Hiding in Plain Sight (30 page)

Valerie says, “You have lovely children.”

Mahdi welcomes Valerie and Padmini, and he smiles at both, a little too formally, thinks Bella. Nothing in his manner betrays that he knows anything about the legal rows and custody battles that have been raging in the family. He is impeccably polite, and he also treats Padmini with the respect due an honored guest.

Bella brings Mahdi tea and pours him and her some. Valerie and Padmini take their usual sundowners. But the conversation doesn't flow easily, and they are all relieved when the stairway echoes with the shouts of teenagers as the children and their friends roughhouse. Not that they lower their voices or make the slightest effort to calm down when they come into the room where the adults are. All four speak at the same time. Zubair and Qamar are impatient to get to the movie. “Dad,” Zubair says, “we're going to be late.”

Mahdi looks at his watch. He says, “You're not.”

Bella says, “The impatience of youth!”

“Please let me finish my tea,” Mahdi says.

“There is tea everywhere,” says Zubair.

They troop out, still full of excitement, and the younger ones race
each other to the car. Watching them, it's easy to forget that Dahaba and Salif have only recently lost their father.

Now that the three women are alone, the tension in the room is all the more heightened, and their conversation flows much less naturally. Bella points Valerie and Padmini to the liquor cabinet, saying, “Please do drink and be merry.” She moves away on the pretext of warming up dinner after taking their order for leftovers from the afternoon's takeaway.

Valerie makes herself a whiskey on the rocks and Padmini pours herself some red wine. Bella takes only water with a slice of lemon. They sip their drinks silently, evasively holding back what is on their minds despite the fact that a lot needs to be said. Yet not one of them is prepared to speak.

Finally Valerie slips out to the bathroom, and Padmini hurriedly says, “We owe you a big thanks, Bella, for settling the bills. I'll make sure we pay you back.” When Valerie returns, looking much the worse for wear, Bella abruptly changes the conversation and talks about the Nairobi weather. How cold it can get at night up in the mountains and near the lakes! Bella is too wary to trust that nothing nefarious is afoot, and she is therefore extra solicitous, fearful of rousing Valerie's demons. What is more, Bella doesn't want the rapport between Valerie and Padmini to unravel now that they seem to be on course for departure back to Pondicherry. She is relieved when the conversation starts to flow again, with Valerie suggesting they eat at the big dining room table for a change. And they find a legion of discussion topics that Bella presses into service, such as the state of their restaurant and hotel business, the children's welfare, Bella's place in the children's lives—as well as Valerie and Padmini's future. For the first time since Valerie's arrival, Bella begins to feel the butterflies in her stomach settle.

Valerie says to Bella, “What occasion has prompted you to throw a party tomorrow evening? Of course, we are delighted that you've invited us too.”

Bella is aware that it won't do for her to say that the party is their farewell party. “This is a welcome dinner for you, to which I've also invited friends of Aar's, most of whom you haven't met before. It is also a party I am throwing for myself now that my new life here in this new country is taking shape. In addition, I see this as a housewarming party.”

Gracious for once, Valerie says, “Thanks for the invite.”

After dinner, Bella drops them off at their hotel.

—

When she gets back home, Bella writes an e-mail to the Kariukis to give the house address and directions as she promised. Then she rings Marcella and leaves yet another message on her voice mail.

Finally, Bella takes the time to set up the darkroom. She puts all the equipment in place: an enlarger, an optical apparatus, a slide projector, sheets of photographic paper, a safelight, and the chemicals in which the paper will be immersed. To make sure everything is shipshape, she test prints a handful of photographs she took when she arrived here. The first images come out grainy and she isn't terribly pleased with them, but she works at the images until they are sharp and clean. And because she doesn't wish to sleep before Salif and Dahaba are back from the movies, she devotes half an hour to a long letter to Marcella, in which she brings the old dear of a woman up to speed on all that has transpired.

Salif and Dahaba get home close to midnight, full of beans and ready to chat about the film they saw. Bella, remembering that she has a dinner party to organize for tomorrow night, pleads exhaustion and retires to her bedroom, saying, “Good night. See you tomorrow, darlings.”

