Chapter 17: Some Things Are Not Meant To Be

Tuesday – Day 19 of the Rebel Advance

Kem was curled up on John's chest after their morning's activities. The sweat was beginning to dry on their skin and their breathing was slowly returning to normal. John leaned down instinctively kissed the top of her head, then he sat up slightly in order to glance at the clock on the other side of the bed.

"It's 8:00am," he murmured as he relaxed back down on the bed.

"Aw…don't mention the time," she replied groggily. She wished that the morning could last this way forever. He pulled her closer to him and she knew that he felt the same way, even if it was unrealistic.

"I have to meet Kingugwa at 11:00am," John said in the same groggy voice.

He felt her tense at the mention of the smuggler's name. "It's going to be okay, you know," he said reassuringly.

"I know," she sighed reluctantly. She wished that she had been able to talk John out of doing this a few days ago, but now it was much too late to turn back.

"And Abe will be going with me," he added. "We decided to meet at Karibu's at 9:30."

"That's a bit early," she mused.

"Ummm," he sighed, "yeah, but I don't want any surprises."

Even though James had originally wanted to be the one to go with John, some last minute complications resulted in his having work to do at his club so that he could take off tomorrow to help them transport the camp's citizens.

Since Abe was familiar with the location named by Kingugwa, someplace in the city's center, he was a good substitute to accompany John to this morning's rendezvous. Once the vehicles had been inspected and the deal was complete, they would return and get the rest of the team, who would then drive the trucks to the clinic to wait for tomorrow's move.

All in all, John thought that it was a pretty solid plan and he didn't anticipate too many hassles. He just wished that he could get Kem to accept that.

He stroked the line of her jaw and gently tilted her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. As always, he immediately became lost in the width and depth of their chocolate color that was tinged with a hint of green inherited from her mother. "Don't worry," he said earnestly, "nothing will happen to me."

She managed a small smile to try to make him happy, before she returned her head to his chest. "I just wish that this was all over with," she said softly.

"Soon, very soon," he murmured against her ear, and they lingered in bed for another half hour, before rising to start the day's activities.

John decided that it would be best if he wore his loose fitting tan linen shirt and dark brown khakis that way the dust from the day's activities wouldn't appear so prominently on his clothing.

He walked to a table near the bed that had his keys and wallet on it, and a black faux leather shoulder bag lying on one side of it. He picked up the keys and wallet and put them in his right pocket, then he leaned down and unzipped the bag for one last quick check.

The bag contained fifty rolls of hundred dollar bills bundled in sets of ten. John zipped the bag back up again, picked it up, and placed it diagonally around his body so that its strap rested on one shoulder, while the bag itself rested on the hip of the opposite shoulder thereby making it more difficult to steal.

John took one last look around. Once he was satisfied that he had everything that he needed, he gave Kem a quick kiss and walked to the door. As he turned the knob and started to walk out, Kem called out anxiously to him.

"You're not taking your cell phone?" Kem asked worriedly. She had just noticed that it was lying on the other bed table next to the clock.

"Ah…no," he replied hastily. "Kingugwa requested that no one bring any cell phones to the meeting. I think maybe he's worried about tracking signals or some such thing." He had meant to tell her about the request but it had genuinely slipped his mind.

"Do you think that's wise?" she asked.

"Well, Abe and James didn't seem to think that it was too odd. Besides, it's not as if a cell phone is going to be of that much use in this type of situation," he said and he accompanied his statement with a boyish shrug of his shoulders. "After all, who are we going to call if a deal with a smuggler falls through? The police?"

"I guess that it's okay," Kem said and then she bit her lip. She wasn't mollified by John's answer or by his nonchalant attitude to the entire meeting, but if Abe and James weren't worried then she figured that she was probably just overreacting.

She let out the breath that she felt like she had been holding since John had mentioned the smuggler's name this morning, and she walked over to where John was standing so that she could give him one last kiss.

