Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

There was silence for awhile. “Well madam”, Kelly began. “We’re happy at your gathering us for a chat. We’ll do our best to see that the hotel does not go down”. “Thank you Kelly. That also means as head chef you’ll dazzle the customers with mouth watering dishes. Well I shall be getting married soon and my husband will be the managing director, so you’ll have a new boss, I’m sure we’ll all work together in harmony. If you have any complaint talk to your head of department, if you’re not satisfied then you can come to me. But I must have your trust and loyalty” Imara said. Klara was really amazed, for this was a long speech coming from Imara whose normal conversation was very limited. Yet here she was making a speech in a clear and precise voice, looking them all straight in the eye with nothing else to say, Imara wished them well and the meeting was over. From then on, life in the hotel went more or less smoothly. The season began again and the holiday makers arrived and everywhere was gay with fun seekers and vendor trying to make a sale. For Imara her greatest pastime was to stroll down the harbour every morning to buy fresh fish and watch the fisherman in their boats battle with the sea and she loved to see all the colourful signs of the incoming seasons. She longed to share these sights with Thounder when he finally returned to her. Due to a shortage of staff, Imara advertised for an extra barmaid. she wanted a girl that she would take under her wing and then train her the way she wanted her to work. With the condition of things in the country, she had received hundreds of applications from which she had narrowed down to a sizeable number. Even then the applicants were still many and Imara had spent many hours interviewing but so far none of the applicants measured up to her expectation.

One Wednesday afternoon, a couple arrived on a motorcycle. Merely looking at them, Imara knew they were lovers; she smiled as memories of her early days with Tony flashed past .they parked near the swimming pool and the young man took off his crash helmet and sat on one of the chairs by the poolside while he waited for his girlfriend. the girl walked in while Imara was getting the morning bar ready. The early morning sun was behind her and Imara was struck by her beauty as a shaft of sunlight shone on her jet black hair. As she drew closer Imara could see how neat and decent she was tall, slim, beautiful and dressed in a tight fitting summer dress, Waow! Just the kind of girl I need to be in charge of the bar, Imara whispered to herself. “Good morning ma’am”, she greeted. “Yes! Good morning and how may I help you?” Imara asked. “I came for the job you talked about”, the girl replied politely. “That’s good! Take a seat I’ll be with you soon”, Imara replied. Picking some sheet of paper and a biro, she sat down to interview the young girl who was from the other side of Maffia Island. She spoke slowly and so quietly it had a lilt, Imara found fascinating and she seemed somehow to swallow her words. “Kofi bring me with his bike. I hope I shall be able to stay here” she pleaded. “Well, we shall look into that” Imara said. “By the way do you have experience in hotel work?” “No I don’t”, she replied.

“But I worked in the fishing company in bonny camp really I don’t like there and that’s why I’ve come this far for the job”.

“I believe it’ll be a good experience for you”, Imara said looking her over. She was pretty with a clean brown skin; coupled with long black hair she was very attractive. “I’ll employ you but you will be on probation for three months. Is that okay with you?” Imara asked. “Oh yes ma;am! It is. I’m grateful”, the girl replied, giving her a sweet smile. “Oh I almost forgot, what is your name my dear?” Imara asked she had been so taken with her that she had forgotten to ask her name.

“My name’s Jemima”, she replied with a slow drawl. “Alright! How about your man, Jemi? Will he mind you coming to live here with little time for him?” Imara asked concerned. “Anyway, I’ve thought about it!” She replied, “Kofi says it will be good for us to be apart for a while”. Imara was amazed at her words. Jemima was at most nineteen or twenty, and Imara thought about herself at nineteen and the number of men that had been with her. She had learned quite a lot from the streets. Jemima seemed so innocent naive and sweet, there was very possibility that she was not the age she claimed to be.

Jemima’s naivety did not disturb at all as she adapted very well to life at the hotel and was friendly with everyone. She was open and friendly, and anytime she got a tip from a customer she would put it in a little box towards her wedding. Jemima continued to excel very much in her job and in no time she became Imara’s favourite, a development that did not go down well with Klara. Despite the provocations from Klara, Jemima never lost her temper. On her day off, Jemima’s boyfriend would arrive from bonny camp on his motorbike and they would spend the day at the beach. “You can bring your friend into the hotel”, Imara said to her. One day, “and you’re free to stay in your room if you want to, I don’t mind”. Jemima was amazed, “No Kofi wouldn’t do that”, she asserted strongly.

“How long have you been together?” Imara asked. “We’ve been together for six months”, Jemima replied happily. Imara stared hard at her in disbelief. “Are you telling me that you’ve not known each other?”

