Page 5 of Never

‘One day the jihadis came to take Salim’s catch. He should have let them have it. But he had caught a Nile perch and he refused to let them take it. So they killed him and took it anyway.’ Kiah’s composure was shaken, and her noble face twisted in grief. She paused, suppressing emotion. ‘His friends brought me his body.’

Tamara was angered, but not surprised. The jihadis were Islamist terrorists, but they were also criminal gangsters. The two things went together. And they preyed on some of the poorest people in the world. It made her mad.

Kiah went on: ‘When I had buried my husband I asked myself what I should do. I can’t sail a boat, I can’t tell where the fish are, and even if I could do both of those things the men would not accept me as their leader. So I sold the boat.’ She looked fierce for a moment. ‘Some people tried to get it for less than it was worth, but I wouldn’t do business with them.’

Tamara began to sense a core of steely determination within Kiah.

There was a touch of desperation in Kiah’s voice as she went on: ‘But the money from the boat won’t last for ever.’

Tamara knew that the family was important in this country. ‘What about your parents?’ she said.

‘Both of my parents are dead. My brothers went to Sudan – they work on a coffee plantation there. Salim had a sister, and her husband said that if I let him have my boat cheap he would always take care of me and Naji.’ She shrugged.

‘You didn’t trust him,’ said Tamara.

‘I didn’t want to sell my boat for a promise.’

Determined, and no fool, Tamara thought.

Kiah added: ‘Now my in-laws hate me.’

‘So you want to go to Europe – illegally.’

‘People do it all the time,’ Kiah said.

This was true. As the desert spread southwards, hundreds of thousands of desperate people left the Sahel looking for work, and many attempted the perilous journey to southern Europe.

‘It’s expensive,’ she went on, ‘but the money from the boat will pay my fare.’

The money was not the real issue. Tamara could tell, from Kiah’s voice, that she was frightened.

Kiah said: ‘They usually go to Italy. I can’t speak Italian but I’ve heard that once you are in Italy you can easily go to France. Is that true?’

‘Yes.’ Tamara was now in a hurry to get back to the car, but she felt she had to answer Kiah’s questions. ‘You just drive across the border. Or take a train. But what you’re planning is terribly dangerous. People smugglers are criminals. They may just take your money and disappear.’

Kiah paused, thinking, perhaps seeking a way to explain her life to this privileged Western visitor. After a moment she said: ‘I know what happens when there is not enough food. I have seen it.’ She looked away, remembering, and her voice went quieter. ‘The baby gets thinner, but at first that doesn’t seem too serious. Then he gets sick. It’s a childhood infection such as many children catch, with spots or a runny nose or diarrhoea, but the hungry child takes a long time to recover, then he gets another illness. He is tired all the time and grizzles a lot and he doesn’t play much, just lies still and coughs. And then one day he closes his eyes and doesn’t open them again. And sometimes the mother is too tired to weep.’

Tamara looked at her through eyes full of tears. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I wish you luck.’

Kiah became brisk again. ‘It is kind of you to answer my questions.’

Tamara stood up. ‘I need to get going,’ she said awkwardly. ‘Thank you for the beer. And please try to find out more about the people smugglers before you give them your money.’

Kiah smiled and nodded, responding politely to a platitude. She understands the need to be cautious about money better than I ever will, Tamara thought ruefully.

Tamara went outside and found Tab heading back towards the car. It was close to noon, and the villagers were no longer in sight. The livestock had found shade under makeshift shelters evidently built for that purpose.

When she stood close to Tab she noticed a light aroma of fresh sweat on clean skin, and a hint of sandalwood. She said: ‘He’s in the car.’

‘Where was he hiding?’

‘He was the cigarette vendor.’

‘He fooled me.’

They reached the car and got in. The air-conditioning felt like an Arctic sea. Tamara and Tab sat either side of the cigarette vendor, who smelled as if he had not showered for many days. He held a carton of cigarettes in his hand.

Tamara could not contain herself. ‘So,’ she said, ‘did you find Hufra?’