Baggage, page 11
to make a base.
It’s all a matter of confidence.
Suddenly
I look up
see a face in the window.
Our eyes connect
He disappears.
Thabo.
The Reverend
I’ve never bothered
with the map device
on my phone.
Miranda is a whiz.
At this hour of the night
traffic is light.
We talk as we drive
childhood
her marriage
my lost love
and I tell Miranda
Thabo’s story.
She listens without speaking
responds as I thought she would.
“He did what was necessary
to survive in his world.”
We look at each other
know
we’re on the same page.
The conversation
feels like it’s just beginning.
Miles fly past.
Ms Nelson
A cowboy turned minister
preaching in the suburbs of Vancouver.
And Thabo
from a burning warehouse in South Africa
to a church in Canada.
Life takes us in strange directions.
Brittany
I’m answering as many posts
as I can
switching between apps.
I look up.
Dad is waiting by the car.
He wants to go
but I have to finish
this one.
#child trafficking
#savethabonow
Everyone’s reading me.
It’s all so
dramatic.
KEVIN
Leah whirls around
grabs my shirt
I hold her
tight against me.
“He’s there,” she whispers.
“He’s moving.
We can do this!”
Thabo
I open the window
kick out the screen
catch it before it falls.
“Come!” I whisper to the others
boost them out on the steep roof.
The girl tries to cry
and I pull her back to me by her dress
cover her mouth with my hand.
“No! No noise!”
Her eyes are big with fear
but she is quiet.
Leah
I don’t understand.
Another boy
not Thabo
and a little girl
on the roof.
At last
Thabo appears
in the window
climbs out
beside them.
Halfway across the roof
the girl’s shoe falls off
rumbles down the shingles
sails off the edge
thuds on the porch steps.
A yard light flashes on
and the three are lit
like moths before a light bulb.
Thabo
In the house
thundering footsteps
up the stairs.
They have heard us,
turned on the light.
“Tsamaea! Go! Qhomela! Jump!”
I yell
no need for quiet now.
I push Palesa towards Joseph
who lifts her up
tosses her little body
across the open space
towards Leah’s open arms.
KEVIN
Voices inside the house
a burst of light into the room
Leah leans to catch the little girl
teeters on the roof edge
and I snatch her jacket
just in time
pull her back
the girl in her arms.
Men are shouting
One waves out the window
calling us back.
I almost laugh.
“Come on!” I yell
and Thabo and the boy fly over the gap
land hard.
I lead them at a run
to the lattice.
Behind us a shout.
A spurt of terror
speeds us across the roof.
Leah
We scramble to the lattice
caught in the spotlight,
reach for vines
swing over the edge.
The little girl stays close
between me
and the other boy.
“Etsa kapele, aussi!” he calls,
scurries down like a spider,
the girl behind him.
It’s like a flying dream
we move so fast
flowing down the vines
like water
not noticing scratching leaves
broken slats.
As we reach the ground
the door to the house slaps open
a man stands in the doorway
a rifle in his hands.
“A gun!” I gasp
and as we race for the trees
he raises it to his shoulder.
I’m last into the windbreak
and as I dive forward between the tree trunks
I hear a pop, a roar
in my right leg a knife of pain.
I scream
Kevin whirls towards me
but my leg still works.
“Go!” I shout at the others.
We stumble in the dark
through the ploughed field
tripping over the rough earth.
A beam of light cuts through the dark
makes our flight
a strobe-light dance.
KEVIN
Leah’s scream cuts through me.
She’s shot,
shot with a gun
shot and bleeding.
In the flashes I see her leg
through her torn jeans
a mess of mud
and blood.
I want to stop
but she’s made of iron.
“I’m okay! Go! Go!”
Thabo
Light dark light dark
the flashing torchlight
catches us as we run
another shot
and we fall flat,
kiss the dirt,
try to bury ourselves.
“No!” Kevin shouts.
“Run! Go for the car!”
I see it ahead.
Joseph drags Palesa forward.
Leah limps behind.
I take one hand, Kevin the other.
