Chapter 8 – Self-Sufficient?
John and Kem walk on the remnants of what passes as a sidewalk in Kisangani. The tile is broken and missing in several places, and there are numerous potholes and ruts that need to be avoided. However, the discouraging condition of the pedestrian infrastructure does not deter most people from going on foot to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city.
A cacophony of sounds and smells greets walkers on their journey. There are merchants peddling an assortment of wares and homemade foods, exotic colorful birds and animals from the nearby rainforest, radios pumping out a variety of beats and languages that echo the diverse backgrounds and interests of the city's residents.
Walking in this city is an adventure for the senses, and John and Kem delight in that experience as they are enveloped by Kisangani's charms. Then, suddenly, as they get closer to the clinic, Kem tumbles to the ground.
"Are you okay?' John asks with concern as he leans down to examine her. She is still lying on her palms and her forearms, and he thinks that she might be seriously injured.
"I…I don't know", she responds nervously. "I think that maybe I twisted my ankle."
John looks back and he sees a narrow but deep hole about a foot away from Kem's left heel. He shakes his head as he realizes that it must have caused her fall.
He helps her get to her feet and it's clear that she is favoring her left ankle.
"Let's see if you can put any pressure on it", he says in his most professional tone. He stoops down slightly so that she can keep one arm around his shoulders for balance as she tests out the injured ankle.
"Unh…", she grunts softly.
"Tsk...tsk…tsk", John replies softly. It is clear to him that her ankle cannot take any pressure.
"Okay. Here's what we'll do. We're about two blocks from the clinic, so I'll carry you the rest of the way."
"Don't be ridiculous. You cannot carry me for two blocks", she says dismissively. It was absurd for a grown woman to be carried for such a long distance she thinks to herself. Just as she is about to declare her willingness to walk back to the clinic on her own power, she looks at John and she immediately recognizes the no-nonsense, obstinate expression on his face. She realizes that it isn't a matter of whether she wants to be carried; rather it's just a matter of when she will get into his arms so that the carrying process can begin.
She gives him one last annoyed look and then places both her arms around his neck so that their journey can resume.
With a little grunt, he lifts her smoothly up to the level of his chest and proceeds in the direction of the clinic.
She doesn't look at him, instead preferring to either look down or look ahead.
John smiles at her silence. He decides that after all her earlier bravado about not needing to be rescued and being able to take care of herself that she is probably pretty embarrassed right now. His smile widens, but he decides that now is not the right time to kid her about her current predicament. There will be plenty of time for that later, he thinks and he chuckles to himself as he ponders his upcoming opportunities to tease her.
About ten minutes later, John sees the clinic coming into view. As usual, there is an assortment of people sitting and standing outside the clinic's entrance. As John and Kem approach, he sees one of the men, Abe maybe, run into the clinic. A few seconds later, the man reappears with two other men close behind. It's Charles and Uwe Schilinger, a visiting surgeon from Germany.
John crosses the street and they greet him with a bit of concern in their voices.
"What happened?" asks Charles.
"Tripped over a rut in the street, I think", replies John. "Are there any beds available?"
"Yeah, there should be one in the back", says Uwe.
John starts to carry Kem towards the clinic's door.
"I don't need to be carried inside", she says softly. She is still embarrassed and the extra attention is only making it worse.
John gives her a brief annoyed look, but he otherwise ignores her statement.
"No, really", she says more emphatically, "I think that I can manage from here. Besides, some of the halls are quite crowded and it will be difficult for you to navigate with me in your arms. In fact, you're more likely to run into a wall or cause me to accidentally kick a patient than you are to get me to the bed safely."
He lets out a deep sigh as he reluctantly recognizes the validity of her argument. He places her lightly on her feet while fully supporting her shoulders.
"Okay, let go now, please. I want to try it on my own."
John obliges, and she places pressure gingerly on her left ankle. She starts to hobble towards the door, but John has his hands out ready to catch her should she stumble.
"You know I think it's starting to feel okay", she calls out in a tentative voice.
Suddenly, she stands up straight. Without saying a word, she proceeds to jump and skip on the previously 'injured' ankle. Then she beautiful executes a series of cartwheels, and gracefully runs up the few steps that lead to the clinic's main hall.
Before she goes in, she turns around to see John gaping at her in complete shock.
