Despite their quick dive into marriage, Mani and Angel took a more measured approach toward having children. Moey and Marina were the opposite. After taking their sweet time getting married, it seemed as though Jojo was very likely conceived on their wedding night. When Jojo was born, Mani and Angel couldn’t get enough of him. This convinced them to start a family of their own. Buddy arrived next, and Ajay was only a month behind him. Mani and Angel finally had their little treasure.
They showered little Ajay with so much attention that by the time he was two, they were sorely in need of some away time for just the two of them. So, one fall afternoon, they walked over to Mo and Marina’s place, with their backpacks fully loaded, and dropped off little Ajay to stay with his best friends, Jojo and Buddy.
Mani wanted to take Angel to a special place out in the savanna. During his time in the military, he had wandered through there and found it enchanting and serene. It was on a small river that flowed all year, fed by the mountains to the east and the Great Lake. This small river eventually joined the big one as it headed out of the valley and toward Victory lands.
Mani wanted to make a big fire, maybe catch a fish, do some skinny-dipping, and just enjoy a few days of complete isolation. But before they struck out into the remote wilderness, RJ had insisted that they stay one night at the Chair’s villa on the far shore and take the military transport barge to get there.
Mani still enjoyed special treatment due to his accomplishments and because of his close affiliation with Moey, who, at a young age, had already become something of a science and technology advisor to RJ and other top government and business leaders.
The barge across the lake ran daily, as there were always military or well-connected vacationers headed back and forth who preferred not to hike all the way around the lake to reach the beaches and resorts on the far shores.
When Mani and Angel were on the barge, the large, powerful men rowing it so many miles across were always revered as the biggest and strongest in Eden. Mani and Angel admired them, but apparently, the admiration was not mutual.
A couple of them looked at Mani and spoke to one another in a way that Mani had become all too familiar with over the years, but he generally just ignored it.
The villa’s plush accommodations, its service, and its pristine beaches were a great way to kick off their adventure.
But the days following would be very different from this, as they would be roughing it out in the wild. They set out by foot the next morning, embarking on an all-day hike to the first place that Mani wanted to camp.
He planned to stay there and relax for two nights and then follow the small, isolated river for another two days until they reached the confluence. Then, he planned for them to head just a few miles north to where there was a crossing point manned by the army. They would use a raft, which was used to pull men and supplies back and forth across the river several times a day. From there, they would walk another full day journeying home.
“Oh, yah. That sounds really relaxing,” Moey had taunted Mani sarcastically. But it was exactly the kind of adventure that Mani and Angel wanted—the kind of thing they had become accustomed to doing before Ajay had come along.
When they arrived at the river the first evening, they were hot and dusty but not exhausted. They immediately stripped and got into the icy river, which restored them, and they once again had a feeling that everything was perfect. Then, the scene played out just as Mani had dreamed about it.
He caught his big fish and roasted it on hot rocks near a raging fire. They made love, stargazed, and talked well into the night before nodding off. It was a desolate area where wolves, bears, and lions were rare. There was only the occasional coyote, which Mani was well equipped to deal with. He always kept his spear close at hand as they slept. The next day would be special because they had absolutely nothing to do. This was the plan.
Ajay was always in their thoughts and conversations, and with so much free time, they felt restless and a little guilty for their indulgence. But they checked themselves and just laughed, realizing that feeling guilty was foolish.
A day later, they meandered along the path that followed the river. It was well worn from military use and easy to traverse. Late in the afternoon, they approached the confluence with the main river. They could hear the powerful flow well before they could actually see the river.
Mani knew the spot. He knew where they could camp and see both rivers. They set up and started a fire, and then Mani went down to see whether he could catch a fish. Angel sat and massaged her feet. She took out a needle and some thread to do some repairs on her battered sandals, when she heard the sounds of men approaching. She looked up the trail from where they had come earlier and saw three men running up slowly. They dropped down to a walk when they caught sight of her, and one of them smiled and waved. She could see that they were in military clothing—probably a patrol coming through.
When they arrived, two of them remained several steps behind while the one who was smiling approached her.
“Hi there.”
“Hi. How’s it going?” she responded pleasantly.
“Oh, not bad.”
As they began to talk, the other two men approached, and the three of them stood side by side, looking her over.
“We heard Mani was out here. Wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“How nice. I’m Angel, Mani’s wife. He is down at the river trying to fish.”
