A New Dawn for Lemuso.



  A New Dawn for Lemuso

  By Esther Lakeisha

  Copyright 2012 Esther Lakeisha

  Chapter 1.

  The sun was scorching hot, the ground was cracked and burning the soles of her bare feet, but Lemuso trudged on. She was tired, hungry and thirsty but she had to walk the remaining seven kilometers to the relief station at Kimit town where she hoped to get some food and water. Lemuso slightly squeezed the little hand in her left hand. Her daughter, Randi, slowly turned her head to look up at her and without a smile, returned her focus on the dried stretch of land ahead of them. Lemuso felt a painful tug at her heart, seeing her daughter this way made her sad but she had to be strong, she had to be hopeful though she could neither afford a smile. They continued walking in silence.

  The burden on Lemuso’s right shoulder was getting heavier with each step she took. It was no longer a burden but rather a grief that she had to carry the long walk to the relief station. She gently nudged Randi and told her they needed to make a stop. Her daughter, sat down on the hard infertile ground without a word. Lemuso gently lowered the limp body of her two month old daughter, Tati, on the ground beside her older daughter.

  Tati lay there without making any form of movement. You see, she was dead, had died from a bout of diarrhea and as Lemuso cast her eyes on the lifeless body of her youngest daughter; she couldn’t help but blame herself for the sad turn of events. Her breasts had run out of milk to feed the infant and so she had fed Tati on wild berries and soft barks of green trees hoping that the infant belly would cope with the change of diet. But oh, how she was wrong, the poor little one started crying uncontrollably and when diarrhea took over her little weak body, she had nothing else to do other than watch her baby succumb to her fault. Tati had taken her last breath during the wee hours of the morning and since Lemuso could not abandon the body of her three month old baby on the famished grounds for the hungry vultures and the remaining villagers who would have easily devoured on her, she decided to carry the body till the relief station at Kimit where she hoped to give her a decent burial after regaining her strength.

 

  Chapter 2.

  Lemuso cast her eyes on Randi, her ribs were visible, sticking out from her small thin body, her eyes looked too big for her small face and her skin that was once so soft was severely dry and cracked. She pulled her eyes away from the pitiful sight of her daughter, how she wished she could just make things right to make Randi smile and make Tati open her wide innocent eyes again… She pursed her sore lips as she let her mind wander in wishful thoughts. If only rain had come, if only she had been educated, if only she had a good job in a modern town, if only she had been married to a rich man who would have built her a big house in the city, if only… …, things would have been so different. She looked down on her sagging breasts that were dry, breasts that had betrayed her at her dire moments. If only they had some few drops, she would not have fed Tati on what she and Randi ate and her beloved baby daughter would have been right there beside them, alive and also sharing in their eagerness to reach the relief camp. Slowly she raised a long thin hand and softly stroked her bare bosom, just a few months ago they were full waiting to nurture the new creation but the famine period had taken its toll on everyone and everything.

  She started thinking about her dear husband, Leruso. They had been married for five years and though their life was not luxurious, they had a deep bond of love and that was all they could afford to give their small family in extravagant measures. She wondered if things would go back to normal again. Leruso had left them almost a month ago in the search for food and water for his young family. And like most men in the village who had gone to search for the basic need, he never returned.

  No one came to her with any news of his whereabouts and deep inside her heart, she knew he was dead having succumbed to hunger and fatigue on the way. He may have become a prey to the wild animals that were also feeling the pangs of the famine. Even the young man that had walked a long distance to come inform the remaining members of Soti village about the relief station set up at Kimit, did not have any information whatsoever of her dear Leruso. Despite the profound sorrow engulfing her inner being, she felt lucky, lucky to be among the handful people of her village that had survived one of the worst natural disasters in the present generation. She felt she had a purpose, a purpose to take care of the remaining part of her, her daughter Randi.

  Shielding her eyes with her famished hands that were once strong and youthful, she turned back to look at how far they had walked. As she looked far into the distance, she made out two figures walking slowly towards them. She knew they had the same destination but Lemuso did not want the two figures to catch up with them and so she motioned for her daughter to stand up and start walking.

  Chapter 3.

  “Mama, I want to pee.”

  Hastily Lemuso stood up and went to where Randi was standing. She cupped her hands tightly and placed them between Randi’s small legs.

  “OK, my dear, do it.”

