CHAPTER 4: LINKING ISOLATIONS
The wreckage sang a hollow horror to Regina as she shifted her side in bed. The pain resonated in her mind after seeing a natural course of amputations on people at the hospital. There she stood feeble in the hallway, as robotic beds hovered in a hurry across the building to their designated routes.
Suddenly, her eyes fixed on one holding the signboard, Alex Stark. She blindly looked above and away and started chasing it while bumping into people recklessly. As she stepped into the ward, she saw the doors of the operation table close her out. She burst into tears as her nose started pouring them out hot. She walked flaccidly to the door and slowly slid down to sit with criss cross legs and rested her head onto the wall. What condition was Dad in? Will he make it? She stayed deaf in that loud ward, listening to the turmoil inside her. After a while, she rose up as Alex was brought out nearly covered in bandages and was assigned a corner window place now. She rushed along his stretcher bed and was relieved when the leads were giving stable green signals even though her Dad was unconscious. Weary, she slid down to the floor by his side and fell asleep.
She woke up seeing a doctor telling them good news about Alex' condition and there were not many fractures but the bruises were harsh all over his body. She saw her mom stand aside, hurt badly on the face and a bandage tied around her head. Her beautiful silky blonde curls were now magenta and brown with blood and mud sticking on to make an untidy look. They had survived.
But then, a sight took her away and left her stunned. As they were leaving she saw Simon. He was being taken away to the department of expiries. Her eyes were left open, but she faded into a drunken stupor. His face looked stuck. And then as usual, it raised up towards her and held out his hand in a quaver, "save me". Regina woke up with a cry. No matter how hard she tried to move on childishly, Simon kept visiting her every night. She woke up drenched in sweat and struggled in breath. She needed salvation. But how and at the cost of what?
She went to her father's room in the next morning. Alex saw her gloomy face again. He knew she never wanted him to worry and was not easy to open up but something had to be done. Someday, her masks would tear open and she would not be able to handle herself. He just wished she would settle for a talk with someone. At once, John appeared into his mind. After their friendliness and John's struggle of taking her out for a walk everyday was bound to work someday.
"Dad, did you forward that idea up ahead?", asked Regina.
"My dear, I did call a close colleague and he assured he would look into the matter. Rest of it, I am in no condition to walk there myself". He took a pause and this time started seriously, "the problem is those people are in a clash with the government. They do not want our help". "But have you even seen the city? Our people? We need them. We are in desperate need of land. There is no place to handle the injuries. We need instant allocation of new temporary health facilities", debated Regina.
Alex took a sigh and whispered out of love, "my lovely daughter! When you first mentioned the idea, I thought you were trying to delude yourself away and for the sake of your mental health, I said yes. But if you are keen about what you feel is right, that is a huge and hard task to put on your shoulders".
"But Dad, I have always had things straight on a platter all my life. I never had an impact on any of my situations and surroundings. I really am not deluding and I am really anxious to bring a change". "But will you be able to carry it all out?", asked Alex for affirmation.
"I believe by helping people and putting myself in their shoes, I might find peace someday", replied Regina. After a disappointed silence, Regina spoke out, "I have lived amongst them. They are the real survivors. What they have is value and regard. They are peace loving people. They despise our standards of living where everything has become forsaken and for granted. We need to change Dad, not them much".
Alex rubbed his forehead with his fingers before giving out a smile saying, "Just stay mindful of your surroundings. Don't get yourself into dangerous situations". "I will Dad, thank you", said Regina gleefully going out for breakfast and then later to the hospital John was taking Andrew to for his check-up.
She arrived late. John had been calling her for the past fifteen minutes. She had dosed into a nap after waiting for John's call, sadly they could not wait as the doctor's call was due any moment. Anyway, she arrived for any help or running where ever John needed another person's hand. She found John waiting outside in the parking for her as soon as her car stopped.
"I am so sorry, I dosed off. Where's Andrew?", said Regina. "No need to worry, he's inside. They will be doing a few tests on checking how much strength has his leg recovered and if there was any problem with the eye. With the robotic ward boys, I need not to care much as they have sent me their location and test reports on every floor they taken him to. It will hardly take an hour", said John comfortingly.
"So, how have you been? Did you plan anything ahead?", asked Regina. "Oh... hey. I forgot to tell you something. I told grandpa about our visit to Azizi tribe's village. He guided me to get in touch with dad's organization. Better late than never, he said. He also told me that taking revenge will not redeem me. The story will itself unravel as soon as I bond with those people", said John excited.
Suddenly, his phone rang. It was them. "Hello, Mr Priestley...yes, it is John Richards...yes. Absolutely.....okay...fine. thank you so much".
"They have agreed!", said John merrily. "They have a problem with regards to funding and man force, but they will stay in touch. They were happy their goals could see a source of completion in the form of Richard's own son".
"Hey! Stop!", ran away Regina as her eyes had fixed on something. John felt cut and hurried after her. "I need to talk to you", shouted Regina, entering the hospital and running blindly again. She stopped in front of a room of stretcher beds.
The one in the doorway read "bed no: 55", where an old man coughed out blood on the floor. She starred at it, reimagining Simon on it.
