“Are you afraid of getting lost?” Iniko gave her a mocking look.
Bisila noticed that the young woman blushed. “I have family in Baney,” said Iniko’s mother. “From time to time, I stay with them for a couple of days.”
Her last visit had been just two weeks ago. Iniko found it strange that his mother had asked him to take her again. Bisila bit her bottom lip. If Iniko knew the real reasons. She heard her son speak and Clarence giggle. She was a cheerful young woman; she would have inherited that from her father.
From Jacobo.
How long had it been since she had thought about him? More than thirty years. She had managed to erase him from her mind completely until Clarence mentioned his name the night of the dinner. From that moment, she recognized him in his daughter’s movements, in her features, in her eyes . . . Bisila had been angry with the spirits for having woken up memories that she thought were buried. But after mulling things over, she began to understand.
The spirits were being very cunning. From the start, she knew that sooner or later, everything would make sense, that the earthly suffering would find eternal relief. The signs that the moment was approaching were obvious. Clarence was in Bioko, and a lizard had danced in front of her.
The cycle would soon close.
“We’re nearly there,” Iniko announced.
Clarence looked out the window. The dense vegetation had made way for unpaved streets with small one-and two-story houses at either side, similar to the outskirts of Malabo. Iniko drove toward the high part of the village, and they passed in front of a run-down red church with a very high bell tower, a large cross on the moldy facade, and two arcades over a wide set of steps. He had to beep the horn several times to warn the numerous children who were playing in the streets that a car wanted to pass.
Clarence thought they were all very good-looking, especially the girls, with their light-colored dresses and their hair tied up in immaculate little buns and braids. When the car stopped in front of the houses, several children crowded round to greet them. Bisila went straight into the building, and the other two stayed with the small ones. Clarence regretted having nothing in her bag to give them. She looked for her purse and decided to give them some change. She had only handed out three or four coins, which the fortunate ones received with grateful smiles, when Iniko asked in a temper, “What are you doing?”
“Giving them some change.”
“Just like a typical paternalistic tourist.”
“I loved it when I was young,” she whispered, irritated. “Look at their faces! Do you really think I’m doing something wrong?”
“In Baney, there are two thousand people,” he said mockingly. “If these little ones spread the news, you’ll be left with nothing.”
Iniko went into the house. Clarence remained outside a few seconds longer, upset. She was not used to such criticism. The amulet had not lasted long! She decided to forget about it and followed the man inside.
When they saw that Bisila had arrived with a European, Bisila’s sisters, Amanda and Jovita, also with their hair covered under pretty scarves, turned an informal family party into a real feast. Clarence did not know how, but some seventeen people—Bisila’s sisters and their husbands, their sons, their daughters, the wives and husbands of their children, and their grandchildren—took their seats around a rectangular table covered by a printed floral oilcloth that was being covered with dishes of chicken with yucca, bream with avocado sauce, and the bóka’ò of vegetables that she had tried in Bisila’s house. Clarence found the stews very tasty, but what she liked most was the dessert: the crunchy coconut biscuits and the ginger and pineapple drink.
With the hubbub around the table, they did not even notice that a tropical storm passed over with the same speed as it had arrived.
Clarence went out to smoke a cigarette on the veranda. Iniko had not said a word to her during the whole meal. His loss, she thought. She was upset that an innocent act caused him to draw a conclusion more in keeping with their first meeting in Sampaka. It looked like their relationship veered between attraction and repulsion. One minute they would be joking like teenagers, the next attacking each other—him especially, treating her as an outsider. She was afraid that the argument would end the trip and that Iniko would decide to go back to Malabo.
She concentrated her attention on the extraordinary view of the stretch of sea that separated the island from the continent. The skies cleared for an hour and showed the distant and majestic Mount Cameroon crowned by cloud. Bit by bit, the mists closed in on the summit.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Bisila came over to the railing that Clarence was leaning on.
“This is . . .” Clarence looked for a word that would do honor to what she had just seen. “Exceptional. I’m not surprised my father fell in love with this island.”
Bisila pressed her lips together.
“I suppose he would tell you many stories of his life here,” she murmured, without taking her eyes from the horizon.
Clarence studied her profile. There was something about Bisila that attracted her. Her disturbingly clear eyes and her firm lips reflected intelligence, strength, and determination, although she appeared to be a physically fragile and delicate woman. Laha and Iniko said she was responsible, hardworking, and cheerful, but she transmitted sadness and vulnerability.
“I’m afraid parents never tell us everything,” she said.
Bisila gave her a sideways glance. Clarence remembered Mamá Sade. She guessed she was a little older than Iniko’s mother. How different her reaction would have been had Bisila remembered her father!
“Do you know what happened to me the other day?” she asked. “I don’t know if Iniko has already told you.” Bisila gave her a perplexed look and Clarence felt brave enough to continue. “In a restaurant, I was set upon by someone called Mamá Sade. She was certain I reminded her of someone, a man she knew a long time ago.” She forced a tense smile. “It was daft, but for one minute, I thought she could have known my father.” She paused, but Bisila’s face did not show any surprise.
“Mamá Sade has dealt with many people in her life.”
“Then you also know who she is.”
Bisila nodded. “And why does it worry you so much that she might have known your father?”
“Well . . .” Clarence hesitated, but a voice inside her head pushed her to be sincere. Why do you not say out loud once and for all your reason for visiting the island? She opened her mouth, but Iniko interrupted them.
“Ah! Here you are! Clarence, we’re going now,” he said without looking at her. “I’d like to get to Ureca before dark.”