Together
we make her go faster.
KEVIN
We roll behind the car
gulping, shaking,
and I reach
for the key fob
in my pocket.
Inside
I’m lit with fear
but stronger
a burning anger.
Shoot at me? At us? At Leah?
Just try it.
Just try it.
We’ll get you
you bastards.
Another shot kicks up dirt
two metres away.
The Civic chirps
flashes its lights
as the doors unlock.
We swarm into the car
and at last
yelling with
terror and triumph
we pull away
spitting gravel beneath
the wheels,
grip the pavement
shoot off
into the narrow tunnel
of the night road.
In the distance
sirens wail.
Leah
We tear down the narrow straight road,
between shadowy fields
My leg is on fire
pumps thick dark blood
onto the leather upholstery.
I wad tissues into the tear in my jeans
press down
blood bubbles through my fingers.
Thabo is beside me
in the back seat
I reach out
grasp his arm with my free hand.
His face is bruised
lip split, one eye swollen
half shut. He smiles, croaks
“Ho lokile,” winces, smiles again.
“We are okay, my friend.”
He clamps a hand over my bleeding leg
holds tight
until the pumping slows.
He’s done this
before.
In the rearview mirror
Kevin’s eyes
intense and dark
catch mine
and hold.
We bump over railway tracks.
My phone chirps to life.
The Reverend
Miranda has directed us
through a maze of dark country roads
to the resort
ringing faintly with old-fashioned dance music
glittering lights reflected
in the still, black lake.
Kevin was near here
last we heard.
We pull into the parking lot
For a few minutes
look out at the dark lake in silence
not sure of our direction,
the only sound
the rasp of our sooty clothes.
Miranda’s phone chimes
Thank God
Thank God
It’s Leah.
Ms Nelson
I want them to come here
to the light
and the music
but when I hear
of Leah’s injury
send them the location
of the valley hospital.
In the quiet car
Bob and I
laugh softly now
with relief.
I lean over the gear shift
slide my arms around his chest
gather him to me
in a hug.
He hugs me back
for a long minute
starts the car
and we head up the valley
towards the hospital.
Brittany
Finally
Leah answers my like
20 texts.
Then my heart explodes.
My little sister
has been shot.
Something else
about rifles, rooftops.
I don’t understand her
autocorrected misspellings.
She’s near Harrison Lake Resort
the Romance Resort
with Kevin
but I’ll let it go
if she just stays alive.
KEVIN
In the seat beside me
another African boy
on his lap a small girl.
His face is a mess, swollen
and bleeding.
The girl has curled herself
into him.
“You okay? Ho lokile?
I’m Kevin.”
“I, Joseph. This one, Palesa, my sister.”
She raises her head at her name
She is tiny
delicate
dark-eyed
a beautiful child.
Her gaze is flat.
I don’t think I want to know
the whole story.
“We’ll get you some help now,” I say
and follow the directions
of the Google Map voice.
Leah
Ms Nelson
sends me the location
of the hospital up the valley
says they’ll meet us there.
Brittany has called Kevin’s parents
told them he’s okay,
that we’ll bring him back
to the city with us.
I feel light-headed,
pass my phone to Kevin
lean back
close my eyes.
Brittany
I ride in the back seat
behind Mom and Dad
as they power up the valley highway.
Mom says Leah will be okay
but I have to see for myself
and I can do what I need to
from the car.
I contact the lawyer
to get the wheels moving
send photos, proof
that will make the government
change its mind.
We have to
seize the moment
make sure
they’ll pay attention.
Leah
At Emergency
I am bundled out of the car
onto a stretcher.
I lie back
let them roll me
through the glass doors
watch the fluorescent ceiling lights flash by
listen to faraway beeps and voices.
My leg is throbbing
and numb.
Kevin walks beside me
holds my hand
as the light fades.
I sleep
or something like it
and when I wake up
I’m in a hospital room.
My mother reaches over
holds my face
between her palms
looks full into my eyes.
“My precious girl”
then turns to the Emerg doc
for a professional consultation.
Dad pats my shoulder
shaking his head.