  The urine felt warm in her cupped hands and once Randi was done, she took a small sip of the salty liquid from her cupped hands and offered the rest to her daughter. This had been their way of trying to quench their parched throats, it did not assist much but at least their urine was fluid enough to calm their throats. She wiped her hands on a small rock that was lying on the ground and after setting Tati on her shoulder; she took Randi’s hand and started on their journey once again. She felt her strength failing her and how she wished she had some strength to dig up some ground and bury Tati so that she could walk without much heaviness gripping her every tread, but she just could not leave her daughter’s body on the road, she had to find some decent piece of ground and she knew that Kimit post, where the relief camp had been set was the perfect place to bury her young one.

  Suddenly Randi stopped walking and without lifting her face, she whispered, “Mama, how long now, I am really tired and hungry.” Lemuso looked down at her daughter who was now drawing idly on the hard ground with her bare toes.

  “My dear, we will soon be there and we will get plenty of food to eat and a lot of clean water to drink.”

  “Will we meet baba there?”

  “No, we may not get to see your father anytime soon.” Lemuso replied as she squeezed back tears that were about to fall. She had to be strong, she told herself.

  “But why are we not going to see baba, you told me that he had gone to get food so that he could bring us some, he has to be there. I know it.”

  And with that small Randi started walking again with a look of determination on her face. Lemuso was silent; at this point she could no longer hold back the steamy tears that cascaded down her face. Clumsily she wiped them off with the back of her left hand and quickened her steps to catch up with Randi who was now a few steps ahead of her. Life was so cruel to her. How could she explain to her four year old daughter that she would not be seeing her father ever again? How would she take to the news that her dear father may have succumbed to disease, fatigue or hunger or may have been eaten by the vultures that were flying low in the air waiting for the next meal, an exhausted and famished man that would drop down on the ground in total surrender? How could she tell Randi that she was not sure they would last another week if they did not get any form of relief at the station?

  Lemuso pulled her daughter close to her and hugged her with her left hand. They had each other now and having walked for almost two days now, Lemuso knew that the Higher being, the creator of everything could not have let them walk all this way only to get disappointed at the station. She suddenly felt a surge of energy fill her inner parts and deep within her
and she knew they would make it. She turned around and saw that the two figures she had seen a way far off were now in the near distance. She noticed that they were two women and she knew they were also heading to the station. She did not want any form of company other than her daughter’s and so she firmly took her daughter’s hand and they continued their journey each lost in their own silent thoughts.

  Chapter 4.

  The sun was up above their heads and Lemuso knew it was just past midday. She hoped they would get to the station before darkness. A long time seemed to have passed and they were both growing weary, when suddenly they spotted a lonely cactus plant standing in their way. When they approached it, they were a little disappointed to notice that the cactus was not as leafy as they would have wanted. Despite this, Lemuso carefully used a small stone to cut out some of the cactus leaves and after getting rid of the spikes on the leaves, she squeezed some drops into her mouth as well as into Randi’s mouth. The plant was bitter and left a sour taste in their mouths but this was better than nothing, it would give them some small form of relief. They both took small pieces of the leaves to chew along the way. It seemed like forever before they saw the station come into view. Her daughter pointing at the relief station point, managed to make a feeble jump as she cried in an excited voice, “Look mama, there is the camp. We have made it.”

  Her mother, worn out completely managed to smile. They could now afford to share something for once in days; they could now share a smile. Lemuso knew that it would be a matter of time before she saw her daughter dancing and laughing again, she had hope. Seeing the relief station made the glimmer of hope in her grow, she did not know what would be next for them after getting relief supplies, all she knew was that there would be a bright new dawn, a dawn that would bring a fresh episode into their lives.

  “We are now going to get food and water and you will see baba is there waiting for us.” Randi said in a small but happy voice. She looked up to her mother with a big smile on her face. Lemuso’s heart was aggrieved and at the same time she felt relieved that they had finally arrived at their destination. She felt pained by the fact that her daughter, Tati had not made it.

  It was her mistake, she kept telling herself, but her breast had run dry and the baby had been crying continuously due to huger. If only she had not fed her on the wild berries, Tati would not have been sick; she would have been there with them, but instead her lifeless body was hung on her mother’s shoulder waiting for a decent burial. An excited Randi tugged at her mother hand; they were now only a few steps away from the station. Lemuso wished that she could be in a position to offer her daughter a better life, how she wished she could provide her with things that would make her smile and laugh all day long; she deserved a good life, a life filed with childhood laughter and smiles not just smiling when seeing a relief camp at a distance.

  Chapter 5.