It is nine in the morning and Bella is in the kitchen drawing up her shopping list for tonight's dinner party when her mobile phone rings. It's Padmini, who offers to give a hand with the cooking. “And if you haven't done the shopping yet,” she goes on, her voice low, almost whispering, “you can come and get me, and we can go to the Indian spice shop close to the Nakumatt.”

“Would Valerie like to come too?” Bella asks.

“I doubt it.”

“Is everything okay?”

“It was quite a fitful night.”

Bella knows there is no point in questioning her further; it's clear there is a reason Padmini is not being more forthcoming. So she simply says, “Please expect me in an hour.”

She showers, puts on a pair of slacks and a pair of sneakers, and knocks gently on Salif's door. “Wait,” he says, and when he opens the door, he is dressed. “Morning, Auntie,” he says. “What's up?” He is ready to roll.

She tells him what her plan is. He says, “I know the routine. You want me to stay put and look after my sister and the house, right?”

She hugs and kisses him and drives off to get Padmini, thinking about her plight, especially if she can't persuade Valerie to return to India with Padmini. She thinks to herself that one day, without warning, a door will open somewhere in Padmini's mind or, rather, a sense of despair will stroll in and take up residence. Then the poor woman will say enough is enough and she will leave Valerie. That is the damage that divided loyalty does, and the signs of an inevitable split are there. Bella can smell it the way you can smell an approaching storm. Maybe Padmini senses it is time she ups and flees, the way frightened people flee an oncoming hurricane. But Bella selfishly hopes that the women manage to leave together and that their parting of ways takes place after they are back in India.

Bella parks in front of the hotel and doesn't get out of the vehicle. She calls Padmini's mobile, but there is no answer, so Bella just waits; she does not want to risk running into Valerie. It occurs to her that they are behaving like a couple having a clandestine affair. But Valerie doesn't seem to care.

Bella's thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of Padmini, and she drives off in the direction of the Nakumatt shopping mall.

“So what is all this cloak-and-dagger stuff?”

“After you dropped us off last night, Ulrika, the lesbian who has a financial stake in that raided club, BIH, came to the door of our chalet, veiled.”

“Veiled, as in looking like a devout Muslim?”

“Yes. And there was a man with her, a German. Ulrika was in need of a place to hide from the police. I didn't want to oblige them but Valerie insisted. So Ulrika slept on the couch, and her friend slept on the
floor of our chalet. Early this morning, the man left, but Ulrika is still there.”

It doesn't escape Bella that it is her own munificence that is now paying to keep Ulrika free. I might as well join the movement myself, she thinks. And of course, here in Africa, where gays are victimized, harassed, and harangued, they could do with all the help they can get.

“Any idea what effect the current situation will have on your plans for departure tomorrow?”

“No.”

It's clear to Bella—and must be to Padmini too, Bella thinks—that Ulrika and Valerie have already had at least a fling. Will they continue their interrupted liaison now? Bella suspects that they might, which does not auger well for either Padmini's or Bella's plans.

Padmini says, “Valerie says that Ulrika is safe with us until tomorrow morning, when we are due to depart, thanks to your generosity in paying for the room until then. After that, she says, it's up to Ulrika to find another sanctuary.”

“Is that arrangement okay with you?”

“No. What if the police find out where she is? We'll be considered accessories to the crime for offering shelter to a fugitive.”

“What is Valerie's response to this?”

“She maintains that the likelihood of that happening is minimal and that we should give Ulrika shelter until an hour or so before we are scheduled to leave.”

“Remind me when that is, your departure time.”

“We are due to check in at Ugandan Air at five.”

“Tight,” comments Bella.

“I said it is too tight for my liking. But she insists that she wants to leave. She says she wants no repeat of what occurred in Kampala. She
threw another stinker of a fit when she discovered you had paid the hotel bill up through tomorrow morning, by the way.”

“Why?” says Bella. “Is the woman mad?”

