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.I move along to make room for her, waiting to see what she’s up to.She opens Lketinga’s metal box and takes out the skirt that I brought for his wife – whichever one he wants to give it to! She feels the material carefully and then checks out the size before immediately placing it back neatly.With my minimal knowledge of Maa, I ask her if she likes it.She gives a shy ‘yes’.Then she turns around and is about to leave the hut when Lketinga comes in.It’s his turn to be surprised but doesn’t say a word to either me or his young wife, who shrinks away and crawls out of the tent.I have to suppress a smile when I see how serious Lketinga looks.He sits down on a little stool in front of the entrance near the fire, takes a soup spoon and fills it with meat.I use my spoon playfully to push the pieces of meat back into the pot, protesting: ‘No, that’s my meal.Mama made it specially for me.’ He smiles back, acting the beggar: ‘Only a little bit.’Of course I give him some, but I can’t resist mentioning his wife and, as if in passing, say to him: ‘That was your new wife, wasn’t it?’ He looks serious and says: ‘Yes, do you have a problem with that?’ I say no, of course not, but ask him: ‘Why don’t you speak to her or at least look at her?’ ‘Why should I say Jambo to my wife first just because I’m her husband? She’s never said hello to me, so why should I say hello to her? It’s up to her to speak first, then maybe I’ll speak to her.’He says this with such conviction that, despite the awful tragedy of the situation, I have to laugh out loud.Obviously unsure of himself, my ex-husband begins to laugh too and says that’s normal.I try to tell him things could go on like that for months and it would be better for both of them if they gradually started talking to each other.He admits he doesn’t know her very well, but he’s spoken to her parents and asked around the village about her.He knows a lot about his wife’s background.I discover she comes from the little village near Maralal where I was first struck by all the plastic bags hanging on the bushes.I realize that means she will only see her former home rarely or perhaps even never again.I ask him how he expects their marriage to be tolerable if they don’t talk or laugh together.‘Yes,’ he replies, ‘that’s crazy! But I’m not going to talk to her first, I’m not a woman.’ Then he adds with a laugh: ‘Maybe I should marry you again.’ I join him in a rather nervous laugh of my own, which, under these bizarre circumstances, seems the safest thing to do.Then all of a sudden I realize I’ve left the eggs sitting on James’s motorbike and with a twinge of guilt remember my hungry travelling companions.We leave the hut and stroll up to the Mission.They’re already making tea and coffee, and Albert, Klaus and the two drivers are pleased to see the eggs.Apart from some nuts and a few soft potato crisps, that’s all they have for breakfast.They’re surprised that I’m not hungry but I tell them how spoilt I was in Mama’s manyatta.After the frugal breakfast we go back down to the corral with Lketinga.We bump into James who’s busy spraying the little manyatta where the kid goats are kept with pesticide.That’s something they didn’t have in the old days either.While we’re chatting, Lketinga’s sister comes out of Mama’s manyatta and greets us effusively.But Lketinga speaks to her gruffly and rather sharply, and she runs off.I ask him what’s wrong and with angry gestures he replies, ‘Last night my sister was drunk.I don’t allow that and don’t know how it could have happened.’ I immediately remember the money I gave her and Mama and feel somewhat guilty.Heart To Heart In The ManyattaIn the meantime James has washed his hands, and now he and I crawl into Mama’s manyatta and sit down on the cowhide.He’s going to translate so it’s best if he sits next to me.Klaus follows and sits himself down on the little stool next to the hearth.Lketinga sits down near the entrance, whereas Albert contents himself with saying hello but staying outside in the shade.He can hear everything just as well from out there; a manyatta’s walls may protect against prying eyes but they are far from soundproof
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