The Reverine Savior

Untitled Episode

PART ONE

THE JOURNEY ABROAD

Chapter 1

Obange Donmax stood at his bungalow’s doorstep. His black shoes shone brightly reflecting the mid-morning sunrays and blended well with his thoroughly ironed white suit. On his left wrist, a golden watch and on his right hand, his car keys dangled. A white slim tie obediently flopped on his chest down to the tummy. The dark glasses completed his American statute and finally the dark cowboy hat finalized the perfect style.

A soft music soothingly proceeded from the living room as he satisfactorily surveyed his compound. Right in the middle of his compound under the shade he parked his V8 land cruiser. Friesian cows mooed due to their bulged udders probably pleading for a relief by getting milked. A herdsman was always quick to the response but since he was out at the fields cutting fodder, the cows had to be patient. Just behind the main house, hundreds of chicken squeaked. Pigeons cooed on rooftop thus if only Noah could come back with his ark then he could have so many messengers to send so as to be assured that there were no more pools of water on earth.

Helen Muyale, his dear wife stood before the dressing mirror. She was always smart and this day was not going to be exceptional. This was going to be a glorious day for the couples. The long awaited day was here and seemed sooner than she had expected it. To send some message of love, she decided to be madam purple, for this was her husband’s favorite color. Her sleeveless purple and flimsy dress gracefully swayed just little down her patella exposing her round smooth calf. Her dark pony-tail hair tied together with a purple rubber band, and finally she was in purple flats, simple and perfect.

From where her husband stood outside the house, he could smell her body lotion in combination of the strong spray. Obange Donmax smiled sheepishly at the thought of the several sleepless nights this particular Juliet, now officially his wife had given him. Many years down the line when they were still in high school he had desired this girl but did he have the guts to propose? Alikula kwa macho. He had marveled at how her slim waist managed to comfortably support her round fairly large bottom. He thumped his chest with satisfaction. If there was a great achievement he had made then it was marrying this woman. Though currently she was a mother of two, her physical appearance was a clear indication of a well-balanced financial equation between the duos to maintain such standards.

Their two children- Silvia and Billy- six and four years respectively, rolled on the carpet imitating Michael J. White’s blows which they were watching on their 64-inch curved Television screen. The house maid dutifully packed the clothes and other necessities that the master= as Obange Donmax was commonly referred to by his servitudes, would need on his impending journey. A playful kitten struggled to give hefty blows to its underlying image on the glass table and after several failed attempts; it went to the kitchen enticed by the aroma of spiced delicacies.

Obange Donmax had never bossed his workers and they had reciprocated by due loyalty and respect for him. A Datsun pick-up hooted at his gate before the gateman shot up to perform his function. The pick-up was driven next to the cowshed where by assistance of two other fellow workers, they offloaded the fodder. This had been the major use of this vehicle alongside milk delivery and transportation of manure to the fields.

 Earlier as a management student, he had learnt of the principles of management and his workers had employed almost all of them religiously. He loved the sort of prevailing organization of the work employed by his employees. They required no supervision and he offered none. If only they would have gotten little further formal education, they would have made a very efficient workforce for the entire country and even probably innovate.

As he still conceptualized this unfortunate fact, a soft hand curled beneath his armpit resting the palms on his shoulders from his back. Definitely she was Helen Muyale. “Lunch is ready sweetheart,” she hissed in his ears. The two strode back into the house, Obange Donmax self-assured that he was approaching his self-actualization. Much had been accomplished but much more awaited. The dining table was stuffed with all sorts of food and drinks. It was a unison family and even the laborers were not excluded.

 Everybody assembled for lunch and the little Billy offered this humorous prayer; “God bless the hands of our expert cook so that she disappoints not in future in Jesus’ name?” the others instead of chorusing amen, broke in laughter. Billy was a little disappointed but largely assured that he was an upcoming comedian as even his ever serious dad exposed his teeth. The happy family enjoyed the meal whole heartedly and there after the dishes was safely placed in the sink. The master summoned everyone to remain seated after the meal as he had information to pass. He cleared his throat and began his short speech.

