---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I spent more than eight weeks recovering from the bullet wounds. I stayed in a military hospital for the first three weeks, and I learned the doctors hadn't found it easy saving my life. Though I was lucky that none of the bullets had caused any irreparable damage, I had lost so much blood from the wounds and had stayed all that three weeks in a more or less subconscious state. I was later transferred to a private clinic and no one was allowed near me until two weeks after.
My first visitors were George and his kids, but the children were not allowed in; to that I had protested, but the matron was a rather strict, haughty woman and had insisted that kids can't be allowed into the intensive care unit at that stage of recovery. However, I was glad to see George anyway. It had been like living in the world all by myself up until then. The timid-looking nurse who attended to my needs didn't have time for pleasantries; she seemed to be in a hurry with everything and when I had ventured to ask her what happened, she had simply said she knew nothing, and I couldn't say I blamed her. Her life only revolved around a small circle, and she had no intention of finding a bigger one or even thinking about it.
George had told me that the explosions on the island had given the state security officials the elusive excuse they had long been looking for to go there. Several arrests were made, and the entire place shut down while investigations are still going on. I also learned from him that a number of top government officials who could be indicted have already taken to their heels, seeking asylum in foreign lands, while two senators and a minister have since committed suicide. Each had promptly shot himself rather than face humiliation and shame of being arrested and prosecuted. He also told me that the colonel, Steve, and Captain sent their best regards, and that they had since packed and left. I received the message without much expectations, and George's visit hadn't lasted long as the nurse whisked him out so she could administer some more medications. However, not before he had informed me that he intended going home with me to start a new life in the States with his kids. And I had nodded and told him that nothing else could be better.
My next visitors came a week after George's visit, and I had left the intensive care unit by then. I was both surprised and pleased to see the chief porter and his two boys. The young men had briefly shook hands with me and had promptly left their father and me to chat. I learned from him that they had almost completed their university education, and I could see that they truly looked as smart as he had said. He beamed excitedly as he chatted away. It had been an ecstatic experience for him to see the kids he had thought he would never set his eyes on again. He told me he could hardly recognize them the first night he went home.
"They have almost grown into men," he said and the three of them had wept profusely throughout the night.
He went ahead and told me how they had escaped from the island and how bad he felt when Steve told them that I'd been shot when he and I were coming out of the underground laboratory. Though he said, it seemed he caught something deceptive in Steve's voice when he had said so, he couldn't be very sure. I half-listened as he went on to tell me that he had kept in touch with Steve after leaving the hospital himself and was very happy, though not surprised, when he later heard that I was still alive. He went on and on until the nurse came and told him it was time to go. I shook his hand firmly and thanked him for coming.
It was just a little more than a week before my discharge when my last visitor came. I woke up feeling exceptionally fine that Tuesday morning and was cheering myself up with a girlie magazine George had smuggled in the last time he visited, when my timid nurse came in and announced that I have a female visitor. I gaped at her as I quickly hide the magazine under my pillow.
"A female visitor?" I asked dumbly as if I hadn't heard well.
"Yes, a woman," she returned promptly. My heart skipped a beat; could she possibly be Cynthia? I doubted it, and then it struck me suddenly that she could be Sandra. But she wouldn't be that stupid coming out here without asking me first, I thought, and moreover, I hadn't told her where I was going. Could she be George's daughter then, I wondered, but the nurse had said it was a woman, and George's daughter couldn't be appropriately addressed as a woman yet, even though she was fast growing into one.
I was still thinking what to say to the nurse when she appeared through the door. The nurse left as ghostly as she had entered. I sat up in bed staring and gaping at her. She wore a neatly made denim jacket over an orange-colored, lace camisole with close-fitting denim jeans, and her black leather sneakers were as shiny as the nose of a dolphin. Her luscious shape in the spandex jeans was mind-blowing, and her coal-black eyes, though, without the hardness, were still penetrating and yet cool, and as distant as the moon. Her hair was magnificently done with a ponytail hanging behind her head, and she was astonishingly unrecognizable . . . until you came to her bust line, which betrayed her.
