Leading the Night

Night in flight

Leading the Night 187 After sighting many elephants in herds, it was marvelous to go floating in a balloon as if one had bidden goodbye all the tough things of the world. They saw the top of acacia trees which from above looked like umbrellas. So smooth were they from up there where it was impossible to see their thorns. The rest of the world spread out as if in a painting where giraffe walked tall between trees as zebras grazed behind them. The gazelles were not too far as all the animals grazed in one herd. Rich took many pictures. Rika and Rei too clicked away. Rika could hardly wait to show hers to Uhai and Hariri. It was surprising how fast the morning went. Before long, the mysterious Nig was calling them to the Mara Airstrip. He was ready to leave. The flight back was longer since the wind was rough over the Rift Valley. Rika was delighted to be back. Her children danced to meet her each time she returned. They had turned this into a family custom. Night in flight Rei hit the streets eagerly that night. The flight, it seemed, had got him on an incredible high. He arranged a meeting with Pica fast, after enjoying a cold beer. He could hardly wait to ask questions when she arrived. “When do they hold their festival and what do they do?” he asked Pica. “Well, I know they must have a bleating goat and some ‘mourning’ chicken, which are slaughtered,” She whispered, looking behind her. “Are you afraid?” “I always am, no matter where I go.” “Oooh! I hope am not asking too many things.” “There are also special rituals, signs and words for one’s identity. I hear Yaadi singing them sometimes. He often sings, ” I am Yaadi, thaai, CheWachege, Yaadi, and I was cut in the river, I fear nothing, I have 188 Leading the Night sworn and taken an oath, in life and death!” She added. She glanced fearfully over her shoulder. “People skinned alive and killed and made into ‘mzungus’ as people said, and displayed in strange rural places, is that the work of the Sabasaba Defence Force? “I do not know. But I have heard Yaadi often speaking about “mzungu” “What does he say?” “He says it is the mzungu in all of us who betrayed us!” “Oh!” “But no mzungu was ever killed by them.” “No. I do not know!” “They do things that make us confused and others we do not know.” Pica told Rei that she had written down something for him. She warned him of how this group changed fast and left police and people holding paraphanelia which they thought could identify them and which the gang discarded the moment part of the police thought they got the puzzle right. Just as she put some cash swiftly into her handbag, she heard the sound of fast moving boots hitting the ground with their unmistakable clop clop sound. Suddenly, two cops came and peeped in and walked out and returned in seconds. They went straight up to Rei. “What are you doing here?” “Well, am having a drink?” “Where do you come from?” Pica winks at him lightly and he knows he must not give a correct answer to the question. She dreaded the sound of clinging handcuffs, a sound she sometimes heard even in her dreams. To her it was not a click sound, it was QuickQuick! “Kenya is a wonderful country! Naivasha, Nakuru, Nairobi… and tonight I drink for tomorrow… ,” Rei answers the police calmly. He remembers that word which Rika had taught him,”afandi’ , a colonial word that apparently made Kenyan police happy when it was Leading the Night 189 used because it meant complete submission to their power. Rei thought that he could use it now and was dragging it out of his tired memory. He did not know he was not dealing with an ordinary Kenyan policeman. “Is there anything the matter afeeendi?” “Yes. These girls. This girl. What are you doing with this girl?” “Which girl, affenzi?” “Don’t try to be smart or to impress me, am not one of those regular Kenyan cops you know! And you know the girl I am talking about.” Rei smiled at him. It worked for a few minutes. Surprise and calm filled the policeman’s eyes and he was already a little...