Chapter 43

On Monday morning the following week, Esau and Sauda sat for their Swahili examination paper. When they came out of the exam room, they were quite joyous.

Sauda said, "It was a very easy paper. I felt like shouting out of joy as I saw the questions. Could you imagine the very questions we used to discuss and write as our assignments are the same ones that came as examination questions? Do you remember the discussion groups we used to have to have on poetry and literature texts?"

"Absolutely! You are right. I really enjoyed answering the literature questions on Shaaban Robert's text Utubora Mkulima and Ibrahim Hussein's Kinjeketile."

"We should score straight A's."

"I'll be surprised if we get anything short of an A."

It was a repeat performance in their last paper, European history, which they sat for on Thursday afternoon. They came out of the examinations room laughing and chatting loudly.

By this time, a few students in their group discussion suspected they were lovers, but no one dared mention it since Sauda had been appointed the head girl and entertainment prefect in their final year.

"I'll wait for you tomorrow morning so that we can leave together for home, right?' she spoke.

"Sure," he replied, suddenly realising the day had finally come for him to be freed from the threat that hung over his head. "Let me go and start packing."

Even as he spoke, he walked away hurriedly. Not even looking behind him. He was done with examinations, was free, and did not care.

What was wrong with Esau? Sauda began wondering. Why was he behaving very strangely? Over the last few days, she had noticed he kept brooding over something.

He always had never seemed to be in a hurry when doing things, but why was he now behaving like that? Well, I will see him in the morning, and together, we will leave for Mbezi and wait for dad to come from China. She reflected seriously.

Esau woke up the following morning and picked up his luggage. He was happy he was at last leaving.

He had cleared with the school authorities and returned all the school textbooks, cutlery, equipment, and whatever he had been issued with when he joined the school the previous year.

As he headed for the gate, he saw Sauda following him hurriedly. She began to ramble, "What's wrong, Esau? Why couldn't you wait for me?"

Esau could not say anything as she had surprised him, yet he had hoped to leave quietly.

Sauda asked, her voice seemingly angry as she faced him: "Why are you trying to leave without me, yet we agreed we would leave together?"

"I sent someone to ask you to be ready, but it seems he never reached you. Everyone is busy doing his own things, it seems," he lied as he tried to give excuses and asked: "Weren't you told I was leaving?"

"No. Who did you send?"

"Never mind, my dear. It doesn't really matter as you are already here. We're late, yet we have to reach town and get the bus."

"What bus are you talking about?" She asked abruptly as she was alarmed. "We don't have to take a bus to Mbezi, for we can go by taxi like the other time, remember?"

He did not answer. But he was already walking away along the road. Sauda hesitated, and then she followed him.

At the roadside, they took a taxi. But when they reached Kariokor, Esau asked the taxi driver to stop.

He paid him and said, "This is as far as I can go."

Surprised, Sauda also got out of the cab. "What's going on, Esau?" she asked and added, "I thought we were heading for Mbezi as agreed. What's the matter?"

"No, Sauda," he replied coldly: "I received an urgent call from my mum who told me that my dad is very ill back at home. I've been asked to return. But I'll come back as soon as possible once he shows signs of recovery. Dad wants to see me, so I have to go."

Sauda's face fell. She shouted, "Why didn't you tell me? You're lying!"

"No, I'm not!" He tried to protest as he stepped into the Tahmeed Bus Company's booking office, Sauda following closely behind him.

At the counter, Esau inquired: "Is there a vacant seat in your Mombasa bound bus?"

"There's only one left. The bus leaves in a few minutes' time. If you wish to travel, let me have your passport for record purposes at the border," said the ticket clerk at the counter.

He gave out cash and produced his passport, which he handed to the man at the counter. The attendant at the counter started to enter the passport number in the company records.

Satisfied, the clerk said as he pointed at the bus which stood outside the booking office, "Well, get into the bus immediately. The driver is just waiting for me to signal him to leave."

Meanwhile, tears began rolling down Sauda's eyes. She could not believe Esau was leaving. Yet he was all set to go.

Then she was sobbing, turned hysterical, and shouted: "You dirty pig, dog! You've tricked me! What shall I tell my dad? You deceived us all!"

"Tell him I'll be back. I'll call as soon as I arrive in Mombasa and let you know about my dad's condition," he said as he climbed into the bus, his bag on his shoulders.

"I don't want to hear anything about him. Go, go away kaffir!" she barked.

She was still standing outside the bus company's booking office as the driver hooted and drove the bus onto the highway as it slowly left the city of Dar-es-salaam and gathered speed on its long and tiring journey to Mombasa, Kenya.