The Intern Affair (18 page)

“Oh God, where are my manners?
Of course, Captain
Mandalay
, I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance. I apologize, sir, really.”

Samir had watched the scene with a smile at the corner of his mouth.
“I’m
honoured
to meet you, Miss
Cecilia
.” He bent slightly forward. “Your work must be very demanding and your patience must be commendable.”

“I don’t know about my patience being commendable at the moment.
It’s only nine o’clock and I feel like I’ve had enough of it to last me until tomorrow.”

“Don’t disturb yourself so, Miss
Cecilia
. I know M
r.
Ousmane
and he needs to be set straight occasionally. Believe me; I know how you must feel.”

“Thank you, Captain, for your understanding, but Talya is the only person who can handle him. I’m sorry … I have to take another call,”
Cecilia
said, turning to the console in front of her.

This woman does not deserve to have
Ousmane
on the other end of the line at any time
.

“Why don’t you and I go to my office?” Talya led Samir away from the front desk.
“I’ll have to deal with our M
r.
Ousmane
once again. I’m sorry.”

“May I talk to him this time?”

“If you think you can stop him from pestering our staff, by all means.” Talya took her jacket off and hung it behind the door of her office.

Samir went to the window and admired the view. “Blessings from
God
will follow you everywhere, I see.
Here again your office windows face the eastern skies.”

“I guess they do. Although I didn’t choose this office,
Charles
did.”

“He is a wise man.”

Talya was certain that
Charles
hadn’t thought of the blessings arising from an office facing the eastern skies when he chose hers, but she made no comment.
She was anxious to know why
Ousmane
had called again when she had asked him not to do so the previous day.

“Well, would you like to meet our attorney before you talk to
Ousmane
?
He would be able to fill you in—”

“That won’t be necessary.
I just want him to listen to a few words from me.”

“All right then…, have a seat I’ll get him on the line.”

Talya
dialled
the number and the man answered at first ring.

“
Ousmane
here.” His voice was all arrogance.

Talya pressed the digit that would enable Samir to hear what
Ousmane
had to say.

“M
r.
Ousmane
, how are you?” Talya said in the most charming voice that she could find in the recesses of her irate mind.

“Talya? Don’t tell me you’re still in
Vancouver
.”
Of course I am. Didn’t I say it would be two weeks before I would be back?
“In any case, it does not matter; wherever you are, I’m glad you’ve called.
I can’t work this way.
We’ve got more problems—” He sounded harassed.

“What sort of problems?”

“The workers; they’ve got to be paid, and I can’t pay for work they haven’t done. We’re faced with a walk-out if something is not happening soon.”

“M
r.
Ousmane
, I think you should let them go for at least two weeks. You don’t need anything done until we get on the ground. What’s more, you can’t let them work on the land anymore. You know that. You haven’t got any permits to do so.
And that’s what we’re working on.”

“But, we will need them, maybe not for another month but we can’t let them go just like that!”

“Aren’t they mostly young men from the village?”

“Yes they are, and if we let them go now, they’ll search for work someplace else.”

“That’s ridiculous. They won’t find work in two weeks’ time and if we give them two weeks paid vacation you can be sure they’ll be back or they’ll even stay at the camp.”

“And who’s going to pay those two weeks’ vacation? I certainly can’t.”

“Let me see what I can do. In the meantime, I’d like you to speak to someone you know already.
He wants to have a word with you.”

“Oh yes? And who’s that?”

“Our company pilot, Samir
Sheikh
Mandalay
; you remember him?
You’ve met him in Dakar.”

“Of course I remember. I’ll be happy to talk to him. Is he bringing you back?”

“Yes he is, M
r.
Ousmane
—in two weeks time—when we’re
all
ready to come back.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll be very glad to speak to him.”

Samir, meanwhile, had
taken
a seat in one of the visitor’s chair
s
across from Talya and had been intent on their every word.

“M
r.
Ahmed
Ousmane
?”
Samir said.

“Yes, this is he. How are you,
Sheikh
Mandalay
?”

“Under the circumstances, I am as well as can be expected.”

“Good. Now, what would you like to say to me? What matter could concern you at this point.”
Ousmane
sounded as if addressing one of his underlings.

“The matter of you keeping quiet,” Samir said, his voice rising to a commanding tone. “The work
Ms.
Gilmore
and M
r.
Durant
, and everything that everyone is doing here now, is for you.
Above all, they need peace to accomplish the task that Allah has granted you as your life’s achievement.
They are your servants”—
shut up Talya
—“and all of the people working here and in
Senegal
will be doing so under the guidance of Allah and with His leave.
So, I will ask you to refrain from badgering them.”
Samir’s unwavering tone must have been a little more than annoying to their friend. Knowing
Ousmane
, Talya was sure he wouldn’t accept any form of rebuke from anyone.

