‘Why is he asking me to go and look for her parents?’
‘Perhaps he wants to show them the greatest respect he can think of: sending a white woman to inform them about a death. How often does a white woman or man do something like that for a simple black miner?’
‘But he was her brother, surely?’
‘I think he wants to honour her memory by asking you to do it.’
‘Then why didn’t he say so? Why did he promise he would come back, and then simply send me a letter?’
‘In a way he did come back. He wrote down his plea to you.’
Ana was still doubtful, despite the fact that there was something convincing about Father Leopoldo’s voice. She thought that he might well have understood better than she had why Moses had done what he did. Then Father Leopoldo asked her cautiously how she had reacted to Isabel’s death. She told him the truth: her sorrow still hadn’t hit her with full force, and she was afraid of the moment when it eventually arrived.
‘What are you going to do now, Senhora? You have frequently talked about leaving here.’
‘I don’t know. But I do know that I must soon make up my mind.’
The conversation was interrupted by Father Leopoldo being summoned to listen to a confession. Ana walked through the empty church. The choir had stopped singing and the children had left. Then she noticed somebody sitting in the darkness next to the big entrance door. It was Senhor Nunez. He was waiting for her. I’m being watched all the time, she thought. There are so many who see me without my seeing them.
Nunez stood up and bowed. She raised her hand.
‘Don’t say anything! Give me a moment to think!’
Nunez nodded and sat down again. Ana flopped down on a chair after having turned her back on Nunez.
She stared out through the open door, straight into the bright sunlight. And she made up her mind almost immediately. She didn’t need to hesitate any longer. She knew what she wanted to do.
She turned her chair to face Nunez.
‘I’m going to sell my establishment,’ she said. ‘I want paying in English pounds, and I want the whole amount in one go. You must promise to observe the same rules and procedures as apply now. I don’t care what you do after the women who are working there now have moved on. I don’t believe in the children’s home you spoke about.’
‘I shall respect your demands, of course. But I’m still thinking about that children’s home.’
Ana stood up.
‘You don’t need to lie to me. Come round to my house tomorrow afternoon, and bring the money with you.’
‘But we haven’t agreed on a price yet.’
‘I’m not going to name a price — but I’ll tell you if you come with too little money. In that case I’ll sell to somebody else. A lawyer will have prepared a contract. I want the whole affair to be settled immediately.’
She didn’t wait for a response, simply stood up and left the cathedral. Now I’m the one who’s leaving the underworld, she thought; but in contrast to Isabel, I’m still alive.
The following day Andrade drew up two contracts. One was for the sale of Ana’s house, for which he was to pay £4,000, with all the furniture included in the deal. He also promised to keep all the staff on for at least a year, and after that to pay Anaka’s and Rumigo’s pensions.
The other contract concerned the sale of the brothel business to Senhor Nunez. To Andrade’s surprise Ana requested him to leave a line blank for the selling price to be written in. Nor did the contract include any mention of the brothel being converted into a children’s home.
At three o’clock in the afternoon Nunez arrived. He offered £4,000 for the establishment. Ana said that she wanted £5,000, as she was convinced that was the sum he had in his fat leather briefcase. Nunez smiled and agreed. All aspects of the sale were completed in less than an hour.
‘Four days from now you can take over everything,’ she said. ‘Before then you are not allowed inside the premises. And you are not allowed to breathe a word about our deal until I’ve spoken to everybody who works here. Where have you got all your money from?’
Nunez smiled and shook his head.
‘Revealing my source of income is not a part of our deal.’
‘Elephant tusks? Lionskins? Secret diamond mines that nobody knows about?’
‘I’ve no intention of answering your question.’
‘As long as you are not a slave trader,’ said Ana.
‘What will happen to the chimpanzee?’ Nunez asked, pointing at Carlos who was sitting on top of the tall cupboard. ‘Is he a non-specified part of our agreement?’
‘He’s coming with me,’ said Ana. ‘His future is my responsibility, not yours. I hope you also noticed that I didn’t require that the brothel should be converted into a children’s home. Why should I demand something that you have no intention of doing? I want you to leave now. We’ve concluded our business, and don’t need to talk to each other.’
Nunez eyed her up and down. He suddenly appeared sorrowful.
‘I don’t understand why you distrust me,’ he said. ‘Just like you I am upset about the way in which we treat black people. Maybe I’m not good through and through, but I hate the contempt we show towards these people. It is lunacy to believe that such an attitude can continue for ever and a day — an illusion, and very stupid.’
Nunez stood up.
‘Perhaps you are not as lonely as you think,’ he said. ‘I share your disgust.’
He bowed and left. She thought about what he had said. Perhaps she had been wrong about him after all.
When she was alone she looked at the contracts and the bundles of banknotes. She had arrived in Africa with nothing: now she was very rich.
All she knew about her future was that she would travel to Beira and look for Isabel’s parents. What would happen after that she didn’t know, and it was something that she was somewhat afraid of. But before leaving she would have to have a final discussion with the women in the brothel, and also sort out a future for Carlos.
That evening, for the second time in their shared lives, she and Carlos sat together and counted all the money that was piled up in enormous heaps on tables and chairs.
71
The next morning Ana carefully dug out the photograph of her and Lundmark from their wedding in Algiers. It was only eighteen months since that occasion, but even so it seemed like another world and another age, when everything had a context and she always looked forward to the next day. Now it seemed to her that darkness was closing in all around her. She had a long way to go, and she didn’t know where the path would lead her. Moreover, she would have to do everything on her own. When she left the house by the river in the sleigh, she was not abandoning a large circle of friends, and although she was leaving behind her family, she had had Forsman’s broad back in front
of her. Now, though, she felt totally isolated. But she had no intention of giving up, the mucky angel still had its wings. She hated the gloom surrounding her on all sides, she missed all the happiness she had enjoyed. I’m a smiling angel, she thought. The life I’m leading at the moment will always be foreign to me.
As she looked at the photograph taken in the studio in Algiers, a thought struck her and she decided immediately to say a silent ‘yes’ to it. She made up her mind to hold her final talk in the brothel during the quiet hours of the afternoon. That would give her an opportunity of paying another visit to the photographer Picard first.
But she also made up her mind to do something that had hitherto never been more than a passing thought. She now realized that the time had come to actually do it. She had nothing to lose by surprising the women in the brothel in a way that none of them would ever have been able to imagine.