Post by Turn 360 and walk away on Nov 30, 2011 3:57:51 GMT -5
"How are you holding up, stranger?"
"Fine enough. I need to get to Hoteli usiku mwema."
"You are just in time! what is it you're going there for? About the shooting, yeah?"
"So they say."
"Who?"
"My boss."
A dark-skinned man sat reclined behind the wheel of an army-green Jeep. The word "TAXI" was crudely spray-painted on in white, ornamenting both doors and the hood. He laughed behind his large mirrored sunglasses and spit tobacco into the grass behind him. His dress was a khaki shirt with rolled up sleeves and cargo shorts, and stained with dirt and sweat. "You are a lucky fellow. This might be my last trip, stranger."
The other man awkwardly climbed into the rear seat of the jeep, nearly passing out from the still-otherworldly shock of the humidity and the heat. His jet-black hair was slicked back above dark eyes and a pale and gaunt face that matched a long and lanky body dresses in a dress shirt and jeans. "How do you know I'm a stranger?"
"Your clothes. they're too clean. Name's Aalif," the driver's wide smile revealed teeth like tombstones.
"Giovanni, here's my press badge."
"Jee-Owe-Vanny," Aalif tested each syllable against his tongue, "Strange name around here, stranger."
"Aalif is a strange name where I come from."
"I am quite sure it is! Now, come on Aalif, get to that hotel!" the driver let loose a hearty laugh and the jeep rumbled down the uneven dirt path. Between attacks from the heat and the motion of the jeep taking their toll, Giovanni was able to enjoy the taxi. The whole ride was filled with Aalif talking about the country. "Beautiful beautiful place out here. Oh! Did you see that gazelle? My grandmother used to say that ' the gazelle must wake up and know it must run hard to survive the lion, and the lion must wake up knowing it will have to run hard to eat. Both animals understand that nothing can be done without their own hard work, as should you.' That river you're looking at used to feed my village and 30 others before it reaches the sea."
Giovanni pried his eyes open against the high sun. The water was a murky blue color, and the shores green and gold with deposits. a naked child ran into the water some feet before splashing at a woman standing nearby. Tall grasses swayed, in colors from amber to white, from the breeze pushing clouds over the valley. The Jeep suddenly lurched as the rear wheel caught a pothole, and Giovanni closed his eyes again.
"You must be careful out there. There are animals in that river that like little children," Giovanni started at that, but Aalif continued, "Things have gotten so far out of hand here. It is crazy what many people do for bread, now. The Coalition has made sure of it."
"'Coalition'?"
"Quiet, quiet."
Giovanni opened his eyes again. He was so busy being sick he had not noticed a mosquito on his arm, and swatted it dead into the seat next to him. Ahead of the jeep was a wooden bridge with three small, beat-up cars barricading one end. A man in what appeared to be army fatigues approached the jeep, pointing his shot gun at the white-skinned stranger in the back seat. Aalif smiled and waved his hand at the man with the gun. He used the mouth of the long gun to wave them forward, and the jeep responded in kind until it reached the barricade. A man in matching army fatigues and a crimson beret exited on of the cars and held a steady aim on the driver.
"Niy nini unefanyi?!" The beret-wearing man demanded.
"Meemi niy taxiing hwuyu Tamu Bonde, Mheshimihwa," Aalif responded coolly.
"Kway nini? Hatuhitajee hi chaweh," the man spit these words violently.
"Ukiangalia moto sana. Nitakufanya kuwa mpango huo? Kama basi mimi kupita, mimi kuleta nyuma bia kutoka mji? Beer, yeah?" Aalif asked, shaken by the apparent violence of the last words.
"Kupata magari hayo nje ya njia!" Whatever Aalif said, it worked and one of the cars backed up, making room for the jeep to pass.
Aalif slowly crept past, and hardly pressed the accelerator once he was beyond the guard post.
"The Coalition." Aalif simply said, somberly. The ride was silent for a few more minutes, before, "We lose so much to fire, you know that? Wildfires happen so much here. My brother, he lost his home last summer, moved down south. He says he's gonna come back. I keep telling him that no one comes back, but he doesn't listen. Wait -" The jeep exited the road and slid to an ungraceful stop against some bush as two pickup trucks raced side by side down the road in the opposite direction of the taxi. In the bed of the trucks was mounted a large machine gun. The men behind the guns whooped and hollered and one threw a bottle that smashed against the taxi's door. After they passed, Aalif pulled back into the road, "My brother doesn't listen. Damn it, no one listens to the rules any more! This road has a speed limit! Oh, what was I talking about? No one comes back any more. Listen! You can hear a plane. Probably the last one leaving. You see that plane?" Aalif pointed off in the distance and Giovanni made an effort to focus his eyes, "Rich people can get in that plane. Not Aalif! And that's the last one, for sure. I keep telling all the people that the plane won't come back, but no one listens. Everyone thinks that a plane will come for them."
Giovanni could make out the shapes of a sizeable town compared to the thatch huts they had been driving past and stirred himself awake in his seat. "Tamu Bonde?"
"Yes, Stranger. Your hotel is in the middle of town. I have a friend who owns a bar there, it's right next door to the church. Go there for food, and drink. I might open up my taxi again in a week. Until then, enjoy your stay, stranger!"
Giovanni entered the hotel, a two-story building that seemed to be made of wood and mud brick, with his backpack in hand. The baking heat swirled and writhed in the air off of the walls, and the open-air lobby was no cooler.