“…M
r.
Ousmane
, as you know, M
s.
Gilmore
will do her work no matter if you call her repeatedly or not.
In due course, I will come back with her.
In the meantime, I’m sure M
r.
Durant
will be able to answer all of your questions and will even be in a better position to make decisions than M
s.
Gilmore
would ever be.”

Good God,
that was telling him, and then some!

From the corner of her eye, she saw that
Charles
had silently crept into the room and had listened to the last of Samir’s instructions.

“Is that
Ousmane
on the line?”
Charles
whispered in Talya’s ear as he came to stand beside her. She nodded.

“…only if it is to apologize,” Samir concluded, looking at Talya to see if she was again ready to talk to their M
r.
Ousmane
.

Samir nodded to her. He had noticed
Charles
’s entrance and got to his feet. He salaamed to her boss silently and respectfully.
Charles
went round the desk, shook hands and sat down.

Ousmane
was speaking.

“Madame
Gilmore
, Talya, please forgive my unwarranted and added pressure on your work.
I am very impatient to see you com
e
back and powerless to do anything about the mounting problems.”

“M
r.
Ousmane
, remember what has been written
“Guide us in the straight path, the path of those whom Thou has
favoured
,”
and He has
favoured
you, Ahmed
Ousmane
, and He will guide you if, and only if you listen to His words.
So, please let us walk in your path.”

“Madame
Gilmore
, I don’t—”

“Let it be,
Ahmed
. I’ll be with you soon. In the meantime,
Charles
will call you back regarding the problem you have mentioned earlier.
I’ll tell him what’s happening.”

When Talya rang off, she noticed that both
Charles
and Samir were staring at her. “What?
What did I do now?”

“What was that about?”
Charles
was still staring.

“I just reminded him of his place in the scheme of things, that’s all.”

Samir shook his head, smiling. “You have no idea of the effect you have on people, do you?”

“What do you mean? He had to be told didn’t he? I just added a few words to your little sermon.”

Charles
said, “Let’s talk about it later, shall we? Samir and you can work it out
.
Anyway what’s his problem?” he asked, dismissing any further comments on Talya’s little spiel.
She told him.

“If that’s all that’s bothering him, you could have told him that
Terrance
has arranged for continual payment of all workers until we’re on site, when we can re-evaluate the manpower issue.
Because, don’t forget there is going to be a lot more people swarming the place.
By the end of July, if the agreements with the Development Funds Organization are signed, we’ll have about a hundred men flooding the village and the third hill.”

Samir looked at
Charles
with furrowed brows. He didn’t know about the rebuilding of Sabodala yet.

“I’m sorry, M
r.
Durant
. Did I hear you correctly?
Do you mean that the village is going to be reconstructed?”

“Yes, you did…, but with everything that’s happening around here…. Anyway, welcome aboard, Captain.” Samir smiled, although curiosity hadn’t left the expression on his face.
“…Yes,
Sir Reginald
phoned me last night and we will start reconstruction immediately upon signing the agreements.”

“May the blessings of
God
be upon you, sir!
You have made this man very happy.”

“Don’t thank me, Samir. You should ask the blessings to be upon yourself, you are the one who saw the three adits in the first place.
If it weren’t for that discovery, we may have never known what
Ousmane
’s plans were. And I heard something about ‘following the
favoured
one’ a minute ago; I think I’ll be following you everywhere from now on.”
Charles
smiled.

Samir grinned.

Talya knew that last comment from
Charles
would make Samir’s day.
She, too, felt much rewarded.
She had never even seen the
Village
of
Sabodala
or the
three hills
but she knew it w
as a beautiful place
nonetheless.

“So, do you want me to call
Ousmane
again?” Talya saw that
Charles
was on the point of leaving.

“No, I think you should go and introduce Samir to everyone and talk to Doug for a minute.
The child needs a mother, right now. He’s totally lost.”
Talya had to laugh.
She could see Baby Face with a pacifier in his mouth looking at all the work piling up in front of him.

“I’ll see you both later; we’ll go and have a late lunch somewhere quiet if you want?”
Then, looking inquiringly at Samir,
Charles
added, “Oh, I almost forgot,
Carl
would like to meet you.
He may need you to do some flying for him.”

“No problem, M
r. Durant
, I’ll do what I can.” Then to Talya, “and
we
appreciate the luncheon invitation.
Talya and I will be ready whenever you are.”
Will we now?

Once again, Talya was losing control. She was the mistress surrounded by a hundred unruly children, being dragged, pushed from all sides, in a kindly fashion mind you.