John made up to her and she got distracted again to chase after the lady. They found her in a ward, standing by a bed where a handsome teenager boy was lying. She pointed to John to see her dress. It had the same style patterns they had seen only amongst the Azizi. The old lady noticed them starring at her so they approached ahead.
"Hello mam, I am Regina. This is my friend John. Umm...actually you..reminded me of someone. That dress is actually typical of a tribe around Naraba. Where did you get it from?", said Regina closing up. The lady's face went into horror and suspicion. "Why would it bother you?", said her son.
Regina noticed at once the afrikaan touch in their accent, the typical tan and muscular built on the son's naked chest and their alike coiled curls. "You are not from around here, are you?", said Regina. The lady did not seem to trust her and steered away.
Regina introduced herself again, this time with her purpose and her visit to Azizi village, how she had met Ada and Adana and her study into their culture. Reassured, the lady began her story.
"My name is Siyanda. This is my son, Jabari. Yes, we have been people of that tribe. It was until a huge fire broke out one day in the jungle. It was a great loss to everyone. Many people died, some of them burnt and some left to die of hunger. Jabari's father was one of them. His leg was crushed. The tribe gave us a lot of help while we were moving. It was when we realized the forest ahead had wild animals. His injury would have slowed down everyone. As it was decided to leave him behind, we stayed back and sought after our own journey. We had known the modern people were advanced than us, but our leader, Hamidi, was too conservative about them and their greed. As it was imminent that we would have died along with my husband, we made an escape. Sadly, he died along the way as people were settled really away from the jungle. As we arrived, we started anew. We have kept our values and culture but we have merged into this era for our needs".
Here was the new Naraba rebuilt in front of her eyes. Regina went up to hug her struggle. "We have had a hard time in the beginning. We settled with a rich family, where I started working as their maid. My son learnt to become a butler and our system went going somehow”.
“So are you still living with your master?", asked Regina. "No, currently we have saved enough and wasted not more than mere survival. Jabari tried to learn ways of the modern era, becoming adept with laptop skills with our master's son who has a gentleman. One day, he brought home a machine and said mom, I am going to work. I laughed yes, in your bedroom. He went, its new era work. I asked what's that and it was a 3D printer. His skills in technology and creative mind got him to invent innovatively for a new lifestyle. Repairing and replacing broken items around the house was easy. Helping out other households for a small fee sustained us. It generated better relationships for us with the masters as he began working in their shop", told the lady, proud of their success.
"Well, we want for people like you back in the tribe to experience life with us. Will you stand by us for inspiration?". "No! Never!", said the lady stepping back. "Hamidi will kill us!".
"Hamidi has died. Ada is going to become the leader. She is a great friend of mine and we have the same goals", confirmed Regina.
Puzzled, the lady began, "Even if what you say is true, our clan thinks loudly that conservationism is not an idea. They think it is solely our culture and responsibility. And I know lady Ada being as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. But Adana, she is the one to look out for. She has the same warmth in her blood that her father had. She is a sly tactician. I can not join your mission, though I would love to see it one day. We had a difficult beginning. I can not let my son suffer again", said Siyanda, rubbing her hand on Jabari's forehead.
Regina knew her stakes. She could no more enforce her. Besides, she provided her insight into other people's situations and learnt from them to spread hope of a new lifestyle. Having such people of the Ubuntu philosophy would bring in increased neighbour interactions and result in the new Naraba community development. But, it was an uphill task and would take plenty of time to become mainstream, Regina thought to herself.
They took Siyanda's leave and got going. "Why are you doing this anyway for people like her? Everyone goes through struggles. Everyone emerges from complete darkness into the limelight through their perseverance. Why do you think Azizi tribesmen are more deserving?", asked John, going towards Andrew's ward.
Regina looked at him childishly and curved her lips inside to type them wet again with her tongue's innocent version of the world.
"I don't", said Regina, "all I see is people. Whether I am able to help people over here on a small scale or whether I begin a new society on a large scale. If I am providing those people an established promise and shifting our needy ones alongside, I will be making two communities prosper under a single effort".
John was intrigued. He could see his father's lively struggle of love and belonging in her words. "What has turned you to think so in these fifteen years of age?".
Regina paused. They had made it to the outside. She looked above into the sky and said "It was love that once came knocking in my life unnoticed. The world gave me that in the form of Simon. I was a very shy girl who could never stand up for herself. I used to be bullied at school and I became a weak person. But when we arrived here seven years ago, I met Simon on my first day at school. Seeing me act so afraid, he sat by me and offered to share his lunch. Slowly, our friendship grew and we got closer. He would support me in all my silly thoughts and built up my confidence by saying sharing is what makes us human”.
“As puberty kicked in, I confessed to him last year. He, on the other hand, told me a secret I was not ready for. He was suffering from leukaemia from the past year. I cried myself to sleep everyday since then. Nothing stayed the same except him. He was the same Simon who loved me back too, but wanted me to have a greater beginning at life. His end was near. I knew the time had come and wanted to see the last of his graceful story. Before that, he announced that they were moving away. And then it happened in a new way. He too got victimized in the earthquake", Regina caught her wavering tone and cleared her thought.
"It was then when I decided to mark a change in my life and keep alive what Simon's dreams were".

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