Despite the damage the soldiers left, there was still evidence of a gentle hand that had given the house a warm ambience. On the walls were pictures of breathtaking landscapes. After the grueling last few days in the desert, Philip enjoyed the colorful pictures. Without noticing it, he was on his tiptoes, examining the pictures, as though he were at a museum exhibit. Suddenly, among the many pictures, Philip noticed one of a man in an army uniform; his rank bore a strong resemblance to those of the British army. Beside him was a pretty woman, who didn’t look to be British. As he stood there examining the pictures, he suddenly noticed a long shadow appearing at the entrance of the room, followed by the soft sound of the crushing of glass shards. Philip braced himself as he didn’t have time to hide or confront the unexpected visitor.

  Standing with his back to the wall, the picture of the couple hung above his head while the shadow continued to move into the house. Philip held his breath and prepared for the worst. He kept watching the shadow coming closer to him until he saw two shapely, beautiful legs. He looked up, trying to identify the figure in the house. Beyond the scattered furniture, his eyes fell on a woman, about 40 years old, who was making her way through the overturned chairs. She headed quickly towards the kitchen, despite the obstacles. At first she didn’t notice Philip, who was trying his best to stay out of sight, in the corner. When she passed by him, he recognized her as the woman in the picture above him. At that moment, Philip took a deep breath and the woman turned towards him. Seeing the stranger in her house, her face was full of scorn, but he didn’t see any indication of fear or anxiety on her beautiful face.

  “There are no valuables left in the house. Everything was looted by the government,” she said contemptously.

  “I’m not a thief,” Philip replied in his gentle voice.

  “That’s what they all say,” she said.

  “I’m not from here…”

  The woman approached him with no hint of fear, and with her piercing eyes examined him from head to toe. Philip was embarrassed by the thorough inspection and by his wrinkled clothes and shoes that were white from dust.

  “Even here we dress better than that,” she said.

  “I haven’t had time to go shopping since I got here,” Philip whispered, smiling shyly.

  His gentle face dismissed some of the woman’s concern. “If you’re not from here, where are you from and why are you in my house? “ she asked curiously.

  “May I sit down?” Philip asked, the exhaustion evident in his voice.

  “Of course,” the woman replied. “I apologize for not hosting you properly. I’m going through difficult times that are not enabling me to function normally. Take a look around and you’ll understand what’s going on.”

  Philip picked up one of the overturned chairs and sat down on it, letting out a sigh of relief.

  “You don’t need to apologize. I know almost everything.” The woman’s eyes opened wide in clear amazement. She was having trouble understanding how this strange man, dressed in rags, knows what’s going on in the country despite the fact that he was clearly not one of its residents.

  “Can you explain?”

  “For the last few days, my friends and I have been living next door to you. It’s not an official residence, of course, but a short stay for a specific purpose. Yesterday I saw from the window how the soldiers dragged the man in the picture on the wall out of the house,” Philip said, pointing to the picture.

  “Then he’s alive!” the woman exclaimed excitedly.”

  “That’s correct,” Philip replied in an effort to reassure and calm her. “He was forced into a vehicle, still alive. He may have been hurt and roughed up, but he was alive. Can I assume that he’s your husband?” he asked.

  The woman nodded in affirmation and wiped away the tear that slid down her cheek.

  “In the picture your husband’s wearing the uniform of the British army. How is that?.”

  “I met him during the previous regime. Back then we were able to travel the world freely. On one of my visits to London, I met him at the home of a mutual acquaintance and then we came back to Ogada together and got married. He worked as a financial consultant to Osaka until the day he was assassinated by Ande and his men, and ever since then we’ve been under constant surveillance by the secret service. I really fear for his life,” she whispered bitterly.

  “If I make it home safely, I will give the Foreign Ministry your husband’s name so they can conduct an investigation on his disappearance,” Philip continued in his effort to reassure the woman, who couldn’t conceal her emotions. Hearing Philip’s promise, she got up and looked through the drawers of her husband’s desk and returned with a small picture and a document that she gave to Philip with trembling hands.

  “If anyone is willing to help, the details are written here,” she told him with a breaking voice. Philip carefully folded the document and put it in his shirt pocket.

  “There isn’t even the slightest chance I’ll lose this,” he said as a smile spread across his face. This shirt is going to stay on me for a long time.” He suddenly remembered that he had left his friends without notice and realized they might panic when they saw that he disappeared. He stood up and put his hand out to the woman.

  “I need to get back, and I have no doubt that you will hear about us soon,” Philip said without further explanation.

  “Before you go…” she said and hurried into the kitchen. A minute later she reappeared with a basket full of food.

  “We won’t be using this,” she told him dryly.

  Philip took the basket, bowed his head in gratitude, and headed towards the entrance. From his hidden spot he scanned the still-deserted street, carefully crossed the glass shards, and then ran towards the path as the sun beat down on him. When he reached the tree, on the other side of the path, he stopped and scanned the street again; not far away he saw a man riding a bicycle. Philip leaped into the yard and burst into the house.

