Nuruddin Farah - Hiding in Plain Sight

“I’ll see you soon enough,” says Valerie, and she hangs up.

With the phone now dead in her hands, Bella opens the door to her room and finds she is face-to-face with Dahaba. Bella has no idea what to do or what to say. Dahaba is too young to understand all this. So Bella only says, “Thanks, here. Your mum called to tell us she and Auntie Padmini are coming over in a bit,” and holds out the phone. But Dahaba notices and so does Bella that her outstretched hand is trembling and that she is shaking all over. Bella returns to her room and washes her face and hands, but she is still shaking.

When she comes out, Dahaba is still waiting for her. Bella embraces her and then says, “Let us go downstairs and see how the darkroom is doing.”

Dahaba says, “Wait. Tell me what’s happened.”

“There has been a misunderstanding, that’s all.”

And Bella leads Dahaba by the hand, virtually pulling her, and doesn’t stop until they are in the darkroom, where it is still night.

“May I turn on the lights, Auntie?” says Dahaba.

“Of course, my darling.”

Bella moves around, taking note of what else needs to be done to make the darkroom operational. But everything will have to wait until she gets back from her appointment with Gunilla.

Bella, still a little shaken, is unhappy being alone with Dahaba. The girl has a way of unsettling her with her questions, and Bella needs time to think of what and how to answer. She calls out to Salif several times. More and more she realizes how comforting she finds his presence. It’s not just that he is not antsy like Dahaba, who is demanding and unsure, but somehow being around him neutralizes things, balances them out. He makes problems bearable and often comes up with solutions to them, just like Aar.

Now he says, “Is it ready for use, Auntie?”

In his calming presence, Bella regains her composure. With her arms around Dahaba, whose small body is trembling against her, she says, “Between the items I purchased from the camera store and a handful of others I brought with me from Italy, the darkroom will be functional today. Later today, after I get back.”

Salif smiles. “Must be an important meeting. Because you are in your power outfit.”

“Wish me luck,” Bella says, hugging Dahaba a bit tighter.

“When will you be back?”

“I’ll return as soon as I am done. Your mum should be here by then.”

Then Bella heads out of the front door, gets into the car, and drives off, reminding herself that she will not allow Valerie or anyone else to deter herself from the tasks awaiting her.

Bella arrives at the UN offices in Gigiri almost half an hour late, and then, of course, she has to go through the series of checkpoints and scannings and screenings. She recalls Aar’s comments about the corrupt Ugandan security forces at Somalia’s international airport, but on reflection, she thinks that the blame lies squarely with the Somalis and especially with the current president and his regime. After arriving on a tide of great enthusiasm, he quickly proved incapable of steering the ship of state through disaster. He has been accused of unconscionable favoritism, of massive inefficiency, of unparalleled personal dishonesty. In the more than a year he has been in power, he has accrued more enemies than friends, both locally and among the international community. There is no one, it seems, he has not disappointed. UN investigators have uncovered corruption of immense proportions, reaching all the way up to his office and beyond. Two governors of the Central Bank later — one was sacked for impropriety, the other (with impeccable credentials) resigned — there is still no mechanism in place that can guarantee that the government kitty is safe from the pilfering of the president’s associates and clansmen. A member of parliament, a former premier, has accused the president of enjoying an unhealthy rapport with “terrorists,” and deny this as he might, the allegation keeps echoing in the media, especially on Somali-language websites.

Finally through the gauntlet, Bella is shown to Gunilla’s anteroom by one of the assistants. She takes a seat, opens her briefcase, and takes out the Camus essays, which she hasn’t found the time to concentrate on in the unpredictable emotional climate of the past few days. But after a few moments, the receptionist’s intercom sounds. “Yes, madam,” she says, then she informs Bella that Gunilla is ready to see her. Bella replaces the Camus in her handbag and, her knees creaking from lack of exercise, rises and knocks on Gunilla’s office door.

They shake hands, they hug, and they kiss, touching cheeks. Not long after they sit, Immaculata the tea girl comes in without knocking. Bella can tell Gunilla isn’t happy about this, but she lets it pass without comment.

Bella brings Gunilla up-to-date, starting with how much she and the children have enjoyed the album of photographs she gave them. Then she tells Gunilla about the cameras and the darkroom.

“How did the outing go?” Gunilla wants to know.

“Good until the last few minutes.”

“Then what happened?”

“Salif and Dahaba took turns putting unpleasant personal questions to Valerie,” says Bella, making sure that she doesn’t portray Valerie in a way that may prove counterproductive.

“What were the questions like?”

“Dahaba asked first and Salif followed suit, the two of them working her like those little dogs that go for your feet and bark nonstop,” says Bella, not wishing to reveal more than necessary.

“How did Valerie take it?”

“She was less worked up than I expected. But today was another story.”

“What happened today?”

Bella asks if Gunilla has had any recent contact with Helene Nsembemba. Gunilla replies, “Yes, we spoke a couple of days ago because I called her to make sure that we go over her billing.”

“Did you give my name and details at any time?”

“I didn’t.”

“Well, somehow Valerie found out more than she should have. She discovered that it was I who settled the bill, and she knows that you have been functioning as my intermediary as well. My guess is that someone at your bank provided her with the information, not through Helene, but through the other lawyer Valerie has been using since she regained her freedom.”

Gunilla reflects on this then says, “In my capacity as a UN official, I must abide by the banking laws of the countries I visit. My primary base is Kenya, but we have accreditation in Uganda. It is very possible that a banker there was able to trace both your name and mine. I am sorry; I meant well and did what I could to process the transaction as quickly as possible, but I can’t control everything.”

“No blame is intended,” says Bella.

“Anyway, was she grateful that you settled her and Padmini’s affairs so they could regain their freedom and leave Uganda?”

“No! She said that she could do without my charity.”

“How very ungrateful.”

“There is something else besides. In our Somali culture and also in Islam, if you give someone a gift, you don’t boast about it to others. If you do, then your present is deemed worthless.”

“So she is saying thanks but no thanks.”

They fall companionably silent and mull over their situation as Immaculata brings them their tea. Then Gunilla tells the tea girl to tell the receptionist that no one must disturb them again.

It has been increasingly obvious to Bella from each of their encounters that Gunilla had fallen under Aar’s spell, abandoning herself to his abundant charm. He could work wonders when he set himself to pursuing a woman with interest, and maybe his interest had grown keener after so long a time without a serious female companion. To see Gunilla savoring her memories of him is a novel way of appreciating Aar. But Bella reminds herself not to mix the official business that has brought her here with her increasing affection for Gunilla and her longing for Aar; there is time enough to explore both outside these walls when time and circumstance permit.