Web of Lies by Beverley Naidoo

Author:Beverley Naidoo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2010-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Sade returned to the kitchen when it was time to prepare supper. Through the doorway she heard Papa ring the cab office and cancel his work for the night. Mrs. Wallace sat covering her face with her hands. The tall, upright figure suddenly looked reduced and vulnerable. Sade left her headphones hanging around her neck and worked in silence. She washed the rice slowly, her fingers sifting through the grains in the cloudy water. An urgent conversation was beginning next door.

“Don’t rush, Cynthie, please. You—we—need to think this through. They could arrest you the moment you land in Freetown.”

“I’ll have to take the risk. I’ll tell them, I’m not coming back to disturb their sleep with my articles. I’m coming back to look for my son!”

“Eh, eh! We can’t expect soldiers to be rational! If they lock you up, what good is that to Edward and your family? They will have two people to worry about!”

Sade’s mind somersaulted. Before they had fled to England, it was Papa who had taken risks—and he was the one who had to be cautioned by Uncle Tunde.

They’re not finished with you, Folarin!…They won’t stop until they’ve shut you up…. Tell me, what can you write from the grave?

Now here was Papa trying to convince Mrs. Wallace to be careful! Reminding her of danger. The government soldiers would laugh in her face. Why should they care if the son of a troublesome “pen pusher” had been kidnapped by rebels? They might say this would teach her a lesson. Papa spoke bluntly, and Mrs. Wallace said less and less.

“You don’t have to make a decision tonight. There are things we can do here. We’ll contact the International Red Cross—give them a photo of Edward. We’ll alert aid workers in the camps to look out for him.”

There was silence. Sade glanced into the living room. Mrs. Wallace was staring blankly ahead, not looking at Papa. With the film that must be running in her head, probably she could not even hear him.

Mrs. Wallace barely touched her plate of rice and beans. After supper she made another call to Freetown. From the snatches Sade heard, it sounded as if Mrs. Wallace’s brother was saying the same things as Papa. Afterward, when Mrs. Wallace wanted to return to her lodgings, Papa was adamant. She should not spend the night alone. He would sleep on the sofa in the living room so she could have his bedroom.

“Mrs. Wallace can have my bed, Papa. I’ll sleep on the sofa. I’m shorter than you.” The words came out of Sade’s mouth before she had even thought about what she was saying.

“Thank you, Sade.” Mrs. Wallace accepted quietly. She sounded exhausted. “If I can sleep, maybe I shall think more clearly in the morning.”

If Papa was surprised, he kept it to himself. She had surprised herself. As she returned to her room to take what she needed for the night, she wondered what had come over her. She noticed that Femi’s door was already closed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.