Tears run down his cheeks.
Brittany stands
at the foot of my bed.
Her hand strokes my ankle
through the covers.
The Reverend
Turns out
a neighbour called in rifle shots
and screaming.
RCMP caught two men
found blood in the car
in the house
and that’s just the beginning.
They tell us this
at Chilliwack Hospital
where ER staff fix up Leah’s leg
tell us she’ll make a full recovery.
Social Services take custody
of Joseph and Palesa,
no age question there,
and they are whisked away
into treatment rooms.
A young doctor sponges off the blood
closes the cuts
on Thabo’s face.
I hold his hand as the needle dips
in and out.
He doesn’t flinch.
Brittany
Leah’s face
is almost as white
as her sheets
but Mom says her prognosis
is excellent.
Our immigration lawyer
isn’t happy
about waking up @ 3 a.m.
I turn on the charm
and he promises
to get the paperwork
under way.
In the waiting room
Kevin looks exhausted
leans against the wall
his eyes closed.
I page through Facebook posts
as the night crawls by.
KEVIN
My whole body aches
after the bruising night.
But the memory
of Leah’s scream
seeing blood pour
down her leg
hurts more.
Thabo
The night is lifting
as we come back
to the city.
We go back to my family’s house.
I pet the dog
fall into my soft bed
think
maybe
this is the end
or the beginning.
Ms Nelson
The Border Service Agency informs me
as Designated Representative
that Thabo’s deportation
has been stayed.
His case will be re-examined
in light
of recent events.
The whole city
media
public
online
is on fire
to protect a victim
of child trafficking.
Chances are
the lawyer says
he’ll be allowed
to stay.
His truth
will stay
among us.
The Reverend
In only a week
the world seems to know
almost
everything
sanctuary
arson
refugee children
child trafficking
rescue.
For the first service
after the fire
we hold worship on folding chairs
in the high school cafeteria
full to bursting
with the curious
the proud
the tender-hearted
the righteous.
My sermon is on
“Suffer the little children
to come unto me”
the tenderness
It’s all a matter of confidence.
Suddenly
I look up
see a face in the window.
Our eyes connect
He disappears.
Thabo.
The Reverend
I’ve never bothered
with the map device
on my phone.
Miranda is a whiz.
At this hour of the night
traffic is light.
We talk as we drive
childhood
her marriage
my lost love
and I tell Miranda
Thabo’s story.
She listens without speaking
responds as I thought she would.
“He did what was necessary
to survive in his world.”
We look at each other
know
we’re on the same page.
The conversation
feels like it’s just beginning.
Miles fly past.
Ms Nelson
A cowboy turned minister
preaching in the suburbs of Vancouver.
And Thabo
from a burning warehouse in South Africa
to a church in Canada.
Life takes us in strange directions.
Brittany
I’m answering as many posts
as I can
switching between apps.
I look up.
Dad is waiting by the car.
He wants to go
but I have to finish
this one.
#child trafficking
#savethabonow
Everyone’s reading me.
It’s all so
dramatic.
KEVIN
Leah whirls around
grabs my shirt
I hold her
tight against me.
“He’s there,” she whispers.
“He’s moving.
We can do this!”
Thabo
I open the window
kick out the screen
catch it before it falls.
“Come!” I whisper to the others
boost them out on the steep roof.
The girl tries to cry
and I pull her back to me by her dress
cover her mouth with my hand.
“No! No noise!”
Her eyes are big with fear
but she is quiet.
Leah
I don’t understand.
Another boy
not Thabo
and a little girl
on the roof.
At last
Thabo appears
in the window
climbs out
beside them.
Halfway across the roof
the girl’s shoe falls off
rumbles down the shingles
sails off the edge
thuds on the porch steps.
A yard light flashes on
and the three are lit
like moths before a light bulb.
Thabo
In the house
thundering footsteps
up the stairs.
They have heard us,
turned on the light.
“Tsamaea! Go! Qhomela! Jump!”
I yell
no need for quiet now.