"I'll meet you down at Karibu around 2?" she asked.

"Yeah…I should be done by then."

"Okay, and good luck," she replied and she gave him one of her bright smiles.

She was still smiling as she watched him bound enthusiastically down the stairs and towards his meeting with Abe. However, when she closed the door, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was not quite right.

Helene had been at work for a full hour before the Police Chief arrived with four uniformed officers in tow. At first, she was startled by their presence because Minister Mkese did not usually receive visits from local officials. Plus, a visit from the police usually meant bad news.

When she knocked on the door to inform Azel about his visitors, her hand had actually been trembling. However, Azel didn't seem to be surprised in the least by their visit. In fact, he had seemed quite enthusiastic and receptive.

That had puzzled Helene for a second, especially since the meeting was not officially on Azel's calendar. However, as the morning went by, she shrugged off her shock and dove back into her work. If it was anything that she should know about, she was certain that Azel would tell her tonight over dinner.

Around 10:00am, the Minister's door opened and the four junior officers filed out into the anteroom. It appeared that they were waiting on the Police Chief to join them, but he was taking his time, so the men started to converse amongst themselves.

There was laughing and joking, and at first Helene did not pay any attention to them. She thought that she heard the words "today" and "trucks" being used, but that didn't mean much to her. However, when she heard the phrase, "American doctor", her blood turned cold.

Unfortunately, she was too far away and the men were speaking too softly in parts of the conversation for her to make out the context of what they were discussing, but there were not too many U.S. doctors in the city, and even fewer whose name would be connected with trucks. She felt like they must have been discussing John Carter.

Although, her mind was racing with thoughts about deciding what she should do with this information, she continued the appearance of doing her work in an attempt not to arouse suspicion.

A few minutes later, the Police Chief emerged from Azel's office with Azel at his side.

"Helene," Azel called out unexpectedly as the Chief and his men exited the office. "I'm going out, and I'll be back after lunch."

The news caught Helene off guard because again his absence had not been on his calendar, but she smiled in response. She didn't know what he was up to but she surmised that it had something to do with the Police Chief and Doctor Carter.

Helene searched her conscience for what she should do. She didn't know the doctor personally, and she certainly didn't care for his girlfriend, or was it fiancée now as the rumors implied. After all, Kem had been a serious rival for Azel's affections and it didn't seem right to be friendly with one's rivals. However, she loved her family and if she didn't do something, then her aunt's safety and her aunt's family's safety might be jeopardized.

Helen waited ten minutes and then jumped up from her desk. She was certain that she had waited long enough to ensure that Azel wouldn't return unexpectedly to the office, and she didn't dare wait any longer.

She headed down the stairs to the Ministry of Health office, and then she was off to a café across the street that she knew had a pay phone. She wished that her salary permitted her to afford a luxury like a cell phone, but such wasn't her luck. She dialed the number on the strip of paper that the health minister's secretary, Mary, had given her. She didn't know if this was going to work or if the woman would be there, but it was the only thing that she could think of at the moment.

The number began to ring.

"Hello?"

It was definitely Kem's voice. Helene recognized it instantly.

Hello?" Kem asked again.

"Kem Likasu," Helene stated curtly.

"Yes?"

"This is Helene Umdojbwa from the Deputy Minister of Communication's office."

"Oh…hello," Kem replied and Helene could hear that she was as unenthusiastic about Helene's call as Helene was to make it.

"Listen closely to me," Helene said. "I know that you are trying to move the refugee camp starting tomorrow. Know this…your Doctor Carter is in danger."

"What do you mean?" Kem asked carefully. She didn't know Helene well, but she knew her well enough to know that the woman was jealous of Azel's intentions towards her and that this could be an infantile prank on her part to get back at Kem.

"Has he gone to pick up the trucks yet?" Helene asked.

Kem's heart started beating so hard that she was certain that Helene could hear it even over the phone. This didn't feel like a joke.