“Cool. Can you show us where?” the apparent leader requested.
“Okay. But it’s really just right down there. You can practically see him from here.”
“Oh. Well, if it’s that close, then maybe it’s no big deal for you to show me. Right?”
Angel felt that there was something a little off about the guy. “I guess so,” she said less than enthusiastically.
They began to walk. “Hey, I was wondering. How is it with you and Mani?” the leader of the trio asked.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean, he’s so dark. And his people were like cannibals, right?”
“Hey! That’s enough!”
The leader looked emotionless, but his two subordinates were trying to hold back their laughter.
“What’s it like? Is he like a wild animal?” the leader prodded.
“Fuck off!” Angel yelled in anger, also hoping that her voice would carry to Mani.
She started to walk faster and then broke into a run. But the two subordinates were expecting it, so she got only a few steps away before they grabbed her. She screamed before they could muffle her.
The sounds of the water were deafening, but Mani still thought that he had heard something. He hesitated but then thought he had better go check on her.
He scaled up the embankment and entered the forested grove that led back to the campsite. When he arrived there, he saw the leader in front of him smiling.
“Joshua?” Mani’s blood ran cold. Joshua was one of the most hateful people he had ever dealt with. After the episode at the Crossing, they had both entered the same army training unit. Moey had been in a different unit because siblings were not allowed to be in the same one. Just as he had done in the race, Mani seemed to outdo Joshua and many others in just about every area whether physical or mental.
Joshua was a reasonable athlete, but in terms of brains, he was a little slow. His frustrations over his own shortcomings were always channeled into a deep hatred for Mani. While Mani had served exceptionally and received an early discharge, Joshua was probably doomed to serve a lifetime in the army for his various misdeeds and for not knowing what else he could possibly do if he were not in the army.
“Mani! We’ve been looking for you! The report was that you are out here on vacation.” He was smiling and acting friendly, but Mani knew that something was off.
“Where’s Angel? Did you see my wife?” Mani inquired with concern while trying to keep things calm. Off to the side, one of the men had Angel in a tight headlock, and his other hand was clasped powerfully and forcefully over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with terror, but she powerless to utter even a sound. In fact, she couldn’t even move. They were partly tucked behind a tree, so when Mani scanned the area, he did not see her nor her captor. The third man had quietly moved around undetected and was completely behind Mani.
“Oh, she’s fine. She’s back there.” He waved his arm back in the direction of their camp.
“What is it, Joshua?” Mani’s tone was sterner now.
“What do you want?”
“I jus’ wanna see what yer doing out here. We don’t know what a brown monkey does out here in the woods. I jus’ wanna see that.”
“Where is she?!” Mani howled and started toward Joshua, who flinched at the sudden speed of Mani’s approach and started backpedaling. Meanwhile the soldier behind Mani took two deliberate steps forward, the second of which cracked a twig beneath his foot. But it was too late. He stepped and heaved his spear.
Upon hearing the snap of the twig, Mani whirled. His depth perception was hazy, and he struggled to unravel what has happening. There was a man, and there was something else.
Mani felt a punch in his chest. It didn’t make sense. Wait, there was a crack. Another twig? he wondered. Then, in an instant, his mind caught up a fraction after his heart had already stopped.
His eyes were wide, and he was still in a state of wonderment as he fell flat on his back. The moment he felt the impact of the ground, his vision went black.
Angel watched the whole scene from her vantage point.
Now, the soldier lightened his grip momentarily, and she instantly broke away, screaming hysterically and running toward Mani. But Joshua lunged and caught her arm as she tried to run past him. He threw her to the ground and then pinned her arms.
“I’m so sorry about this, sweetheart,” he said without a bit of emotion.
A day later, other soldiers saw a body floating down the river. It later caught on a branch. Angel’s throat had been cut, the final assault on her body following many others. A few days later, Mani was discovered as well. He was bloated and had washed up on a lazy outside turn of the river that had formed a large sandbar. Evidence of foul play was clear.
Moey investigated the crime personally, and within days, Joshua and his men were in jail. Weeks later, they were rowed out into the lake and scuttled alive. Just as Moey’s father and mother had taken in Mani, Moey and Marina now embraced Ajay as their own. And Moey’s wrath came down upon anyone for any reason that he suspected involved prejudice against Ajay because of the color of his skin. This intolerance was transferred to his three boys as well, and there was no more bullying or offhand remarks, as people came to understand the consequences.
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