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forty f

Company

W hat would ya say to some company?” Mike asked me two weeks later.

Mike thought nothing of leaving me at the hotel day after day. Of course, I wanted company.

“I’d love some.”

“Carl’s comin’, and so’s Edie,” Mike said.

I hadn’t thought much about Carl, the captain of Smooth Sailin’ since we left Florida. I’d never met Edie, his wife.

“For how long—a week?”

“They’re comin’ to live in the hotel,” Mike said. “Me and Maurice can’t manage this by our lonesomes. Told Ben we need help, so he’s sendin’ Carl. It’ll be a free ride for him and Edie.”

I craved female company. Maybe Ben would be open to sending another friend for me.

“Do you think I could invite somebody?” I was thinking of Tina, who had moved to Sacramento, California. From her letters, I knew she was ready for a change.

“Why not? The plants are growin’, and we’ll be makin’ millions for The Crew. Are ya thinkin’ about Tina?”

My gigantic grin told Mike he was right.

“It’s a deal,” Mike said.

“Thanks, sweetie.”

Carl arrived first, followed by Edie and Tina a week later.

I squealed with delight when I met Tina in the hotel lobby. A friend from home was the greatest gift I could imagine.

“Welcome to your new adventure!”

“This is not how I pictured Africa.” Tina surveyed the upscale hotel I’d called home for the past few months.

“You’re gonna love it here.” Kenya had much to offer, but it wasn’t home. I hoped Tina’s presence would change how I felt.

Edie arrived later that afternoon. She and Carl embraced. The love between them was palpable. I turned away, wishing someone loved me as much.

Once everyone unpacked, they joined Mike and me in our suite. We’d ordered a full bar setup and every appetizer on the menu. Mike lit a joint and passed it to Maurice.

“Aren’t you afraid of gettin’ busted?” Carl asked.

“We got everybody on the payroll,” Mike bragged. “Couldn’t be safer.”

Carl shrugged and took a hit.

We celebrated for hours. The longer we partied, the louder we became. Sometime after midnight, we heard banging on the wall of the adjoining suite and a muffled, “Keep it down!”

Mike banged back and yelled, “Screw you, man.”

“Don’t push it, Mike,” Carl said.

“We’re cool.” Mike turned up the volume on the stereo he’d recently purchased.

A few minutes later, Theodore, the night manager, knocked on our door. “Please, I know you are enjoying yourselves, but I have received many calls from guests complaining of the noise.”

“We’re payin’ customers. Just havin’ a little fun.” Mike reached into his pocket to tip Theodore.

Carl held him back and said, “I’m sorry. We’ll keep it down.”

The rest of us nodded and mumbled our apologies. Mike was obviously annoyed, but it was the five of us against him.

“Thank you, sir,” Theodore said.

“Don’t let these people push you around. We’re the kings around here,” Mike said.

Carl took Mike aside. The two spoke in whispers, after which Mike turned down the music and gave a pretend yawn.

“I’m fadin’. Let’s call it a night,” Mike said.

“It’s been a long day. See you guys in the morning,” Carl said.

Anybody who could tame Mike deserved my respect.

The next day, Waititu rented a van to take the six of us to the fields.

“We have had good rain. I am sure your seeds will be grown to young plants,” Waititu said.

Mike sat next to Waititu in the front seat. Maurice and Carl sat behind them. I sat squashed between Edie and Tina in the rear seat. Like most vehicles in Kenya, the van had no air conditioning.

I could see everything was new and exotic to my friends. They held on to me as we exited the main road and drove onto the dirt trails.

“Where’re we going?” Tina whispered in an anxious tone.

“To the farms. Nothing to worry about.” I realized how numb I’d become to the primitive conditions and landscape.

We bounced along until we arrived at the small group of shacks serving the business needs of the local villages.

“We always stop here for gas,” I told my friends. “Waititu likes to do business with the locals.”

“We’re not eating here, are we?” Edie asked.

Carl turned to his wife. “The hotel packed a lunch for us.”

I felt Edie’s body relax.

Waititu introduced our friends to Amara when we arrived in the village. Several young children ran to greet us. I handed packages of cookies to each of them.

“ Asante. Thank you!” they yelled in unison.

The warm welcome relaxed our friends. I introduced Edie and Tina to a small group of women preparing food.

“This is nothing like I expected,” Tina said.

“We’re goin’ to see the fields. Wanna come?” Mike called to us.

Several weeks had passed since the farmers had planted the seeds. From the cheerful welcome we’d received, I assumed the crops were doing well.

The fields were an explosion of green. Some plants stood knee high with buds and flowers already forming. Farmers greeted us with huge smiles. Waititu spoke in Swahili to a few men and translated for us.

“They are very happy with the new seeds. It is still the rainy season, so the plants will continue to grow. They have cut some back, so they will grow larger. Soon you will not believe what you see.”

“They’ll be big as Christmas trees before ya know it.” Mike clapped Carl on the back. “We’re gonna be rich!”

I wondered how much Carl would share in the profits. Mike and I had done all the work. Was he cutting me out?

Back in the village, Mike, Waititu, and Amara spoke in hushed tones. Money was exchanged, everyone smiled, and we returned to the van.

On the ride to Tumaini’s village, we passed a joint and celebrated our success. Tumaini greeted us with the same exuberance as Amara. We visited the fields, exchanged more smiles and money, and headed back to Mombasa.