Risking All for Love (Wattpadprize14)

Chapter Thirty

Gary and Margaux kept David busy with basketball and helping out at the medical clinic. When Mother Elizabeth had caught up treating malaria cases at the clinic, the three traveled by Mission Land Rover to Monrovia to pick up a special order of school books. Arriving on time at the port of Monrovia, they nevertheless found Port Receiving Department closed. There was an official with white shirt and black tie still there, but he gave them a lecture on the need to be patient. They should return in two days.

"Come on, are not books worth coming back for?" he said.

"But we have come from Bolahun in Lofa County?" Gary said.

David said, "It will cost us quite a sum of money to return back here even two days from now, we got a school year to prepare for."

Margaux looked first to David and then to Gary. "Let me try something." She asked the port official to wait a moment for her to get a special appeal. She dug into the Land Rover and came up with a liter bottle of Johnny Walker, Red Label Whiskey.

She smiled and presented the bottle to the official. "Perhaps you might need to open the office and secure this. We were going to give it to my friend Vice President Moniba." She then pulled out a forty dollars in American money. "It will please him if you will provide needed books for his favorite school, the one he attended since a small boy until he left for the university." She then wrote down the official's name.

The intimidated official said, "It will please me too much to be of honorable service to our good Vice President." With an smile of relief, he opened the storage cages and released the books. He even helped load them. "Please greet Vice President Moniba for me."

They thanked him and were on their way back upcountry in time to take a room at Cuttington College for night. Once at Holy Cross Mission, Margaux presented a list of expenses to Father Anthony.

"Margaux, what is this item, a Bribe?"

"Yes, Father Anthony." She then explained the holdup in Monrovia with the port closing earlier than it was supposed to be that day and the added expense of staying in the capital for two more days.

"Well," he said, punctuating his next sentence with laughter, "I must commend you for your. Your. Your imaginative negotiating. That's it." Father then looked past Margaux to Gary and David. "I could use the both of you to make a special run to Foyah Market tomorrow. You'll leave early morning but must be back by noon sharp, well before Saturday Market is over."

"What do you need, Father?" David said.

"A hundred pounds of rice and a drum of kerosene and also petro for the Land Rovers. I am preparing a complete list and will give it to Margaux after she and I discuss something private." When they nodded in agreement, Father said, "I need you both to prepare the vehicle to make sure it is ready to go at first light." They looked at each other and left the office.

"Margaux, remain with me," Father said. "Before tea time, I need to go over something you can help with." He then handed her a memo from the mission radio shack."

Margaux looked at the message and smiled as she handed it back. "I'd be glad to."

"Returning the next day as they drove up Bishop's Hill, David looked over at Gary. "I can't understand the need for this gofer run. After all, they had a full drum of gasoline in the maintenance shed. And they already have two hundred pounds of rice in their monastery pantry."

"Maybe this bag is for the nuns or to Mbalatahun Leper Colony," Gary said.

Not long after the Mission Land Rover had put Bishop's Hill far behind. Soon they found a clearing in the rainforest. There was Sosomolahun on their left. People had just completed a mosque that was about two-thirds the size of Saint Mary's Church.