Jamie’s face grows red hot as she blushes. She hides her blushing face by turning and pointing at the wall. “I was wondering if your people built the wall or if my people did.”
“Your people forced my people to build it from whatever they could find in a hurry. I helped. It was brutal, backbreaking work.”
“I’m sorry Bol.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for Jamie. You did not do these things. Your people did.” He perks up. “Were you able to get your equipment that you left behind?”
“I was. Let’s get back to your home and I will show it to you.”
“Sounds good. Follow me.”
Neither mentions the pills for the fear that the government might have some sort of listening probes or bugs planted around the camp. They know that Bol’s home is safe because he is built a device that allows him to detect bugs and probes at a short distance.
Bol shuts the door behind Jamie and sits down her bags. He disappears into the small back room where he keeps his equipment and returns with a small handheld device that looks a little bit like a television remote. On top of the device are a green light and a red light. As he sweeps it around the room, he explains to her that the red light will only come on if there is a probe, bug, or a hidden camera. The green light stays on the whole time and he nods, satisfied.
“Here.” Jamie digs into her purse and pulls out a box holding six bottles of antibiotics and tosses them to Bol. The box is a tampon box. As he catches it he looks at her with confusion.
“I do not understand.”
“Open it.”
Bol opens the box and a smile splits his face. “You got this many. By the Creator! You risked much to bring this to us.”
He drops the bottles of pills on the table and rushes toward her. She isn’t sure what is about to happen until he wraps her in a hug and lifts her clean off the floor. A giggle of delight escapes her as he spins her around a couple of time. He sits her down and puts a hand on each side of her face. She looks into his eyes and smiles.
“You would have done the same thing for me.”
Bol nods his head down until their foreheads are touching. Jamie gets the feeling that this posture is one of gratitude in Astaran culture and makes a mental note to ask him what it means later on. He straightens up and lets go of her face.
“You are correct. I would have done the same thing for you if asked to do so.”
“I’m not going to lie. I’m still kind of tired and my head hurts a little. I’m sure that you have a lot that you need to do tonight, so if you don’t mind I think I will lie down on the couch and let you get to work.”
“I think that is a good idea, but take the bed. I have the feeling that I will not be getting much sleep this night.”
Jamie stretches out on the bed as Bol disappears into his secret room with his box of pills held to his chest in a protective grip like they were the most important thing in the world. To him and his people right now they probably are the most important things in the world, she thinks. Those pills mean the difference between life and death for a lot of Astara. Maybe even the whole camp in the long run.
*****
Throughout the night Jamie wakes up a couple of times. Each time she wakes she can hear Bol working in his secret room. The sound of small motors and the hum of computers fills the house. Once she gets up and goes to the bathroom. The trip brings her excruciatingly close to the door to the