Atem series Part 2

My flight to Sydney was leaving at 5 am so I had to be at the airport earlier. This was the first time I was sharing an international platform with giants. I had my alarm clock and made it in time to the airport. We checked in and fell asleep tired from the overnight party plus speaking engagements back to back.

When I finally got to the hotel and settled I had 60 missed calls! Some from strange numbers. The host from the housewarming party had tried to reach me. She left several voice messages “please call Atem.” She had broken our code which was not to give any stranger my phone number-Atem had the number. I decided I needed a peaceful sleep and avoiding this whole thing was not going to help. So I saved Atem’s number with the hope of calling him once I had something to drink. OH well as soon as I saved the number he was on the line calling. You would think he was smelling my presence on the phone. 

To be honest it was great hearing him. He spoke calmly and was still the friendly Atem I met at the camp and before we knew it, one hour had elapsed. He said he couldn’t stop thinking about me. He tried looking for my number around the refugee camp but no one had it. He said the whole interview process  for Australia went so fast. He had seen people processing them like forever so he thought it was going to be the same that’s why he never bothered to share the details with me.

My visit was coming to an end. I was returning to the same state but had less than 1 week and my itinerary was crazy. Syndey was a big break though. I only had two sessions and the rest of the time I sat in the audience and enjoyed it. 

My host at the housewarming party called and requested that I create time so we could go out for dinner. She said we really didn’t have any meaningful conversation which is true. When you are hosting your minding is spinning in several directions. I would have wished to have an evening dinner with Atem but I held that thought and chose not to disappoint my friend. She insisted that I should wear something nice which was weird. 

I wondered how Atem looked after these years. While at the lobby I had the door open and when I lifted my eyes Atem was walking in. No idea how I handed my purse over to my friend. It was not one of those “who told you we were here” It was a pleasant surprise. For a minute I forgot I was in a public setting. He opened his arms and I ran for the hugs and several kisses and we sat down for our meal. He was trying to contain his joy but failed miserably. I got several random kisses on the cheeks, and forehead anytime our eyes locked he was smiling. It was a beautiful feeling I tell you. 

I offered to pay the bill. It is just my tradition not to assume people will pay for it which was massively turned down by the host. Atem tried and they stopped him as well. Anyway, he ended up leaving something to help with tips for the waiter. It was a good amount of money enough to cover the bill. 

The host asked him to walk me to the car while they sorted the bill. Not sure but it is like he whispered something to Atem. This Sudanese man understood the assignment. Forget those superficial casual kisses, this was supercalifragilistiexpialidocious. Yes, that is in a nutshell. Not sloppy ,not too fast just the right rhythm and he would pose to let me soak in the moments. He stopped looked me in the eye and said I love YOU. I wanted more. I grabbed the poor son of Sudan and he swept me off my fitness and for a minute I forgot where I was. I had the faint voices of my friend approaching. I had another speaking engagement in the morning which I felt like canceling and going to Atem’s house but I remembered my assignment. Watching him walk back to his car alone was the saddest thing ever.

Atem respected my space and we tried meeting for a few more times. My friends got busy dressing me for each date. He shared his story and was so emotional on the dates. His had a little stomach upset that got worse by each minute and by the time they got to the hospital, he was pronounced dead. He was very radical and they suspected poisoning.

His only sister was hit by a stray bullet as they were escaping. She died on the spot. His brother and mom made it out safe. They all ended up in different countries. His mum got a visa to the UK. His brother also got a visa to a different country. 

One of the evenings without warning he faced timed his mum when we were together. Apparently, his mum was expecting me and I had no idea. She had heard so much about me and I knew nothing about her. She was so emotional which did not make sense. She could barely get her words out. I looked at him and asked if we should end the call and do it another time. His mum was holding a picture in her hand. Turns out I have a striking resemblance to their late sister. When she showed me the photo I almost thought my twin was stolen at birth. When she regained her composure she referred to me as her daughter. We did another facetime before I flew to Kenya and it was awesome. 

The love this mama had for me was crazy. You know they say if the mother-in-law-to-be loves you so much maybe something is wrong with the son (not my words)but hey that’s an opinion whose foundations I have zero idea. Tall ,dark, rich and friendly. Was the machine operational?

Atem had never introduced anyone as an official girlfriend. There were so many theories that were man-made as to why he was not dating or married. You all know how we as a society can be judgemental. He insisted that he had a girlfriend somewhere in Kenya and was very confident about it. He only knew her name, no phone number or email. No known family history or even away to track her. It was mysterious. Some people concluded he was delusional. So when he announced that I had resurfaced, every human being close to him wanted to set eyes on me. I was his most cherished possession. 

He was so proud of me and I was being shown off literally. His colleagues set up a quick party to celebrate the breakthrough. They publicly apologized for not believing in this story but honestly, I would not blame them. We had a standing ovation when I walked into the party. I had never experienced love like this until I met Atem. He adored the very ground I walked on. He would pick me up and sway me around in the air at these parties. Random hugs and kisses. (Hera remo,hera mudho). The ambiance and the pride on Atem’s face were priceless. He was so proud of me. 

We had lots in common but there were some issues that we could not agree on. Atem wanted 10 children  and I could only picture myself doing three if anything. We had strong debates around this issue. He was not joking. I maintained my ground with three kids. He said 5 and I said we could always adopt 2. He was happy with 5.

Another bone of contention was where to settle. He was for Sudan 100% he believed there was no way he would make a change in that country qhen not living there. He stated that the battles his dad lost were passed to him and that whatever battles he doesn’t conquer would be passed to the next generation. He wanted to pave way and level the playing field for the upcoming generation. He had already bought land and built a beautiful house in Sudan. He had businesses as well. However, I saw myself as a sacrificial lamb. This thing was ending before it started. He believed standing on the sideline would not bring any meaningful change in Sudan. I feared that country. I looked at the empty broken and sad souls at the refugee camp and I couldn’t believe he was asking me to do this. We had a serious disagreement on this until his mum and brother had to be involved.

I was heartbroken. He insisted that I take time and think about it. He said things were improving in Sudan. We suggested staying in Kenya around Kakuma which is close to Sudan but he wasn’t for the idea. Atem believed real change would not happen unless we do something.

We had his mum on facetime and his brother came in. What happened in the meeting?Arusi tunayo ama hatuna?