It was hard to believe that she could easily transform herself into such a beautiful and alluring young woman. And as she just stood by the door without saying a word, I began to wonder if my mind was playing tricks on me.
"May I come in?" she asked coolly with a grin on her lips, and I was sure she knew that her appearance had made a deep impression on me.
"You're already in;" I returned lightly. "Just shut the door behind you before we have admirers poking their creepy necks in," I said smiling.
She walked across the floor, surveying the room with a disapproving frown creasing her brow.
"Please sit down!" I said, indicating the visitor's seat by the foot of the bed and feeling a little bit uneasy at her elaborate coolness.
"Is it okay with you here?" she asked, pulling the seat forward and sitting down at the same time.
"Well, I've almost recovered, and that's the only important thing to me at the moment," I returned. She caught the sharp note in my voice and turned instantly to stare at me.
"Oh, I didn't mean anything; I just wanted to know if you like it here," she said defensively.
"Maybe their best is not good enough, but I guess they have done a good job on me, and thanks!" I added calmly, not wanting to upset her any more than was necessary.
"You're surprised to see me, aren't you?" she asked, smiling. I had wanted to tell her that that was the understatement of the year, but I just told her I was and smiled back at her.
"Well, how are you doing?"
"I think I have survived," I answered quietly, and I could see by the look on her face that she was probably feeling guilty for my ordeal as an uneasy silence ensued in the room.
"Mike, I would—"
"Lydia, I must—"
We broke off abruptly and there was a brief embarrassed silence before our laughter eased the tension between us.
"You first!" I conceded with a wry grin on my lips, but her expression had sobered considerably.
"I just want you to know that I'm sorry to see you go through all this," she said solemnly.
"But it's hardly your fault," I returned.
"Of course, it is. I shouldn't have thrown you out to them like that," she insisted.
"Well, there was little or nothing you could have done under those circumstances, I guess. I was crazy not to have left with the rest when I could and I should be grateful you didn't take my life," I stated and she flinched at the words, screwing up her eyes, and I became unsure of her for a brief moment.
"Well it's all right for you to think I take pleasure in hurting people or that I took Legion's life in cold blood but—"
"But I didn't say so," I protested lamely.
"You didn't have to, that look on your face was suggestive enough," she said and went on hurriedly before I could further protest. "However, I can't say I blame you. Everyone else thinks so too because that lousy snake made me look like . . ."
"All right, now that you brought up the subject," I said, "I hope you won't mind if I asked you why you did it."
"You may not believe me," she returned, "but I knew he was planning to get rid of me. Though I would still have done it anyway to avenge the murder of my brother," she stated sullenly.
"Your brother?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"It's a long and bitter story, but I will rather not bore you with it."
"No, you won't bore me, I would like to hear it all," I put in hurriedly.
"All right, I'll try to make it as short as I can," she said.
"Do take your time. I'm not in a hurry, and I can do with your company," I said, rather impetuously.
"Okay!" she exclaimed and went on after a brief pause. "We were both what was left of a family of nine until his death, three years ago. We loved our family so much and would have done anything for one another. The crises in Soweto caused the untimely death of our mother, two sisters, and three brothers," she stated bitterly and continued after another brief pause. "Our father and the two of us later moved down to Vryheid, where I soon continued my studies in nursing. However, the crisis went on in several parts of the country, and shortly after we settled down, my father went missing and was later found dead. I nearly went out of my mind when my brother came with the news." She clenched her fist as she paused, fighting back the tears that had already gathered in her eyes.
"After three months or so," she went on, "he persuaded me to join Legion's Blue Brigade, which is more or less an illegal outfit as you already know, usually patronized by influential people who wanted to secretly settle scores with their perceived enemies. The government also patronized them at times when it wanted to do some shady things it wouldn't want its name associated with, and that's why Legion seemed powerful and untouchable. Their other mischievous activities include: kidnapping, arms-running, blackmailing, smuggling, and instigating violence among indigenous groups, so that the present government would have cogent reasons to continue to hold on to power." She paused.