"Yes."

"I think that the Chief of Police will be waiting for him," Helene said quickly and just as she was about to hang up the receiver she heard Kem's voice.

"Wait!" Kem yelled. She had to verify that Helene was not just trying to be cruel. "Why are you telling me all this?" Kem asked.

"My mother's sister and her family live in the refugee camp. My husband and I have no room in our house for them because we are already twelve under one roof, and besides, my husband has no use for my family. I do it for her and them," Helene said quickly and then she promptly hung up the phone.

Kem regarded the receiver in her hand for a second, and then jolted into action. She looked for the number to Karibu and quickly dialed it. The phone rang repeatedly, but either no one was around to answer it or James was in the back doing some work that didn't allow him to answer it promptly.

Kem slammed the phone down, and quickly slid into her tennis shoes. This morning, she had decided to wear her khakis because she thought that they would be most appropriate for today's activities, and as she considered what she had to do next she was grateful for that decision.

She pulled her hair into a quick pony tail, laced up her shoes tightly, and headed for the door. However, just as she was about to turn the doorknob she remembered an important item – her father's gun.

She had placed it back in the trunk after returning from her trip a few days ago. She rushed over to the trunk and threw the fabric covering it carelessly to the ground. When she opened the trunk's lid, she found the gun and its clip where she had left them. She shoved the clip roughly into the gun, and thrust the gun deep into her left pocket.

Once again, she headed for the door, and this time she slammed it behind her. She rushed down the stairs and started running as fast as she could down the street. It was crowded, and Kem bumped repeatedly into the other pedestrians as she made her way towards the club. She stepped on toes and heels, and even hit one woman hard enough to make her drop her purse. Kem was sorry, but she didn't dare stop to help. Nothing mattered to her except getting to John before it was too late.

The club was only a brisk fifteen minute walk from their apartment, and Kem running at full speed had covered the distance in just under eight minutes. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost 10:30am.

"John!" Kem screamed as she frantically searched the club but there was no answer. The club appeared to be empty.

Oh God, this can't be happening, she thought and she had to fight to keep her fear and concern for his safety from overwhelming her.

"JOHN!" she screamed again.

"Kem?" James called out in surprise. Kem was relieved to hear his voice, and as she turned to look at him she saw that he must have been in the back office or outside, because he was carrying two large boxes in his arms.

"Have you seen John?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes. He was here but he and Abe left about forty minutes ago," he replied matter-of-factly. "The traffic heading towards the city center is always bad at this time of day, and since they didn't want to be late they thought that they should leave out fairly early."

Kem struggled to keep her emotions from overwhelming her. It can't be too late, she thought, it can't be.

James noticed that she was troubled and he hurried over to her. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's a trap," she blurted out.

"What?"

"A trap," she repeated emphatically.

"It can't be," James said and he was genuinely astonished by Kem's proclamation.

"I'm certain of it," she said and James saw that she was absolutely believed what she was saying. "I need to get there before he meets Kingugwa at 11:00."

Kem knew where the warehouse that Kingugwa had named was located, she only needed transportation to get there swiftly. "Do you have a truck that I can use?" she asked impatiently.

James shook his head. "Kem, you cannot make it by car. It's 10:35," he stressed. "You'd be lucky to make it in thirty minutes. You know that."

"Well, I have to do something," she cried and she pushed him away from her.

She ran from the club and jumped onto the sidewalk outside its open air patio. Tears and panic were again threatening to overwhelm her. I will not cry, she told herself, and I will not panic. She immediately wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked around for something that could help her. About a minute later, she found it.

As James had said, the street traffic was awful. Cars, buses, minivans, and even a few mules and donkeys all vied one with another for space on the city's main road. To make matters worse, a police officer was standing in the intersection directing traffic and his machinations had everything progressing at a crawl.