“Anyhow, she was raving and ranting and calling you all sorts of terrible names until Ulrika and her friend showed up. Then she was singing a different tune.”

“She still doesn't know how to show gratitude.”

“Valerie doesn't know the meaning of the concept.”

“So you are set to go?”

“Cross your fingers we are.”

—

In the mall, Bella leaves Padmini in the spice shop and walks across to the Nakumatt. She gets arugula for the salad, and the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon, pepper, and Dijon mustard she needs for her favorite salad dressing. She also gets pasta and peppers and tomatoes for the
penne all'arrabbiata
she is planning. For Padmini's dish, she gets basmati rice, chicken pieces, yogurt, fresh ginger, and fresh hot chilies, some green, some red. For dessert, she gets several types of cheese from the Nakumatt deli.

They meet at the checkout counter, and Bella pays. A youth elbows Padmini out of the way and takes hold of the cart Padmini is pushing. Not wanting to fight about it, they let him wheel it to the car, where Bella tips him.

They arrive home to a joyous brouhaha upstairs. Qamar and Zubair have arrived, and the four young people are up in Salif's room “having fun,” as Qamar puts it, after a hug and a kiss from Auntie Bella when she looks in. Bella informs them that Auntie Padmini is with her downstairs, but that Valerie is delayed.

“But she is okay, though?” asks Dahaba.

“Of course she is.”

“And she will be here in time for dinner?”

“Of course she will be.”

Bella is surprised not to have received warning of their children's arrival from Fatima or Mahdi. Not that this upsets her, but it is unlike them. She checks her phone and discovers she has inadvertently turned it off. There are several messages from them explaining that they are attending a funeral service for a relative on the outskirts of town and so it made sense to drop the children at Aar's place first. Bella relaxes, happy that their relationship is already such that they don't have to stand on formality.

In the kitchen, Padmini chats with Bella as she goes about putting away groceries and rustling up some lunch—a dozen baked chicken drumsticks for the children, and, for Padmini and herself, some slices of mozzarella and tomato drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

“Any news from Valerie?” asks Bella.

“Ulrika has been in contact with the German embassy in Nairobi to inform them of her situation.”

“And?”

“The embassy will see what can be done.”

“To my mind, this is the wrong approach.”

“How so?”

“The diplomatic process is a lengthy one at best, and you don't want this to drag on longer than it has already. And the embassy may get in touch with the hotel management to find a discreet way of spiriting her out of harm's way. My only worry is that if any of this comes to light then matters may get much worse, at least in the short term. Lately this kind of interference by European and North American governments in local police matters in Africa and Asia has created diplomatic incidents.”

“I had no idea.”

Bella opens the oven and turns the drumsticks. Then she asks, “On what grounds are the police seeking Ulrika's arrest?”

“Valerie is under the impression that if they apprehend her they'll charge her with taking hefty fees to set up lesbians visiting from overseas with young African girls.”

“Of course, we are all aware young African boys and girls are farmed out for such purposes to tourists all the time and there has never been any fuss about it.” Bella sets out plates and tumblers filled with water and goes on. “In Mombasa, elderly white men openly frolic with young boys not even of shaving age. And in the seventies, Scandinavian women chased male teenagers in Gambia and Cape Town.”

Padmini flinches at the mention of Cape Town but she agrees. “I saw it myself when I was there.”

“There must be another reason why the police are now gunning for Ulrika. Why are they charging her with a crime they've chosen to ignore for so long?”

“Maybe she hasn't made the payoffs the authorities demand,” ventures Padmini.

Bella calls up to the youngsters to come down and eat. They come to the table in high spirits, all of them yammering away at the same time and taking photos of each other and Padmini and Bella, even of the ingredients for tonight's dinner. Bella lets them serve themselves, wondering if they hear one another when they jabber like this. “Get your drinks yourselves and give us peace,” she says, shooing them into the dining room.

After lunch, with the tables cleared and the dishes washed, Padmini prepares the tandoori chicken, mixing the spices she bought earlier with yogurt.

