Oil on Water

After eating, Rufus talks to Salomon and gets the rest of the story. Salomon knew that Koko was pregnant and assumed the child was his. He then found out the child was Floode’s. Koko became convinced that James was going to divorce Isabel and be with her instead. Salomon went to tell Isabel what was going on, but after leaving her at the hotel, he talked with his friends Bassey and Jamabo, who convinced Salomon to fake a kidnapping with Isabel as the victim. The idea was that she would remain safely at the hotel, the oil company would pay the ransom, and everyone would come out ahead in the end.

The kidnappers were surprised when news of Isabel’s kidnapping was broadcast on the radio. Salomon panicked, hurrying back to the hotel where they were keeping Isabel. Only Jamabo was there, and he told Salomon there was now a change of plans. Isabel had been taken away, and Salomon needed to decide if he was for or against the decision; the fake kidnapping had now become a real kidnapping. Isabel was taken to Agbuki Island—the same island Rufus was taken to earlier in the book—where there was evidence of a military ambush. Salomon located Isabel, and even though he was one of the instigators of the crime, Isabel was happy to see him. He assured her that everything would be fine. The Professor and his men then caught up with them and chided them for getting involved with a kidnapping plot in his territory. The Professor coldly shot Jamabo but allowed Salomon to live and come with them to Irikefe. Ultimately, Salomon’s guilt made him help Isabel escape, as he saw how ill she had become and how the Professor kept raising the ransom amount after the attack on Agbuki. They disguised Isabel and snuck away one night by boat, rowing until they found a friendly village that would help them get as far away as possible.

Rufus is woken up by a man with a gun. He is taken to the Professor, who tells him that Salomon tried to escape and fell to his death from a cliff. Rufus doesn’t believe him. The Professor threatens him, and Rufus changes tactics, confidently stating that he will carry the message of the Professor and his cause to the papers when he returns to Port Harcourt. Rufus asks about Isabel; the Professor tells him that she is safe and will be returned after the ransom is taken care of. The Professor gives Rufus an envelope of Isabel’s hair to give to James, along with the message about the ransom. Rufus asks about Gloria, the nurse, and is informed that she was freed two days earlier.

The militants drop Rufus off on an island, with the idea that it’s up to him to survive and get back to civilization on his own. He breaks through the jungle and finds a way to Irikefe, arriving upon the island and heading toward Gloria’s former home. He finds her hard at work washing clothes. She is happy to see him and gives him a bath and a meal. He lies down for a nap and awakens with her next to him. The news comes that Zaq “died before the militants brought Gloria back to Irikefe” (234). Gloria pulls Rufus back into bed, telling him he needs to rest. She says she will come to Port Harcourt with him after she asks the doctor for a few days off. Rufus decides that he has to go and say his final goodbye to Zaq, who has been buried in the same shallow grave he and Rufus dug up while looking for Isabel. On his way back, Rufus finds his sister, Boma, who has decided to stay on the island. He believes she will be happy there. Rufus watches the worshippers in their white robes do their ritual out in the water and then begins walking back down the hill.