Secrets we keep, p.15
Secrets We Keep, page 15
“Of course!” Wendy quickly jumped at the idea, lifting little Mia high in her arms, then tossing her up lightly and catching her. Both the mother and the daughter laughed heartily as they were looking at each other with tremendous love and affection.
Time dragged on, the conversation sounding unclear, as if it were articulated in a foreign language. Anna gave a weak nod. That’s all she could manage. Her whole body was hurting and her head was cracking apart. She held herself still, eyes on the ground, so nobody could see the disappointment and sorrow filling her up with every word spoken since Emily was introduced to the group.
She should have found some excuse and gone to another group as soon as Emily showed up. Why did she stick around? She should have at least found a place to sit down… A few chairs had been placed on the edges of the patio. Now she was stuck, forced to observe Jean and Emily together. She couldn’t leave now, when Jean was just about to tell about his trip to Sierra Leone. Even though they couldn’t be together, she still wanted to listen.
“Okay.” Jean put down his bottle and wiped off his lips. Emily immediately wrapped her arms around him and flashed her biggest, most charming Hollywood-style smile. Anna felt a dagger going deeper and deeper into her heart.
“Back in May, I received a call about being accepted to the Global Associates Program. Soon after, Eduardo contacted me about an urgent school project in this remote village of Sierra Leone. I got on the plane to Freetown the very next day. I then traveled by bus to reach the village called Gbahama in the south of the country.”
“I cannot even imagine,” gasped Wendy. “I’d never be able to do it. In a new country and all.”
“It wasn’t that hard, really. I’ve lived in Africa before, so I am familiar with the way things are done. Anyway, I later tried to find a hotel to stay in or near Gbahama. The city didn’t have any hotels, just small guesthouses with a couple of tiny rooms. Of course, they had no air conditioning, which would have been quite useful in the ninety-degree heat, and meals were pretty basic. But I got used to all of that. Afterall, people live like that every day.”
Wendy sighed. “It breaks my heart to know that. Look at Mia. She’ll have a wonderful life here in the United States. We are so lucky.”
“Yes, life in parts of Africa is difficult for many people,” Jean agreed. “They have some ultra-wealthy families but many people live in poverty all of their life. That makes education even more important. I was proud to be selected to lead the Polaris project in Gbahama, so I headed to the school construction site as soon as I arrived. Well, I quickly discovered that the contractor who was recruited by the previous team leaders essentially siphoned the money and never built anything. I recruited a new team who were considered reputable and who were able to start immediately, saving funds and the project.”
“Wow,” said Wendy. “Great way to start your career at Polaris.”
“Thanks,” Jean said with a smile. “I really didn’t think that what happened was impressive when I was doing it. I was just living in the moment and trying to do the right thing. The kids in the village need this school. It’s my obligation to fulfil their dreams.”
The conversation was cut off as everyone was finally called to dinner. What a relief! Anna made sure to move slowly and separate herself from Emily and Jean. She found a seat at a table far away from them and occupied herself by reading the menu. A few minutes later, Alex sat down right next to her. He could not decide what to order for his entrée and then ordered a meat dish which turned out gigantic—as big as his head!
As the dinner progressed, Anna briefly glanced in the direction of Emily and Jean, and regretted it immediately. They were visibly engaged in an animated conversation with one another. Emily was completely in her element at the Black Pearl restaurant. Like a giant octopus, she was holding Jean firmly with her eight long arms covered with suckers, and not letting anyone else approach him. Jean could never get out of her tight grip.
It’s time to stop fantasizing about Jean.
He was taken. In love with someone else. He had no romantic interest in Anna whatsoever. All they had was one lunch eight months ago! It was stupid to think that Jean could have possibly developed feelings for her over something so small.
It sure seemed that he looked at her with admiration back then, and even today—he appeared happy to see her. But it must have been because he was a nice guy.
