Appointment With Death

APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH

They had met never before. In fact they even did not know about the existence of each other before they met quite accidentally that day. However, fate brought them together on an appointment with death at a rendezvous on the Kawambwa- Mansa highway about two and a half miles away from the town of Mansa.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the late 60's and early 70's, Goldring Motors in Mufulira were the sole agents of Skoda cars in Zambia. The East European Skoda was a far-cry from today's luxury models. Zambia had many makes of cars, out of which the most prominent ones were Ford, Peugeot, Fiat and Volkswagen. Japanese cars like Toyota, Nissan and Mazda were already in the market, but most buyers were unsure of their performance in the long run in spite of their elegant appearance and attractive price index. In the midst of all these new models and different makes of cars, the rear-engined, modest-looking Skoda was in very little demand. However, Goldring Motors were offering easy hire-purchase terms, handsome discounts and extended warranty to encourage people to buy their vehicles.

Vijay was a teacher in one of the newly opened government secondary schools in a place called Mporokoso (pronounced m'porokoso) in rural Zambia, about 120 miles from the sleepy little town of Mansa (formerly Fort Rosebury). Before coming to Zambia, he had been teaching in Ethiopia. He was from the state of Kerala in India. Vijay was young, smart, energetic, well-liked by his colleagues and pupils and had a keen interest in outdoor activities. He was a bachelor.

During the school holidays soon after his arrival in Zambia, Vijay made a visit to the Copperbelt where he had some friends. He was badly in need of a car. His plan was to go to Lusaka to get a government loan and to buy a car from there. However, finally he decided to go for a Skoda from Goldring Motors as new vehicles were readily available and could be bought on easy instalment scheme without going through the hassle of obtaining a government loan.

Vijay made a down payment with some money he had and took possession of the vehicle. He said he would make arrangements with his bank in Kasama for the payment of the on-coming monthly instalments. After reaching his station, he wrote instructions to his bank and sent through the mobile bank when it made its very next monthly visit.

In spite of its unimpressive appearance, the Skoda proved to be a good car. It had very good road-holding, especially on the treacherous gravel roads of the northern province. Vijay enjoyed driving his car. As soon as the school term came to an end he left for the Copperbelt in his car. His intention was to spend the whole vacation with friends in Lusaka and the Copperbelt and return just before the reopening of the school.

His first port of call was Mufulira. He wanted to get his car serviced at the dealer's. In fact the dealer was waiting very anxiously to see Vijay. The bank had not paid any instalments and Vijay was at default. The dealer had sent one or two notices to Vijay but there was no reply. Vijay could not explain what went wrong. He tried unsuccessfully to convince the dealer about the poor communication facilities in the rural area which he attributed to his failure in receiving the dealer's notices. He even tried to contact his bank by phone but the connection was bad and he could not get a satisfactory reply. The only alternative was to drive the four hundred miles to the bank at Kasama and sort out the problem. The dealer insisted that he should leave his car behind until all dues were cleared. Vijay had no option.

While Vijay was walking back to his temporary abode, contemplating about his next move, he came across a friend called Eugene from another rural school who also was on vacation. He too was a bachelor. Vijay explained his predicament to Eugene and as Eugene was intending to spend a number of days in Mufulira, he lent his Volkswagen beetle to Vijay to go to Kasama and come back within two or three days. Accordingly Vijay set out to Kasama very early next morning.

Vijay managed to reach the bank before closing time. He found out that his letter had not been received by the bank. However, there were more than sufficient funds in his account to pay Goldring Motors. After arranging to send the necessary amount by telegraphic transfer, he took a longer route to Mufulira, via Mporokoso instead of through Luwingu, as he had to see the headmaster of his school on the way.

There was a place called Kawambwa on his way from Mporokoso to Mufulira. Just before reaching this place the engine of his borrowed Volkswagen came to a stand-still. In spite of his best efforts, he could not get it started again. He left the car on the side of the road and walked to the shopping area, looking for a mechanic. Then he came across a small garage where he found a mechanic who offered to help. However, he could not get the engine started. As he could not do much on the side of the road, the car had to be towed into the garage where it was checked thoroughly. Soon it was established that the engine had seized.

Now Vijay was in a fix. He was stuck in a strange place in the middle of nowhere, about a hundred miles away from any familiar place and with the added liability of a broken-down car. Leaving the car with the garage people, he explored the possibilities of getting a lift to the Copperbelt. It was imperative that he should reach Mufulira as early as possible and inform Eugene what happened to his car. Then he should get back his Skoda from Goldring. Once he was mobile, he would be able to go to CAMS (dealers of Volkswagen in Zambia) and get the necessary spares to repair Eugene's car. As the engine had already been dismantled, it would be just a matter of fixing the rings and bearings and reassembling the engine, provided the crank shaft was not damaged.

In the meanwhile he realized that he was terribly hungry. In a place like Kawambwa, he did not expect to find any star hotel or even a decent restaurant. After looking around he came across a place from where he could hear some loud music blaring and where people were found going in and coming out. It was a tavern.

While he was having a drink and some snacks, he saw another Asian in the bar. He made his acquaintance and soon came to know that he too was a teacher, teaching at Kawambwa secondary school. His name was Victor. He was from Madras. Vijay told him about his predicament and asked him whether he was aware of someone going to the Copperbelt. By a mere coincidence, Victor himself was intending to go to Ndola, another town in the Copperbelt, early next morning. He said that Vijay could go with him in his new Toyota car as he was alone and could drop him at Mufulira, on his way. He invited Vijay to his house to spend the night there so that they could start very early in the morning. They left the tavern by 8 P.M. for Victor's house.

No one knows exactly what happened thereafter. Someone at the tavern who overheard their conversation said later that they were talking about leaving for the Copperbelt as early as 4 A.M. Between 7.30 and 8.00 o’clock next morning, some passers-by on the Kawambwa- Mansa highway noticed a car in the "bush" a few metres away from the road, not very far from Mansa town. Someone went to investigate and found indications of the car having gone off the road and hitting a tree head-on. Its bonnet and front part were extensively damaged. The place was littered with broken glass. There were two people in the car. One look was sufficient to realize that the man in the front passenger seat was dead. The driver was showing some signs of life. However, he was trapped in the crumbled part of the vehicle. It was quite evident that more men and materials would be required to get him out of the car. There was nothing they could do except to rush to the nearest police station and report the matter.

Vijay was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Later in the day Victor died on the operation table. The doctor who operated on him at Mansa General Hospital confirmed his death to the few people, mostly Indians, who had gathered together at the hospital on hearing the news of the accident.

Vijay and Victor kept their appointment with death even though they both were unaware of it when they met for the first time, only a few hours before it really happened. Fate wrote down their names also in the never-ending list of people who are being sacrificed on the altar of Road Carnage in Zambia.