--------------------------------- July, 1960 - Beira, Rhodesia --------------------------------- Morning came slowly to Anna Politkovskaya. The [i]African Dream[/i] had been finally allowed to enter the Port of Beira after all passengers had been checked and their travel documents had been handed out. Unexpectedly, Police had gone through the ship with several dogs searching for drugs. None had been found and the vessel had been cleared to tie up at one of the recently built concrete piers. She had spent the entire evening on the upper deck of the ship while the others slept below in a sweaty pile. The humidity once they had gotten closer to shore had been to much and she had sought the cooler night air on the open deck. It had given her an opportunity to take in her first real Rhodesian night. The City of Beira was built on a low lying coastal plain and she was certain she could see the majority of the city from where she stood. It smelled faintly of civilization but did not have an overpowering stink to it that she had come to associate with cities in Russia and Ukraine. Street lights appeared to be something of a rarity rather than the rule and automobiles appeared to be fairly scarce. She had seen a blue and white Police car go past, along with the odd delivery truck. Many people seemed to be walking, or taking advantage of a host of buses and taxis that made up the majority of traffic. The streets appeared to be well maintained and she saw, on more than one occasion, a person in a jumpsuit moving down the sidewalks picking up litter. Church spires jutted above the rest of the rooftops, most of them white and topped with a steel cross. There were few buildings over three stories and most of those appeared to be near the white sand beaches, she suspected they were probably hotels. Across the harbour from the [i]African Dream[/i] she could see a military installation. Two long sleek looking warships shared a pier, while several smaller vessels like the one that had come out to meet them on their arrival waited at another. A big circle of concrete with an [B]H[/B] painted in its centre rested near the waterfront. The strangest sight of all to her was the number of black people. She had found herself struggling to even find a white face in the crowds of people who strolled the waterfront, filled the cafes, and stared curiously up at her white face far above them. The women seemed to mostly dress in long ankle length dresses that billowed around them when they walked, and the men in shorts and a collared shirt. She had stayed there as darkness fell and the sounds of night took over the city. It was much quieter than Odessa and she occasionally heard the sound of sirens in the distance. Once an ambulance raced past the waterfront. Several groups of drunken youth staggered along the waterfront and threw themselves behind cover with screams of hilarity whenever a police car cruised past. One group paused to look over the cruise ship and began to call out to her when they spotted her white face but she was to far away to make out what they were saying. Eventually she had lain on one of the long benches that circled the observation deck and stared up at the sky. Light pollution here was less intense as well and the whole sky spread out above her, a great carpet of stars that winked and sparkled down on her. She lay there for hours, disturbed once by the drown of an aircraft passing overhead and again by a member of the ships crew who was as startled as she was to find another person there. She fell asleep, still lying on the bench, and woke to the morning sun on her face as it began to clear the horizon. It was early but already she could feel the heat of the day begin to rise quickly with the arrival of the sun. She waited until the sun had cleared the horizon, marvelling in what was her first true ocean sunrise. The city below was stirring to life as she stood, stretched and looked around the deck. Several other people had arrived while she was asleep but all were lost in their own thoughts as they looked over the city. "Anna!" Natalya appeared on the upper deck and waved, a smile on her face. "Breakfast is ready if you wold like some coffee." She tapped her wrist watch. "And our train arrives in half an hour." Anna had noticed the train tracks during the evening but only one train had arrived from the interior of the continent. It had disgorged a chattering mass of passengers and then continued northward along the coastline out of sight. "Lead on!" She declared as her stomach gave an angry rumble at the thought of food. "I would love some coffee." "They have Ethiopian coffee today. It seems our classic Russian fare has run out." Natalya commented as the two women made their way down to the dining room. It was half full at the hour already. Alexandre and Elena waved from a table and the two made their way toward them. "Good morning." Alexandre smiled as he stood to hug Anna. "You really must try this." He handed her a small white cup filled with a pitch black substance that smelled like coffee. "It is unbelievably strong!" Anna sipped the hot beverage and coughed at the taste. Ethiopian coffee was unlike anything she had ever had before. It was almost violently strong and she realized why the portion must be so small. She sat and sipped it some more. She was to excited to really eat anything and nibbled on some toast while the others spoke amongst themselves. Alexandre and Elena were discussing finding a place to live together in Maputo, though they knew literally nothing about it. Anna couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. Natalya, like Anna, was to begin work at the Royal Salisbury Hospital, but she had not done any research and had not idea what Salisbury was to be like. The intercom popped as they were in the middle of a discussion about meeting up again in a few months, interrupting them. "All passengers for Salisbury, please make your way to the gangway. You train will arrive in ten minutes." This was it. Anna and Natalya stood. They embraced their friends, sharing tight hugs and a few tears as they promised to see each other again soon. Together they returned to the cabin and took their meagre belongings from the suitcase which they would leave for the other two. Anna looked at her old clothes from Russia and then, with a sense of purpose, she turned her back on them. She would not take any part of her past with her except her memories. The gangway was busy with some forty other people. Several families, and plenty of people in pairs or travelling alone. A few awkward conversations could be heard but most, like Anna, were to nervous to speak. The anticipation was worse than when she had lost her virginity. Everyone fell quiet as a Rhodesian official in white shirt and shorts made his way up the gangway. His broad black face was wreathed in a smile that might have been a little to forced and Anna, belatedly, realized that he might not want them there. Rhodesia was in Africa after all and she doubted the black majority population thought highly of importing more whites. To her surprise though he spoke in halting but passable Russian. "Ladies and Gentleman." His pronunciation was a bit off but she understood him. "Welcome to Rhodesia. My name is Nigel Nyamutumbu. I will be taking you to Salisbury." A small cheer went up and a genuine smile crossed his face. "Please, follow." He started down the ramp. Everyone hesitated for a moment except for Anna who stepped off the [i]African Dream[/i] and left the past behind her.