Chapter 12, Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Efia drove her jeep through the the Khumba village as she made her way home. Though upon pulling into the driveway of her house, she and Jamari found that their daughters had already arrived. Tabia and Zahara were unpacking their luggage from the back of their Land Cruiser. Only to then pause upon seeing them pulling in behind them.

Efia stepped out of the Jeep, gazing in awe at the sight of her daughter. Having grown so much since the last time she had seen her.

"Tabia!" she said in awe, walking up to them

"Mom!" Tabia exclaimed, setting down one of her bags.

Efia gasped as the two embraced in each other's arm. Holding one another for a moment's time before departing. Efia the came to look upon her daughter once more. No longer was she the little girl she had remembered so fondly. Having now grown up so much in the years she had been away. She was indeed a spitting image of herself.

"My little Mtoto, I've missed you so much." she said, proudly.

"How you've grown."

Reaching out her hand, she placed it firmly over her daughters cheek. Tabia smiled up at her mother.

"Thanks, mom." she said.

Zahara rushed up to her father Kamani, where she leaped into the arms of her father.

"Hey, Dad!" Zahara said, smiling.

"Zahara, how it brings me so much pride to see you again." Kamari said, before they departed.

"When did you get back?" Efia asked, curiously.

"Just now, dad was just helping us unpack." Efia said, glancing back toward the house.

It was at that moment that Kamali and their son, Jirani coming out of the house.

"Efia, looks who's back." Kamali said, gesturing to their daughter.

Efia smiled up at her husband. Like Kamari, she could hear the hint in his voice. Like Kamari, her husband was often insistent about her getting too caught up in her work.

"Yes, Kamali, I know. Why don't you and Jirani go make dinner." She said, chuckling.

"Kamari and I will help the girls get unpacked."

Kamali nodded his head back to her. He then glanced to Jirani, gesturing his head for him to follow before turning to go inside. She glanced down at her daughter.

"Sorry, I was caught up at the office." Efia said, walking over to the open tailgate of the Landcruiser.

"I think you'd be interested to hear the local elephant herd has some new members."

"That sounds great, Mom. How is Bomani doing?" Tabia asked, curiously.

"Actually, he's grown as much as you have. And is now the leader of the Herd." Efia insisted, glancing to her daughter, smirking.

Tabia glanced back at her mother with a sense of excitement. In the past whenever she and her mother would go out into the reserve. They would often visit the local elephant herd. It was her mother's main topic of research in the Khumba reserve. Other times it was to check up on Bomani, who had lost his own mother to poachers.

Bomani was Tabia's favorite of the herd. Even all the time she had been away, she would often ask her about him in her letters to her mother. She even thought she could base her thesis on them as he mother had.

"That's great. Actually, I have a bit of news." Tabia insisted to her mother.

"Oh?" Efia asked, glancing to her with anticipation.

"Zahara and I gotten our doctorates in Zoology." Tabia insisted to her mother.

Efia gasped in awe, smiled proudly to her.

"That's wonderful, my Mtoto. I'm so proud of you." Efia said, embracing her daughter in her arms.

"Thanks, mama, And I was thinking of conducting my thesis on the herd like you did." Tabia insisted to her mother.

"That's great, Tabia. But it's going to have to wait till after we get back." Efia insisted to her daughter.

"Back from where?" Tabia asked, curiously.'

"I'll tell you later. Come. Let's get you settled in." Efia said, taking one of her bags to to the house.


Efia and her family gathered at the table for dinner that evening. Tabia told them all about her time in the United states attending both High school and collage. The times she had spent with her Aunt Jina and her family. Some of which caused her family to laugh and smile.

As the laughter died down, Kamli reached out and placed his hand over her shoulder.

"Tabia, we are so proud of you." Kamali proclaimed to his daughter.

"Yeah, but it's going to hard to say Dr. Keita when you two are together." Jirani joked.

Tabia smirked at her brother.

"Thanks, Baba. I'm really looking forward to starting my thesis." Tabia insisted to them.

"Oh yeah, and what are you thinking of doing it on?" Kamali asked, curiously.

"Well, I thought about doing it on Brameni and the elephant herd. Like Mama." Tabia insisted, glancing to her mother.

Efia smiled back at her.

"Ah, following in her mother's footsteps." Kamali said, glancing up to Efia.

Efia looked back at him from across the table. She smiled back at her husband.

"Well, I'm happy you decided on the herd. But I have a feeling you may wish to wait." Efia insisted to her daughter.

Tabia glanced to her mother, curiously.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, me and Jamari are organizing a research trip outside the reserve." Efia insisted to her daughter.

"Outside the reserve?" Tabia asked, curiously.

"Yes, there's a lion Pride that Lives several miles outside the reserve. Around a unique rock formation." Efia proclaimed to her daughter.