Padmini calls Valerie then reports on their conversation to Bella. It
seems that things have taken a turn for the worse because the liaison in the German embassy is no longer picking up his phone and Ulrika and Valerie are stiff with worry. She tells Bella that Valerie is considering bringing Ulrika to the dinner tonight as her guest.

To this, Bella says, “That is decidedly not on.”

“Knowing Ulrika, she may try to crash the party,” Padmini says, sounding worried.

“Tell her she'll be turned away,” Bella says, and she means it.

They have barely started to cook when Catherine Kariuki telephones to confirm that she will be coming but that James won't be able to; there's a security problem on the school grounds that he has to deal with.

Shortly after five, Mahdi and Fatima arrive. It's long before dinner, but Mahdi and Fatima are like family. Bella makes them tea and catches up with them at the kitchen table. Mahdi tells her that the Kenyan doctor they've consulted believes that Fatima's cancer is in remission, but Bella knows that Mahdi's optimism tends to run high.

Mrs. Kariuki's arrival alters the dynamics of the gathering. She cuts an authoritative figure, perhaps because she is used to being listened to by students. She is almost as tall as Padmini and broader, and she has a very strong handshake. She has known Fatima and Mahdi for a long time because Zubair and Qamar have been at the school since kindergarten. But this is the first time they are socializing.

Catherine Kariuki, when it pleases her, boasts a voice as booming as she is broad in the shoulders. Now she stands at the bottom of the stairs and hollers to the children to come and greet the adults. The four of them obediently come down the stairs single file, as if they were about to receive the blessings of Holy Communion. They extend their hands to her in turn, their heads bowed in deference, then step aside and wait to be dismissed. But within a few minutes, they have lost their
shyness, and they go up to their rooms and bring down their cameras. Salif takes group photos in various combinations and Dahaba does single portraits. Bella can tell they are experiencing the special status that wielding a camera affords: stand here; smile and say “cheese”; put your hand here, chin up. The adults, even Catherine Kariuki, submit to them, following their instructions meticulously.

Fatima asks Padmini where Valerie is, and Padmini explains that she has been held up but is expected in time for dinner.

Then Gunilla arrives. Again, the dynamic alters. Bella introduces her around as Aar's colleague, and Gunilla goes around the room shaking hands with each of them until she reaches Catherine. The expression on Gunilla's face suggests she regrets not opting to say
“Namaste”
and keeping her distance the way Indians do. Fatima and Mahdi, who have heard so much about Gunilla from Aar, forego the handshake and give her a hug. Salif and Dahaba warm to her instantly, recounting their camping trip and taking pictures of her.

Bella encourages everyone to move from the kitchen to the living room. In an instant, they break up into smaller groups, some with their drinks on their laps, chatting, others on their feet, listening. Gunilla is tête-à-tête with Fatima; Padmini talks to Mahdi with animation, with Catherine chiming in. Bella, watching the groups merge and unmerge, wonders how much of Aar's relationship with Gunilla Mahdi and Fatima know about or suspect; or if Padmini, who knows about Gunilla's part in her and Valerie's release from detention in Uganda, will dare to raise the subject at all.

Having tired of taking pictures, Dahaba lends her camera to Qamar, who excitedly starts photographing everyone. Dahaba brings out the family albums, Gunilla's and her own. More photographs are taken of people congregating around the albums. Fatima begins to weep, looking at the photos of Aar, and Mahdi pats her back and comforts her.
Fatima vows to assemble the ones she has from their days together at school and university to make a gift of them to Salif and Dahaba.

Salif organizes a tour of the darkroom. Everyone is impressed, especially Catherine, who suggests that Bella teach a photography class at the school and that Salif and Dahaba become the school's designated photographers. When they return from the darkroom, they find that Bella and Padmini have set the table and are ready for people to be seated. There is still no sign of Valerie. Dahaba says she will call her mum and tell her to hurry up, but Padmini says she will do it and steps out of the room.

When Padmini gets back to the kitchen to help Bella with the food, she says that Valerie is on her way in a taxi but is caught in traffic. Padmini further whispers that she is worried that Valerie may be lying.