Heart of the Hunter

38.

When Lien and Lizette crept into the double bed beside her, Janina Mentz woke up and rubbed her eyes. ?What time is it?? she asked.

Lien said, ?It?s early, Ma, sleep a little longer.?

She checked the clock radio. ?It?s half past six.?

?Very early,? said Lizette.

?Time to get ready,? she said without enthusiasm. She could sleep for another hour or two.

?We?re not going to school today,? said her youngest.

?Oh, really??

?It?s National Keep Your Mother at Home at Any Cost Day.?

?Hah!?

?Failure to obey is punishable with a fine of five hundred rands? worth of new clothes for every descendant.?

?That will be the day.?

?It is the day. National Keep Your Mum??

?Put on the TV?

?Watching TV so early in the morning is harmful to the middle-aged brain. You know that, Ma.?

?Middle-aged, my foot. I want to see the news.?

?Maaa ? leave the work until we go to school.?

?It?s not work, it?s a healthy interest in my environment and my world. An attempt to demonstrate to my darling daughters that there are more things in life than Britney Spears and horny teenage boys.?

?Like what?? said Lien.

?Name one thing,? said Lizette.

?Put on the TV?

?Okay, okay.?

?Middle-aged. That?s a new one.?

?People should be comfortable with their age.?

?I hope I see the same level of wisdom on your report cards.?

?There you go? the middle-aged brain?s last resort. The school report.?

Lien pressed the button on the small color television. A sports program on M-Net appeared slowly on the screen.

?The middle-aged brain wants to know who has been watching TV in my room.?

?I had no choice. Lien was busy entertaining horny teenage boys in the sitting room.?

?Put it on TV2 and stop talking rubbish.?

?isn'?t there an educational program??

?Shhh??

? details about the South African weapons scandal. The newspaper quotes a source saying the data Mpayipheli is carrying contains the Swiss bank account details of government officials involved in the weapons deals, as well as the amounts allegedly paid in bribes and kickbacks. A spokesperson for the Office of the Minister of Defence strongly denied the allegations, saying it was, quote, another malicious attempt by the opposition press to damage the credibility of the government with deliberate lies and fabrications, unquote.

The spokesperson also denied any military involvement in the disappearance of Mrs. Miriam Nzululwazi, the common-law wife of the fugitive Mpayipheli, and her six-year-old son. According to the

Cape Times,

a man identifying himself as an employee of the Department of Defence took young Pakamile Nzululwazi into his custody last night, after his mother was arrested at her place of work, a commercial bank, earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, rival motorcycle groups seemingly supporting Mr. Mpayipheli clashed in Kimberley last night. Police were called in to break up several fights in the city. Nine motorcyclists were treated for injuries at a hospital.

Moving on to other news ?

The other fear embraced her when she awoke and found Van Heerden gone. No note, nothing, and she knew the fear would be her constant companion until she heard from him again. Until she saw him again, the impulse to dial his number, to seek reassurance and confirmation, would strengthen through the day, but she must resist at all costs.

She stood up, looking for salvation in routine, swung the gown over her shoulders, put on the kettle, opened the front door, and retrieved the two newspapers. Went back to the kitchen, scanned the

Times,

everything was as she had written it, the main story, the boxes, the other two stories. She glanced quickly at pages two and three, did not see the small report hidden away, unimportant.