organisation and Waranda was under it.”

“What do they gain by blowing a few buildings?” Xo asked. “Everything about this organisation has been masterminded. I find it hard to believe their big plan was a few bombs.”

“And what are the war-bots for?” Kuleza said.

“Maybe there is another attack coming.” I speculated. “Maybe they did this to divert attention towards Order so they can attack with their war-bots.”

“It’s a good strategy.” Ama concurred. “Which means there are more war-bots. I will use this new information to find out exactly what they are upto.”

“Ipy contact a top official in Aka-rebel that you trust, tell them of our progress and find out how much they know on Waranda/ Ulalo. Ama try to find anyone else connected to this. Use the list of the murder victims and their replacements.” I said. “Kuleza, Xo and Naledi try to find the other War-bots. I will go over Yanja’s notes and the Suwedi’s communications with Ulalo to see if there anything we can learn.”