Jemima blushed and looked down. “Yes”, she replied. “Kofi says sex is worth waiting for, He’s ready to wait for me till after our wedding”. “oh my goodness”, Imara exclaimed. ‘You guys are truly funny’. “He’s a nice guy”, Jemima said defensively. “I love him too”. “All right sweetheart, forget what I said”, Imara suddenly felt ashamed, and stopped herself from making any more comments. She liked Jemima and did not want to hurt her. The atmosphere in the hotel had been pleasant but it was inevitable that the gossip would start sooner or later, More so with Abude dead and gone and Thounder nowhere to be seen. The patrons were aware of events, then when Imara heard Kedah loudly remark about the sudden disappearance of Thounder. She was prepared for it all.

“The guys gone back to Itharkar”, Kedah’s husband replied, “And I think you should all mind your business and leave the girl alone”. Imara plunged into her work with gusto, she was very busy and extremely happy. She seemed to have added another layer of youthfulness, her eyes shone and her cheeks were full. Bursting with energy, Imara worked from early morning to late at night to keep the hotel in order and running smoothly the way Abude would have loved. Gradually the cold winds of the Mediterranean front began to blow into the island and coupled with the dusty wind from the Sahara desert, business began to grind to a halt. The cool wind that blew across the pier made the boys and men who fished there to put on big woolly sweaters or wind cheaters.

With the change in weather, the hotel emptied Imara was glad to have a few weeks respite before Thounder’s arrival and their planned secret wedding. They planned on going to the small, nearby village of Boka to get a special license, stay overnight in a small hotel, and return to Maffia Island the following day as husband and wife. “Isn’t the idea romantic, what do you think of it Klara?” Imara asked. Among all the hotel staff Klara was the only one she told of her plan. “I think it’s a very dangerous idea”, Klara replied. “Also remember that Thounder’s a very mean man and hates two timing”. “Shut up”, Imara barked. “Don’t ever come near me with your negative way of life okay! As far as we know the past in gone”. “If you say so”, Klara snorted.

taxi. She looked beautiful and smart in her well cut suit, and he heart was trumping with joy as she sat in the back of the taxi as it ferried her to the islands airport to meet the man of her life. The Fokker 28 was late but contentedly she waited in the arrival terminal until it landed and taxied to a halt. Eagerly, she rushed towards the door and as Thounder appeared his tall figure stepping into the building, she flung herself at him. Thounder looked cute and smart in a blue guinea brocade dress and his hair was well kept in his right hand he carried a brown traveling bag. “Oh, my darling Thounder, you look good”, Imara said holding on to him. “You like my outfit?” He asked smiling. “My friends got it for me, they send their regards”. Imara was quiet while Thounder talked. “My friends don’t really know you’re not in Itharkar, they were hoping to come and see us when they visit”. “That’s okay, but remember we’ve got to be at the registry office at two o’clock”, she said. “We’d better get some food”. “Ah-ah, so soon?” Thounder exclaimed a little nervously. “yes, so soon”, Imara said with a laugh. “You’re not getting away from me so easily this time”. “That’s my girl”, Thounder said hugging her. “I’m sure that I will never want to”. Imara’s joy knew no bounds, she was ecstatic.

The court wedding was a brief ceremony and the witnesses’ were provided by the registrar for a fee. As newlyweds, they walked to the ‘Big Fish’, one of the guest houses on Maffia Island. Their happiness and contentment was too great for Imara to utter a word. At last Imara had captured Thounder and now wore his beautiful gold wedding ring like any other self respecting woman. Imara could not help but wish her friends like Queen Kados, Idara, Bukky e.t.c. were here to celebrate with her. Thounder clutched her hand tightly as they walked to the marble stair of the guest house. “Will you like to cool down a bit?” He asked her. She shook her head afraid that she would spoil everything should she utter a word. Little tremors of passion ran through her body and all she could think about were Thounder’s strong arms encircling her. At the door to their room, Thounder carried her and once inside, they closed the door on the outside world and made love tenderly and closely for hours. “At last my life’s complete”, Imara said. “Really?” Thounder asked smiling as he covered her month with a kiss. Indeed Imara had never been so happy in life.

