“Ian!” She jumped up and into his waiting arms. Her staring colleagues, her computer, and her current assignment could all go hang.
“Mmmm.” He pulled his lips away briefly.
“So aren’t you going to ask what
I’m doing here?”
She touched his lips.
“Don’t be an idiot, idiot. You are kissing me. “
Ian laughed.
“True. No, I mean here. In Jo’burg.”
“Then tell me.”
He sat down in a nearby chair and she pulled her own seat up close.
Ian’s story tumbled out in excited words that almost got tangled up with one another. Practically as soon as he’d landed in New York, his network bosses had begun giving him everything he’d considered his heart’s desire-an overdue vacation, a big pay raise, and the promise of a plum assignment on Capitol Hill. It had taken several weeks for reality to sink in. Being back on the “fast track” didn’t seem to matter very much when you weren’t sure you wanted the prize waiting at the finish line.
At the same time, he’d begun realizing that, back in the States, he was just another sharp-eyed reporter-one of hundreds all chasing the same stories, following the same leads, and coming up with pretty much the same angles. In South Africa, he’d actually come to believe his work had meaning. Even more important, he’d come to realize just how much Emily meant to him-and just how big a void her absence left in his life and heart.
She interrupted him there. But once she let him up for air, Ian kept going with what he obviously considered the most important part of his tale.
“So I told the guys in New York they could take their new job and ..
.
give it to somebody else.” He grinned.
“My
two weeks’ notice expired a couple of days ago, so I hopped the first available plane out here.”
Emily was shocked.
“You quit your job? For me?”
“Well, not exactly… ” He had the grace to appear slightly shamefaced.
“I’m going freelance. I did a little checking around and it seems that the other networks and Sunday-morning news shows think I’ll have some kind of edge over here. Or anywhere in Africa for that matter.
So they’re all willing to pay me for footage-maybe even some commentary or documentary pieces. “
“But that’s wonderful! Truly wonderful! You will be your own master.”
“Yeah.” Ian smiled at her.
“Besides, there’s always that book we were talking about writing together.”
He leaned over to kiss her again.
A second familiar voice broke them apart.
“Hey, Ian! I heard some big news over the police radio. A madman is saying he will blow both himself and the Voortrekker Monument to tiny pieces unless his demands are met.
I have the car around front already.”
Emily stared at Matthew Siberia. The young black man stood in the doorway to the newsroom-practically staggering under the weight of the camera, sound gear, and other equipment slung over his thin shoulders. He smiled shyly at her.
“Hello, miss.”
Ian grinned at her surprise.
“I need a cameraman, don’t P-He rose.
“Well, gotta go. The news waits for no man.”
“Or woman.” Emily thumped him in the ribs.
“I yield.” He raised his hands in mock surrender.
“Take my story, but give me your heart.”
She scooped a notebook, pen, and tape recorder off her crowded desk.
“Don’t be silly, Ian Sheffield, you have them both. “
GLOSSARY
A-6E Intruder-A twin-engine attack plane, the Intruder is one of the few planes that can strike a target in any weather. It is launched from carriers and has a prodigious payload. The crew of two sits side by side, and although the copilot has no flight controls, he can fly the plane by telling the plane’s computer what to do.
AA-2 Atoll-The first Soviet heat-seeking air-to-air missile, it is a direct copy of the 1950s-vintage AIM-913 Sidewinder. Like the early model of this missile, it can attack targets only from the rear. It has a range of about two miles.
AA-7 Apex—A Soviet radar-guided missile of mediocre performance. It has a range of about twenty miles.
AA-10 Alamo-An advanced Soviet radar-guided missile. It has a better seeker and a higher speed than the Apex.
AA-11 Archer-A Soviet short-range, heat-seeking missile. It has a range of about four miles, and most importantly, the ability to engage enemy aircraft from the front.
Afrikaans—Along with English, one of South Africa’s two official languages. Afrikaans is a variant of Dutch mixed with French and German.
It also includes words brought from Malaya and Madagascar by slaves.
Afrikaner—Term used to described white South Africans descended from
Dutch, German, and French Huguenot settlers first arriving in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Often referred to as Boers, the
Dutch word for “farmer,” they now dominate both South Africa’s politics and its economy.
AFV-Armored Fighting Vehicle-This abbreviation is used to describe any military vehicle that can shoot and expects to be shot at.
AH-64-An American armored attack helicopter, it carries both laser-guided antitank missiles, rockets, and a 30mm chain gun.
AIM-7M Sparrow-The standard U.S. radar-guided missile, its twenty-five mile range is shorter than that of the AIM54C Phoenix, but much longer than that of the Sidewinder or any other heat-seeking missile. It has gone through many improvements. Although the initial versions used in Vietnam were poor performers, the later makes are considered very effective.
AIM-9M Sidewinder-One of the most effective and successful missiles ever made. After launch, it homes in on the heat given off by an aircraft and explodes. Unlike earlier models, or other similar missiles of other countries, it does not need to see the hot tailpipe of a jet aircraft, but can even lock onto an aircraft from the front. It has a range of about ten miles.
AIM-54C Phoenix-A U.S. radar-guided missile, it is linked to the F-14
Tomcat’s AWG-9 weapons system. This huge weapon has a range of over one hundred miles and a speed over five times the speed of sound.
AK-47-A Russian-designed assault rifle, this simple, effective weapon has been widely exported and copied by many nations. A 7.62-caliber rifle, it can be fired either in semi or full automatic. It weighs about ten and a half pounds, and has a thirty-round magazine.
AKM-A newer and slightly lighter version of the Soviet AK-47 rifle.
ANC-First established in 1913, the African National Congress is the largest and most prominent black political group opposing apartheid. It has always had socialist leanings and is closely allied with the South African
Communist Party. Its military arm is Umkhonto we Sizwe—spear of the nation. “
Apartheid-An Afrikaans word literally meaning apart ness or “separation.”