Efia got up from her seat as she walked into the other room. She then returned a moment later with the photo of the strange Rock cliff. She handed her daughter the photo, who was wide eyes at the picture. The large Rock itself looked alot like a mountain.

"Amazing." Tabia said, glancing up at her mother.

"This is where your going?"

Efia nodded her head to her.

"That's right. We think that a Lion Pride has made it their home." Efia insisted to her

"We're hoping to study the lions out there. We're leaving tomorrow. And I thought it would be great for our first research trip tribe."

Tabia glanced up at her mother.

"Me?" She asked?

"Yes. What do you think?" She asked, curiously.

The idea of their first research trip together was certainly a intriguing idea. Especially with it being for Lions. Other the the elephants, Lions had been another of her favorite animals. While she had hoped to do her thesis on Bomani and his herd, the idea of doing so on lions from a far off of the reserve seemed like an oppertunity of a lifetime.

"That's... that's great!" Tabia exclaimed in excitement.

She then stood up from her seat before embracing her mother in her arms.

"Thank you, mama!" She said.

Efia smiled, hugging her daughter back.

"Of course, my little Ua." Efia said, smiling.

The two departed before sitting back at the table. Kamali smiled at them.

"Well, that's fantastic, Tabia. This well be great for you and your mother." He insisted to her.

"If I'm being honest, Efia, I haven't seen you this excited since you and Sarah..."

Kamali suddenly paused after mentioning Sarah. The room itself had fallen silent upon him bringing up Efia's late college and friend. Efia narrowed her head, frowning. It had been twelve years since the incident. When her dear friend and her son were killed by Poachers. The Poachers themselves still remained at large since the incident. Though they hadn't been seen in the reserve since the incident.

Kamali frowned.

"Oh, Efia, I didn't mean to..." He said.

Efia shook her head to her husband.

"No... it's alright." She reassured her husband.

"I uh... I need to go."

Efia then turned and walked out of the room, much to the dismay of her family. Kamali sighed, sitting back down at the table. Tabia turned to her father.

"Dad...?" she asked, curiously

Shaking his head in dismay, he glanced up at her.

"Your mother... still hasn't gotten over what has happened to Sarah and Jay." He insisted to her.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I haven't seen you go visit them on the hill." Jirani insisted to his sister.

Tabia felt her heart sink upon hearing her mother's grief was still affecting her. She turned and shifted her eyes back where her mother had gone. Despite the years that had passed since, she continued to blame herself for what happed to them.


Tabia found her mother standing over the hill outside the village. She climbed up the hillside and she came up behind her.

"Mama?" she asked.

Efia hardly noticed her daughter's voice. Continuing to stare down at hill top, frowning. Tabia shifted her gaze to where her mother was looking. She paused for a moment, frowning in dismay at the two graves. It was there she noticed the two wooden crosses, which bared the names Sarah and Jay Bradford.

Efia gave a small sigh, narrowing her head.

"I often come here to visit them whenever I can. There's not many who the village who do anymore." Efia then said.

Tabia came up next to her mother.

"Baba told me." Tabia insisted, glancing to her mother

Tabia bowed her head, narrowing her eyes.

"There are some wounds that cannot be so easily healed. Especially not mine." Efia proclaimed to her daughter.

"Mama?" Tabia asked.

"I was the responsible for what \happened to them, Tabia. At least..." Efia said before her sadden gaze shifted to Jay's grave.

Seeing the grave of the little boy who was once full of life, Efia's became riddled with Guilt that had haunted her for many years. Having been the one that insisted Sarah bring him with her into the field. If it wasn't for her, Jay would still be alive today.

"Mama, that's no true." Tabia insisted to her mother.

"Yes, it is, Tabia. I was responsible for what happened to Jay." Efia insisted to her daughter.

"If it hadn't been for me, he never would have..."

Efia's closed her eyes as tears seeped from her tightly shut eye lids. Bowing her head in shame as she turned away from the graves. Tabi came up next to her, wrapping her arms around her, comforting her mother.

"Mama..." Tabia insisted to her, holding her mother tightly.

Efia in turn leaned into her daughter's embrace from which she stayed for a moments time. Wiping her tears from her mother's eyes, Eifa then lifted her gaze up to daughter.

"None of that was your fault, Mama. You couldn't have known what would happen." Tabia proclaimed to her mother.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to Jay."

Efia narrowed her eyes. She then glanced back at Jay's grave for a moment.

"I can't help but feel that I could have done more for him. I know it is no wise to have hope anymore." Efia insisted to her daughter.

"But... there's still a part of me that hopes that he is still out there."

Tabia shifted her glance to Jay's grave. The Idea of Jay still being alive and somewhere out there was little more then wishful thinking. Especially with it being over twelve years since Jay had disappeared. Though like her mother, she also had hoped that maybe there was a chance that was true. Could he perhaps still be out there somewhere out there?

Was he somewhere safe? Was he alright?