77. Drake is learning about giving.
1300 Words
Drake finished working. He took a long walk in the small village that he was recovering in.
He ran into a physician.
" Hello, you look like you lost something." Drake said, seeing the doctor looking on the ground.
" Yeah, I lost a button somewhere." the distinguished looking 50 years old man said.
He smiled at Drake. "You look good, besides the weight loss. The fever is gone?"
Drake nodded. " I don't recall seeing you before, I must have been out of my mind."
" No, David Slack, I just arrived. I'm from the states, probably noticed my Kentucky accent?" He grinned.
" Ah, well I'm glad to meet you. What brings you to Africa Slack?"
" Hmm.. well my wife's family lives here, and I am opening a Hospice without boarders program. Clinic is going up right on that hill over there." He pointed to a vacant lot.
" Well, it's your lucky day doc, my wife happens to support ventures just like yours, do you think you will be profitable?"
He laughed. " Well, non profits usually are not profitable, so no."
Drake nodded. " When she gets back from her safari, I will send her to you. She will most likely like to lend a hand."
The doctor said,"You look like you have a tick bite on your leg here."
He nodded. " Mr. Calloway. come see me at my office, you need to get this taken care of."
Drake said," Ok, let's go now." He was worried.
They walked next door to a small clinic.
" Let's look at this closer. Okay hold on." He grabbed a tweezers and a match.
He struck the match and blew it out, quickly putting it on the tick, then used the tweezers to pull the head out.
" Well, now we need to watch you for lime disease." He frowned, looking into Drake's worried eyes.
" Given your recent illness, let's start you on some antibiotics."
Drake nodded.
" Shoot, we are fresh out of the medications that you need. Well we can watch the bite and wait. We might get a shipment in next week, maybe a month?" said the doctor.
A small boy with a large rash on his face came in. He was having high fever. The doctor rushed him onto the table.
" If we had antibiotics this would heal in a few days, we need to treat this boy with analgesics and topical ointment. His mother, she has stomach cancer. She is my patient.
I see this day after day. I've put all of my money into these programs for my wife's people. It's never enough." He said sadly and gave the boy a sucker.
He spoke Swahili to him,"safi na kavu," he told him to keep it clean and dry.
Drake looked at the man, he was serious.
" You will have the funding you need by the end of business day."
He walked away. He was starting to understand the true power of money. This time it was his own money. He had the money wired to Dr.Slack's bank account.
Dr. Skack nearly fell on the floor seeing his account now.
He ran to Drake.
" Mr. Calloway, this is...more than generous." He shook his hand.
" The Calloway foundation, will be available for you to start your new clinic, you will be financed going forward." Drake smiled.
The next day he returned to the clinic. Dr. Slack was in a room with a crying woman. She sounded inconsolable, he was speaking in soft tones to her.
Drake saw him come out, the doctor slammed his hand on the wall in frustration.
" What is it?" He asked him, concerned.
" The boy you saw yesterday, he died this morning." He said.
" His mother, she is in there, I can't fix it, any of it!" He walked away.
Drake went into the room where the boy's mother was crying, he took her into his arms and held her as she cried.
He sat with her for hours until she finally stopped.
She said, "Malaika." ( angel)
She stroked his face, his piercing blue eyes looked down on her. His dark blond hair was longer now, he did look like an angel.
Drake went back to his room. He missed Stella. He needed to talk to her, to tell her how he felt.
Stella was traveling to the base of the mountain.
Mt. Kilamanjaro rose above her.
She looked at her leg, she looked at the bag she brought with her.
" Okay, I'm only going as far as my leg allows."
She hiked into some trees and set up a small camp.
This was the spot that Baraka had picked for her to do her solo camping.
It was away from the large game, it was perfect for a woman alone to stay and think.
Plus he would be nearby if she needed him. He put a walkie in her bag.
Stella lay flat on the sleeping bag. She looked up and closed her eyes.
She took three deep breaths and went into Savasana pose, lying like a corpse, listening to her inner intentions.
Stella was at peace. The anger and violence that was done to her was no longer a part of her, she was releasing it all.
She felt free....
Drake got a call from Purdy women's prison, Olivia.
" What do you want Olivia? I can't talk to you after everything you did." He said flatly.
" I'm pregnant." She said.
" So? Why tell me?"He asked.
" You are the father, that's why." She cried.
" How could that be, you are in prison, we haven't been together in months."
" Drake, the last day I saw you, we made love, you planted this baby into my body, it is yours. We can do DNA if you insist."
He was worried now. " Yes, I insist." He told her as he hung up.
" Me a father?" He wondered if this could be real.
Stella ate a few bites of her food then put her pack on and walked farther into the woods.
She was taking it all in when she heard a man behind her.
" Well, what's a nice looking lady like you doing in a place like this," he was tall, dark haired and chisled chin. He wore a light back pack and had a walking stick.
" I'm hiking." She said, her teeth had a bit of lettuce between them.
He said," Open your mouth and look up."
She turned her head to the side and did as instructed.
" Nope, well I thought maybe one of the white eyed birds would swoop down and pick out that green stuff between your teeth."
" Oh, well there are more polite ways to tell a girl she is sporting a salad in her mouth."
" John Monroe." He put his hand out.
She looked at it, not trusting him now.
" Calloway." She said taking his hand, "Well have a nice hike, see ya around." She said as she limped away.
" Wait up Calloway." He said.
"Most girls are star struck by me, you really don't know who I am?" He asked her.
"Think real hard now." He said.
" Nope John, no idea. Tell me..who are you?"
" Well... I play a doctor on TV, John, John Monroe MD." He said lowering a brow and doing a pose.
" Hmm. I do not watch much TV, sounds like fun." She kept walking.
" My real name is"...
She held up her hand. "Hey open your mouth and look up." She said to him, interrupting him from talking.
He put his finger on his tooth.
" I haven't eaten anything green."
- Writer