“Helen, Silvia and Billy are going to accompany me to Kisumu airport for a flight a quarter an hour from now. I am going out of the country for a three years’ study at a university in Havana, the capital of Cuba. Helen Muyale developed a euphoric mood which however lasted for seconds as she perceived the impending loneliness. He paused and the room fell dead silent. He continued, “My PhD in BMA will be too demanding to entertain any unnecessary division of attention. I must recognize the fact that you have been too loyal for my service and it is an effort which cannot be ignored. The mistress will always be out of the compound attending to patients in the hospital or running various private businesses. This however should not create room for any mischief or irresponsibility. Remember me in your prayers during and even after my studies abroad. Not unless one has a question or point of interest to put across, you are free to leave.”

All the eyes were glued on the floor, lost in thought and inability to connect the sense of direction which the master had provided in the past and the vacuum which they were already feeling. Already he was being missed yet he had not departed from them. A minute or so later, one of the cowboys spoke in a wavy voice, “Good luck master, your success is our pride.” The little Billy ran across the room to where his dad sat and demanded, “I must go with you!” he said as he lumped himself on his dad’s laps. “We shall discuss it at the airport son,” he answered him caressing his back affectionately. Once again the others laughed at his mischief but at least his action helped to quench the prevailing somber mood.

A prayer was made to commit the entire journey into the Almighty’s hand before the procession headed for the car. Final farewells were exchanged between the master and the servants as Billy and Silvia plunged themselves onto the back seats. Helen Muyale sat on the front next to Obange Donmax as he himself was to drive. He lowered the tinted windows, waved at the remaining household and veered off towards the main gate. The gateman obediently opened the gate, saluted and closed behind the huge car. The other workers watched in disbelief as the car meandered down the rough road and finally varnished towards the main road.

“Now back to your respective workplaces you primates before I s***h all of you!” one of the workers joked.

 “If master himself never pronounced such idiocy from his lips then who do you think you are, master’s father? Fool!” another female servant retorted back at his insult. Other two well-built fellows simply grabbed the first offender and shouted to the gateman, “Open the gate we are deporting him to the neighbor’s homestead for we are already fed up with him.” The victim kicked helplessly like a housefly entangled within a cobweb. He managed to free himself and went direct to water tap to cool his burning throat. The entire situation ended with everybody lying on the soft compound’s grass to prevent their ribs from aching due to excess laughter. One by one they went back to attend to their respective chores.

The couples did not talk much in the vehicle since they had exhausted almost every worthwhile topic for discussion in their bedroom the previous night. Tired of gazing at the trees rush past them, the two children soon fell asleep in the rear seats. The silence became quite irritating thus he turned on the car’s radio. It was now exactly 4:00 pm, the news’ hour. Soon a reporter echoed. “Good evening and thank you for tuning, this is Hope FM and it’s a minute on top of the hour, I am Melisa. Headlines, Obange Donmax wins again this year’s novel writers’ award following his two other successive awards currently on his novel titled An End to the Taxpayers’ Burden.” Neither of the couples could believe what they had just heard. Indeed the greater the battle, the sweeter the victory. The current winner had spent numerous sleepless nights to write, cancel and re-write this particular novel which had now put him on the map. It was b****y hell balancing the family life, job and writing the novel.

As his tradition had always been, he knew that every success of his life was attributed to God thus the first prudent thing to do was to park by the roadside and thank the Almighty for granting him such a marvelous success. His wife had gotten used to this therefore she wasn’t taken aback by the sudden halt of the drive. “God I disappear so that you may appear, I vanish so as to create space for you to manifest your glory. I’m dumb for I know that you will speak sense on my behalf, may your hand save your people from the hands of ignorance in Jesus’ name?” and they finalized with a loud Amen in unison. In appreciation, Helen Muyale gave him a splendorous kiss on the lips after which they continued with the journey to the airport.

Chapter 2

The airport was a beehive of activity. One thing however impressed Obange Donmax. All people seemed to know what brought them there, they were an organized lot. Time was a precious factor there. Travelers pushed their suitcases to and fro and adventurous atmosphere prevailed. For the first time, Helen Muyale envied her husband for the opportunity he had secured. Nonetheless, he deserved it as she convinced herself especially when she flashed back on the mysteries he had passed through in an attempt to mould himself into a meaningful person like any other. It was still an hour before the departure time thus they decided to have some refreshment at a restaurant before temporarily parting ways.

Ironically, irrespective of all his massive success, Obange Donmax was never at ease with himself. Venom had devoured him for time immemorial since he was a child. What had made him a bitter man was the megalomaniac political situation in his country. The melodramatic rallies were full of deceit, murders were committed behind the political scenes, and the worst was that the politicians who were entrusted with public offices, yet worked towards achieving their personal interests at the expense of delivering to their employers who voted them into the offices.