"Fine enough. I need to get to Hoteli usiku mwema."
"You are just in time! what is it you're going there for? About the shooting, yeah?"
"So they say."
"Who?"
"My boss."
A dark-skinned man sat reclined behind the wheel of an army-green Jeep. The word "TAXI" was crudely spray-painted on in white, ornamenting both doors and the hood. He laughed behind his large mirrored sunglasses and spit tobacco into the grass behind him. His dress was a khaki shirt with rolled up sleeves and cargo shorts, and stained with dirt and sweat. "You are a lucky fellow. This might be my last trip, stranger."
The other man awkwardly climbed into the rear seat of the jeep, nearly passing out from the still-otherworldly shock of the humidity and the heat. His jet-black hair was slicked back above dark eyes and a pale and gaunt face that matched a long and lanky body dresses in a dress shirt and jeans. "How do you know I'm a stranger?"
"Your clothes. they're too clean. Name's Aalif," the driver's wide smile revealed teeth like tombstones.
"Giovanni, here's my press badge."
"Jee-Owe-Vanny," Aalif tested each syllable against his tongue, "Strange name around here, stranger."
"Aalif is a strange name where I come from."
"I am quite sure it is! Now, come on Aalif, get to that hotel!" the driver let loose a hearty laugh and the jeep rumbled down the uneven dirt path. Between attacks from the heat and the motion of the jeep taking their toll, Giovanni was able to enjoy the taxi. The whole ride was filled with Aalif talking about the country. "Beautiful beautiful place out here. Oh! Did you see that gazelle? My grandmother used to say that ' the gazelle must wake up and know it must run hard to survive the lion, and the lion must wake up knowing it will have to run hard to eat. Both animals understand that nothing can be done without their own hard work, as should you.' That river you're looking at used to feed my village and 30 others before it reaches the sea."
Giovanni pried his eyes open against the high sun. The water was a murky blue color, and the shores green and gold with deposits. a naked child ran into the water some feet before splashing at a woman standing nearby. Tall grasses swayed, in colors from amber to white, from the breeze pushing clouds over the valley. The Jeep suddenly lurched as the rear wheel caught a pothole, and Giovanni closed his eyes again.
"You must be careful out there. There are animals in that river that like little children," Giovanni started at that, but Aalif continued, "Things have gotten so far out of hand here. It is crazy what many people do for bread, now. The Coalition has made sure of it."
"'Coalition'?"
"Quiet, quiet."
Giovanni opened his eyes again. He was so busy being sick he had not noticed a mosquito on his arm, and swatted it dead into the seat next to him. Ahead of the jeep was a wooden bridge with three small, beat-up cars barricading one end. A man in what appeared to be army fatigues approached the jeep, pointing his shot gun at the white-skinned stranger in the back seat. Aalif smiled and waved his hand at the man with the gun. He used the mouth of the long gun to wave them forward, and the jeep responded in kind until it reached the barricade. A man in matching army fatigues and a crimson beret exited on of the cars and held a steady aim on the driver.
"Niy nini unefanyi?!" The beret-wearing man demanded.
"Meemi niy taxiing hwuyu Tamu Bonde, Mheshimihwa," Aalif responded coolly.
"Kway nini? Hatuhitajee hi chaweh," the man spit these words violently.
"Ukiangalia moto sana. Nitakufanya kuwa mpango huo? Kama basi mimi kupita, mimi kuleta nyuma bia kutoka mji? Beer, yeah?" Aalif asked, shaken by the apparent violence of the last words.
"Kupata magari hayo nje ya njia!" Whatever Aalif said, it worked and one of the cars backed up, making room for the jeep to pass.
Aalif slowly crept past, and hardly pressed the accelerator once he was beyond the guard post.
"The Coalition." Aalif simply said, somberly. The ride was silent for a few more minutes, before, "We lose so much to fire, you know that? Wildfires happen so much here. My brother, he lost his home last summer, moved down south. He says he's gonna come back. I keep telling him that no one comes back, but he doesn't listen. Wait -" The jeep exited the road and slid to an ungraceful stop against some bush as two pickup trucks raced side by side down the road in the opposite direction of the taxi. In the bed of the trucks was mounted a large machine gun. The men behind the guns whooped and hollered and one threw a bottle that smashed against the taxi's door. After they passed, Aalif pulled back into the road, "My brother doesn't listen. Damn it, no one listens to the rules any more! This road has a speed limit! Oh, what was I talking about? No one comes back any more. Listen! You can hear a plane. Probably the last one leaving. You see that plane?" Aalif pointed off in the distance and Giovanni made an effort to focus his eyes, "Rich people can get in that plane. Not Aalif! And that's the last one, for sure. I keep telling all the people that the plane won't come back, but no one listens. Everyone thinks that a plane will come for them."
Giovanni could make out the shapes of a sizeable town compared to the thatch huts they had been driving past and stirred himself awake in his seat. "Tamu Bonde?"
"Yes, Stranger. Your hotel is in the middle of town. I have a friend who owns a bar there, it's right next door to the church. Go there for food, and drink. I might open up my taxi again in a week. Until then, enjoy your stay, stranger!"
Giovanni entered the hotel, a two-story building that seemed to be made of wood and mud brick, with his backpack in hand. The baking heat swirled and writhed in the air off of the walls, and the open-air lobby was no cooler.