I push Palesa towards Joseph
who lifts her up
tosses her little body
across the open space
towards Leah’s open arms.
KEVIN
Voices inside the house
a burst of light into the room
Leah leans to catch the little girl
teeters on the roof edge
and I snatch her jacket
just in time
pull her back
the girl in her arms.
Men are shouting
One waves out the window
calling us back.
I almost laugh.
“Come on!” I yell
and Thabo and the boy fly over the gap
land hard.
I lead them at a run
to the lattice.
Behind us a shout.
A spurt of terror
speeds us across the roof.
Leah
We scramble to the lattice
caught in the spotlight,
reach for vines
swing over the edge.
The little girl stays close
between me
and the other boy.
“Etsa kapele, aussi!” he calls,
scurries down like a spider,
the girl behind him.
It’s like a flying dream
we move so fast
flowing down the vines
like water
not noticing scratching leaves
broken slats.
As we reach the ground
the door to the house slaps open
a man stands in the doorway
a rifle in his hands.
“A gun!” I gasp
and as we race for the trees
he raises it to his shoulder.
I’m last into the windbreak
and as I dive forward between the tree trunks
I hear a pop, a roar
in my right leg a knife of pain.
I scream
Kevin whirls towards me
but my leg still works.
“Go!” I shout at the others.
We stumble in the dark
through the ploughed field
tripping over the rough earth.
A beam of light cuts through the dark
makes our flight
a strobe-light dance.
KEVIN
Leah’s scream cuts through me.
She’s shot,
shot with a gun
shot and bleeding.
In the flashes I see her leg
through her torn jeans
a mess of mud
and blood.
I want to stop
but she’s made of iron.
“I’m okay! Go! Go!”
Thabo
Light dark light dark
the flashing torchlight
catches us as we run
another shot
and we fall flat,
kiss the dirt,
try to bury ourselves.
“No!” Kevin shouts.
“Run! Go for the car!”
I see it ahead.
Joseph drags Palesa forward.
Leah limps behind.
I take one hand, Kevin the other.
Together
we make her go faster.
KEVIN
We roll behind the car
gulping, shaking,
and I reach
for the key fob
in my pocket.
Inside
I’m lit with fear
but stronger
a burning anger.
Shoot at me? At us? At Leah?
Just try it.
Just try it.
We’ll get you
you bastards.
Another shot kicks up dirt
two metres away.
The Civic chirps
flashes its lights
as the doors unlock.
We swarm into the car
and at last
yelling with
terror and triumph
we pull away
spitting gravel beneath
the wheels,
grip the pavement
shoot off
into the narrow tunnel
of the night road.
In the distance
sirens wail.
Leah
We tear down the narrow straight road,
between shadowy fields
My leg is on fire
pumps thick dark blood
onto the leather upholstery.
I wad tissues into the tear in my jeans
press down
blood bubbles through my fingers.
Thabo is beside me
in the back seat
I reach out
grasp his arm with my free hand.
His face is bruised
lip split, one eye swollen
half shut. He smiles, croaks
“Ho lokile,” winces, smiles again.
“We are okay, my friend.”
He clamps a hand over my bleeding leg
holds tight
until the pumping slows.
He’s done this
before.
In the rearview mirror
Kevin’s eyes
intense and dark
catch mine
and hold.
We bump over railway tracks.
My phone chirps to life.
The Reverend
Miranda has directed us
through a maze of dark country roads
to the resort
ringing faintly with old-fashioned dance music
glittering lights reflected
in the still, black lake.
Kevin was near here
last we heard.
We pull into the parking lot
For a few minutes
look out at the dark lake in silence
not sure of our direction,
the only sound
the rasp of our sooty clothes.
Miranda’s phone chimes
Thank God
Thank God
It’s Leah.
Ms Nelson
I want them to come here
to the light
and the music
but when I hear
of Leah’s injury
send them the location
of the valley hospital.
In the quiet car
Bob and I
laugh softly now
with relief.
I lean over the gear shift
slide my arms around his chest
gather him to me
in a hug.
