Love at War

Part 1: Chapter 5: A barricade that changed fates.

Suddenly the vehicle stopped and it yanked her back to the present.

"Be quiet," David demanded as he opened the window. "No sudden movements and no heroics," he said.

Alarmed, Sonia noticed the barricade in the road: burning tyres, barb wire and rocks littered it. Ten boy-soldiers' weapons trained on them.

The eldest approached David. At twenty years of age he looked ominous.

He looked inside the van, meeting her with a scrutinising glare. She covered herself with the scarf.

"Papers!" Reaching for the bag she passed hers along with the other documents to David, who handed it to him. For the longest minutes he studied the papers, then the van. Every muscle tensed as they waited for David.

"Get out!" the leader ordered in threadbare English. David tried to appease the youth, but the soldier was adamant to search them.

Another soldier tapped against the slide door window with his rifle. Alice, the closest, opened it. They pulled her from the van. One touched her face and she shrieked.

"What do you want?" Brady demanded as he followed. "Brady, quiet," she warned the moment she stepped from the cabin. Alice stood closer to Sonia. Their hands locked.

The leader marched around the van. "What's inside?" he demanded. Brady moved forward, but David shook his head: DO NOTHING STUPID, he messaged. Sonia held his arm.

"We are on our way to Yida Refugee camp. We are with the United Nations and Red Cross, see."

David showed him the banner. "We help the people."

Another soldier examined every window tentatively. At the back he stopped.

Sonia held her breath, her face concealed behind a scarf. All their supplies were there. Without it, they could not continue.

One boy looked at her and she pushed deeper into the van's protection, Alice's closeness a silent strength.

Still the questions continued. David kept his calm throughout the negotiations. During a pause Sonia lifted her gaze just in time to witness as he handed the leader his wristwatch and laptop. The older boy showed Dr Wek to get back in the front, then Alice followed. Sonia moved along, then he stopped her. One youngster, no older than fifteen, grabbed her. She yelped, fighting against the hold.

David intervened: "Please, she is part of the team. She must go with us," he explained.

"No! No!" the leader yelled. A heated debate ensued between them, his grip painful on her arm. Her heart raced.

"Let go of her!" Brady manoeuvred his larger frame between them. The boy's grip lessened, but his eyes blazed. It caused an uproar with the soldiers. Another attacked Brady.

Sonia heard the punches, but his body shield remained. His bulky frame her only lifeline.

"Please, Lord. I don't want to stay here. Please help us," she prayed. Her body pressed into the metal.

"Please, here are my shoes," David offered. The punches stopped and Sonia peered from the scarf. He let go of Brady. The release gave her time to jump into the van and fell in Alice's arms.

When she looked back, David handed them a packet of cigarettes and a bottle of brandy. Cheers erupted as he hurried inside the van and closed the door.

The tension in the vehicle remained while David shifted the gears and sped away. Shaking hands clutched the steering wheel. His face masked with sweat.

"Thank you, David," Dr Wek said.

"It was close; you have done well. And our supplies are still intact," Sonia said.

A nervous giggle slipped from Alice. "Thank You, Lord." And the group said: "Amen."

"Are you okay?" Brady leaned on the back of the bench.

"Yes, thanks." Her parched throat combined with the headache did not help. With shaky movements she opened her bag and searched the content. Once she found the tablets, she swallowed them with mouthfuls of water.

"I owe you an apology," Brady said to David.

"Don't worry. These youngsters are out to prove themselves. They only want luxuries, nothing more."

"I will make sure you get at least your watch, laptop and shoes back."

"Don't be concerned about it." His accent was heavy this time around.

Once back on the road, silence filled the cabin. David received water from Alice.

Just after 12h00 they stopped at the refugee camp; welcomed by a group of people. The camp was larger than the ones they visited. Another medical team was already hard at work.

"As-Salam Alaykum, Ibrahim." David greeted the head of the team. "Let me introduce you to Major Brady from the United Nations."

Introductions continued while Sonia and Alice carried the supplies to the erected tent. When Dr Wek joined, the team greeted him cheerfully. Doctors were a rarity in these parts and highly revered.

The multitude gathered nearby. During a break she noticed Brady as he interviewed the camp's chiefs, the notebook well used folded in his hand with ease as he scribbled every grievance they had.

This camp was better organised. With educational programs in place, the jovial mood buzzed around them. The U.N.H.C.R. or the United Nations Refugee Agency did its best to ensure a future for the people.

I hope he jotted security as of the utmost importance. Today we were lucky. It could have been worse, Sonia thought.

She relished the updated version, then stopped with the comparisons. He was part of her former life. No reason to go there.

Terrified and tired people arrived at the camp later in the day. "What happened, David?"

"New arrivals. It seemed they had fled from a village kilometres from here. They are in a bewildered state."

"Should I come?"

"No, Ibrahim will call if they need help."

Alice bumped against her. "Look!" On the outskirts of the camp more UN military vehicles arrived.

"Sonia, Alice, they need help with the supplies," Brady called and rolled his sleeves on his way. A lengthy line extended between the trucks and tables. Lines of refugees formed behind the table.

The flurry of movement added more people to the existing masses. Experience caused them to evaluate and give what was needed. They promptly sent those with medical needs to the medic tent. The teams worked in harmony till late.

There were no deaths that day.

***

Early morning Sonia enjoyed the silence of the first light.

"Can we talk?" Brady's closeness shocked her.

"No," her antagonism clear. Frustrated fingers ran through the crew cut. She remembered those hands, the long limbs, the clean-cut nails which could make her purr in want.

"I want to talk to you."

"You said enough twenty-five years ago," she clipped.

"I know I was acting …"

"You were not acting, you walked out on a pregnant me."

"I …" He tried again, at a loss for words.

"We had a boy, his birthday would have been September 20th." Removing a curl, she sighed. "Leave! You are good at that."

He tried again. "LEAVE!" Her face contorted into pain and hurt, and he left.

She slumped in the dirt and touched her barren tummy; one tear found its way to the dusty earth. Her son's body flashed before her. Grief overwhelmed her, even after all these years it stayed with her.

As the first rays touched her dark curls, she calmed.