“Well, she never talked to any of us until you got here. You must have special powers.”

“No, she was just ready to talk.” Christianna had sensed it, although she hadn't expected it to go as well as it did. She just didn't want an enemy living with her in the same tent.

“You have a way with people, Cricky,” Fiona said with a look of admiration. Everyone in the camp had noticed it, and talked about it. It had been obvious to all of them, even in the short time since she arrived. Christianna had a special kind of grace—as Laure had said that afternoon, a “gift.”

Laure came back from the shower shortly after. She looked happy and relaxed, and when they all left for dinner that night, she and Cricky were laughing about the snake. And for the first time since she'd been there, Laure joined in the general conversation at dinner that night. Everyone was surprised to discover that she had a sense of humor. She teased Cricky liberally about how loud she'd screamed and how fast she ran away.

“I didn't see you sticking around to take pictures of him,” Christianna answered, and then they laughed about it again, still shuddering over what it would have been like if he'd fallen out of the tree while they were still sitting there. It didn't bear thinking.

They walked back to the tent together that night, and Christianna asked her quietly why she hated Africa. It had struck her when Laure said it that afternoon.

“Maybe I don't hate Africa as much as I think I do,” Laure said pensively. “I've been so unhappy here. I suppose I brought it all with me, all the misery that happened before I came. I don't know … maybe I just hated me.”

“Why would you do that?” Christianna asked her gently.

“I don't know … maybe because he didn't love me enough to stay with me and be faithful to me. Maybe I thought that if he didn't love me, why should I …I kept looking for what was wrong with me to make them do a thing like that. It's complicated, I guess.”

“They were bad people to do that to you,” Christianna said simply. “Good people don't do things like that. You don't believe it now, but you'll be glad one day, when you find someone else. Next time you'll find a good man. I truly believe you will. Lightning like that doesn't strike twice. Once in a lifetime is enough.”

“I can't even imagine trusting someone again,” Laure said as they walked into the tent. The others weren't back yet, so they were alone.

“You will. You'll see.”

“When?” Laure asked, looking sad again. The pain of the betrayal she'd lived through was still in her eyes, but now she had a friend.

“When you're ready. It was probably good for you to come here, and get away from all of it.”

“That's what I thought. But I brought it all here with me. I haven't been able to think of anything else.”

“When that happens again,” Christianna said quietly, “do you know what you have to do from now on?”

“What?” Laure was expecting pearls of wisdom from her new friend's mouth. She had been wise and accurate so far, and Laure was impressed.

“Just think of the snake that nearly fell on us today, and be glad we're alive. That's two snakes you've narrowly missed. Him, and the one today.” Laure laughed out loud. She was still laughing when the others came in, and looked at them in amazement again. None of them could even remotely imagine what Christianna had done to the girl who never talked. But whatever it had been, it worked. They all agreed. There was no question about it. Christianna had a gift. They felt lucky to have her in their midst. And she even more so to be there with them.





Chapter 9


The day before Doctors Without Borders came, everyone was always busy. Geoff lined up cases he wanted them to see. There were a few small surgeries he suspected they would perform there. They had two serious cases of tuberculosis he was worried about, and there had been a small outbreak of kala azar that he wasn't panicked about yet, but he was always grateful for their presence and consultation, particularly in malaria season in September, which fortunately was still a long way off. There would be four physicians and two nurses joining them for the week, which always took some of the burden off Geoff 's and Mary's shoulders. And there were always their AIDS patients to consult about. The Doctors Without Borders brought new medications for them. And it was always nice to see familiar faces and new ones. They had already radioed the camp several weeks before to say that they had a new doctor with them, who was interested in spending a month or so with them. He was a young American, doing AIDS research at Harvard. Geoff had responded that he'd be grateful to have him around for a month, if he'd enjoy it. It would raise their number of camp residents to eighteen, and Geoff had promised to set up an additional cot for him in the George V, since they were already full up.

Christianna had spoken to her father twice by then, and he said he missed her terribly. It was only February, and he couldn't imagine another five months without her, let alone longer. He said he wanted her to come home at the end of six months, and not stay the full year, and she didn't comment. She didn't want to argue about it with him yet. She was planning to do that later in the year. She had no desire whatsoever to leave East Africa a moment earlier than she had to. He was relieved at least that she was well and happy, although even he knew it didn't bode well for her coming home early. Christianna felt guilty leaving him alone in Liechtenstein, but this time was sacred to her. She knew only too well that she would never get a chance like this again.

She had completed her plan for the AIDS education program by then, and had started small classes for the local women, with her translator at her side, a sweet girl who spoke adequate English, taught to her by missionaries. And often her translations made Christianna and her students laugh. They tittered and giggled at the funny things Christianna said, and seemed to take her seriously about the rest. Mary thought she was doing a fine job and said that to Geoff often, and also to Christianna, although she thought Mary was only being kind.

She was still teaching with Ushi every afternoon, and the children adored her. She had brought Laure in several times to help, and she loved it. With a friend to confide in, and take walks with in the afternoon, the previously dour French girl had begun to flourish. When the others commented on the miraculous transformation that had occurred, Christianna insisted that it had only been a matter of timing. Laure had been ready to open up, and Christianna had just been there at the right time, like an accident of friendship. The others didn't buy it. They could see what had happened, better than she could perhaps, and how gently Christianna had drawn her out of her shell. The angry, taciturn girl she had been for months had vanished. Now she talked, laughed, and made jokes like the others. She even played cards with the men at night, and was delighted when she came back to the women's tent with a handful of nakfa, the local money.

And even more than Laure, the girl they all called Cricky was thriving. Even Geoff forgot now that she was a Serene Highness, which made it easier to keep the secret. She had become one of them in barely more than a month. They could no longer imagine life without her, nor could she. She felt as though she had truly found herself in East Africa, and wished she could stay forever. She couldn't bear thinking of leaving, and wanted to hang on to every moment and savor its delights to the fullest.

The morning the Doctors Without Borders came, Christianna was doing rounds with Mary, before teaching her AIDS prevention class, and when the head of the visiting team walked in with Geoff, he introduced him to Christianna. As always now, he just called her Cricky. The head of the visiting team was Dutch, and spoke to her in German. He was an interesting-looking man who had worked for Doctors Without Borders for years. In the Sudan at one time, then Sierra Leone, Zaire, Tanzania, and finally Eritrea. During the border war with Ethiopia, he had treated a great many casualties on both sides, and was relieved that it was over, as were the locals. Many of those who had fled at the time and migrated elsewhere, had come home to Eritrea now.

He and Geoff were old friends and always happy to see each other, and he was substantially older than Geoff. He always claimed to be too old for this work now, but no one believed him. He was a youthfullooking, vital man, and enjoyed flying the plane himself. He had flown for the British at the very end of World War II, after fleeing Holland. He was a very interesting man, and Christianna was delighted to meet him. She had been hearing about him since she arrived.

They had a lively dinner in the dining tent that night, combining both groups, as the doctor in charge regaled them with funny stories, and the various younger members of the group mingled, and enjoyed getting to know each other or renewing old friendships. It was always nice to have new faces in camp, just as it had been when Cricky and her two men arrived. The young American had sat next to Mary at dinner, and they were talking intently about the new protocols for AIDS being tested at Harvard. He was young but extremely knowledgeable in his field, and Mary thoroughly enjoyed hearing all the latest developments and picking his brain about her current caseload. He had examined all of her patients with her that afternoon, and had made some excellent suggestions. For Christianna, listening to them all around her was like being at a medical convention, but she found it fascinating. And there were lots of times at dinner when they all talked about other things. There seemed to be endless laughter peppered among the more serious topics.