Still Sings the Nightbird

Comfort my people!

215 C Comfort my people! he next day, Kabi and Rehema were in Kenyalini Village again. Only the complex of the Sisters of Mercy was left standing in the area. On her way, Kabi saw the complete result of the huge bulldozers blade. It had done a calamitous job bringing every single shelter down till the hill on which the shacks stood was a vast and open space. People put up their shacks on the hill to avoid floods. The demolition was not a deluge they could escape. Kabi and Rehema found Sista Atieno, busy helping the people who went to her. When Kabi went closer she saw that Sista Jiru suffered. The nuns were exhausted. Sista Atieno’s feet were swollen. Tired watery flesh hang loosely around the thongs of her brown leather sandals. When Kabi’s eyes saw that, she felt like bending down and gathering Sista’s flesh into the sandal then asking her to sit down and rest. Most of the shelterless had jammed the school classrooms of the complex. Some slept in the church. This was a new refugee camp. The people were hungry and they expected to be fed. It was not hard to remember Jesus and the multiplication of the loaves of bread. Two fish turned into millions of protein pieces. When Jesus came to Kenyalini, his name was Dr. Patel. He brought food. He comforted those who had their teeth pulled out. They were many. There were multiple problems. Some among the homeless, especially children and the aged coughed badly. Kabi went to the kitchen to help prepare the cabbage and rice. These would be the ingredients of lunch for thousands and for a long time. There were five women and two men at work in the kitchen already. Kabi stood there taking in the tormented look on the face of the helpless nuns who stood amidst all the chaos watching. The nuns and Kabi knew that a country could not be run on charity, but for now they had to do what they could. The nuns’ minds, eyes and voices T 216 were filled with pain. They shared suffering together as if they were singing in a choir. But suddenly they looked frightened about everything. Kabi had passed by her as some youngsters spoke to the nun loudly. The nun did not hear them. Kabi heard that they were asking for CNJcNJ Waa Chiriri. Googo’s house was demolished. They could not trace her anywhere. Old and sickly Googo was missing. Teresia was one of those helping to work. She had chopped cabbage on her feet and leaning on a huge wooden table until she felt as if she had run for miles barefoot. “Here, take my knife,” She said to Kabi. “How good you are to come and help us. We are exhausted. Mmmmmm,” She added. She yawned and straightened up her shoulders. She was an energetic woman, judging from her muscles. Kabi and Ariani took up the job in silence. Bera moved and stood quietly by Kabi. “Where do you come from?” She asked her. “From WarNJkNJ,” Kabi answered. “Down the road, near the Petrol Station?” “Yes.” “Well then you are safe!” Kabi was eager to hear the people express their anger after living through the disaster of watching as their ‘homes’ destroyed. She was only too glad to hear Bera start. “We live here. We have nowhere else to go, although the big ones think we do. They should know better than that,” She finished. “Don’t worry, “Kabi said. Kabi could hear that emotion was taking over Bera’s cracking voice. She did not wait to see this woman crying in her presence. Her tears glittered in the rays of the sun. She went on: “God is on our side,” She said. “He doesn’t forget his children!” Bera tried hard to find something positive to keep her going, she clutched on straws as thin as seconds to sustain her sanity. 217 Kabi wondered if there were any sides at all which God and others could take, and she remembered Marx and the opium of the poor. She did not know that at that time Weereh had just healed twelve women of diabetes. They were singing and praising God in his shack. Kabi eager to console Bera said, “I came here on that day, to see the askaris do their work, so that...