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MARCHING POWDER

the silence was usually proportional to the amount of bribe they required. This was a particularly long pause and I calculated it was going to cost me at least fifty bolivianos. But it would be worthwhile, if it worked.

‘OK. Más tarde, then,’ he finally agreed, unlocking the gates again.

‘It’s OK. You can come inside now,’ I called to Yasheeda, who was standing just outside on the footpath, wrapped tightly against the cold in her thick jacket. By then, the cocaine and cocktails had started to wear off and she was faced with the prospect of voluntarily entering a third-world prison at four in the morning, accompanied by a drug trafficker whom she had only just met while he was on prison leave in a nightclub. Not surprisingly, she was a little hesitant.

‘Is it safe?’

‘I promise I will look after you if you come in. No one will touch you. But you don’t have to come in, if you don’t want to. There’s no pressure. You can get a taxi back to the hostel and we can talk tomorrow, if you want.’

Yasheeda looked at me and then at the major. The major nodded to her. She hesitated for another moment, then made her mind up.

‘It’s already tomorrow,’ she declared, passing through the gates. ‘So, let’s talk.’

It had been an exhilarating day and when we reached my door, I was very happy and completely exhausted. I wanted to go to bed, but Yasheeda got really excited as soon as I turned on the light in my room. She couldn’t believe what she saw. ‘This is actually your prison cell? But you’ve got absolutely everything here. Is this some kind of joke? It’s not really a prison, is it?’ she exclaimed, rushing back and forth from the kitchen into my bedroom, touching everything in sight and making a lot of noise. ‘You’ve even got a fridge! And a television!’

‘Cable.’

‘This is a joke! There’s no way this is a prison. It’s impossible. It’s more like a hotel. You know, it’s actually better than the place where we’re staying.’

I made her a cup of tea and we smoked a joint to relax.

‘Just let me know if you’re tired,’ I said, hoping she would want to go to bed straight away.