 He felt deep within him that he had a deep-rooted responsibility to make an endeavor to stamp out this political stupidity for the sake of the poor. He felt that the social stratification was unjust and it needed cleansing. Everybody had to hold one another as equally important as any other irrespective of the social class. He was convinced that it was going to be a herculean task though it was going to form the hub of his satisfactory living. He was ready to take the risk. He had to expose the social injustices, all the political, social and economic byzantine had to be broken. He was determined to go through it with aplomb and appear in the list of the apotheoses. The poor could not become poorer as the rich became richer and even forcefully made wealth which never belonged to them to be under their custody. He was not going to make dump comments on this.

He however kept all these to himself for a long time. He knew that at times teachers could be cheaters and he was not prepared to fall into their trap. He patiently waited for the most appropriate time for he was convinced that there is nothing impossible under the sun as long as one believed in ideological maturity and not be misled by biological age; which makes one to think anti-clock wise hence confusing it with wisdom. He was for now going out not only to learn but also to seek ideas and reinforcement on how to rectify the situation he had loathed for his entire life.

Obange Donmax’s family enjoyed their meals but down their hearts, the couple was entangled in a morass of confusion. Coming to terms with the partial separation was a great sacrifice for they had never attempted one six years down the line since they got married. Mixed emotions of joy, panic and anxiety ran down their hearts simultaneously. They however had to survive it. This was one of the ups and downs they were promised to face in their marriage at the altar on their wedding day which they had made an oath to survive in totallity. It was now time to keep to the promise. Physically separated but spiritually united, they comforted themselves with that common phrase. It was time to illuminate the dark caves of disparity in which poor Kenyans had lived in and nothing was just going to interject.

Departure time. Obange Donmax was to go on board as Helen Muyale was to drive back home together with the children. He huddled both of his children into his strong arms and gave them a peck each on the forehead before gently lowering them onto the ground. He turned to embrace his dear wife who fell on his chest. Caressing her back gently, he kissed her soft lips and released her before their temperatures rose to optimum. Helen Muyale’s buxom boobs heaved slightly under her dress with belonging but there wasn’t a second option apart from driving and nursing her helpless desires in the traffic jam back towards home.

In the meantime, Billy had forgotten the drama he had staged in the dining room back home of demanding to travel with his dad and now all he wanted was a personal car for a gift when his dad returns home. For Silvia, she remained composed and simply clung onto her mother’s hand ready to face life minus the father.  

Helen Muyale drove back home both a proud and a sad woman. She had married the right man yes but she had so over depended on him that she felt a deep vacuum left in her life in his absence. It was quite difficult for her to fully recollect herself and face the reality. She felt woozy and endless questions sprang in and out her mind. Some of her imaginations made her stiffen on her seat as she drove. Suppose her husband established a new relationship with a white woman in Cuba and failed to come back home? What of if he comes back home with another woman as her co-wife? What of the plane crashing and him being brought back in a casket? “God forbid!” she became hysterical and found herself shouting. “Mum what’s it?” Silvia asked her. It was then that she realized that she had shouted unknowingly. She had been in her own world and even forgot that there were kids in the back seat. “I was praying for your dad’s journey mercies,” She cheated.

Obange Donmax was not exempted from his set of uncertainties concerning the prematurely broken bond between him and the family. His unrest was perpetuated by a novel he had recently read about a colonial governor. This particular highly respected governor caught his wife red-handed on his bed with his African gardener in the actual act. Suppose he was going to be the next victim? He however brushed off the idea as soon as it had crossed his mind.

Quarter past five, they were airborne. Beside him sat a middle-aged lady in her late twenties or early thirties as per his approximation. She was bespectacled and was in a skimpy pinkish bustier and a black mini skirt. As a matter of fact, she was such a stellar woman. She possessed an awesome and highly impressive round set of breasts. Her smooth brown thighs calmly protruded from her mini making her even more girlie than she actually was. She was a real gem. She seemed an intellect. She calmly sat, her face fixed on her laptop onto which she was typing a piece of work.

 Already the temptations were accelerating for Obange Donmax yet he had not even landed in Cuba, where he was to stay for the next three years. He felt a wave of fright sweep through him at the thought that with all these he had to uphold the sanctity of his marriage. “An empty head is a devil’s workshop,” as the saying goes. He therefore opted for a novel which he had carried along to make him busy.

