Taduno's Song Read Free Page B

suppositions or anti-government activities.
    He had always taken care not to reveal much of his life as an activist to her. Even when he had to go into exilehe had simply left her a note saying ‘Where I go I know not’. Could it be that he compromised her with that simple note?
    For a while this question haunted him. And then, making up his mind to find out more about Lela’s arrest, he returned to her parents’ house, where he found Judah kicking a ball on the street with a couple of kids. The boy was the lone star: he had on the trainers with red lights, the others played barefoot.
    â€˜Judah,’ he called out.
    The boy pulled out of the game and walked up to him. He had a smile on his cherubic face, unlike the last time when he wore a confused frown.
    Taduno wasn’t surprised. Everyone was being so nice to him, Judah no exception. He smiled back at the boy.
    â€˜Sorry to interrupt your game.’
    â€˜It’s okay.’ Judah looked down at his trainers and then up at Taduno’s face, and it was clear that he still could not connect the two.
    â€˜I want to talk to you about your sister.’
    The boy nodded eagerly. ‘Have you found her?’
    â€˜No, I have not, but I’m going to find her.’
    Judah beamed. ‘Thank you!’
    â€˜When was the last time you saw her?’
    â€˜The day some men pushed her into the back of a black car, a big black car. It happened right there,’ he said, pointing to a spot on the street. ‘I was playing football with my friends that evening. I’m always playing football on the street, so I saw it all, I saw the men.’
    â€˜How many were they?’ Taduno asked, with a faint smile.
    â€˜There were four in all. Anti Lela was screaming for help, but nobody went to help her, everybody was afraid.’
    â€˜What kind of clothes were the men wearing?’
    â€˜I don’t know. Normal clothes, I think. They had guns and they waved their badges.’
    â€˜Did they say where they were taking her?’
    â€˜No, they didn’t say. They didn’t talk to anyone, they just waved their badges. Then they got into their car and drove off leaving so much dust in the air.’
    â€˜Did your parents witness the incident?’
    â€˜No, they were inside the house. By the time they came running out, the men were gone and only the dust remained.’
    He realised that it was pointless questioning Lela’s parents as their story would likely be similar to Judah’s.
    He nodded in thanks and slapped Judah playfully on the back. ‘I’ll find your sister,’ he said, looking into the boy’s eyes. ‘You can go back to your game.’
    â€˜Promise?’ the boy said, in an eager voice.
    â€˜Yes, I promise.’
    They shook hands, and in that moment they both felt something – like the rekindling of an old friendship.
    *
    He spent the rest of the day deliberating on how to begin his search for Lela. He struck off one idea after the other, until he came to the conclusion that the best place to start was a police station.
    At first, the prospect of visiting a police station terrified him; but, encouraged by the knowledge that he no longer had an identity, he took a taxi to the nearest station where he found the sergeant on duty dozing at his desk with a half-eaten cob of corn in one hand.
    The tiny office reeked of a terrible odour – a mixture of decayed food, saliva, sweat, urine, morbid fear and stale cigarettes. In spite of the fact that he had been in several police stations before, Taduno felt himself choking.
    He rapped a gentle knuckle on the counter.
    The Sergeant jumped in his seat and the cob of corn in his hand fell to the floor, disappearing under his desk. Quickly, he picked up his worn beret from his battered desk and slapped it on his head to dignify himself with an air of authority. Then he smiled – a friendly sheepish smile that revealed uneven brown