  He was surprised to find the house still inactive. He tiptoed into the room with the mattresses, where the men were still asleep. Taking a paper bag from the basket that contained a delicious- looking fruit cake, Philip licked his lips but overcame the urge to bite into the cake. He put the cake near Neil’s nose and waited to see what would happen while the wonderful aroma filled the room.

  Neil began to make strange, funny sounds. The tempo of his breathing increased and his nostrils expanded, stirring restlessly.

  “This is a dream I do not want to wake up from,” Neil said, his eyes still closed. He began to move his mouth and chew excitedly, and then opened his eyes. He blinked in the sunlight coming in through the window and focused his gaze on the blurry figure standing and smiling at him, holding a brown paper bag with a colorful cake sticking out of it. Neil rubbed his eyes continuously, finding it hard to believe this was real.

  “An angel has come to visit us,” he mumbled. His sight gradually became focused and he finally recognized Philip, holding the bag mockingly in front of him.

  “The bakeries in Ogada open very early,” Philip smirked, facing Neil’s rolling eyes.

  “Stop abusing the weak,” Neil whispered. “I don’t have change on me. I’ll pay you when we get back to London.” He put his hand out like a beggar and Philip put a slice of cake in it. Neil waved the cake back and forth and in front of his nose to prolong the pleasure. Finally, he stuffed it into his mouth.

  Hearing the loud smacking sound, Paul opened his eyes; confused, he turned towards Philip, who was in the middle of the room.

  “What’s in there?” he asked, pointing at the basket.

  “I picked mushrooms outside the house,” Philip joked.

  “I see,” Paul answered, turned onto his side, and a few seconds later was snoring again.

  “You snooze, you lose,” Neil said, putting out his hand and begging for another piece.

  “Because you need to be in shape for tomorrow, you can’t eat without a limit,” Philip scorned him authoritatively and put the bag back in the basket.

  “Where did these wonderful delicacies come from?” Neil asked curiously.

  “Explanations at the summary meeting,” Philip teased.

  Neil let out a moan of disapproval and laid his head back on the mattress. He passed his tongue over his lips, thoroughly licking every crumb around his mouth.

  “The only way to fight the delightful smell that is rising and heartlessly hitting me from that basket is to go back to sleep,” Neil mumbled with disappointment. He closed his eyes and very soon he, too, was asleep.

  Philip placed the basket against the wall and went to the window. He caught sight of the wife of the British officer sneaking out of the house opposite them. Before leaving, she closed the windows and blinds and locked the door. She turned towards the yard but didn’t forget to wave to Philip, disappearing at the back of the house. Philip felt the document and picture in his pocket, above his heart, which by then was beating much faster. He felt sorry for the woman who was left on her own, and for her British husband who disappeared.

  “I hope I’ll be able to help,” he whispered to himself as he carefully jumped over his friends scattered on the mattresses. Curling up in a vacant corner, he lay on his mattress, lost deep in thought, for hours. Without feeling it, he, too, fell asleep.

  Gary woke from his deep sleep. He looked at the bright digits on his watch in the dark room.

  “It is time to move, guys,” Gary called out as he began to shake the men sprawled over the mattresses. His nose detected a pleasant smell. Philip was ahead of the others, as always, and was the first on his feet. He walked over to the corner of the room and returned, holding his hand behind his back.

  “If you are given just one wish right now. . . “ he challenged his commander.

  “A cold shower,” Gary said, after thinking about it for a second.

  “Your request is too modest.” Philip chuckled.

  “A meal at the Ritz Hotel.”

  “Good guess,” Philip smiled, handing the cake to the surprised Gary.

  “Someone’s organizing a welcome party for us?” Gary conjectured.

  Philip placed the basket of goods in the middle of the room and began distributing its contents on the mattress.

  “This is the last supper,” he said as he laughed loudly.

  Within a few minutes the men had devoured the delicacies placed before them. Neil was the quickest and managed to grab the last piece of cake from under Paul’s nose.

  “Gentlemen, now that we have filled our stomachs with delicious food, it’s time to get ready to move. Each of you should stick to the instructions and do what you are supposed to do on the way to the broadcast station,” Gary said sternly. He grabbed the machine gun and stood by the door. Neil loaded a small bag on his back that contained the satellite broadcast information. Gary walked out, followed by Neil and Paul. A short distance behind them was Philip, with his gun cocked and ready in his hands. As it was late at night, the street was empty and quiet.

  Gary ran across the path and the others followed. He entered the yard of the house opposite them, walking parallel to the path to remain out of sight. Stretching his body, he climbed over some of the fences between the houses. They walked for an hour without any interference. No one talked. They walked with their eyes to the ground, looking out for any possible obstacles. Philip was the last in line.

  On their way, they passed beneath a staircase with round stairs. Suddenly, a door opened above them and they heard the loud banging of heavy steps. Gary stopped the small group and lowered himself to the ground, beneath the stairs. The others lay down next to him and held their breath. From their hiding place they spotted three men, completely drunk, wobbling down the stairs. The three were slapping each other on their backs and singing in hoarse voices. When they reached the ground, the drunken men passed right by Gary and his men. Contemptuously, Gary watched the shiny eyes of the loudest of them, who was drooling onto his chin. He carried a half-empty bottle that he greedily kept pinned to his mouth. Finally he threw it away in a high arc and it landed near Gary’s head.

