Zenai

Biological parent of Zula

husband is Malki

“Ho there,” came a papa’s voice. It wasn’t her Papa though so Zenai kept walking as the man got out of the cart.

“Ho, little one,” came the voice again this time panting a bit as he ran to catch up with her.

Zenai stopped for a minute and looked back. This was a papa, he was not hers, but he was not bad.

“Have you seen my Mama in the mountains?” She asked.

“Is your Mama in the mountains?” Asked the man.

“Papa said so, so I am looking,” answered Zenai.

“Would you like us to help you find your Mama?” Asked the man, gesturing back to the lady and the children in the cart up by the horse.

“Umm, ok…” said Zenai and promptly offered her little hand up to the man.

“I am Papa Joza,” he said, smiling down at her.

“I am Zenai,” she said, “What is her name?” Pointing at the little girl about her age who sat in the cart, next to her brother and mother.

“I am Zimba,” said the girl. (IDENTIFY HER)

“I am Patuk,” said the boy. (SHARIB and MALKI are brothers and they are both there)

“And you can call me Mama Paz aka SHMA,” said the woman.

“My Mama is in the mountains, a bad man took her,” said Zenai.

“Where is your Papa?” Asked Mama Paz.

“He is gone, I tried to find him but he is gone too, he missed Mama so much. He was trying to see her in his coat, but he got lost looking for her,” answered Zenai.

“So your papa is lost too?”

“I think he is dead, he was groaning a lot. He went looking for mama, but now I lost him too, he went to sleep and when I found him he smelled so bad. I looked under his eyes and they were just white, so I just left. I am going to find mama on my own now.”

“Well who took your mama?” Asked Papa Joza aka TSUAT.

“They came on lots of horses, almost everybody got took…I mean taken,” said Zenai, “Me and Papa stayed but the other people from the market, they left. Everyone was sad, but we wanted to find Mama. I looked outside and Papa tried to look too, but he mostly just got real sad.” 

“Do you know which mountains she went to?” Asked Mama Paz.

“You know…mountains,” said Zenai.

“Well we are headed to some mountains that are many days from here, but you are welcome to join us..”began Papa Joza.

“….I am hungry,” interrupted Zenai.

Mama Paz reached into a bag behind her and brought out a long stick of bread and broke off a piece for her, sharing some more of it with Zimba and Patuk and shaking the crumbs off of her skirt.  Zenai brushed the back of her hand over Mama Paz’s skirt and wedged herself into the seat between Mama Paz and the wooden side-railing.

“Do you know lavender?” She asked.

“Yes, I do little one,” Said Mama.

“Would you like some?” Asked Zenai unfolding her kerchief on Mama’s skirts, “It is a little sqooshed but I picked it myself.

“Well thank you little one one, and what is your name?” Asked Mama.

“I am Zenai, come closer…” she said and pulled her ear down so she could whisper in it, “…it means ‘the hiding one,’ you can’t tell ok?”

“Ok,” whispered back Mama.

Zenai felt the soft cloth on her hand and smelled the lavender as the horse began to trot again and the wheels started bumping over the road. She closed her eyes and leaned into Mama Paz’s side and felt ok for the first time in a long time.

TEXT: END