The lady who had given him restlessness was not exempted from her personal worries. As a matter of fact, she did not just know how to really broach the subject for the fear of being perceived as a sleazy woman. She was torn between furthering with the typing and making a gnomic gesture to him so as to instill some sense into him.

 Droplets of perspirations formed around her nose at the thought of such an Adonis who sat adjacent to her. She was almost about to adumbrate but fear seized her throat and only a shaky sound was pronounced instead, making her even more vulnerable than before. Time would however determine the fate between the two. She was a go-getter and sooner or later, she had to coax him. She placed her laptop into the bag slept off.

Almost all passengers on board had slept except Obange Donmax who still had his eyes fixed on the novel. Two further seats from where he was, a Chinese sat; Jong Xi was his name. He was stoutly built and stone faced. His character was questionable outwardly right from his physical appearance. They had travelled for hours when Obange Donmax suddenly saw something unusual. A black object glided past and upon looking at it a second time, lo! It was a serpent. 

Something unfortunate had happened. This particular snake was under an illegal ownership of the Chinese who had caught Obange Donmax’s attention before. He came to Kenya as a tourist with the ill intension of trading in wildlife whose market was readily available in Cuba. He safely coiled the snake into his sleeping sac but was disappointed when the reptile could not endure the detention of being put in the sac any further. 

Obange Donmax shot up and wailed like a woman in the labor. He jumped onto his seat as the Cobra raised its head. If only he knew that the serpent had no venom, he would have kept calm.

His blood curdling scream had awakened everyone and the lady besides him seized an opportunity to lay her trap cunningly after the chaos had been put under control.

“Hello sir?”She mellifluously sounded.

“Hello too lady.” Obange Donmax replied warmly.

“I hope you did not interrupt my peaceful slumber with your unnecessary shouts.” She teased and laughed rather sheepishly.

“Thank God you were not the victim for you would have broken the window and fell right inside the sea below!”

They laughed in unison. Each other’s heart melted with belonging at the sight of each other during this short conversation. One question however perturbed both of them and that was, how on earth can you ever propose to someone you are meeting for the first time? To keep the conversation going, she fished out two pieces of béchamel from her laptop bag and two bottles of malt handing Obange Donmax a drink and a snack. 

How could he turn down so generous an act and furthermore from such beautiful a lady. He accepted the offer with a wide smile. He was befuddled by the increasing attraction and the impending bedlam which would arise in his marriage if he happened to fall into the trap. Even if his wife would not realize, it would betray his consciousness. He was still brooding over the matter when the lady tapped his elbow and said;

  “It is very silly for friends to travel this far without getting to know one another, isn’t it?”

“Very true, call me Obange Donmax, and you?”

“Am Olivia,” she replied with sparkling face. “Is a Kenyan by birth but domiciled in Cuba for the last two decades”. By coincidence, she was a second year student of radiology and a human right activist in the very university where Obange was headed thus they still had plenty of time to recall, comprehend, apply, analyze and finally synthesize each other. If they were going to have same ideologies towards life then maybe they would share more as time went by. Care was however crucial lest they be swayed by joie de vivre. 

“Am a Kenyan without intension of domiciling anywhere, forever a Kenyan!” he remarked with finality. They were jolly all that long and the conversation stirred up as they emptied their bottles.

During all that time, the wimp had been formulating a perilous strategy so as to evade imminent impediment which was going to render him impecunious up to unforeseeable future. A burning hatred rested on his soul. He restlessly sat on his seat figuring the next course of action to take before he landed in Kenyan prison for stealing their wildlife. The Chinese was convinced beyond doubt that as long as he broke open the skull of the pilot all the witnesses would perish plus the evidence. The court would therefore declare him a free thug due to lack of evidence to victimize him.

 The knave froze when the co-pilot made a phone call for an emergency landing at the nearest airport so as to hand him to the security officers. He had to work swiftly, quickly and smartly. He swore to rather die than to decompose in the filthy cells behind the bars for his entire life. He was an international wanted thug with numerous passports to seal his identity so as to secure flights across the borders. 

Inside his hiking boots was a luger and in the sleeping bag he had a parachute. Obsessed with courage and urge to kill, he silently seized his g*n on the right hand and grasped the parachute on the left hand. Obange Donmax had been keen on him all the time since the scenario erupted. He surmised that the man could be in possession of more dangerous items apart from the snake itself. Jong Xi jerked up and headed towards the cockpit ready to make his plan materialize. His finger on the trigger, he strode. 

