“What can he do?”
“There are a few options, but we have little time. He’d have to work with short notice.”
I grabbed my satellite phone and checked the battery. It was nearly nonexistent. I dialed anyway and sat at the edge of my bed while Karina paced back and forth on my creaky floor.
“Hello,” a shaky Pembrook’s voice sounded.
I took a deep breath. It was so good to hear a familiar voice. “Pembrook!” I screamed into the bad connection.
“Sophie? Is that you?” The connection broke. “...are you?”
“I missed that last bit, Pemmy. I’m fine, if you asked. Listen, I need a favor. I’m running on low battery here and I need you to arrange for a shipment.”
“What...for?”
“Measles has broken out here at Masego and none of the children are vaccinated. Karina says there are several options available to us. Can you get in touch with Ford and arrange something?”
Several seconds of silence followed and I feared we lost him. “...I’ll contact you tonight. Charge....if you can.”
“Thank you, Pemmy!” I yelled before the connection broke.
Karina sat next to me. We were silent for a few minutes letting everything sink in.
“What if he can’t get anything?” I asked her.
Karina wrung her hands continuously. “We quarantine. We treat fevers. We hydrate.”
I sighed loudly. “Jesus, Karina. When does it stop?” I turned toward her.
“It doesn’t stop, love,” she said, stopping and resting a hand on my shoulder, a wan smile gracing her beautiful face. “We do the best we can when we can and have faith it will all work out.” I nodded. “Let’s get something to eat and discuss what we need to do with Charles and Din.”
We sat at the tables, my satellite phone resting in the center of our group.
“It’s dying,” I admitted, pointing to the phone.
“We really need a generator,” Ian said quietly.
“We can’t afford it, Din,” Charles added.
“No one will have electricity nearby,” Karina put in.
“And the closest city?” I asked.
“The closest city with guaranteed electricity?” Ian said.
“Yes.”
“Jinja?” he asked Charles.
“Probably.”
“How far is that?” I asked.
“Two and a half hours. Approximately.”
“Pemmy could have called by then,” I told them.
“True, but it’s our only other option,” Charles said.