Tangled Passion by Stanley Ejingiri Page A

wouldn’t play any games. The stories of the heinous acts of boatmen were limitless; some of them collected life savings from slaves to take them across to the island where slavery was already abolished but never showed up on the appointed day. Others were worse; they took money from the slaves only to force them overboard in the middle of the high seas—Longstands was very worried for Ashana.
    “Oh no no no, we don’t do business like that.” It was the first man; he spoke seriously and from the way he spoke, Longstands knew right away that he wasn’t up for any form of negotiations.
    He watched the two men hold a brief consultation and then the second man spoke again; “Man trust me, friend you have to trust us, we do good business all time everywhere, all islands and your friend do many many business with us all the time.”
    “As a matter of fact I do trust you,” Longstands lied. “I know you and your activities in this island, especially when I am employing you and paying you double your normal fee to take my girl to Haiti and get her settled in.” Longstands’s tone was different and his demeanour suddenly changed to a combat-ready one. “When I return from England I want proof that she is fine—I will pay for this of course but if there are any kind of stories or I smell any rat, I will hunt you down and destroy you, your families, and your business for good,” he threatened.
    “Sir,” the second man began a little more gently; Longstands’s threat had anchored in their hearts and registered on their faces. “We have good reputations, everybody do good business with us again and again. Don’t worry we know how to arrange everything, we do what you ask now already before and we can do again. And you can ask your friend about us,” he suggested with a cautious smile.
    “OK, let’s get it going,” Longstands said–he didn’t have enough time and he had no choice but to trust the roguish-looking Portuguese boatmen recommended to him by his wayward friend, Thomas.
    Later that night, as they sat on his bamboo bed, each temporarily distracted and lost in their thoughts of the issue at hand, Longstands struggled with the best way to tell Shanika about the agreement he had reached with the Portuguese transporters. After a brief moment of silence that had Shanika very puzzled, Longstands opened his mouth. “I have something to tell you Shanika.” he said.
    “Yes sir,” she replied, a little apprehension in her funniness.
    “You know I leave for England tomorrow,” he said, looking away from her as a feeling of betrayal overtook him.
    “Yes sir,” Shanika said again; she sounded as though the strength in her body had suddenly left her.
    “Please listen, listen to me very carefully,” Longstands said. She looked up at him for a brief moment then lowered her gaze to the floor.
    By the time Longstands finished talking, the sun had gone down and the room had become a little darker; the sound of croaking frogs and crickets very audible.
    “I understand completely.” Shanika said sniffing; the tears that clouded her eyes had run down her cheeks and then dried up. She understood the circumstances surrounding Longstands’s decision and the options available to him. She knew he was a kind-hearted man; there was no doubt about that and there was also no doubt that it must have been a difficult decision for him.
    The disadvantages of leaving her in St Lucia outweighed the benefits. Not only would she become a laughingstock amongst the other slaves who would see her as abandoned but there’d be a big commotion after the baby was born and the truth came to light. The wives of the other slave masters would label her a witch for sleeping with one of their men and demand her head on a platter.
    The option of another island was the best, especially an island with freed slaves. What more could she ask for? She was thankful that the master had considered such an alternative for her. “Thank you sir,” she