  With his face on the ground and holding his breath, Gary fought the urge to grab the leg of one of them and help him lose his balance. Gradually, the sound of the singing drifted away from them and Gary stood up and shook the dust and leaves off his clothes.

  “Good riddance,” he muttered. He hung his machine gun on his shoulder and continued walking.

  “If you want a good time, come up,” they suddenly heard from a female voice at the top of the stairs.

  “Keep walking. Don’t turn back,” Gary said between clenched teeth. He sped up his pace, jumped over into the nearby yard, and the men followed.

  “Here you will find amazing prices,” said the voice that followed them. Gary spun his head around and on the stairs saw a girl, the upper part of her body naked. He waved to her, as if saying, not now, but maybe some other night. He continued to walk away quickly; the girl, disappointed, smiled in dismissal and went back inside.

  “How is it possible that you didn’t report to us in the briefing about the brothel, so close and real? “ Neil said with phony anger.

  “The orders are complete abstinence in enemy territory,” Gary smirked.

  “I would like to get that in writing,” Neil joked.

  Philip, who was walking behind him, couldn’t help himself. He pated Neil on his shoulder and added his contribution to the profound conversation. “You don’t have to spend money to get love. When you return to London, with your new fitness, you can have whoever you want − and for free.” he said, like someone who has women falling at him effortlessly.

  “I’ll have to give up the women who like fat men,” Neil giggled.

  “Life is full of compromises,” said Gary, ending the discussion.

  “If my estimate is correct, we’ll soon reach an important intersection,” Gary said, turning his head back. The road in front of them suddenly expanded towards the crossroads that he had mentioned, and he began crossing the road that was paved with round, smooth stones. They walked on the stones, crossing to the other side. Gary stopped in the middle of the road; in the distance, beyond the fog, Ande’s palace appeared − a scary, intimidating sight.

  “The parade will pass through here.” Gary said. He took his eyes off the threatening palace and continued to lead the men through the yards until they reached the end of a row of small houses. Beyond the row, a large, round surface appeared; at its center was a three-story building. Despite the distance and the darkness, they could see tall antennas scattered over its roof, and above them all was a satellite dish.

  “Look, the balcony is up there, just like in the photos,” Neil exclaimed. “The climb looks easy from here.”

  “We’ll soon find out,” Gary answered. After scanning the surface in front of them, he began walking towards the station. The building was dark on all sides. Luckily for them, Ogada did not have impressive nocturnal activity, and besides the brothel that they’d passed, there was little chance of encountering people so late at night. The walk to the station had been undisturbed, and reaching the station, they placed the equipment by the external wall. Philip took out of his bag a thick rope with a hook at its edge and threw the rope onto the railing of the balcony; fortunately, the hook caught it in his first attempt.

  “Neil, you go first,” Gary ordered.

  “Sir!” Neil stood tall and mocked a salute. He pulled the rope several times, testing its strength, and then began the climb with surprising speed. Philip balanced the edge of the rope on the ground as Neil wriggled and worked hard to lift his heavy body. When he reached the railing, his hands grabbed the rough stone and − with the last of his energy − pulled himself up. He lay on the railing, breathing heavily. Suddenly he lost his balance and fell face down onto the balcony, and the thud was clearly heard from where they were standing.

  “It’s a good thing he fell in the right direction,” Gary said. “According to my information, the railing isn’t that high, and the fall shouldn’t have hurt our friend.”

  “It’s your turn. Show yourself,” the aching Neil said from the balcony.

  Gary put his gun on the ground and began climbing up the rope rapidly, covering the whole distance like someone who did this every day. When he got to the top, he picked his head up over the railing.

  “Move over, fatso, and make room for me,” he whispered to Neil, who was still curled up on the floor.

  “That’s easy for you to say,” the bruised Neil responded and began to roll towards the corner. Gary lifted his leg and crossed over easily. Soon after, they heard Paul’s squeaky breathing as he dragged himself up. Gary stretched out his hand and pulled Paul up until he landed gently over the railing. Philip watched his friends from down below as they climbed up the rope, ready to break any unexpected fall. Once Paul’s leg disappeared into the balcony, Philip tied the equipment to the rope and climbed up quickly.

  The equipment balanced it for him; he climbed, using just his arms. He swiftly jumped over the railing and joined his friends, who were still out of breath. Without wasting any time, Philip pulled the rope in behind him, with the bags and weapons slowly swaying and hitting the wall.

  After completing the climbing stage, which they thought would be difficult, each man settled in a corner, ready to spend the rest of the night there.

  Gary, too, was lost in his own thoughts, focusing on the effort and the dangers still in store for them the following day. After spending the last few days together, he finally felt the burden of the responsibility he had for the fate of these good men. The operation had reached its peak, and from that point on, there was no room for even the slightest error. He looked over at the men, each snuggled in his own corner, as the worries and thoughts rushed through his mind. Eventually, he stood up and headed towards the door that led to the broadcast station.

 

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