walls were of unplastered unpainted brick, and its galvanized iron roof
T
wait, chatting and smoking while their children romped and crawled
around them.
Most of the patient crowd recognized Tessay as soon as she entered the
room.'Even those who had waited most of the morning in the lines at the
counter greeted her respectfully and stood aside to allow her to go to
the, head of the queue. Despite two decades of African socialism, the
feudal instincts of the rural population were still strong.
Tessay was a noblewoman and she was entitled to this preference.
'Thank you, my friends.' She smiled at them and shook her head. 'You are
kind, but I will wait my turn.'
They were embarrassed by her refusal, and when the old postmaster leaned
over his counter top and added his insistence to the others, one of the
older women seized Tessay's arm and forcefully propelled her forward.
'Jesus and all the saints bless you, Woizero Tessay.' The postmaster
clapped his hands in respectful greeting.
'Welcome back to Debra Maryam. What is it that your ladyship desires?'
The entire clientele of the post office crowded around Tessay so as not
to miss a detail of her transaction.
'I want to make a telephone call to Addis,' she told the postmaster and
there was a hum of comment and discussion. This was unusual and
important business indeed.
'I will take you to the telephone exchange,' the postmaster told her
importantly, and donned his official blue cap for the occasion. He came
around the counter shouting and hectoring the other customers, pushing
them aside to make way for Lady Sun. Then 'he ushered her through to the
back room of the building, where the telephone exchange occupied a
cubicle the size of a small lavatory.
Tessay, the postmaster and as many of the other customers who could find
standing room pushed their way into the tiny room. The exchange operator
was almost overcome by the honour being accorded him by the beautiful
Tessay, and he shouted into his headset like a sergeant major commanding
a flag party.
'Soon now!' he-beamed at Tessay. 'Only small delay.
Then you speak to British Embassy in Addis.'
Tessay, who knew well what a small delay constituted, retired to the
front veranda of the post office and sent for food and flasks to be
brought from the village tej shop. She treated her escort of monks,
together with half the population of Debra Maryam, to a happy picnic
while she waited for her call to be patched through half a dozen
antiquated village exchanges to the capital. Thanks to the tei, spirits
were high amongst her entourage when finally, an hour later, the
postmaster rushed out tell her proudly that they had succeeded and that
her party was awaiting her on the line in the back room.
Tessay, the monks and fifty villagers followed the postmaster back into
the exchange and crowded, jabbering, into the cubicle. The overflow
backed up into the main post hall.
'Geoffrey Tennant speaking.' The upper'class English accent was tinny
with distance and static.
