If Only Papa Hadn't Danced (continuation)

 

      The next morning, we awoke to the sound of the woman calling for us to come outside as she had cooked breakfast. We tried to not think about yesterday's events and focused on our current plan - to go to the next house. So we sat down and ate the food the woman had made, sadza. While we ate our breakfast, I noticed that there was another girl around my age sitting nearby. The girl was so pretty, with an innocent gaze, and I thought she had gone through bad times. Nervously, I approached her to ask for her story. She told me with a steady tone that she had lost her parents while crossing borders the day before we came. What a sad thing... I thought that we were all much luckier. In a rush of emotions, I lent her an outstretched hand, inviting the girl to tag along with us. After that, the woman hurriedly told us to hide in the underground. With an onslaught of thoughts jumbling my mind, I grabbed the girl’s hand and together with my family we rushed into a trapdoor that the woman had opened. Next, two policemen came in - and they raided all the places. 

     Though I didn't know what happened, I held the girl close to me. I think she was trying to stay strong, too. She stayed still as stone under my arms, but I was worried that she was actually hiding her tears like mama did. The policemen’s heavy boots stomped overhead, threatening to break the ground. I knew that they had taken a few adults when I heard people pleading. My instincts told me to get out of this place, so we did. It was just mama, papa, the girl, and me now. 

      As we headed to the South, I saw a few people from the house had tagged along with us. We went through a large grass-covered field that had cows on it. After what seemed to be a mile, we encountered a river, clear blue with lots of fishes. 

      At first, I thought we were safe! That is, until the shouts of the police rose behind us. People started to frantically find a way out of this danger. Everything almost went to chaos before papa yelled that the only way was across the river. Its currents thrashed us all about, so much that we all had to cling onto each other in a tight chain. We had barely grazed the river bank when suddenly the girl’s hand slipped from mine. I rushed back with all my might to haul her back to shore. In the midst of everything, I caught a glimpse of the policemen getting swept under the waters. I didn’t dare to look back, fearing that the Nyami Nyami from my late grandmother’s stories would target us next. Shivering, we persisted, heading towards the next safehouse as a new bond formed between us.  

     The policemen were long gone after we crossed the river. Every time I saw them in my memory, they were attacked by the Nyami Nyami. We finally found a neighbourhood--it seemed like a farm. This is the second time I saw cows chewing on grass. I felt anxious at first, what if this wasn’t a safe house? What if the owner of the farm wasn’t one of our countrymen? But papa thought that the people must be kind. So we knocked on the farm door. We managed to do it silently despite our worries and the amount of people. First, an old man came, then an old woman. At the sight of our shivering and chattering teeth, this old couple immediately rushed us into the barn as if they’ve done this a million times before. 

My shoulders sagged in relief that we had chosen the right people. They started to treat our wounds, and gave us warm food. The old lady came to me and told me that it’s been awhile since people came to this area.

     “Why is that?” I asked her. 

     She only shook her head sadly and answered this; “Most people don’t make it to this safehouse. It is the furthest from the border.” 

      The furthest? The furthest she said? So that means we’re finally safe? I looked at the girl in disbelief, and found that she looked at me the same, although there was a seriousness in her eyes. 

      “It does mean that we’re close to reaching the city, but we still have to tread carefully.” 

I nodded quickly, my head still spinning from today’s events. The old woman watched our interactions curiously.
      “Are you two sisters?”
      The girl looked at me again, earnestly this time, before answering, “No. We are friends.” 

I looked around, starting to memorize these people that followed us. Papa started dancing to the country music and mama tried to stop papa from dancing. The others were just chatting comfortably. I knew from the start that we were going to be sticking together. Sigh. I think this will be our temporary little family, I thought.