CHAPTER 17

The camp was between two small hills that cradled a narrow creek. Bunched along its banks were dozens of makeshift tents and lean-tos made of stripped branches and dried scrub. Smoke from two fires drifted upward and at first gave them hope that food was being prepared. The creek bed was dry but there were pools of muddy water. Women and children shuffled about with little to do.

Emmanuel told them to wait under the shade of some trees as he left to scope out the camp. He disappeared down a trail and as he approached the settlement he was stopped by two men blocking the trail. “What do you want? ” one of them asked. Both were armed, one with a club, the other with a machete.

Emmanuel said, “I have women and children with me. We’re from the village of Lotta and we were attacked. ”

“You can’t stay here, ” said the man with the club.

“Please. We are starving and need water. We’ve been walking for two days and nights. ”

“You can’t stay here. There’s no food and the water is almost gone. ”

“Please. We’re dying. There are children. ”

“We’re all dying. And the farmers have told us to leave. We’re using their water and they are not happy about it. They have threatened to call soldiers to clear the camp. ”

“But we can’t keep going. Please help us. ”

“There is no room for you here and it’s too dangerous. ”

“You have no choice, ” said the man with the machete.

“Please. Just some water and something to eat. ”

The men looked at each other. The one with the club tossed it aside and disappeared. The other one said, “Just wait. ”

“How long have you been here? ” Emmanuel asked.

“About a month. Most of us are from the village of Ranya. Where are you from? ”

“Lotta. It was burned Sunday night by the rebels. ”

“They burned our village too. We’ve been here but now we have to go. The farmers are very angry and do not want us on their land. ”

“When will you leave? ”

“Tomorrow. ”

“Where will you go? ”

He shook his head as if he had no idea.

The other man returned with a bucket of water and a cloth bag filled with something. They followed Emmanuel up the trail to the trees where Beatrice and her group waited. One of the men said, “I’m sorry but you cannot stay here. It’s too dangerous. ” He put down the bucket and held a small wooden ladle. “The water is dirty but we’ve been drinking it. We have no choice. ” As he gave each person a few ounces of the brownish liquid, the other one opened the bag and began handing out fistfuls of raw peanuts.

The water was wretched but it quenched their thirst. The peanuts tasted like chocolate candy. “Eat slow, ” Beatrice whispered to James and Chol. “Make it last. ”

But they couldn’t eat slow.

· · ·

The two vans stopped near the Lincoln Memorial and the team got out. Frankie gave them instructions and left to find a place to park. The boys were soon lost in a throng of tourists visiting Abe and milling around the Reflecting Pool.

Ecko drove Samuel and Lonnie to the embassy of the Republic of South Sudan on 31st Street near the Naval Observatory. Their ten o’clock appointment was with a Ms. Maria Manabol, a pleasant young lady Ecko had spoken to three times already. She met them in a small conference room and offered them coffee. After a round of chitchat, during which she expressed her condolences to Samuel for the tragedy, and managed to get in a word or two about the basketball team, she asked Ecko and Lonnie to step into the hallway. They left Samuel at the table and followed her to an office. She closed the door and motioned for them to have a seat. She began with, “My father was a government soldier who was killed in the war when I was a little girl, so I know what he’s going through. Luckily, I had an uncle here in the States and he sent for me and my brother. I’m very sorry. ”

They nodded gravely and waited.

“Yesterday, government troops pushed the rebels away from Rumbek and secured the area. They went into the villages and found what they expected. In Lotta, the rebels herded several hundred men into the parish church and set it on fire, so we’ll never know the exact number of casualties. Most of the victims were badly burned. So far they’ve found over two hundred bodies scattered around the village, mostly men and teenage boys. Sad to say, but this is not uncommon in this war. The atrocities are beyond description. The cleanup is dreadful work. About a hundred men have been identified, primarily by the voter registration cards in their wallets. The female casualties are more difficult because the cards were left at home when they fled. All the homes were burned. ”

She picked up a remote and aimed at a television on the wall. “This is difficult to watch and I didn’t want Samuel to see it. ”

The video was shot with a handheld camera by someone walking with the soldiers. The corpses were grossly swollen and stained with dark blood. Soldiers with masks and gloves were tossing them into the rear of a troop truck. After thirty seconds, Ecko looked away.

She punched a button and the screen went blank. “Does Samuel have a laptop or cell phone? ”

“No, ” Ecko replied.

“Good, then maybe he won’t see this. It’s out there, on the internet. ”

“We’re planning to get him a phone and a laptop this morning. He’ll need them. ”

“Okay, well, maybe he won’t look for this. They found his father, Ayak Sooleymon, and identified him with his registration card. Evidently, he was in the church and managed to get outside before he was shot. So, his death is confirmed. ”

“Any idea about his mother and siblings? ”

“No, nothing. As you know, over four million of our people have been displaced by the wars and are living in refugee camps. Let’s hope she finds one. It is extremely difficult to locate people, but we try every day and sometimes we get lucky. Most of them, though, are in camps in neighboring countries. Some have been there for years. ”

“I can’t imagine, ” Lonnie said.

“As I understand the plan, he will be going with you to Durham. ”

“Yes, to play basketball. ”

“Well, thanks to you, Coach, he’s a very lucky young man. ”

“He doesn’t feel so lucky, ” Ecko said.

“I’m sure that’s true. We’ll expedite a student visa and Samuel will be free to enjoy college. I’ll need a few signatures today and we’ll contact Immigration. ”

Ecko and Lonnie said “Thank you” at the same time.

She said, “I’ll wait here for a moment while you tell him about his father. ”

“I think he knows. ”

“I’m sure he does. ”

Ecko and Lonnie stood, and as they opened the door, Lonnie said, “We play Howard here on December the nineteenth. I expect Samuel to be in uniform. We would love to have you as our guest. ”

“Why, thank you. My husband and I enjoy college basketball, and we’ll be there. ”

· · ·

Samuel and Coach Britt were in the hotel lobby, fiddling with his new cell phone and laptop, when the players returned. They had been briefed and knew that their friend would not be returning to Juba. His bag was packed, with some new items from J. Crew, all courtesy of Ecko and his dwindling expense account.

After a round of long, emotional farewells, they watched him walk out the door with Ecko and Lonnie. As wounded and hurt as he was, Samuel was living their dream. He would stay in America, and study on a scholarship, and play in nice gyms and fine arenas. And they were so happy for him.

At the car, he hugged Ecko and thanked him for everything. Looking into Samuel’s sad eyes, Ecko was certain he had grown another inch.

| Part Two |

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