It was time to be real. Emily was beautiful, smart, confident, witty. Capable of making people laugh. Heiress to a large family fortune. She had this formidable glow about her—the aura of privilege and wealth—which separated her from the crowd, and especially “commoners” like Anna. It was no surprise that Jean was smitten with her.
And what did Anna have to offer to Jean? A kind and loving heart, not much more. The scale was clearly tipped in Emily’s direction.
“Bye Alex, I’ll see you around! Thanks for keeping me company today.” Anna picked up her handbag and slowly walked through the restaurant to the exit, passing by the tables of laughing and smiling Polaris folks, digging in to their plates and clinking their glasses. Some people were still not done with their dinners, probably because of chatting too much and enjoying themselves.
Anna stepped outside. It was dark now, and nobody would notice that her eyes were full of tears. She could finally cry as much as her broken heart desired.
PART II
If I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa
John Hemingway
Chapter 13. Karibu Zanzibar!
Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, the United Republic of Tanzania
Anna’s flight to Tanzania was through Addis Ababa. To play it safe, she got to the Dulles Airport three hours before her flight. But life was easy for business class passengers—getting through check-in and security took thirty minutes at most.
She settled in the airline lounge, full of people similar to her—in business clothes and with lightweight carry-on spinners. Some were eating, others reading newspapers, and many were working non-stop on their laptops.
At one point, Anna’s phone started ringing. It was Grandma, who video-called her a few times a week.
“Anna, is this really happening? You are off to Africa?” Grandma’s eyes were shining, full of joy and excitement. “Up till now, I had a hard time believing…You’ll be the first one in our family to visit the incredible Africa! Your Grandpa would be so proud of you. If only he could see you—all grown up, so brilliant and confident. Working for a top company. Ready to conquer the world.”
Anna drew in a shaky breath, and the flood of emotions started overwhelming her. This voyage was so much more than a work trip. It was going to connect her family’s past with the present. It was going to open the door into the colorful world which her poor Grandma never had a chance to explore fifty years ago. She had started packing her suitcase, but the terrible tragedy cut her preparations short. Instead, it was Anna, her granddaughter, who would set foot on the African continent and explore its wonders.
“Yes, Grandma, I’m about to board my plane,” Anna said proudly. “I’ll make sure to take lots of pictures and videos for you.”
The flight turned out very long and Anna did not sleep much. By the time she arrived in Addis Ababa, she was starting to fall asleep, but was forced to get off the plane and wait for her connection.
Stepping out of the jetway, she could already tell she was in a different world. The people, the shops, the food—everything looked so different in Sub-Saharan Africa. Anna got situated in the airport lounge waiting for the flight to Dar es Salaam, which was expected to be in a couple of hours. She was a little bit sleepy at first but pretty soon she perked up listening to the announcements of flights to various African destinations. Ouagadougou, Dakar, Kampala, Kigali—all these unfamiliar names which sounded so thrilling, promising of great adventures.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Dar es Salaam flight is ready for boarding,” announced the pleasant female voice on the radio.
****
“Guys, it’s great to see you here in Tanzania!” Anna gave hugs to everyone on her team as they arrived in Dar es Salaam the same afternoon and started checking in at their hotel. At first glance, the team looked a bit disoriented and jet-lagged, squinting in the bright light.
Anna smiled as she remembered herself traveling to various tournaments on the junior tennis tour. Many of the events were in Europe, so she didn’t need to endure the jet leg, but going to the United States and Australia was no walk in the park. Luckily, Anna usually recovered in a day or two, but her mother suffered much worse than her, barely dragging herself out of bed in the morning and stumbling around the room in the middle of the night, unable to get any sleep.
“The important part is not to fall asleep right now, so we can all quickly adjust to the new time zone and sleep well through the night,” Anna said cheerfully, glancing with a lot of sympathy at poor Marcelo who could barely keep his eyes open.
“Yeah.” Marcelo yawned, as he was sinking deep into the lobby armchair. “I’m very tempted to go to bed right now, but I see your point. When are we meeting with TIZ, by the way? Today or tomorrow?”
