12.

Saturday, January 31, 2004

Only Kusi came.

Two army cars—an open Jeep full of soldiers and a Mitsubishi Pajero with smoked windows—drove up to the house. The men in the Jeep jumped out and melted into the hedge. The Pajero door opened and Kusi jumped out. She wore camouflage, her forehead was covered by a black beret. She was so lanky and flat-chested that Miisi saw no distinction between her and the men. But when her face cracked into a smile Miisi saw his daughter.

Kusi had joined the rebels at the same time as her brothers. Despite the fact that she was only twelve at the time, she was the only combatant in the family to survive the bush war. When the war ended in ‘86, she refused to give up her gun, saying she did not know how to do anything else. Besides, Miisi hardly knew her because she had been just a baby when he left for Europe. She had now risen to the rank of general. In public she was known as General Salamander.

“Mzei!” Kusi used the Swahili word for “old one.” She took the front steps two at a time and she was hugging him.

“Where have you been?” Miisi looked up in her face. He knew he sounded clingy but he could not help himself.

“Busy.”

“Do you have to come with so many men?” Miisi swept his hands over the cars.

“They wanted to see what you look like. They read your column.”

“Then wait a minute,” and he hurried upstairs. In Kusi’s presence, Miisi’s excitement was almost childlike. When he returned, moisturizer was still wet on his face and his hair was combed. “Do I look all right?” he asked. “I don’t want to embarrass you.”

Kusi only laughed.

“How is Kande Village?”

“The sun thinks we’re barbecue.” Miisi led her into the house.

“What are you doing with yourself, apart from writing?”

“Nothing much.”

Once in the sitting room, Miisi greeted Kusi again, this time formally. She removed her beret, revealing short curly hair. She knelt down to return his greeting but Miisi told her not to. The children streamed in to greet Kusi, followed by Miisi’s sister and his wife. When they had finished, Miisi asked, “What are you doing now?”

“Fixing things here and there.” Kusi was evasive as usual.

“Major fighting?”

“Up North. Kony is elusive.”

“Why you?”

Kusi shrugged.

Miisi scratched his head.

“It’s as if there are no men in the army, the way they use you.”

Kusi laughed and stood up. Because he did not see her grow up, Miisi had never got used to the fact that Kusi was over six foot tall. She strode outside and called out something in Swahili. Miisi stood up to see. The men carried in groceries through the corridor to the dining area. He went to the backyard and called the family.

“Come, everyone. Come and see what my girl has done.”

Kusi had brought two sacks of rice, a sack of sugar, two sacks of maize meal, a carton of soap, salt, the hind-quarter of a cow, and four bunches of matooke. Profuse thank yous issued from everyone. A child came in carrying a tray with a cup and a teapot.

“Take the tea to the sitting room,” Miisi told the child.

“Why not here with us? We want to talk to her as well,” Miisi’s sister protested.

“We have something important to talk about,” Miisi told his sister as if Kusi was a son and they were going to have manly whispers.

“All right, send her to us as soon as you’re finished.”

As soon as they got in the house, Miisi asked, “Where is Kamu?”

“I’ve not spoken to him since Christmas,” Kusi said. “You know how he cuts himself off from everyone. His phone is switched off.”

“Keep an eye on each other, Kusi. There are only two of you left.”

“I only arrived from the north this morning and I am going back today. I will not be able to see him but I will keep calling.”

“When are you having a child?” Miisi changed subject.

Kusi’s head dropped. “Father—”

“Let me finish. I am not asking you to get married. I would not inflict you on any man, I am only asking for a child.”

“You’re running an orphanage here, Mzei.”

“None of them is yours. I am asking for yours, at least one.”

“It’s the time. I don’t have it.”

“Kusi, everyone knows you’re a woman.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“One other thing, and you will not believe this but recently, I found out that we are part of a wider family. Huge!”

Kusi looked uninterested. “What do they want?”

“What do they want? Child, to know us.”

“OK, I’ll meet them one day.” Kusi made to walk away.

“Wait. They’ve been to see me twice now. They’re very traditional. They tell a lot of stories about a curse in the family—”

“Now you’re getting old, Mzei.”

“I’ve been growing old for some time, Kusi,” Miisi laughed. “But the important thing is, according to them, I am a clan leader and the head of the elders’ council.”

Kusi laughed. “Of course they will make you a clan head because they think you are rich. Soon all their problems will be brought to you. I can’t believe you’ve fallen for that kind of thing, Mzei.”

“I’ve not fallen for anything. First of all, they are not needy and they know that I am poor. Secondly, it gives me something to do, Kusi. I am now writing letters to all family heads, I am organizing meetings for the elders’ council, I am meeting new people and learning new things about our clan’s history. Besides, it’s a chance for me to observe and study traditional spirituality. You have no idea of the implications to knowledge.”

“I don’t have time for traditional antics,” Kusi turned again to walk away.

“Listen, Kusi, and this is important to me. At some point in April we shall visit the family roots, somewhere in Rakai District where we all come from. I need you and Kamu to come along.”

“I can’t promise anything now, Mzei. We’ll see when the time comes.”

As if to indicate that the visit was over, Kusi took an envelope from her breast pocket and handed it to Miisi. “That’s to help with the children’s school fees, books, and fuel for the car. Now I must go, Mzei. Oh, I liked the Ekisode piece,” she turned and smiled.

Miisi did not stop waving as the cars drove out of his compound, turned onto the main road, and disappeared. As his arm fell to the side, Miisi felt tears stinging his eyes. Kusi’s visits were brief. She executed them with military efficiency. He longed to ask her to stay over so they would talk into the night but Kusi was too restless for that. As Miisi walked back into the house, he remembered that he had promised to send Kusi to her aunt and his wife so they could talk to her. He waved his hands at his forgetfulness.