"Apart from these activities, Legion was also a fence. I learned his father was a collector, and he had inherited the old man's treasures. Though he became a fence by force of circumstances, you might say. Important clients came to him wanting some special art treasure or precious stone that wasn't for sale. Their offer was so enormous, he couldn't possibly resist. In fact, some of the steals Legion organized would make your hair stand on end. I was completely against the idea of having anything to do with such an unseemly group, but my brother had pleaded that it was the only way I could remain safe and be protected." Tears began to roll down her cheeks. It was the same thing the colonel had told me in his office, but I had allowed her to go on with her story. She searched in the pocket of her jacket for a handkerchief, but I quickly offered her mine. She took it and thanked me.
"He was one of Legion's best men," she went on suddenly, after the brief pause. "And he regarded him a lot, but he was so ambitious, perhaps overly ambitious, and I had repeatedly warned him to be careful. They had gone out on an operation, and there were five of them. He told me that one of them had made a mess of it, but they had all agreed to share the blame. However, Legion held my brother solely responsible as the leader of the group and had promptly ordered his execution." Bitterness rose in her voice again as she voiced the words. She stood still for a while and winced at the thought of the incident, and then sobbed a little but quickly wiped away her tears.
"I'm sorry; maybe I shouldn't bother you with all this," she said as she wiped more tears off her face.
"It's okay. I'm glad you told me," I returned, stretched out my hand while I was sitting, pulled her up from the chair, and patted the bed for her to sit down beside me. "Now tell me," I went on as I held her hands reassuringly in mine, "why then did you get stuck with him?"
She swallowed hard but quickly grinned to show me she was all right before she answered.
"I joined the brigade's small hospital as an auxiliary nurse since I had yet to complete my studies. However, as time went by, my brother persuaded me to get enrolled as a cadet; he said that nursing wouldn't get me anywhere. I told you he was always ambitious and held high aspirations. I refused at first because I didn't want anything to do with guns and killing people; I preferred to help save lives instead, if I could, but he had a way of persuading people, and it didn't take him long to convince me. I agreed because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I loved him so much and would have done anything for him. Really, he was the only one I was living for," she stated and went on after a brief pause.
"I did very well in my training, and before he was murdered, I had risen to a good position, but his death had shattered me, and I suffered a little setback. I knew the only way to get even was to reach a better position, so I had to work very hard. I left the station for a while and also changed my name. It hasn't been easy, but I got there just the same." She was no longer crying; only a triumphant look showed on her face.
"When I returned," she went on after a brief silence, "I was assigned to work with four men who were, as far as I can tell, foolishly ardent and loyal to the cause, and they worked directly with Legion. As I grew and gained their confidence, I invariably got closer to Legion, and to be candid, I had some sort of mixed feelings then. I was excited and worried; excited because I had gotten to where I wanted; I knew it only required the right opportunity to take him down. Then worried because I didn't know his disposition toward women; I couldn't imagine the killer of my brother laying his filthy hands on me, even though I knew I would've been defenseless against him. However, I needn't have worried; the castrated bull had no use for women. His sewer of a mind was only set on acquiring as much loot as was possible and then setting off for Europe. He hated everything about this place, but only just managed to put up an appearance, especially to those ardent fools, until he achieved his devious aims." Bitterness came into her voice as she went on.
"Somehow, he eventually found out who I was and planned to get rid of me as soon as he laid hands on the diamonds. But I had a couple of good boys too, who helped me watch every one of his moves, and I did all I could to show him loyalty and respect, though I asserted myself on certain issues without betraying my utmost desire for revenge." She paused and closed her eyes as if she was reminiscing over some incidents.
"Well!" she continued. "The right opportunity came, and I'm glad and thankful that you gave it to me." She smiled triumphantly again.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, and when I opened them, I squeezed her hands affectionately in mine before I made my comment.
"If you had told me all these, we would have found a better way to handle it without so much risk. You could have been killed too, you know?"
"Yes, I know," she returned. "But after my brother's death, nothing else mattered except to avenge his death, and I couldn't trust anyone, not even some of his closest friends who helped me go up that far."
