Once upon atime in Somalia - Evans Egualeona (good books to read for young adults .TXT) 📗

seek in Somalia is peace, but how can it be found in a country that have only known war for more than 21years?

“My diseased father once told me while I was growing up that this war began in 1991 when a coalition clan-based armed opposition group ousted the nation’s long-standing military government. From that period till date, it has been one out break or the other. Lots of fighting has flared up with little warning, kidnapping, murder and other threats to foreigners like you occur unpredictably. Parts of the north have been relatively peaceful including much of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland….. Can you imagine a self-declared republic, not by the government?

“Wow! Isn’t it amazing, Dr. Peterson? Does this happen in America? She asked

“Many things happen in America, but not this one”. Dr. Peterson replied

“Welcome to the real world! I exclaimed

After travelling for about an hour, I was forced to ask

“Where are we headed now?

“Thank God! I thought you would never ask”. Dr, Peterson responded

[She chuckled], looking at Dr. Peterson with a smile, turning to me she replied

“I don’t know for now”.

“What! What do you mean, you don’t know for now? Peterson asked

“We have been travelling for hours and yet you have no idea, where we are going? This is unbelievable”. Peterson responded again

“Stop the truck! I exclaimed

She spoke in Arabic ordering the driver to stop the truck. The other two trucks behind us came to a halt at our stop, with the occupants wondering while we had made the stop. The six of us in the truck I was in, came down from the truck and when other occupants of the other trucks saw us coming down, they followed.

“What’s happening? Lewis” Dr. Ratliff asked

“We need to have a plan on how we are going to leave this country. We have been driving for about an hour without knowledge of our destination.

“Nadifa, kindly help me with the map”. I asked

Placing the map on the bonnet of the truck, with everyone surrounding the map

“Where exactly are we now Nadifa on the map” I asked

Pointing to the map, she gave a description

“If jowhar is that way, where we are coming from, it simply means we are about 70kilometers or more from the national capital of Mogadishu”. She answered

“If we are to go through the major road leading to Mogadishu, how are we expected to elude the enemy? Dr. Ratliff asked

“You are right Ratty. Are there no other routes we can pass through apart from the major road? I asked

“There are, but we can’t really tell what danger lurks ahead in those routes. She answered

“So what do you think, Lewis? Peterson asked

“Mm-hum, well I think we should take the major road. It will be safer than the jungle or shortcuts and I-I also think we should be prepared in case of any eventuality” I answered

“Prepared for what, are you nuts? Peterson asked with a stunning gesture and then continued

“It seems to me that you guys have all lost your minds. You want to prepare for those maniacs, with what if I may ask? A dagger, a pistol or these old riffles used for hunting. You call these guns or do you want to face them with these kids? Men who are dead at heart, willing to die at any opportunity, whose souls have been sold to the devil”.

“Stop being a sissy” Stephaney replied

“I don’t care if you call me a sissy. We are doctors Stephaney, doctors! Not soldiers, we treat people not kill them.

“Come to think of it Stephaney, have you ever held a gun? It’s not the way you see it in the movies sweetheart, this is real, and this is Somalia, the horn of Africa”.

“You are talking complete rubbish Peterson…….” Ratliff responded

“I am not talking rubbish Ratty.

“Take a good look at the five of us;

“What are we for Christ sake?

“I am a cardiologist, Ratty! You are a pediatrician, fathia! A nurse, Lewis! An oncologist, and Stephaney, a bloody rheumatologist, you think this is the hospital?

“This is not Tennessee guys; if you are deep asleep; you better wake up because we are in the bloody desert of Somalia hunted by rebels. Peterson responded

“So what’s your point, what do you suggest we do? Fathia asked

“I don’t know. He answered with a funny look on his face

“Get in the truck guys, we are taking the major road” I responded

As we journeyed alone the major road towards Mogadishu, Nadifa tuned on the radio, and on one of the stations a man was speaking Arabic. So I asked

“What’s he saying?

“Lead us on the road of jihad and martyrdom, in the footsteps that our martyr Osama bin Laden has drawn for us” she replied

“What! Who the hell is this guy? Peterson asked

“His name is Ahmed Abdi Godane known as Mukhtar Abu Zubir, leader of the Al-shabaab. He calls his soldiers the “Mujahedeen brothers” she replied

“Who is he addressing? Stephaney asked

“He is addressing the current al Qaida leader, Al Zawahiri”. She replied

“Wow! You know a lot little girl” Peterson exclaimed

When I heard from the radio, the comment of the Al shabaab leader made while addressing the current al Qaida leader in Arabic, I felt the clouds in Somalia was getting ever thicker and more darker by the day for those helpless men, women and children trapped within the very walls of Somalia, victims of famine and droughts, which has swept almost across the entire region, in the very horn of Africa.

We traveled for hours into the night and then made a stop to rest for that night. We traveled slowly and with caution, making several stops on the way because of the unknown dangers lurking ahead and also because of the people we traveled with that needed medical attention. We traveled with less food and little cans of water that wouldn’t be able to take us into the next day if we were unable to make it to Mogadishu before noon the following day. Getting to Mogadishu was a must journey but difficult one to be taken with proper care and caution. So we made camp that night in other to save fuel and energy for the journey ahead.

