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."Returnthe vehicle to my son and he will take care of everything.""Why should he?" asked Kamau suspiciously."Because I have always been an embarrassment to him, and ifit were known that I stole Ahmed from a government laboratory, Iwould graduate from an embarrassment to a humiliation.Trust me:he will not allow this to happen.""If your son asks about you, what shall I tell him?""The truth," I answered."He will not come looking for me.""What will stop him?""The fear that he might find me and have to bring me backwith him," I said.Kamau's face reflected the battle that was going on insidehim, his terror of returning alone pitted against his fear of thehardships of life on the mountain."It is true that my son would worry about me," he saidhesitantly, as if expecting me to contradict him, perhaps evenhoping that I would."And I would never see my grandchildrenagain."_You are the last Kikuyu, indeed the last human being, that Ishall ever see,_ I thought._I will utter one last lie, disguisedas a question, and if you do not see through it, then you willleave with a clear conscience and I will have performed a finalact of compassion._"Go home, my friend," I said."For what is more importantthan a grandchild?""Come with me, Koriba," he urged."They will not punish youif you explain why you kidnapped him.""I am not going back," I said firmly."Not now, not ever.Ahmed and I are both anachronisms.It is best that we live out ourlives here, away from a world we no longer recognize, a world thathas no place for us."Kamau looked at the mountain."You and he are joined at thesoul," he concluded."Perhaps," I agreed.I laid my hand on his shoulder."_Kwaheri,_ Kamau."_"Kwaheri, mzee,"_ he replied unhappily."Please ask Ngai toforgive me for my weakness."It seemed to take him forever to activate the vehicle andturn it toward Nairobi, but finally he was out of sight, and Iturned and began ascending the foothills.I had wasted many years seeking Ngai on the wrong mountain.Men of lesser faith might believe Him dead or disinterested, but Iknew that if Ahmed could be reborn after all others of his kindwere long dead, then Ngai must surely be nearby, overseeing themiracle.I would spend the rest of the day regaining my strength,and then, in the morning, I would begin searching for Him again onMarsabit.And this time, I knew I would find Him
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