I looked at her and saw how beautiful she really was in her solemn and emotional state, and I began to wonder what I could do or say to convince her to come with me to the States.
"What do you want to do now?" I asked after a long silence and my heart fluttered as I wondered if I had asked the right question.
"I don't really know," she returned. "I was just thinking if there is anything I can do to help George and his kids, since you're already doing fine . . ." I looked up sharply at her.
"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked casually.
"Well, I could!" I answered doubtfully, smiling.
"You know I don't have anything against George," she said defensively. "I had to look that tough and rough to everyone to demonstrate my unwavering strength and loyalty to Legion. But I took an exception and looked after his daughter and—"
"Really?" I exclaimed with a shadowy look on my face.
"And I made sure those bastards didn't get anywhere near her." She went on, ignoring my expression. "They all hated me for that and called me all sorts of mean names, and I especially had a rough time with Legion's brother, who went about telling everyone that I was a dyke and wanted her for myself. But I didn't let all that deter my determination to ensure that the zippers on their disgusting pants remained up," she stated proudly.
"That's not what I was actually thinking about," I said and squeezed her hand affectionately again as she sat staring into my eyes inquiringly. "You wanted to take care of George and his kids . . . So what happens to me?" I asked quietly in a voice I could hardly recognize was mine. She flushed and made to shift back, but I was faster. I held her closer and gave her a long kiss.
"Please, I don't want us to talk about that now," she said hurriedly as I let her go.
"But we have to talk about something," I insisted, smiling, and she smiled too.
"All right!" she exclaimed. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked, still smiling.
"Anything," I returned as I pulled her down on me and had her head resting on my chest.
"Anything? Like what?"
"Okay, what do you think about me?"
"Well, I've always wanted to meet an American because you guys are smart and brave but, nonetheless, I guess I was angry with you at first," she stated after a brief hesitation and laughed.
"Why so?" I asked, laughing too.
"You reminded me so much of my brother, and I didn't think anyone else was capable of affecting me that easily as he did," she said with her head still on my chest. "For me, the station was a snob land, and no one could be trusted," she added.
"But I didn't see you trusting me, right?" I asked teasingly.
"No, I couldn't," she returned. "I was scared of my feelings for you, so I wanted to provoke you as much as I could. I thought if we fight most of the time, it would make me feel better, but I guess it didn't work."
"Really? I would say you did succeed and sometimes beyond what could be endured, but I took an exception too because I knew from the beginning that there was something wrong, and I also knew that fighting you wouldn't provide the answers I wanted."
"What answers?" she asked and grimaced.
"I wanted to know why a beautiful, young woman like you had so much hatred and bitterness in your eyes."
"You saw all that in my eyes?" she asked and chuckled.
"It was all too obvious that I wondered why Legion didn't see it himself, or perhaps he thought it was for some other reasons."
"Well, I guess you've now found out," she smiled, ignoring my remarks about Legion, and I couldn't say I blamed her. No one would want to remember him that often.
"Yes, I have," I returned after a brief silence, "but why anger?" I went on. "I thought it should have been otherwise if I reminded you of him."
"Yes, it ought to," she returned. "But I was afraid. Everyone I loved had gone, and I didn't want any more pain." She paused for a while and then went on. "You see, just like him, you were selfless, determined, and sometimes dangerously daring, but very caring too. Imagine leaving all the comfort you could've had in your country to come down here; trekked through the bush, and even being shot at just because of a friend," she stated and then started sobbing quietly.
"It's okay!" I said as I held her tightly to myself.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Oh, never mind, it's okay," I repeated as I caressed her back. "Would you mind if I made a suggestion?" I asked after a long while, chasing away an absolute silence that had closed in on us.
"Go ahead; I won't," she returned. "I was hoping you'd come up with something anyway. I'm fed up with this country, and I have nothing here to live for anymore," she added frankly.
That was it, I thought; however, I warned myself to be careful not to make promises I couldn't keep, but her last comment had driven me beyond the edges of caution.
"Would you like to come with me to the States then?" I asked mildly.
