All about LB’s safari

Lifting up my head to pick another item of clothing to fold, I got the shock of my life when I saw what Little Bint was up to. ‘It looks like we got more than we bargained for, coming on this safari.’ I observed, addressing Tahir. ‘Why is that?’ He answered, taking his eyes off […]

Lifting up my head to pick another item of clothing to fold, I got the shock of my life when I saw what Little Bint was up to. ‘It looks like we got more than we bargained for, coming on this safari.’ I observed, addressing Tahir.
‘Why is that?’ He answered, taking his eyes off the news channel to reply me.
‘We seemed to have made a monkey out of LB. Look at how she just climbed that short fence and walked towards the snacks bar. I saw her when she left their room through the sliding doors and thought she was coming here to see us. But rather than come here or walk towards the long corridor that leads to the snack bar, she walked straight ahead and just began to climb the fence, like a monkey.
Let’s hope she isn’t going to continue behaving this way when we get back home. It wouldn’t be right. She is, after all, a young lady.’ I complained.
‘No, don’t get yourself all worked up over LB’s escapades. She is on holiday, allow her to enjoy herself, I know for sure she wouldn’t continue jumping fences when we return home.’ Tahir assured me.
‘I hope so, but you can’t be sure of anything where Little Bint is
concerned. So I’m not going to take chances. I will warn her against this behavior the moment she steps in here.’ I declared.
‘Well don’t be too hard on her. I told you she is only  a child who is savouring the pleasures of the outdoors.’ He cautioned.
‘Yes, but knowing LB, unless you check it, she will surely continue with her monkey tricks when we get back.’ I insisted.
‘And where will she find a low fence? You know all our fences are high up these days, so there is no way she can practice any animal antics when this holiday is over.’ He assured.
‘I surely hope so. There is so much else she has been exposed to, which could benefit her if she chooses to remember. Like the encounter between the lioness and the zebras, the one we stumbled on as we arrived at the game reserve. Then there was the great show by the herd of elephants when they went to their drinking place. And the eternally graceful giraffes majestically walking around with their heads literally held high.  In fact the other animals are so much more interesting than monkeys that I can’t believe why Little Bint is particularly enchanted by them.’ I complained.
‘Wait a minute, don’t you think you are jumping to conclusions? LB never told you she was enchanted by monkeys, you are the one who thinks so because you saw her jump over that small fence.’ Tahir reminded me.
‘Oh yes you are right, I am getting carried away by the whole thought of her copying those banana addicts. Anyway, I will encourage her to write an essay on the trip. Then I will guide her towards remembering what I want her to remember. Like the late great writer of Hausa literature Alhaji Abubakar Imam wrote: Tafiya Mabudin Ilimi, ‘Travelling is the gateway to knowledge,’ I will make sure she writes an account of this trip. That will make what she wrote indelible in her mind.’ I proposed enthusiastically.
‘And what are the things you want her to remember?’ Tahir asked indulgently.
‘For one the magnificent beach at Malindi, complete with its thatch-roofed enchanting accommodation, great nightly breeze and four-course dinner. Then the long rough drive to Tsavo game reserve which took us to that surprisingly beautiful resort with its great food and scenery. And of course the wild animals, both safe and dangerous in their natural habitat, nevertheless easy to see and study. Then there is Mombasa, dusty and crowded, like any African city but with its special charm, Islamic credentials and lovely accommodation such like this hotel we are in.’ I recounted.
‘It looks like you have nothing but the most positive impressions of this holiday.’ He remarked, with satisfaction.
‘Yes, but that is only natural. When you are with people you love, every experience is pleasurable and worthwhile. But the only cloud on the horizon of my Safari experience was finding out that even in death, Kenyans pay their medical bills.’ I replied.
‘How do you mean?’ Tahir asked. ‘Look’, I said holding a copy of the local newspaper to him. ‘Reading obituary pages has been my hobby right from my school days. Naturally this paper that has more than two pages of classified death announcements caught my attention. But I couldn’t go too far when I came to this particular obituary.’ I pointed at it ‘as you can see, the lady was a university student in her twenties. She had an accident and was hospitalised for a few weeks before she died. Her hospital bill accumulated to more than a million Kenyan shillings, that’s like two million naira in Nigeria. Now, the family can’t afford to pay but even in their grief they were forced to face reality.
So they announced her death and also invited friends and well wishers to a fundraising event, to enable them pay that hospital bill. I felt so sad after reading her story that I stopped reading the page altogether. What kind of a tragedy is this? They have lost the girl and yet they have to pay for a hospital treatment that couldn’t save her? It all seemed so unfair.’ I declared.
‘Yes it is, but this isn’t entirely a Kenyan phenomenon. It happens everywhere, even in Nigeria hospitals demand payment though the patient had died. So don’t hold it against the Kenyans.’ He urged.
‘In that case someone should call for the abolishing of this cruel law. No one should be made to pay for a treatment that couldn’t prevent him or her from dying.’ I said.
‘I hope someday, someone will put themselves in your shoe and end this unworthy practice of charging the dead for hospitals bill. For now we can only pray.’ He said, returning the newspaper to me.
‘Assalamu alaikum,’ LB crooned, opening the sliding door to come into our room. ‘Look what I got Mummy; two tiny pizzas, one beef burger and this big bottle of Fanta.’ She said excitedly.
‘Ok, come here LB’ her father said before I could respond to her.
‘When did the hotel man say we can go to the snack bar?’ he asked, taking away the plate of snacks she came in with.
‘Whenever we miss breakfast or lunch.’ She replied, promptly.
‘And did we miss lunch today? I know you missed breakfast, but did you miss lunch? Because I do remember seeing someone who looked exactly like you at lunch.’ He said, with humour.
‘Yes I was at lunch, but the snacks were so tasty in the morning that’s why I made up my mind to go back for more this evening.’ Little Bint explained.
‘Well that is dishonesty LB. You are not supposed to go there unless you have missed a meal. And now you leave me no choice but to confiscate these snacks.’ Tahir said, putting them on the bedroom table beside him.
‘No Baba, please let me eat this for now. I promise not to go for them again. I had to queue up and order and wait for them to be packaged, please let me eat these Baba. I apologize for being dishonest.’ LB pleaded.
‘What do you say Bint?’ Tahir asked, lifting his face up to look at me.
‘I’d say she can eat her snacks since she has apologized for going for them. But I want to know why you had to jump over the fence to get to the snack bar, like a monkey.’ I demanded
‘Because it is so much faster to get there than by walking down the long route through the corridor.’ Little Bint answered.
‘Well don’t ever do that again. You are a young lady and ladies don’t go round jumping fences as if they are animals. Ladies walk with dignity wherever they have to go, no matter the distance. Do you understand that LB?’ I barked.
‘Yes, Mummy’ she replied, quickly reaching for her snacks as if fearing that we might change our minds at any moment.