He hugs me back
for a long minute
starts the car
and we head up the valley
towards the hospital.
Brittany
Finally
Leah answers my like
20 texts.
Then my heart explodes.
My little sister
has been shot.
Something else
about rifles, rooftops.
I don’t understand her
autocorrected misspellings.
She’s near Harrison Lake Resort
the Romance Resort
with Kevin
but I’ll let it go
if she just stays alive.
KEVIN
In the seat beside me
another African boy
on his lap a small girl.
His face is a mess, swollen
and bleeding.
The girl has curled herself
into him.
“You okay? Ho lokile?
I’m Kevin.”
“I, Joseph. This one, Palesa, my sister.”
She raises her head at her name
She is tiny
delicate
dark-eyed
a beautiful child.
Her gaze is flat.
I don’t think I want to know
the whole story.
“We’ll get you some help now,” I say
and follow the directions
of the Google Map voice.
Leah
Ms Nelson
sends me the location
of the hospital up the valley
says they’ll meet us there.
Brittany has called Kevin’s parents
told them he’s okay,
that we’ll bring him back
to the city with us.
I feel light-headed,
pass my phone to Kevin
lean back
close my eyes.
Brittany
I ride in the back seat
behind Mom and Dad
as they power up the valley highway.
Mom says Leah will be okay
but I have to see for myself
and I can do what I need to
from the car.
I contact the lawyer
to get the wheels moving
send photos, proof
that will make the government
change its mind.
We have to
seize the moment
make sure
they’ll pay attention.
Leah
At Emergency
I am bundled out of the car
onto a stretcher.
I lie back
let them roll me
through the glass doors
watch the fluorescent ceiling lights flash by
listen to faraway beeps and voices.
My leg is throbbing
and numb.
Kevin walks beside me
holds my hand
as the light fades.
I sleep
or something like it
and when I wake up
I’m in a hospital room.
My mother reaches over
holds my face
between her palms
looks full into my eyes.
“My precious girl”
then turns to the Emerg doc
for a professional consultation.
Dad pats my shoulder
shaking his head.
Tears run down his cheeks.
Brittany stands
at the foot of my bed.
Her hand strokes my ankle
through the covers.
The Reverend
Turns out
a neighbour called in rifle shots
and screaming.
RCMP caught two men
found blood in the car
in the house
and that’s just the beginning.
They tell us this
at Chilliwack Hospital
where ER staff fix up Leah’s leg
tell us she’ll make a full recovery.
Social Services take custody
of Joseph and Palesa,
no age question there,
and they are whisked away
into treatment rooms.
A young doctor sponges off the blood
closes the cuts
on Thabo’s face.
I hold his hand as the needle dips
in and out.
He doesn’t flinch.
Brittany
Leah’s face
is almost as white
as her sheets
but Mom says her prognosis
is excellent.
Our immigration lawyer
isn’t happy
about waking up @ 3 a.m.
I turn on the charm
and he promises
to get the paperwork
under way.
In the waiting room
Kevin looks exhausted
leans against the wall
his eyes closed.
I page through Facebook posts
as the night crawls by.
KEVIN
My whole body aches
after the bruising night.
But the memory
of Leah’s scream
seeing blood pour
down her leg
hurts more.
Thabo
The night is lifting
as we come back
to the city.
We go back to my family’s house.
I pet the dog
fall into my soft bed
think
maybe
this is the end
or the beginning.
Ms Nelson
The Border Service Agency informs me
as Designated Representative
that Thabo’s deportation
has been stayed.
His case will be re-examined
in light
of recent events.
The whole city
media
public
online
is on fire
to protect a victim
of child trafficking.
Chances are
the lawyer says
he’ll be allowed
to stay.
His truth
will stay
among us.
The Reverend
In only a week
the world seems to know
almost
everything
sanctuary
arson
refugee children
child trafficking
rescue.
For the first service
after the fire
we hold worship on folding chairs
in the high school cafeteria
full to bursting
with the curious
the proud
the tender-hearted
the righteous.
My sermon is on
“Suffer the little children
to come unto me”
the tenderness
