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| THIS SITE |
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The Clinic
Janet watched helplessly, and quite disgustedly, as Broker hijacked her guest
and led him on a wild chase into unfathomable, egoistic labyrinths, where truth
had no meaning whatsoever and only cars mattered, and they forgot about
Crossroads. They discussed cars for a long time, while Janet fretted and Chief
Chupa seriously worried that Broker might survive to usurp his throne.
“We’ll look into the budget,” Don Donovan promised Broker. “We should be
able to afford a Jeep for her.”
Then Janet opened her mouth and reversed every gain that Broker had made in
the last half hour. What she really wanted, she said it loudly so as not to be
misunderstood, what she really wanted, more than a car and more than
anything else, was to have a free medical test for Crossroads.
They were startled into silence. Sensing something vital was at stake here,
Chief Chupa turned to his henchman and asked what she had said. The ox had
no idea, but Broker overheard them, and he was incensed enough with Janet
to tell them exactly what she had asked for.
“Haui!” cried the Chief horrified. “You mean to test everyone?”
“Everyone who consents to it,” she told him.
"Do you know what it would cost?” he asked her.
Broker patted him gently on the shoulder and assured him that it would cost
the earth, but asked him not lose any sleep over it, for it was not his money
and he had exactly zero to do with it.
“Can anyone pay for the test?” Don Donovan asked.
“No,” Janet told him.
“What is the population of this place?” he asked them next.
No one had any idea.
“The last meaningful census was thirty years ago,” Janet told him.
Before Aids made its first appearance. Since then, people had died like flies
and everyone had lost count.
“Many people are ill, anyway” Broker said. “We are talking very small numbers,
indeed.”
“So you think it’s a good idea too?” Don Donovan asked him.
Broker saw the anguish on Janet’s face, but this was a once-in-a-life-time and
he decided to speak his mind and be damned for all time.
“No,” he said, speaking the absolute truth for the first time that day. “I don’t
think it’s such a good idea at all.”
The money could be better off used in providing medical support for those who
were sick and protection for those who were not. That was his honest opinion.
Janet was so disgusted she was about to spit in his face.
“But it’s all up to Janet,” he added. “She knows best the problems of
Crossroads.”
Don Donovan nodded thoughtfully and said, “We’ll look into the budget.”
Then he thanked them all for a very enlightening tour and promised to get in
touch in due course. The delegation piled into their new vehicles and left
Crossroads, in the same rush they had arrived in.
T he last vehicle had not completely left Crossroads before Broker called
back the boys and ordered them to surrender all the condoms they had
received from Big Youth. The crowd dispersed, and were no better off, or
worse off, than when they had arrived; except for the few youths who had the
foresight to disappear before Broker demanded the condoms back.
READ ON ...
Janet watched helplessly, and quite disgustedly, as Broker hijacked her guest
and led him on a wild chase into unfathomable, egoistic labyrinths, where truth
had no meaning whatsoever and only cars mattered, and they forgot about
Crossroads. They discussed cars for a long time, while Janet fretted and Chief
Chupa seriously worried that Broker might survive to usurp his throne.
“We’ll look into the budget,” Don Donovan promised Broker. “We should be
able to afford a Jeep for her.”
Then Janet opened her mouth and reversed every gain that Broker had made in
the last half hour. What she really wanted, she said it loudly so as not to be
misunderstood, what she really wanted, more than a car and more than
anything else, was to have a free medical test for Crossroads.
They were startled into silence. Sensing something vital was at stake here,
Chief Chupa turned to his henchman and asked what she had said. The ox had
no idea, but Broker overheard them, and he was incensed enough with Janet
to tell them exactly what she had asked for.
“Haui!” cried the Chief horrified. “You mean to test everyone?”
“Everyone who consents to it,” she told him.
"Do you know what it would cost?” he asked her.
Broker patted him gently on the shoulder and assured him that it would cost
the earth, but asked him not lose any sleep over it, for it was not his money
and he had exactly zero to do with it.
“Can anyone pay for the test?” Don Donovan asked.
“No,” Janet told him.
“What is the population of this place?” he asked them next.
No one had any idea.
“The last meaningful census was thirty years ago,” Janet told him.
Before Aids made its first appearance. Since then, people had died like flies
and everyone had lost count.
“Many people are ill, anyway” Broker said. “We are talking very small numbers,
indeed.”
“So you think it’s a good idea too?” Don Donovan asked him.
Broker saw the anguish on Janet’s face, but this was a once-in-a-life-time and
he decided to speak his mind and be damned for all time.
“No,” he said, speaking the absolute truth for the first time that day. “I don’t
think it’s such a good idea at all.”
The money could be better off used in providing medical support for those who
were sick and protection for those who were not. That was his honest opinion.
Janet was so disgusted she was about to spit in his face.
“But it’s all up to Janet,” he added. “She knows best the problems of
Crossroads.”
Don Donovan nodded thoughtfully and said, “We’ll look into the budget.”
Then he thanked them all for a very enlightening tour and promised to get in
touch in due course. The delegation piled into their new vehicles and left
Crossroads, in the same rush they had arrived in.
T he last vehicle had not completely left Crossroads before Broker called
back the boys and ordered them to surrender all the condoms they had
received from Big Youth. The crowd dispersed, and were no better off, or
worse off, than when they had arrived; except for the few youths who had the
foresight to disappear before Broker demanded the condoms back.
READ ON ...
| Crossroads hm books May 2008 ISBN 978-0-9796476-4-2 |
| Crossroads by Meja Mwangi |
| The Last Plague "In his 449-page novel, Kenyan writer, Meja Mwangi, achieved two things: he wrote a restrained AIDS novel that was true to the apocalyptic character of the pandemic, and he wrote a classic of delirious humour. It is this combination of tragedy (that never quite loses its grasp on hope), deft satire, and unexpected humour that bushwhacks the reader at the most sombre moments, that makes this book compelling rereading, even seven years after its first publication." - AFRICAN WRITING Books Worth Reading. . |
Crossroads
| US $ 19.95 |
