Coming of Age on Planet Earth

Chapter 11

Every morning, I search for her at the junction. In the afternoons, I watch over the mango tree while I read. But still no sign. I've finished The Two Towers. I was expecting an epic final battle scene, but instead Frodo got captured by a giant spider and Sam spent the last part of the story anguishing over the loss of his friend.

On Thursday morning, I play piano for the first time since I called Dad a fucking asshole. While I'm playing, that pretty Krio song comes into my head, so I start playing the tune, and then I start humming the words in my head. But the words want to come out. Waldo's up on the patio listening to Walkman, but I still don't want to risk him hearing me so I sing very quietly. The feeling of the words rising from inside me, flowing across my lips and connecting with the sounds of the piano is so beautiful it makes me want to cry—until I hear Waldo stomping downstairs.

On Friday morning, I bike across town to the chief's house. His house is at the top of the steepest hill in town so by the time I get there I'm totally exhausted and gushing sweat.

There's a police officer outside the front door, slumped in a wooden chair and smoking a cigarette. As I mop the sweat from my forehead, he grins at me and says something in Temne or Mende, then laughs.

"What is the matter, boy?" he asks. "What do you want?"

"I—I'm looking for a girl called Aminata. I think she lives here—at the chief's house."

I don't know why I'm so nervous. I've seen lots of police officers before, but there's something different about this one. Something in his eyes. He takes a long drag on his cigarette, probably enjoying keeping me waiting. "What is her family name, this girl?"

"I—I don't know."

He bangs an elbow against the door, then coughs and takes another drag, and a woman with gold hoop earrings opens the door. The officer says something to her in Temne or Mende, something about Aminata, and the woman smiles at me, revealing a mouthful of gold-plated teeth.

"You are wanting Aminata?"

"Yes," I say.

She shakes her head. "She is not living here."

"But—her aunt's one of the chief's wives. She said that—"

"She is not living here, girl. You are mistaken."

She covers her mouth and whispers something to the officer, who laughs and coughs, then pings his cigarette into the road as they both turn to me with vicious grins, so I turn the bike around and coast back downhill.

When I get home, after a big glass of water, I go upstairs to find Waldo eating breakfast on the patio.

"Where'd you go?" he snorts through a mouthful of bread covered with margarine and white sugar.

I shrug and look at the mountains. It's none of his business.

"Wanna go shoot goats at the junction?" He's licking margarine and sugar off his fingers. "Those new slingshots I bought work awesome."

I shake my head.

"Wanna go see if they have more Ovaltine at the Lebanese store? Maybe we can get some Cokes."

I shake my head again. All I want is to read my book, The Return of the King, and try not to think about Aminata. But Waldo gives me the puppy eyes.

"C'mon, Willy," he says in a baby voice. "Don't you wanna hang out with me?"

I guess if we go to town we'll pass the chief's house, and maybe there'll be someone else there I can ask about Aminata.