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forty-six f

Crop? What Crop?

M ike called Ben, who wired us $25,000 to cover our living expenses and pay off everybody until our court date. I was sure Mike lied about why we needed money, but I was in no position to confront him or Ben. That money was necessary for our survival.

A few days after our arrest, Waititu stopped by for a visit.

“I am certain you will have no further trouble with the police,” he began. “Rajiv will get your conviction reduced to possession. You will only pay a fine.”

“We have enough money behind us to pay off everybody right up to the president,” Mike said.

Waititu’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I think payment to the judge and police will be enough.”

“Back to business as usual,” Mike said.

“I am not so sure. I visited the villages after your arrest. They are scared. Unlike you, they have no protection against the government.”

My heart went out to the farmers who had become my friends. They depended upon us for their livelihood and didn’t deserve to be punished because of our mistakes.

“We should visit them today or tomorrow,” I said.

“They got nothin’ to worry about. We’ll take care of them. Once the plants are harvested, they’ll be rich,” Mike said.

“Your wife is right. You need to reassure them. I can take you now.”

Mike shot me a glance that seemed to say, Mind your own business.

“This ain’t no time for games. We need to get out there,” Carl said.

“Tina and I are staying home,” Edie said. “What about you, Ava?”

“I need to see this through,” I replied.

Conversation was minimal on the ride to the villages. Amara did not look happy when we arrived. He and Waititu spoke at length without smiling.

Waititu approached us looking at the ground, shaking his head. “I have bad news. The crop—it’s gone. All of it.”

“Oh my God. Have the police been here?” I asked.

“No. But once the farmers heard about your arrest, they burned the fields. Everything is destroyed.”

“Who the fuck do they think they are?” Mike screamed. “Those were our plants. We gave them seeds and money. We had a deal!”

“They cannot go to prison. They worry for their women and children,” Waititu said.

I turned away from Amara and Waititu so they wouldn’t see me cry. Not only had we made a mess of our own lives, but we had also ruined the lives of these innocent people.

“Waititu, please tell them I am sorry,” I said.

“I think Amara would appreciate it coming from you. Tell him, ‘ Samahani. ’”

“ Samahani. ” I took Amara’s hand.

“ Samahani ,” Amara repeated.

“Let’s get outta here. Maybe the rest of the farmers won’t be so stupid,” Mike said.

“ Kwaheri. Goodbye,” I said.

“ Nenda na mungu ,” Amara said.

I turned to Waititu for a translation.

“Go with God.”

“ Nenda na mungu ,” I repeated.

w

I had never seen Mike so angry. I sensed he blamed Waititu for showing the newspaper to the farmers. I prayed our other fields would still be intact.

Tumaini greeted us with a desperate look when we arrived at his village. His fields had been burned to the ground as well. Tumaini was furious and lashed out at us in Swahili.

“Let’s get the hell outta here.” Mike shot an angry look at Tumaini and walked away.

“ Samahani ,” I mumbled through my tears.

Mike slammed his fist onto Waititu’s car. “Six months we wasted. All that money down the toilet. Time to find some new farmers.”

“Why don’t we wait till after our hearing?” Carl suggested. “We don’t wanna bring more attention on us.”

“It’ll take that long to get more seeds anyway,” Mike said.

“Now to figure out what to tell Ben,” Carl said.

Back at the house, I told Tina and Edie what had happened.

“We need to get out of the country,” Edie said. “It’s been one bummer after another. I’m going to talk to Carl about one-way tickets home.”

“What about you, Tina?” Tina had been my best friend for years. Would she desert me?

“Me, too,” Tina replied. “If I were you, Ava, I’d do the same.”

“I can’t tell Mike I’m not coming back.”

“Then get a round-trip ticket and don’t use the return,” Edie said. “I promise not to say anything to Carl.”

“How about we get out of the country before our hearing?” Tina asked.

“With an arrest hanging over our heads? And more bribe money due?” I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but we needed to face reality.

“Shh—I hear Mike and Carl coming,” Edie said.

“Guess ya heard the bad news,” Mike said as he walked into the room. “I’m gonna tell Ben what fuckups the locals are. Tell him we need cash and more seeds. Then we’ll find some farmers who won’t screw us.”

Four pairs of eyes stared at Mike. Four pairs of eyes knew who the true fuckup was.