WRECKED 26 25

The next few days seemed as if they would never end. Anaya drove herself to exhaustion but she couldn't sleep and she couldn't stop thinking about the girl. The thought of her sitting all alone, slumped in despair before the window, tortured her.

She wouldn't notice. Don't delude yourself, that pig of a woman had insisted. How she hated her, with her faint moustache and pompous voice talking down at her. She shouldn't have agreed. She should have fought harder. She blamed herself and agonized for the lost and lonely girl abandoned in her room. Sadly, there was nothing she could do. She had promised to stay away. She wouldn't break her word. She wasn't the type to do that. She had to endure misery and uncertainty, and pray that the commissioner was wrong and the girl would prove it. Still, nothing happened. By the end of the week, she was in a flood of tears.

Eni and Hauwa were horrified. They couldn't believe that this weeping figure was their sturdy, independent benefactor. Hauwa was shocked and didn't know what to make of it. Eni saw her mistress' tear-stained face and her heart ached for her.

"What am I to do?"
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Hauwa thought for a moment. Then she said, "How do you know, she hasn't asked for you, ma?"

"What? The commissioner promised."

"I don't think that silly nurse will tell her. You promised you won't see the girl. You can't go in but there's nothing stopping us. Hauwa and I." Eni declared. "Let's go and see how she is. We're not frightened of any nurse. At least it will set your mind at ease." Hauwa nodded in support.

"Oh! You will do that for me?"

"We will do anything for you," Hauwa confirmed.

Eni looked at her Gucci wristwatch. A gift from Anaya. Gold, with a pretty little strap. "It's past noon. Let's wait till lunch is served to the nurses. We'll go in then. Now, stop worrying, ma."

"I'll never forget this," Anaya said, not looking at them. "You don't know how miserable I've been these last few days. She may think I just got bored and gave up on her."

"I'll tell her you didn't," Eni promised. And she said again, "Don't worry, ma."

Lunch was served and the hungry nurses left their stations to dine with the other house occupants. There was no one around when Eni and Hauwa approached the girl's door. Eni knocked, nobody answered, so she opened it and they went in. The girl sitting in the chair looked up briefly then turned away. Funny looking girl. Dark and thin as a scarecrow, Eni thought.

"Hello," Eni said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No." The voice was at. Eni took a deep breath.

"I'm madam Anaya's maid. She sent me to see how you are faring." They stood there and it seemed impossible to wait much longer. Then her head turned towards them.

"Where is she? Why hasn't she come?"

"What are you doing here?" The nurse had come up behind them. She caught hold of Hauwa's hand. Hauwa shook it o. "Get your hands o me and shut your dirty mouth," Hauwa snapped.

"You never told anyone that the girl asked for madam, did you?" Eni turned to the girl. "Do you want madam to come and see you?"

"Yes." She replied in a low tone. She brought up a hand and wiped her eyes. Eni saw the tears running unchecked down her face. She gave the nurse a venomous look. "Oh, you witch," she whispered. "You black witch! Wait until my madam hears about this."

****

"Hello," Anaya said. The girl looked at Anaya with empty eyes. "Aren't you going to say hello?" she prompted. "If you don't speak to me, I won't be allowed to come and see you. You may even be taken away. Did you miss me?"

"Yes."

"Oh, thank God!" she said under her breath. "I missed you, too. How are you? Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"No, you're not," Anaya said brightly. "You've been sitting here glooming away and feeling sorry for yourself. That is going to stop. I'm looking after you from now on." Anaya took her hand, "But first, you have to tell me your name. Can you do that? Can you tell me your name?"

The girl didn't say anything. She just stared at their joined hands.

"You don't need to answer if you don't want to –."

"Laraba," The girl whispered. Anaya smiled and held her close.

****

The nurse was thrown out within the week. Everyone wondered what was so special about Laraba. They could not say Anaya neglected the other girls. Somehow, she could nd the time to do everything she had done before. She read to the sick girls, organized weekly activities; she was there for anyone who asked. But she spent most of her time in Laraba's room, taking her meals with the girl, reading to her; she discovered Laraba brightened up when she told her stories. There were good days when Anaya was full of hope and bad days when she hid her anxiety from Laraba.

Anaya left the attack on her village and Sambisa lying fallow in Laraba's mind. Her task was to bring the young girl back to normality, to make contact with life and people, and then to bring her to the edge, holding fast to her when the moment came.

"I can't stay here forever, Auntie Anaya, but I don't want to go back to the hospital…" The brightness was gone; she was fearful again, and Anaya responded fiercely.

"You're not going anywhere you don't want to. You can stay here for as long as you like. I can be your guardian, if you want me to."

"I'd like that, Auntie Anaya."

"So would I," Anaya said, careful not to let the young girl see how moved she was. Laraba became agitated and distressed when she sensed Anaya was unhappy.

"Let's go for a stroll. We will walk past Lake Alau and I'll tell you its history. Then I'll show you round the house." Laraba nodded.

One of the nurses saw them walking and commented about the incident later. "You have to hand it to her," she said. "She's bringing Laraba back to life, no mistake about it. They were walking around and talking today. When I first came here, the girl was like a nameless zombie."

"Yes," another nurse replied. "It's amazing what motherly love can do. Pity, the madam doesn't have children."

"She needn't bother," the first nurse replied. "The girls see her as their mother. They would do anything for her. Madam Anaya is more blessed than you can ever imagine."

****

"Now, Laraba, this is my room."

Laraba looked around her. The pink walls were very soothing. "It's beautiful," she said. Anaya guided her to a deep sofa, piled extravagantly with embroidered cushions.

"Sit here. Gently now."

Anaya sat beside her and glanced quickly at her ward. She had fleshed out a little; she looked frail and ill, but the ghastly pallor and leaden eyes had gone. Maybe this is the time to do it, she thought.

"Laraba," she said, "you can tell me what happened, you know? Please, tell me."

It was the longest moment of Anaya's life. It seemed as if everything had frozen. The clock stopped ticking. She held her own breath. Laraba looked down at her hands. "I don't want you to know."

"Know what? Trust me, Laraba. What happened?" She put her hand around Laraba as she began to sob. She rocked her to and fro as one would do for a child. "Hush," she murmured. "Don't cry.

Everything is going to be alright."

They stared at each other.

"Ok. Listen," she said softly, "Listen to my life."

Laraba sat for a long time, staring out the window at the sad sky.

"Listen to my life," she repeated, then began.

She talked for hours. She told Anaya everything. She told about the death of her brother and her grandmother. She told about her capture and stay in Sambisa, about her sister's death, about her marriage and ****, and about her escape. She never tilted her head in sentimentality or paused for Anaya's sympathy. Anaya never turned her eyes from Laraba's, never wandered around the room or shuffled her feet. She just listened. The girl spoke of her entire life; a life that was awed and scarred, but brave, it seemed to Anaya, courageous at the same time.

By the end of the story, Laraba was on the floor. Anaya pulled her in an embrace as she slipped down and joined her. For a moment, Laraba resisted and Anaya panicked. If Laraba rejected her now, if she turned back in on herself with the burden of this dreadful pain, she wondered what would happen. Then she felt Laraba come to her, and lean, and she cried silently herself because she knew the worst part of the battle of Laraba's life was won.

"It's okay, Laraba. You're safe now. I will protect you. I'll do anything in the world for you, Lara."

Chapter end