They are Coming

Chapter 4

12 Chapter 4 Ambition blinks his eyes and shakes his head, returning himself to the present. He knows he should quickly finish praying and go home, as his mother will be angry with him for running away without saying where he was going. But he quickly sneaks another look at the drama unfolding before him, as one of the police officers peers over the beer garden wall at the group assembled inside. He returns to the other officers, and after a moment’s conversation all the policemen turn towards the wall, and Ambition hears a soft popping sound. A moment later, smoke envelops the patrons. There’s no visible sign of a fire, but the group in the beer garden scatter, as if they’ve been flung hither and thither by a giant hand, and the police are chasing the men who’ve leapt over the wall and are trying to escape. One of the police officers blocks the path of a man running towards him, wiping his eyes. The man stops running and raises his hands in surrender . It’s the man in the white shirt, the one who’se been addressing the crowd, the one Ambition thought looked like Mr Nkani. Ignoring his gesture, the policeman trips up his victim and lays into him with his truncheon; the man is screaming and rolling on the ground as he tries to evade the weapon, which descends on him again and again. Then another man appears behind the policeman and kicks him hard. The officer loses his balance and falls to the ground. His victim leaps to his feet and he and his rescuer race away round the corner. ‘Cover yourself and pray, Ambition!’ Siziba shouts from behind him. Ambition quickly kneels down on the rock and covers his head with the cloth. Its dampness feels cool on his body, but he still can’t pray. Instead his mind replays the fighting outside the beer garden, and the smoke that had risen over it, and which he’d noticed had been drifting in his direction. 13 *** This is Ambition’s fourth visit to Siziba’s church. The first time had been at MaChivanda’s invitation: ‘We have a church service in my house tonight,’ she’d told him. ‘You must come and pray for your sister. God takes care of every problem in this world.’ He had told his mother about the invitation, excited at the prospect, but had not told her that he was going to pray for Senzeni. ‘No!’ his mother had declared. ‘I won’t have any child of mine attending that kind of a church.’ But after spending the afternoon playing street soccer, Ambition had slipped into the church service; his mother had thought he was still with his friends, and his father was still at the beer garden where he went every evening after work. MaChivanda’s living room that night had been packed with the whitegowned congregation, some children, and the long-bearded priest leading the service. During the praying and singing, Ambition had trouble keeping his eyes open, but he was suddenly pulled wide awake when he found himself lying in the middle of the floor, the skirts of the congregation whirling around him in dizzying circles, and Siziba kneeling over him praying fervently in tongues, his hands pressed on Ambition’s cheeks. ‘The Holy Spirit spoke through you, my son,’ Siziba informed him in an exultant voice, as if a miracle had descended upon the room. ‘How?’ Ambition asked puzzled and confused, as the chanting congregation whirled around the room. ‘Don’t worry about how, but the Holy Spirit made one request. You must pray hard for your family and everything will be all right. Hallelujah !’ ‘Hallelujah!’ the congregation chorused while MaChivanda nodded, looking complacent. Siziba had dipped his fingers into a bowl on the floor beside him and sprinkled cold water over Ambition’s face. It made him gasp. Ambition never told his mother, but there and then he’d made the decision to join Siziba’s church; not as a full member, but only to pray for his sister. Whenever Senzeni recovered from whatever was afflicting her and returned home, he would then leave the church. In the meantime he thought it was his responsibility to do something to make her better. *** 14 Ambition mumbles ‘Amen’ and throws back the cloth. The sun’s sudden glare makes him...