It was less stressful and cooler to travel by night because of the temperature and the less consumption of water that wasn’t available in much quantity but safer and wiser to travel by day though with lots of energy consumption.

Under cover of darkness were we laid closely together that night we made camp, looking unto the heavens Stephaney asked

“Are we going to make it?

“I can’t really tell,’’ I answered reluctantly

“It’s my entire fault! I wouldn’t have allowed you guys come down with me to Africa for my father’s funeral”, Fatima exclaimed

“Hey sweet heart don’t say that,

“We are glad and honored to have accompanied you down here; it’s not your fault.

“We are your family and we will make it out of here together, I promise you” Stephaney comforted with a hug

“Yeah,

What rubbish Fathia, we are family and this is what family do, so stop blaming yourself, he was like a father to us all, although I barely knew him before he passed on but the few weeks I spent with him at the hospital and advice I received from him on how to go about winning Sarah’s heart was enough to call him father” Peterson replied

“What! Ratliff exclaimed with a stunning look on his face as surprise as we all were

“What’s-what?

With his hand widely spread

“Yeah he taught me how to win Sarah’s heart, is there anything wrong about that? Peterson replied

And then everyone [chuckled]

“No peter, it’s just that you never told me’’ I responded [chuckling]

“Ha, ha, very funny……. [He Sighed]

“Must I tell you everything? He replied

“I am your best friend peter” I answered [still chucking]

“Yeah I know but this has nothing to do with it” he replied

“Stop being a coward peter, I don’t see any reason you shouldn’t have told us” Ratliff responded

“Hey, who brought this guy along? Peterson asked, making a joke

“I did, he’s my husband” Fathia replied with a joke [everyone chuckled]

As we chat and made fun of ourselves as deep darkness fell, I was asked the strangest question of my life

“Are you married? Nadifa asked

“Sorry? I replied

Pretending I didn’t hear the question

“Are you married? She asked again

“No-no I am not, I replied

“Why are you not married? She asked

“Work, I answered

“That’s the dumbest answered I have ever heard in my entire life….” Peterson responded with a slap at the back of my head

Meanwhile the others had all fallen asleep, just the three of us were awake, keeping watch

“Do you have a girl friend? She asked

“I-I used to have but not anymore” I answered

“So what happened? She asked

“She left for another guy,

“Can we please drop this, I am getting a little bit uncomfortable with this topic’’ I replied with a smile

“Alright, it’s just that I noticed she likes you” she replied

“Excuse me? What are you talking about?” I asked

“Goodnight Doctor Lewis, she replied

“Wait a minute; you can just do this,

“Do what? She asked

“You can’t just say a word and place me on suspense, without completing your statement, this is serious……

“Can we please drop this; I am getting a little bit uncomfortable with this conversation” she replied

“Whoa-whoa, I get it, you are trying to get back at me,

“Ha, ha, funny [I sigh]

She turns as she lay to sleep; uncomfortable I sat, inching to know who she was referring to, I drew closer whispering into her ears, I asked,

“Hey! Am sorry for sounding the way I did,

“What you were saying earlier, who were you referring to?

“Who is the She?

She turned towards me and whispered to my face

“Hey! Goodnight”

And then she turned to sleep. I was so frustrated by this very act of hers, so curious to know who she was referring to, I turned to Peterson who was still awake and was a part of the conversation to ask whispering……

“Who do you think she was referring to?”

“I don’t really know,

“They are six young women here, she might be referring to anyone of them” Peterson replied

“Why are so curious? He asked

“Nothing, lets drop it like she said” I answered

[Thunder clapped]

“It seems as though it’s going to rain, the weather is a bit chilly’’ I spoke

“Rain; in the middle of the desert, you must be kidding me” Peterson responded

We talked and talked as we whispered about life in America, the food we missed, the fun and all the goodies, including our loved ones with the hope of returning to them again in one piece, until we talked ourselves into sleep.

The following morning we were awake by the honking of the truck horn

“wakey –wakey,

“Get up; it’s time to move on,

I heard in my wake, the voice of Stephaney and Nadifa

“Were we going to? Peterson asked, rubbing the sleep off his eyes and stretching as he yarns

“We are going home” Ratliff replied, loading the sleeping bags on the truck.

We all entered the trucks and then moved. As we drove along the way, I still was very disturbed and anxious to know who Nadifa was referring to in her statement she made the night before, so I was forced to ask her again

“Hey, how was your night….? I asked whispering

“Fine, she answered and asked

“How was yours?

“Good? I replied

“You slept well? I asked

“Yes’’ she replied with an astonishing look on her face

“Why did you ask?

“Nothing, just curious… I replied

“Good, how about you? She asked

“What? I responded

“I mean did you sleep well? She asked

“Oh! Not really I replied

“Why?

“Well Mm, I kept wondering who you were referring to last night, when you said you think she likes me”

[I chuckled] and then continued

“I am curious, sorry

“Mm-hm, don’t bother, I am not going to tell you anything, yesterday has past” she replied

These very words of hers dealt a great blow to my heart and killed the hope of me ever getting to know this secret admirer of mine. I felt very stupid at this point in my life to have allowed such discussion the night before to end the way it did.

Who might this be? I kept plundering and asking these questions