No sooner had he knelt down to aim than Obange Donmax shot up and with consummate technique he gave Jong Xi a thunderous kick on the ribs making the g*n to go flying before his conspiracy could go through. The thingy however was determined to cause the havoc thus he limped towards where the g*n had landed so as to grab and shoot Obange Donmax first before dealing with the rest. He was just inches away from the g*n when Obange Donmax kicked the g*n further from him before rewarding him with another hefty blow on the spinal that rendered him almost helpless. He experienced a blackout and wetted his pants with three drops of urine as the pain traversed his nerves. No mercy for the merciless, Obange Donmax gave him one last punch on the nose which made him pass out instantly.

The passengers on board watched in awe as Obange Donmax calmly walked to hand the luger to the co-pilot. He saved the rest from premature death and their respective families from post traumatic stress disorder. They upheld him with dignity, showered him with gifts which in the actual sense were of no interest to him. 

Olivia waited for him with open arms as he went back to his seat. She tightly hugged him affectionately. Still embracing him, she whispered in his ears, “Am proud of you Donmax.”Everyone else perceived them as couples although they were total strangers to one another. 

Upon emergency landing, Jong Xi was handed to the sleuths to ferry him back to Kenyan government for persecution and also to hand back the serpent to Kenya wildlife services. A re-check was done so as to ensure that no other mischievous animals shared the same flight with the dignitaries before the plane embarked on the journey. The postprandial occurrence which happened made the lovebirds even more strongly bound than before. 

Olivia found the real security which she had never found before even from a soldier. Both of them were satisfied with the progress and comfort of one another’s company.

They finally landed in Havana Cuba at quarter past midnight. Olivia calmly requested Obange Donmax to spend the night in her apartment so as to leave for school in the morning as it was an odd hour to walk along the rather hazy street full of mist. She had taken it as though it was her personal onus to ensure his welfare was all catered for. 

“To spend in the same room with a woman you are mutually attracted to, is no joke Olivia,” he confessed firmly but with final resolution and nothing more was going to change his mind.

She thus offered him a drive in her personal car, which she had ordered to be parked for her at the airport by her driver, up to the campus gate. She thereafter drove off to her apartments feeling rather turned down by Obange’s denial of her offer. She somehow blamed herself for primarily concluding that they were already in each other’s grip. She sighed heavily before falling into a deep slumber following the long and tiresome journey.

Obange Donmax received a warm welcome and a good ushering at the university. He was temporarily housed for that night before being officially assigned a room and starting the admission process the following day. He was utterly exhausted thus burying his face in his hands; he mumbled a prayer and buried himself beneath the soft beddings.

The following morning at around nine o’clock he heard knock at the door. His eyelids still full of sleep, he shot up in his pajamas for the door. At the door Olivia stood the least of what he had expected. Their morality was somehow questionable though they could be excused for the drama was not intentional. Obange Donmax went back to put on more decently before coming to face her. She had the daily newspaper in her hand.

“You are already famous even before setting your feet firmly in the country,” she said with abroad smile exposing her perfectly arranged teeth and dimpled cheeks as she handed him the newspaper. At the fore page, a huge picture of the plane they had boarded was highlighted and below the plane was his picture and further to the right was Jong Xi. In bold the title was written, 

OBANGE DONMAX SAVES 120 PASSENGERS ON BOARD FROM THE PLOTTED PERILOUS PLANE CRASH. 

It was international news which hit almost all the continents and Kenyan broadcasters were not exempted. Helen Muyale had never failed to buy daily newspapers. She thus parked her car by a newspaper vendor to pick one and was astonished to see her actual husband on the front page, her heart sank. Her eyes quickly ran across the headline. She exhaled deeply. 

At least God had spared her from immature widowhood. The escape from deadly crash was an augur of limitless success in time to come. She drove off to the hospital. Right at the parking space, she thought it prudent to recognize her husband’s bodacious act if not then she was such a dingbat. She therefore rang him before reporting to work.

“Don’t mean that you are already missing me.” Obange Donmax joked as he received her call. 

“Of course I began missing you as soon as this your abroad thing erupted. That’s not however the main reason for my calling, big up for preventing the tragedy and am highly thankful to Almighty that he prevented the nonsense from happening. Good day and allow me report into the office I’ll email you in the course of the day. Bye.”