“We’ll be sailing to the island of Zanzibar early in the morning on a large and luxurious boat,” Anna announced. “I personally cannot wait to get to this charming island and see what it looks like.”
“Me too!” Karen yelled excitedly. “It will also be my first time in Zanzibar. I started reading a short travel guide which I bought at the airport. Turns out, Zanzibar is a very ancient place—people lived there 20,000 years ago! They even had sultans in Zanzibar, did you know that? Back in the eighteenth century the Omani Sultan moved the capital from Muscat, Oman to Stone Town in Zanzibar. At that time, many spice plantations were established, growing cloves, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamon, you name it. Some of these plantations are still thriving and we could even visit them. It’s no wonder that the archipelago is often called the ‘Spice Islands.’”
“Spice Islands… How romantic.” Anna immediately remembered all the Jules Vernes “voyage extraordinaire” books she read in her childhood. Similar to her favorite characters, she’d now be traveling to a faraway island.
“Let’s stop by the Polaris satellite office for a couple of hours?” Anna suggested to her team. “We can check in with the local staff and print some documents.”
The Dar es Salaam office was small, but growing, as the Polaris program recently started expanding in the country. Irene Asiimwe was assigned to work with Anna’s team.
“Irene, do you know anything about the TIZ?” Anna asked hopefully. “We have to visit them tomorrow. They don’t have much of a website, and only very limited information is available on the web.”
Irene shook her head. “I’ve heard of the Institute, but I’ve never visited it. I called them last week and secured the meeting for you tomorrow morning.”
“Who are we going to meet?” Fiona asked.
“The president, Albert Kimaro, and his deputy, Rosemary Matanda.” Irene looked down into her notebook. “They will probably bring some other staff as well to participate.”
“Sounds good to me.” Karen nodded. “The key is to make sure we have enough time to inspect the facilities. It’s not a big deal for me, as I am mostly concerned with the curriculum. But it’s definitely important for Marcelo, as he needs to see what it will cost to fix up the school.”
“True. I’ll need a couple of hours to look at everything carefully to make sure we account for all the potential expenses,” Marcelo said with a big yawn. “For now, I think I need to head back to the hotel and get some sleep. Otherwise, there is a good chance you might be traveling to Zanzibar without me.”
****
After a rough crossing on the boat the next morning, the stunning sign stating “Karibu Zanzibar” welcomed Anna and her teammates at the ferry station.
As the liner was docking at the port, Anna stood for a few minutes on the upper deck, admiring the sign and the view of the turquoise Indian Ocean with lovely white sailboats scattered near the shore. Unbelievable! We are finally here.
With the hundreds of tourists arriving at Zanzibar at the same time, going through immigration took Anna and her colleagues a bit of time. There were several lines, and Anna ended up standing in the slowest one. A large family did not have the right documents, and the line was not moving.
Ugh, how do I always pick the wrong line? The back of her neck was getting covered with sweat. She wanted to go to TIZ as soon as possible. Important people were waiting for them!
Finally, all the formalities were finished, and the team got into one of the taxi cabs, which were quite abundant at the ferry station.
“Good morning. Please, take us to the TIZ. Do you know where that is?” Karen asked the driver.
The cab driver nodded. “Yes, the institute is not far from here. I know it very well. My niece used to go there.”
Pretty soon, the Polaris folks reached the destination, got out of the taxi, and looked around. Surely, a distinguished building would be in close proximity. Most likely, something big and tall.
But nothing of that kind was anywhere to be found. All that the team spotted were three small brown structures scattered around a green lawn with a huge swamp and a thick tropical forest in the back. The buildings were tiny, looked to be in poor physical shape, and unpretentious, with large cracks going through the walls. They were definitely in a great need of a paint job.
Could this possibly be the TIZ? thought Anna, horrified. No way!
All the universities she’d known in Ukraine were tall and massive, sometimes looking like museums. The Taras Shevchenko University, for instance, was a true work of art! The magnificent university, named after the famous Ukrainian poet and writer Taras Shevchenko, was painted bright red, with high columns in the front. When walking through its hallways, one felt like a little grain of sand in the enormous universe.