Kem started running in the direction of the officer, and stopped about five hundred feet before she reached him. Sitting in front of her, waiting for his turn to go amidst an assortment of vehicles and animals, was a lone dusty motorbike and its driver.

Kem walked up to the man, and stood to his side. When he turned his head to look at her, she smiled, and the man smiled back.

When the man had first saw Kem smiling at him, he had thought that it had been his lucky day. A pretty girl like that…and then she came even closer to him, but as soon as he had felt the gun pointed at his kidney, he knew that fate had screwed him once again.

Keeping the gun pointing into the man's side, she angled her body to keep the gun hidden from nearby drivers. She deftly slid onto the back of the bike and moved the gun from his side to his back – never letting its barrel lose contact with his body in the process. She wrapped her free arm around the man's waist, and pulled herself closer to him so that she could whisper in his ear.

"I need you to take me to the city center as quickly as this bike can move," she stated in French because she knew that she couldn't be certain if the man could understand English.

"Once we get past this officer," she directed sternly, "you're going to use your bike to get between these cars and go faster than they can. If you do this, then you'll have nothing to worry about."

The man started to protest. However, before he could start yelling and maybe even get the officer to notice his predicament, he heard the click of a gun being cocked, and he immediately calmed down. In the end, he figured that it was best to do as this strange woman asked.

About two minutes later, the officer gave the signal for traffic to proceed in the direction of the city center.

The bike's driver stepped on the gas and began following the cars. Once they were out of the officer's sight, Kem leaned forward and pressed the gun harder into the man's back.

"Go between the cars," she ordered tersely and the driver quickly complied with her request.

Whenever the traffic stopped, the rider searched out pockets and holes that were too small for cars, but that were just large enough to permit his bike to slip through. And when the traffic wasn't stopped, he daringly maneuvered his way around any slower moving vehicles and entities so that his speed never dropped below forty miles an hour on the crowded road. Fifteen minutes, and several honks and expletives later, they had reached the city center.

Kem immediately looked around for the warehouse, then she ordered the driver to stop.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear, "you've saved my life."

She kissed his cheek lightly, dismounted, thrust the gun back into her left pocket, and ran towards the sidewalk.

The motorbike's driver stared after her for a second as he pondered whether he should report her. However, he hadn't been harmed and he decided that it was best if no one knew that he had been hijacked by a woman weighing around ninety pounds. His ego might never recover.

The warehouse and several other office buildings sat on one side of the busy street directly opposite an array of vendors and cafes that were thronged with what appeared to be several hundred people making their way through town.

Kem looked at her watch and saw that it was about eight minutes before the hour. She stared hard at the warehouse's door as she tried to decide if it had been opened recently indicating that John was already inside, or if it had not been opened at all indicating that John had yet to enter.

She quickly considered her options. If she went to the warehouse now, and John wasn't there, then Kingugwa might trap her inside making it impossible for her to warn John and Abe. She decided that the safest route was to quickly search the nearby cafes and makeshift food stands to see if John was still in the crowd.

She pushed her way through the mobs of people, stood in the gutters, and balanced precariously on curbsides in an attempt to see him. Although, she saw the many different hues of African skin, she had not spotted even one white person.

She looked at her watch and then looked down at her feet dejectedly. It was three minutes before 11:00 and it was clear that in his anxiousness to complete the deal, John had gone in a few minutes early. She knew that she couldn't contact the police or the military. She couldn't even contact their friends without also endangering their lives. Even the gun she had would not be of much use against the smuggler and the police chief. She fell to her knees and started crying uncontrollably.

I failed, she thought. And John will suffer…is suffering because of it. She bent her chest over her knees as her sobs began to rack her body. A crowd had gathered around her, curious as to whether she was ill. However, Kem didn't notice them or hear their questions because she suddenly knew what she had to do.

In a few seconds, she knew that she would have to calm herself, get up, cross the street, and join the man that she loved in order to share his fate.