Chapter 8
As Christianna headed for the dining tent the next morning at six-thirty, Max was waiting for her discreetly outside her tent. She was surprised to see him, and he spoke to her in a whisper.
“Your Highness,” he whispered, and she stopped him almost as soon as the words came out of his mouth by habit and reflex. She looked instantly upset.
“Don't call me that,” she whispered back. “Just call me Cricky, like everyone else does.” She had told them all her nickname the day before.
“I can't do that, Your …oh… sorry …” He blushed.
“You have to,” she said to him, and whispered even lower, “that's a royal order.” He grinned. “Why were you waiting for me?” It looked like a serious conspiracy between them as Maggie and Fiona walked by on the way to breakfast.
“I spoke to your father yesterday. I didn't get a chance to tell you last night.” They had never been alone.
“Is he all right?” She looked momentarily worried until Max nodded.
“He's fine. He said to send you his love. If you want to talk to him, I can drive you to the post office sometime. It's not too far.”
“Maybe in a few days. I don't have time right now. There's too much to do here.”
“I'm sure he understands. I told him you were fine.”
“Good. Was that all?” He nodded. “Thank you, Max.” She smiled.
“You're welcome, Your—” He stopped himself before he said it, and she laughed.
“Practice saying it, Max. Cricky. Or you're fired.” They both laughed, and he followed her to breakfast. The others were already in the tent eating when they arrived.
“Slowpokes,” Fiona teased them. “We ate everything.” She was flirting with Max, which Christianna thought was funny. He seemed to be enjoying it. Samuel smiled about it, too. They were both already comfortable in the group.
Christianna enjoyed sharing breakfast with the others, and half an hour later she reported to work. Mary had given her a stack of books to read about AIDS, and some guidelines about what to teach. She wanted Christianna to design her own course, and improve on what they had. She was flattered to be asked. She was going to teach the class in Tigrinya, with a local interpreter beside her to translate. She read as much as she could of the material that morning, visited some of the patients with Mary, went back to her reading, and skipped lunch entirely. She reported to Ushi in the schoolroom after that. She was falling in love with the children. They were beautiful and loving, and they loved talking to her. She read the youngest ones a story after school, and then went outside to the compound for some exercise. She had been inside all day.
She saw Laure sitting quietly by herself when she went out, as Akuba walked by, holding one of her children by the hand. Christianna waved and smiled. Christianna had only been there for two days, but she already felt at home. It was all new and exciting, but she felt so at ease there, and so enamored of the people and the country that it was almost as though she'd been there before. She was about to go for a walk outside the compound, and then decided to turn back and talk to Laure. She had already begun making friends with the others, and she wanted to at least try to reach out to the sullen French girl. She had looked miserable ever since Christianna had arrived. It was hard not to wonder why. The only time Christianna had ever seen her smile was when she was talking to a child. Laure's job was doing administrative work in the office, and filling out and filing medical records. It was tedious work, but apparently she was good at it. Geoff had said she was thorough and precise.
“Hello,” Christianna said cautiously. “Would you like to take a walk? I need some air.” The air there was delicious, no matter how hot it was. There was always a smell of flowers around them. The tall dark-haired French girl seemed to hesitate for a moment. Christianna thought she would decline, and was startled when she nodded. She stood up to her full height and looked down at Christianna. And then they set off on their walk in silence.
They walked past women in their beautiful costumes, and down a path that Laure seemed to know that led past a small river, which suddenly made Christianna anxious.
“Should I be worried about snakes? I'm terrified of them,” Christianna confided.
“I don't think so,” Laure said with a shy smile. “I've been here before and I've never seen one.” Laure looked more relaxed with her than she had before.
They continued walking, and Christianna was startled to see a wart hog in the distance. It reminded her that they were in Africa, not just some pleasant countryside that could have been in Europe. Here everything was exciting and different. It was hard to believe she had only been there for two days. After a while the two women sat down on a log, and watched the stream drift by. It felt very peaceful and somewhat surreal. Christianna just hoped that a snake didn't appear at their feet.
“I met your aunt Marque in Russia,” she said finally, not knowing what else to say to her. She looked as though she had a lot on her mind, or a thorn in her side somewhere. It was obvious that something was bothering her, and maybe had been for a long time.
“It's amazing how many people know her,” Laure said quietly.
“She's a lovely woman,” Christianna said with feeling, remembering when they had met in Russia.
“She's more than that. She's a saint of some kind. Did you know she lost her husband and both her children? She stayed too long when war broke out in the Sudan. And in spite of that, she still loves it here. She has Africa in her blood. And now she devotes her life to other people. I wish I could be more like her, giving to others the way she does. I hate it here.” Christianna was startled by the words. For Laure, it was a long speech and a surprising admission.
“There aren't many people who can do what she does,” Christianna said gently. She was flattered that this woman who seemed to be sealed so tight had opened up to her. “I think it's a gift.”
“I think you have that same gift,” Laure said quietly, as Christianna stared at her in disbelief.
“How can you say that? You don't even know me.” She was flattered by the words. It was a huge compliment, particularly from her.
“I watched you coming out of the classroom yesterday with Ushi. You spoke to everyone, you had children hanging all over you. And when I picked up the records at Mary's office, all her AIDS patients were talking about you. That's a gift.”
“You're good with children, too. I see you smile every time you talk to them.”
“Children are always honest,” Laure said sadly. “It's the adults who never are. They lie, they cheat, they wound. I think most people are profoundly bad.” It saddened Christianna to hear her say it, and was a sad statement about the young woman's life and the experiences she must have had.
Listening to her, and seeing the look in her eyes, Christianna decided to take a risk. “Betrayal is a terrible thing, particularly by people we love.”
There was a long pause as Laure watched her, as though deciding whether or not to trust her, and then finally she did. “They told you why I came here. I suppose it's not a secret. Everyone in Geneva knew it … and Paris … and everywhere else … even here. I was engaged to a man who made a total fool out of me, with my supposedly best friend.” She sounded bitter as she said it, but even more than that, wounded and sad.
“Don't give him the satisfaction of letting it destroy you. He doesn't deserve that, and neither does your socalled best friend who ran off with him. Sooner or later they'll pay a price for that. Things like that come back to haunt you in the end. You don't find happiness at someone else's expense.” There was something quietly reassuring about what Christianna said. She had been praying to find the right words to say to this injured girl.