The building Anna saw now was the complete opposite of the Taras Shevchenko University. But this indeed was TIZ. Given the signs, there could be no mistake. One building even had a crooked sign “Grand Peacock Hotel” but it was not grand by any stretch of the imagination. It looked neglected and was falling apart.
“Yes, folks, this is the place.” Karen shook his head sadly. “I guess it is not quite what we expected.”
“The land behind the institute does not seem well-maintained at all,” observed Fiona. “That looks like a large mosquito-infested swamp in the back… It will need to be drained if we ever want any tourists staying here.”
Anna stayed quiet, unsure what to say or do. Was this mission impossible? Could she actually pull off the TIZ project? It sure seemed that the universe was telling her yet again: you lied on the application. Any project you start will be a failure—no matter what you do. Just go back to Uncle Stepan’s shop. That is the right place for you. The tea kettles are waiting!
Finally, Anna gained her composure and gestured to her team. “Guys, let’s go inside for a chat with the management of TIZ. I know this looks very disappointing, but we can work together with them to improve the school.”
The project team timidly walked into the first building, trying not to trip on anything. The floor was dusty and some tools were laying on the floor.
“Good morning. Where can we find Albert Kimaro and Rosemary Matanda?” Anna boldly walked up to the receptionist. He looked very young, maybe a student himself. “We are from Washington. We have a meeting scheduled with them.”
“Yes, I’m aware, come with me.” The receptionist looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He immediately ushered Anna and her team to an old and dusty staircase and opened an empty room on the second floor. “Please wait for a few minutes. I’ll inform them.”
Anna cautiously glanced around the run-down room, only equipped with a table, some wooden chairs, and an old-fashioned phone which she had seen in old movies. The imitation velvet curtains on the windows were long, spotty, and moth-eaten. The air was heavy and hot.
“Achoo! Achoo!” Marcelo sneezed loudly as soon as he entered the room. He looked around for a tissue box, which was nowhere to be found, then fished a tissue out of his bag.
Fiona walked up to the window and tried to pull apart the heavy curtains to look outside. Suddenly, she recoiled and jogged to the other side of the room where everyone else was standing.
“What’s up?” Karen asked cheerfully, as he was trying to chase a couple of sassy mosquitos circling around his face. Quite a few were flying around, happy to see new juicy victims.
“There was some type of animal on the floor under the curtains.” Fiona’s eyes bulged. “I hope it was just a rat or a mouse, but I’m not sure, could be something worse—we’re in Africa after all. It disappeared through the cracks in the wall…”
“Well, as long as it wasn’t a black mamba, we’ll be fine. No need to panic.” Karen laughed.
“Black mamba?” Anna asked with interest. “Sounds pretty cool. What’s that?”
“Just Africa’s longest venomous snake,” Karen explained. “It’s one of the fastest snakes in the world. I saw a documentary about it on the plane. The black mamba can move up to twelve miles per hour. With my belly, I could never get away from a snake like that.”
“Oh come on, Karen, they can’t have a snake living here,” Marcelo objected, while at the same time moving further away from the window and nervously looking around. “Where are our counterparts?”
Finally, two ladies—one in her early fifties, tall and heavy, and the other one a young girl, very pretty and petite—appeared. They looked the visitors over and came in.
“Please sit down,” the older lady said in a loud and unpleasant voice. “My name is Rosemary Matanda. Thank you for coming.”
“The pleasure is all ours,” Anna said respectfully and looked around anxiously. The chairs were so old, covered with dust, standing on thin, shaky legs. It seemed like they were about to break. Just in case, Anna sat down on the very edge of the chair. All the Polaris folks took out their notebooks and got ready to start taking notes from the meeting. Karen, who was sitting next to Anna, wrote a header “Meeting with TIZ” in a bold handwriting and paused like an artist, holding his pen in hand.