"Yes, it's feeling quite good now", she says in a bubbly voice. "I guess I was just tired of walking", she says innocently. And with that, she casually shrugs her shoulders, turns and walks inside.
Charles begins a slow deep chuckle and soon all of the people outside the clinic join in; all expect for John, he is still standing there dumbfounded.
Charles gives John a good-natured pat on the back. "I think she got you", he manages to say through his laughter.
John turns to him in open amazement and says, "I think I just got played." Charles laughs some more.
"For two blocks", John continues as he tries to stress the seriousness of his situation.
People are still laughing and John observes them silently for a moment. Although, his face displays a look of mild annoyance and embarrassment, his eyes are sparkling with their contagious laughter.
He smiles briefly and shakes his head in temporary defeat. Then, he turns around and leaps up the stairs that enter the clinic. "Where is she?" he asks of the people closest to the door. One person immediately points towards the cafeteria and John walks quickly in that direction.
When John enters the room he finds Kem at one of its simple dining tables. She is sitting across from Angelique and they both look like they are desperately trying to hold back a fit of barely containable laughs.
John stuffs his hands deep into his pockets and slowly approaches the table. He is deliberately trying to arrange his boyish features into an appropriate sulk as he looks at the triumphant expression on Kem's heart-shaped face.
"Cute", he says mirthlessly. "You do realize that I hurt my back carrying you", and as he says this last part he rubs his back for dramatic emphasis.
She raises an eyebrow and shakes her head as she says, "Fibber".
"Well, I could've hurt my back."
"Am I a supposed to apologize?" she asks with a smile.
"Yeah", he says firmly.
"Hmm…" she says as she sighs but says nothing more.
" 'Hmmm', that's your apology?" Now it is his turn to feign astonishment, and he takes a seat beside her as her waits for her reply.
"Well, I suppose that I could apologize. But in that case, I would have to find a new lover soon after that. One who definitely has a better back."
"Ha…ha", he says mockingly.
Kem leans towards him and they exchange a brief kiss.
"Admit it", she says softly as she shakes her head causing her ponytail to bounce in time with the movement. "You didn't think that I could trick you."
"Ah, we'll see who gets to trick whom", he says and he puts up a hand in protest, clearly not willingly to admit defeat at this point.
They are both still smiling at each other as John's colleagues join them at the table for dinner. The cafeteria is starting to get busier and sound of voices interacting and competing with each other soon fills the room. Kem starts to converse with Uwe, and John takes this moment to surreptitiously wink at Angelique as he thinks about tonight's event.
Angelique nods in acknowledgement, but her smile is short-lived. She had been intently watching the exchange between John and Kem, and although their behavior had been affectionate, the anxiety that she had from this morning has returned.
Kem is something of an enigma to her. When Kem had first come to the clinic, Angelique had been suspicious and a bit frightened that Kem would use her position at the Ministry of Health to pressure the clinic into doing unfavorable tasks in exchange for remaining silent about John's well-intentioned, but nevertheless illegal, smuggling of anti-retroviral drugs into the country.
However, Kem had not requested anything as payment for her silence – a rarity in developing countries where desperate poverty frequently encourages the exchange of goods and services in return for one's silence about misdeeds. Kem's decision to reject opportunism in that situation had intrigued Angelique and eventually allowed her to overcome her initial doubts about Kem's character.
During the time that Kem had been in Congo away from John, Angelique had met Kem often and learned more about her ambitions and hopes. Now, Angelique considers Kem, like John, to be a very good friend.
In fact, one of the things that impresses her most about Kem is that she is so focused, so driven on accomplishing her goals with her project. And that focus seems to enable her to have courage when it comes to confronting government bureaucracy, and provides her with the ability to be self-sufficient in terms of her personal life.
However, when Angelique thinks about John's character and his life she sees a stark contrast between John and Kem. Unlike Kem, John seems to have accomplished his goals and he has, accordingly, entered the 'nesting' phase of his life. He wants the wife, the house, the kids – the whole deal.
But, in Angelique's opinion, the qualities of self-sufficiency and nesting rarely ever go together. In fact, the two are polar opposites, and Angelique is concerned that John sees only his desires and not Kem's intentions.
As Angelique observes John, she can't help but wonder if his plans tonight to propose won't end in disaster?