  As they got to the makeshift entrance of the camp with an increased walking pace, Lemuso and her daughter laughed. Due to fatigue and failing strength, their laughter was so soft but those few seconds of a simple laugh, a wave of pure happiness and relief swept through them. Maybe life had better plans for them, Lemuso thought. They noticed two big lorries parked just next to the temporary camp and there were about twenty people in the area. The two women, who were behind them, entered the camp scene and they were all welcomed into the station with two friendly women who were smartly dressed. The Red Cross relief team had come with ten relief workers including were three white women and Lemuso could not help but stare at them, envying them. One man with a big smile came towards Lemuso and Randi, “You must be tired, make yourself comfortable and let me help you with the baby.”

  “Yes we are tired, do not mind of the baby, all she needs is somewhere for her body to rest. Could you help me dig up some place to bury her?’

  The request hit the man on his face and it dawned on him that the baby was dead and the poor woman had carried her dead baby all the way here. And after Lemuso narrated her plight to Peter, his heart went towards the woman and her surviving child.

  “Count yourself lucky to have survived; God has good plans for your future.”

  A white woman who had been standing right beside them since they came in smiled at her. Through the team’s native interpreter, she had understood everything that Lemuso had gone through and without warning, she pulled up Lemuso and Randi and embraced them tightly. For a moment Lemuso was taken aback, wondering why such a pretty and decent white lady could even come near her body which was smelly, dry and dirty. But in that warm and sincere hug, she could no longer hold back her sorrow, pain and bitterness and she let out heart wrenching sobs that rocked her body back and forth.

  For once in a long time, she allowed her emotions to be let free, she had been so strong for herself and for Randi but this white woman had shown her motherly compassion that she had never experienced in years ever since her mother died and while in the warmth of the embrace, she felt loved, she felt hopeful and she knew that life was not so cruel after all.

  Chapter 6.

  The white woman, Keren, held Lemuso at arms length and through the interpreter told her, “God loves you and you are alive because His favor is upon you.” This astonished Lemuso the more, but all she was thinking of now was food. She would inquire and get to know about this God who loved her later. Peter and some other man took Tati’s body away to bury her and instructed Lemuso to relax as they did the work of burying her daughter. Lemuso and Randi placed their hands on Tati’s forehead for the last time and as fresh tears rolled down her sun burnt cheeks, Lemuso place a soft kiss on her baby’s cheek before they took her away from her.

  The hungry and tired remnants of Soti village were grouped together in a tent. There was a mix of hope and sorrow on almost all faces. They were almost twenty in the tent and they had all walked from Soti, 30 kilometers away to come to this station. Soti village, was once a village with a population of three hundred and now just a handful villagers left and Lemuso could not help but wonder that the God they mentioned, loved her and had something to do with her survival. She considered herself slightly religious and all she knew since her childhood was that there was a supernatural power behind every living being, but the white woman had talked of God and she knew she had to know more about this God who seemed to love her so.

  The relief workers gave them clean water to wash their faces and hands and later fed them with plenty of food and water. lemuso savored every bite she took, Randi who was seated next to her also seemed to be greatly enjoying the food in front of her. After filling their stomachs, they were each given some injection dose of antibiotics to prevent any occurrence of infection. The team leader, a big elderly man entered into the tent and informed them that the relief team had made arrangements on transferring them to a better place where they would have easier access to basic necessities. Excitement filled the tent and no one seemed bothered by the fact that they would not be returning to their home.

  Chapter 7.

  Lemuso felt glad, she had been wondering what would happen after getting relief, she had not though of going back to Soti since there was nothing to go back to other than painful memories. Every one seemed to talk excitedly about what good things lay before them. Despite the happy turn of events, they were sad, anxious and bitter. Sad since they had lost their loved ones, their livestock, their homes to the famine and anxious because they were not aware of what laid in wait for them. The good news, ample food and water had gone a long way in rising up their spirits from the deep wells of despair they had sank in. in the horizon, the sun was starting to set, bringing about a golden glow and Lemuso saw the beauty in a sunset for once in ages.

  Peter led Lemuso and Randi to a small mound of freshly dug ground and explained they had buried Tati there. Lemuso wrapped up with grief, could barely manage to whisper a word of gratitude to Peter but he understood and left them to have their last minutes with their baby. Soon afterwards, after everything was parked into
the big vehicles, all the villagers were assigned to board either of the two vehicles. Lemuso held tightly to her daughter as they were made to get into one of the two vehicles that would take them far away from there to a better place. And as she sat there in the back of one of the lorries, she hoped she would never experience such sadness and pain again, she hoped her daughter would never have to experience such trauma again.

  And as the lorry went down the bumpy road, Lemuso stared straight ahead of her, marveling at the fading sunset view in front of her. She knew that the sunset was ending a sad chapter of their lives with it and a new dawn would come in the morning, opening a brand new chapter in their lives.

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