Helon Habila - Oil on Water

I was somewhat cheered by the man’s assurance that the Professorwould definitely see me, and even further cheered when a team of women appeared with food in a big basin and then proceeded to ladle out portions in plastic plates to each of us. The food wasn’t remarkable — rice immersed in a mess of beans — but it was filling. After eating I decided to tackle Salomon right away — I had given him enough time to recover, and perhaps what he needed to snap him out of his self-pity was conversation. I went over and sat next to him, and he looked up but said nothing. He was a tall, angular beanpole of a man. His skin and clothes looked as if they hadn’t touched water in a long time, and he gave off a musty smell that was quite overpowering, even in the open air. He kept licking his dry lips as he waited for me to speak, and I saw his hand shaking slightly. He kept darting glances at the guards, who were now watching us intently.

— Hi, Salomon.

— Hello.

— We need to talk. .

— I don’t want to talk. Leave me alone, please.

— Look, Salomon, I know you’re scared of what might happen to you here. I’m scared too. But by talking to me, you’ll be doing yourself a favor.

— How?

— Once I have your story, they wouldn’t dare do anything to you, because they know when I go out there I will print it, and the world will know you are here, kept against your will. .

— Nonsense.

— What?

I thought I was doing so well, and for a moment I was telling myself that even Zaq would be proud of my persuasiveness, but obviously the driver wasn’t persuaded.

— These people, they no care. They have killed before, and I know nothing is going to save me. . nothing. . The Professor is a madman. I have seen what he can do. A few days ago, just before we ran away, he shot a man over there. Point-blank. He said the man was giving away information to the soldiers, he screamed at him and called him a traitor, then he took out his gun and, boom! He shot him and said, Throw him into the water for the fish to eat. Just like that.

I refused to let my perturbation show. If I showed no fear, nothing would go wrong. I renewed my effort, and as I spoke I was aware my words were also aimed at myself, at my quaking heart.

— Well, but isn’t that another good reason why you should tell me everything? Isabel told me what happened, about her husband and your fiancée. The police have everyone thinking you’re some crazy kidnapper — don’t you want to put the record straight? This might be your only chance, you know. Don’t you want your family and friends to know the truth, the real truth?

— It is a long story. .

— I’m very patient, and it doesn’t look as if we’re going anywhere soon.

— What do you want to know?

— Your side of the story. Why did you kidnap her?

— I didn’t kidnap her. .

— Well, okay. Tell me about you and Koko.

I saw his eyes darken with anger, and he started to rock himself back and forth, back and forth, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees.

— Well, I knew she was pregnant. We lived together, and we were happy — well, I thought we were. I was happy. I was looking forward to being a father. I never suspected she was cheating on me, how could she? It was I who brought her to Port Harcourt from our village. She wanted to be a nurse, she took the exam, and as we waited for the results, she begged me to help her look for a temporary job, just till the results came out. And so I talked to my Oga. He was always good to me. A nice man. And he said, yes, why not? And that was how she started working in that house. I did everything for her. If only I’d known things would turn out like this. I should have realized something was wrong when she got her exam results and she said she wasn’t going to nursing school anymore. She said we needed the money for the wedding, and for the coming baby.

Salomon paused, as if to go on would be just too painful. He continued to rock back and forth, back and forth, the harsh sun overhead forcing the sweat to drip down his face, but he didn’t seem to notice.

The day she told him about James Floode, he had returned early from work. The madam didn’t need him for the rest of the day, so he went to his two-room tenement house and turned on the TV. Usually Koko was home from work earlier than he was, but today she didn’t return till after nightfall, and he had started to worry. He saw that something was wrong the moment she entered. She looked distracted, and she went into the bedroom without a word. When he followed her he found her lying in bed, her eyes closed. When he asked her what was wrong, and if they were not going to eat, she threw off the sheets and started raging at him. It was as if she had been waiting to do this for a very long time.

— You this man, why don’t you leave me alone? Don’t you know where the kitchen is? Or don’t you have hands?

— She had never behaved that way before, and I thought it was the pregnancy, so I said nothing. I just turned to go back to the living room, but then, as I turned, she made that sucking noise through her teeth and said, Mumu . I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked her, What did you call me?

— Mumu . Fool. Mugu . You heard me right. And I want to tell you, I am moving out tomorrow. No more marriage.

— Koko, have you been drinking? Is it me you are calling a fool?

— Yes. All this while I have just been pretending with you. And this pregnancy that you think is yours, it is not. It is the Oga’s pregnancy.

— I don’t understand.

— What is there to understand? Me and the Oga, we are in love. He is getting a divorce from his wife, and he is going to marry me. He will take me to London with him when his contract finishes.

Salomon didn’t know what happened; he said he saw himself standing over her, his fist raised. He must have hit her, but she didn’t cry, in fact her eyes were glowing with triumph, and she was still hissing at him. She said if he touched her again, he would not only lose his job, but she would make sure the Oga had him arrested. Slowly he lowered his hand. He went out to a nearby bar and he drank till closing time, and when he came back she wasn’t there — she had packed a bag and left.

— The next morning I decided to go meet the madam and tell her what had happened. She was very friendly, unlike the other oyinbo women I had worked with, who only shout orders at you. I remember, the day she arrived, I had picked her up from the airport, and she told me how tough it was getting through customs, and how they asked her to open all her bags, and how they had put their hands all over her things, including her underwear, a few of her things had been confiscated for further examination. She said to me in her soft English voice, I’m sure I’ll never see them again. Will I, do you think? She was like that when we drove around, asking questions, leaning forward in the back seat and talking to me.

— At the house I was told by the guards at the gate that Madam wasn’t at home, and I decided to check the European Club, even though it was I who always took her there. When I found her, she seemed very sad, and I knew she was dealing with the same problem as myself. But later, at my uncle’s motel, I realized she didn’t know it was Koko her husband was leaving her for.

He stopped his narration suddenly and stared past me at the sun that seemed to be hanging on the edge of the sky, all orange and red and purple, as if it were only a hand span away.

— Reporter—

— Call me Rufus.

— You know why I am telling you all this, Rufus? It is because some of us might not live to see another sunset like this one.