I Dreamed of Africa Page #4

You'll know when that is.

I had a dream last night.

I dreamt we had a baby daughter.

Everyone was here to celebrate.

The baby was a dream about life.

It's why we came here, isn't it?

To make a new life.

Move them along! Move them along!

When I'm through in Mombasa,

I'll pick up her cradle.

It should be ready by now.

It will be beautiful. I promise.

Like she will be.

You're so sure it's a girl.

You'll see. You'll see.

She'll be asleep. We'll have to wake her.

There was an accident

on the Shimoni Road.

A truck. They say it was all over in...

It'll go around again.

Paolo always said...

Paolo always said:

"We cannot choose where we are born...

"...but we can choose

where we live, and where we die."

I wrote this for you, Paolo.

"Your eyes were the colour of water.

"Yes, you are the water.

"They were transparent like the air.

"You are the air now.

"You are the sky.

"Your skin was baked by the sun...

"...like the Kenyan earth

you loved so much.

"You are this red dry dust now.

"Forever, Paolo.

"You have become everything."

Sveva.

She is very happy.

He's lit a fire there every night

since Paolo died.

Kuki, for once in your life

just hear us out. Please?

When I go back to Italy...

...I want you and the children

to come home.

You have the baby to think of now,

Kuki, as well as Emanuele.

I know you think I didn't believe in you

when you and Paolo came out here...

...and I was afraid for you.

And maybe I didn't believe in you.

But I was wrong.

And coming here has brought out the best

in you...

...and I love seeing it.

But how could you run this place alone?

Now, with a new baby...

...and Paolo gone?

Soon Ema will go away to college.

You'll have no one.

Please?

Let me take care of you.

See the egg? Paolo put a secret in it.

A message.

Sveva, look.

Poachers are coming into OI Ari Nyiro.

They're killing the animals.

This is not my concern.

The animals on my land are my concern.

They are my responsibility.

Children of my people

who go without food are mine.

Of course your children must be fed.

That's the most important thing.

But this killing must stop.

Your people are great warriors.

I need men like them

to help us keep guard at night.

Okay, boys, let's try again.

Load.

Aim!

Pick your target.

Fire!

Don't insult my intelligence

with excuses, Emanuele.

There is no excuse.

I said, "No poisonous snakes!"

I've said it a dozen times!

They're dangerous if you don't know

how to handle them.

I don't care!

No more!

Look at me when I'm talking to you!

Do you hear me? Do you hear me?

I know what I'm doing.

And I'm not afraid like you are.

How can you say that to me?

There are risks and then there's stupidity.

- Dear God, you've got a little sister here.

- Nothing will happen to Sveva.

Paolo would say what I'm saying.

You know he would.

Ema, please.

Don't do this.

Stanford.

I'm in.

Paolo would be so proud of you.

I'm not going.

I'm not leaving you.

When we first came here...

...I put a plant in the soil...

...I was lucky if it grew.

I didn't know how. I didn't know anything.

We think we run this place but we don't.

It runs us.

Any farm's like that, I guess.

We solve each problem,

but we never get ahead.

Stanford's not going to teach me

how to run a ranch in Kenya.

You want to do more than run this ranch,

a lot more, and you know it.

You have to go away,

so you can come back...

...or we'll have no future here.

It's Karen's birthday.

In a few days,

there'll be a going-away party for Ema.

He leaves for Stanford next week.

Since Paolo's death...

... just having Ema here

has been a great comfort.

And now he is going halfway

around the world.

Hey, everyone, it's a python. A big one.

God in Heaven!

There's a python!

- It's harmless.

- Right. Then they squeeze you to death.

Quick, we need to measure it.

We have to measure it.

God, it's enormous.

- Get a tape measure.

- Dad, get a tape measure!

Look at it! Isn't it beautiful?

Here's the tape measure. Grab that end.

Good boy.

Good boy.

- What are you doing?

- Just borrowing this book.

- You going to Charlie's today?

- Yes.

The party's not until 6:00.

'Bye, Sveva. 'Bye, Mom.

'Bye.

What?

- He's been bitten by a snake.

- What kind?

A puff adder.

Declan, can you hear me?

Can you hear me, Declan?

Ema was bitten by a puff adder!

I'll bring him to the airstrip!

Declan, come in!

Get the serum!

Emanuele, what do I do?

Do I cut your hand? Do I cut your arm?

Tell me what to do.

Tell me what to do! Tell me!

- Mama.

- Tell me.

I'm dying.

No!

No!

What do I do? What do I do?

Tell me what to do!

Tell me what to do! Do I cut your arm?

Do I cut your hand? Tell me!

Oh, God! Simon, what do I do?

God, help us!

God, help us!

God! God, please!

Anything but this, please, God!

Check his mouth. Check his mouth.

Quickly. Breathe, breathe.

Go on.

Go, go, go.

Again.

Come on, come on, come on.

Come on.

He's gone.

Kuki, he's gone.

"Only yesterday morning...

"...we were laughing together.

"Today, I am here with your friends

to bury you.

"To bury a husband was hard.

"To bury my son is against nature...

"...and a pain which words cannot tell.

"You died knowing you were dying,

but you were not afraid.

"You were 17 but wise beyond your age...

"...and now you know the answer

to all questions.

"I will look for you.

"I will look for you always.

"I will see you in every flower...

"...in every bird...

"...in every sunset...

"...in every crawling snake.

"Everything of beauty

will forever be you, Emanuele.

"Anything young and proud.

"Anything good and strong.

"For us who are left...

"...remains to wonder

at the reason for such waste.

"Where has all this love gone?

"I hope your journey has been good...

"...because you have already arrived.

"Fly for me, bird of the sun.

"Fly high.

"I love you so."

Load.

Aim.

Fire.

Load.

Aim.

Fire.

Goodbye. I love you.

I love you.

May I come back soon?

I wish you would.

Bless you.

Finally, all we can do

is to let the days instruct us...

... and know that the only gift worth having

is the grace to go on with the job...

... to be done, the people to love...

... and knowing what we love

we can never lose.

There is no holding on in this world.

We came to this extraordinary place...

... and Africa let us lead extraordinary lives.

Then Africa claimed an extraordinary price.

That was Africa's privilege.

Mohamedsayed1993@yahoo.com

Araby4All

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