"You're kidding, aren't you!" she exclaimed as she instantly pulled herself up from me, and I saw her eyes wide with excitement.
"No, I'm not," I returned promptly and went on excitedly too. "My uncle left me a big farm in Texas before he died. Though I didn't think much of it at the time, but now, I can't see why you, I, and perhaps George's family couldn't make a start with it," I said emphatically. She thought for a while and nodded.
"I think I'd like that. And I hope George and his kids will like it too," she added.
"Well, it's up to him," I said. "It's just an idea, and I would still need to raise some working capital before we could actually start off."
"Working capital?"
"Well, you know, some sort of start-up money, but don't worry about it," I said hurriedly when I saw a worried frown on her brow. "It's nothing the banks can't fix in a flash," I added and pulled her reassuringly to myself again, a little angry about mentioning the word.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" she exclaimed and pulled herself up from me again. I watched her face as she reached into her pocket and saw that the frown was no longer there, and I began to relax. I waited patiently while she brought out a small envelope and dangled it in my face.
"What's that?" I asked suspiciously.
"Take a look," she returned, and I grimaced as I took the envelope from her. I opened it carefully and brought out something wrapped in a small piece of cloth. With a frown knitting my brow, I undid the item and saw it was the diamonds. The tiny stones shone so bright as the light reflected on them that it dazzled my eyes briefly.
"Good Lord!" I exclaimed as I stared at the stones. "I'd nearly forgotten about them."
"Well, I didn't!" she exclaimed, her face shining so bright with excitement.
"How did you get them?" I asked, still stunned.
"Come on, don't look so surprised," she chided.
"But I'm . . . How did you get them?" I repeated, still staring at the bright stones. She shrugged her shoulders and went on to explain.
"I knew where that snake hid them," she said with an impish glint in her eyes. "He had sold some already, so I imagined no one else knew there were any left."
"What about his brother and Klone?"
"Those good-for-nothing scum," she snapped. "All they ever cared about was women and getting drunk."
"And you had to take them?" I put in lightly.
"Well, he won't miss them now, will he?" she returned.
"No, he won't, but we can't have them either. They have to go to the authorities," I said lamely, not even able to convince myself I was keen on that.
"The authorities!" she exclaimed bitterly. "I would rather have them thrown into a sewer than let anyone else have them, authorities or not," she added emphatically.
"All right," I said as I put them back into the envelope before anyone came in, "what do you suggest we do with them?" I asked with an expressive wave of my hand.
"For God's sake, Mike!" she exclaimed. "Do I have to tell you that George needs surgery and his kids have to go back to school, and this working capital, If you do get it at all, will it pay for all these?" she asked satirically.
"No, it won't," I answered promptly and gave her my well, go on expression.
"Then I don't see why we can't sell them and use the money for all that," she remarked. "And you might not have to go to the banks for the 'working capital' anymore," she added rather jovially.
"Okay, I guess you're right," I said as I nodded my concession. "Do you know how much they're worth and how we can sell them?"
"Not exactly," she returned, "but Legion collected 1.5million U.S. dollars long before we picked up the diamonds, and the much he gave to the buyers were less than half of these, so I presume they could fetch us between four to six million," she stated shrewdly.
"Four to six million U.S. dollars?" I exclaimed with my mouth agape.
"Well, I can't say for sure; it's just an estimation," she returned flaccidly.
"We can't sell them here then. It has to be in the States," I suggested after a brief silence.
"That's what I have in mind too."
"Now, how do we get them out of the country?" I asked mildly after another brief silence and pulled her to my chest again.
"Come on, Mike!" she exclaimed. "Don't sound so naïve. I'm sure you and George should be able to work that out," she remarked quietly as she relaxed on my body.
She was right, I thought, as I held her tightly. George and I should be able to figure that out. Though she had affirmed that Legion's brother and Klone were no threat, I had no doubt in my mind that she could've mistakenly underestimated them. And I was sure going to watch out for those two.
Well, coming to South Africa hadn't been bad after all, and I believe we could all look forward to wonderful times and a great future back home.
The End