Certainly news of the secret wedding had leaked to the entire hotel which wore a new look as a result of a recent facelift and changes. So when Imara and Thounder returned the following evening, a special dinner had been laid on for them in the dining room. The chief cook had baked a cake with silver trimmings and ‘Congratulations. Happy married life to Thounder and Imara’ written on it with pink icing. Imara ordered champagne to be brought out from Abude’s secret store underground and the toasts were made with real bubbly champagne. The staff then presented the newlyweds with a silver tray, and there was more drinking while the cake was eaten. It was a jolly party and a good time was had by all. Holding hands, Imara and Thounder watched everyone finally deport on unsteady legs. “It seems impossible that I can be so happy”, Imara murmured. “I’m sure I’m dreaming” Always generous in his affection Thounder kissed her gently. “You’ve earned it you’re not dreaming Imara” Thounder said. “The entire staff loves you and this is a great place” As they finally settled down for the night a few doors away Klara sat up on her bed’ with her mouth in a tight grim line. She was feeling unhappy and sadly neglected having lost her companion Imara who had been everything to her in life so far. The next morning Thounder got up very early, putting on a jeans and a top “oh, Thounder”, moaned Imara, looking at the clock, “It’s only six o’clock””. “Sorry Imara”, he explained, “waking up early has become part of my life and I must get some exercise in the hotel’s gym before strolling to the beach” ” “Good”, Imara said from the depths of the blankets,” you’ll like it Thounder I always do” Later that morning, after he had returned looking very refreshed and sounding very interested in the ships, he helped Imara with her chores and then they discussed the future. “I see no reason why we can’t be happy here, Thounder”, said Imara. “We can work together and improve this place modernize it further money is not a problem”.

Thounder looked worried. “By the way how come you got all this from old Abude? Imara what was there between you two?” Imara looked annoyed. “Are you getting jealous suddenly? I worked for him, that’s all, and he needed me. We were just very good friends”. Thounder poured himself a tall glass of beer and sat down to drink it. “Well, it’s good to be able to get a glass like that. Where I’ve been that was only a dream”. Imara sat in his laps and kissed him. “I’m aware, darling, and I’m going to make it up to you”, she said gently. “Oh, well “said Thounder philosophically, “perhaps I’ll enjoy my self to the hilt”. Imara laughed “oh, yes you will. But you’ll work the same as I ‘do come on, now, it’s time to open up”.

Thus, he became her confidante at the hotel and made a very good host and landlord, mixing well with both the lounge and public bar. He played cards with the older guests and computer games with the younger ones. And he never stood any nonsense at all in the bar. One gesture of Thounder’s big fist and all argument ceased. He also became very popular down at the water front’s with the fishermen. The shimmering sea seemed to fascinate him and he would often go out in all weather with his new friends and come back full of goodies and with a great yearning to own a boat of his own. “We’ll see how we’ve done at the end of the year and we shall buy one for you”, Imara promised. “That will be lovely”, Thounder said hugging her. After his time at the hotel, Thounder was now looking very healthy and well-fed. He always wore a cap with Chelsea jersey that had ‘the blues’ written on it. Watching him, Imara would think that certainly he had left his old ways and this made her exceedingly happy. But still Klara was full of gloom and had little to say to Thounder, who ignored her anyway, and certainly never allowed her into the bedroom while he was there. So Klara was left to her own devices quite a lot, which she resented. One day she and Imara were sitting out on the balcony overlooking the sea. “Oh Klara” Imara sighed. “Who would think we could be so happy and comfortable?” She was dressed in a cool guinea brocade gown stretched out her legs in a leisurely manner.

Klara was busy with her reading, “Any way we thank God for bringing us this far”, she replied. “Yes I agree with you its God that had been with us all the way and we must continue to show our appreciation and gratitude to him alone” Imara added as she looked out towards the sea.

The atmosphere in the hotel bar on that Saturday night was warm, comfortable and amiable. Dressed in light preharmattan clothes, the relaxed customers drank, chatted and laughed gaily. The bar was looking very attractive with large tanks of exotic tropical fish swimming peacefully amid the coloured light, graceful plants climbing up the walls and tubs of bright flowers in every corner. The large window offered a wonderful view across the bay. It was still not completely dark outside so it was still possible to see shadowy line of cliffs above the bright lights of the funfair which was in full swing down on the front. The gay music from the local guitarist also knows as megogie drifted across the village. Tall, slim and exceedingly beautiful, Imara served behind the bar. With an enigmatic smile on her face, she kept an eagle eye on Thounder who was chatting with the fishermen in the next bar. Merely looking at him now made her heart swell with pride. Thounder was wearing his navy blue sailor’s cap at a jaunty angle on his head and his brown eyes were shining with excitement and the effects of the booze. His broad strong shoulders bulged under his blue turtle necked sweater, and watching the muscles flex in his arms, she thought that he was such a fine specimen of a man. Imara served those thirsty Saturday night crawlers with great skill and she was assisted by Kedah. Fair as a lily, even when she was harassed with the rush of customers. Kedah looked fresh, sweet and still very young. Looking around the bar, Imara reflected on how lucky she had been since Abude had died. She had a thriving business and a wonderful husband who, much to her relief had settled down to a life of leisure by the sea. She had no regrets whatever.