A sexy smile raised the corner of Alex's lips as she openly looked at Sarah's breasts. "Like your animals."
Sarah gave her a look. "Watch yourself. They're the Big Five game animals of Africa, the rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, and Cape buffalo. They're very, very dangerous."
Alex smile widened. "Yeah, I remember."
Sarah blushed and decided to let this one go. "You ready for dinner?"
"Sure. I guess we could eat in the bar, or if you know of a place..." Alex left the sentence unfinished. She wanted Sarah to take the lead. Choice of restaurants was one of the things they had argued about.
Sarah looked up in surprise. Alex offering to eat bar food was right up there with pigs flying. Once she started to practise, she always wanted to go to the finest restaurants and be seen eating a health-conscious meal of salad and dead fish. Sarah enjoyed dressing up and going to a nice place now and again, but she was more the pizza and beer type. "We could go to the Carnivore. It's a restaurant that serves African meats—-ostrich, zebra, crocodile—that sort of thing."
Alex wrinkled her nose. "I don't do feathers, stripes, or bog crawlers. How about we just eat in the restaurant here? I'm kind of tired after the flight, anyway."
"Sounds like a plan," Sarah said.
They walked through the garden courtyard, stopping to observe some of the African birds at the feeders, and then made their way to
the restaurant. "Sarah Meloche. I just phoned down for a reservation."
"Yes, of course. Dr. Meloche, it is good to have you staying with us again. A table for two? Good, this way please." The host took them to a lovely table overlooking the gardens and gave them menus.
Alex looked at the selections and then lowered her menu to look at Sarah. "I'm not that person anymore, Sarah."
"What person?"
"The social-climbing snob that you came to hate." Alex played with her cutlery, feeling awkward and out of her depth. She hated this sort of conversation.
Alex needed to get some sort of communication between them going. They needed to sort through their history in order to move on. She was relieved when Sarah finally responded to her statement.
"There's nothing wrong with being rich and successful. I just felt our interests and priorities had gone in different directions, and we didn't have much in common anymore."
Alex licked her lips and tried again. "We never did have anything in common. I came from a poor dysfunctional family, and you came from the privileged class. I wanted to fit in. Make you proud of me."
"I was always proud of you. You had nothing to prove to me. Your background was never a problem."
Alex snorted. "Oh, yeah, it was a problem! You think I didn't know how much your parents hated me? And your friends wanted nothing to do with me."
"Some of that crap comes with the territory of being gay in a bigoted world. It wasn't all you. I was pretty young and idealistic. I've learned that the world's problems aren't so easily solved as sharing wealth equally." She chuckled. "Living in the local villages has also made me better appreciate the finer things in life. So let's enjoy this rare opportunity to dine well while we can, okay?"
"Okay."
The rest of dinner went well. They talked about Alex's flight out, the weather, books they'd read, and movies they'd seen. Their meal was poached salmon served on a bed of spiced rice and a fresh orange and pine nut salad. After dinner, they walked side by side through the walled gardens.
"Sarah Meloche, hello," came a voice from up ahead of them. They could see a tall, lean Masai walking up the path towards them.
"John Cattleman." Sarah smiled as she recognized his face. "It's good to see you again. Do your people prosper?" Sarah stepped forward and hugged John, her petite body dwarfed by the lanky African. "You've grown a beard since I last saw you."
"Ah, yes. I am too poor a man to have many cattle or wives, so I must grow a bread to show I am no longer a boy." The Masai's deep, vibrant laugh mixed with Sarah's soft chuckle. "My family is well, thank you."
"John, this is my friend, Dr. Alexandria Aubin. She's visiting me for a few weeks."
"How do you do. Welcome to Kenya."
"Thank you," Alex said. She watched Sarah closely out the side of her eye. She watched as Sarah seemed to force herself to seem relaxed. Clearly, John and his extended family were friends of Sarah's.
"I met James Phillips here today. He told me he had heard you were back, living in your village."
Is Sarah warning him to be careful what he says to her? Alex wondered.
The only sign of a reaction to this news was a slight tightening of John's lips. "Oh, I am. You know us Masai always come home eventually. Some business brought me to Nairobi. I will be heading back home in one of the supply trucks in a few days. What about you?"
"I'm here to meet Alex, who flew in today. We'll be leaving on the late flight to Governor's Camp tomorrow."
"Then perhaps our paths will cross again soon. I must be off now, I have an appointment. Nice meeting you, Doctor. Bye now."
Alex waited until John had disappeared into the main section of the hotel. "You want to tell me what's going on?"
Sarah looked up at Alex. "I don't know. That's the man Phillips wants me to keep an eye on. Isn't it strange that we should all be here at the same time? A little too coincidental. I feel I'm being caught up in a game of blind man's bluff."
In silence, the two women went back to their room. The relaxed atmosphere they had enjoyed over diner was gone. Sarah seemed to be preoccupied by the events of the day, and Alex was finding it frustrating to be so close to the woman she loved when she was not able to express her feelings.
Finally, she could stand it no longer. She came up behind Sarah as she was hanging up her slacks and gently took her by the shoulders. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Sarah smiled brightly over her shoulder and then pulled away. "Our flight isn't until the afternoon, so Paul is going to take us to the Giraffe Centre tomorrow and to Karen Blixen's home. You remember, she wrote Out Of Africa. We saw it together."
Alex moved away. "Yeah, I remember. Thanks for arranging the tour."
Alex wanted so much to be in Sarah's arms. It would feel so good. But she knew she had to go slow. She wasn't sure she was strong enough to live through Sarah rejecting her again.
They settled down into their separate beds, and Alex turned off the light. She lay in her own personal darkness, alone and confused, and wondered if Sarah had the same worries about where to go from there.
Chapter 7
Sarah awoke early. She had been dreaming, and the memory of that dream had left her wet and needy. It was the spicy scent of Alex sleeping in the bed only a few feet away that had brought back the memories on which the dream had been built. In her dream, it had been Sunday morning and they had been snuggling close after a hot shower together. The room smelt of fresh coffee and lovemaking, and Alex still nuzzled at her ear as she tried to concentrate on the Sunday papers. "I love you. I want you," Alex had whispered, and the papers had been forgotten. Sarah groaned softly and squirmed with need. Looking over she was startled to see Alex staring back at her.
"Oh, you're awake." Dumb observation, Sarah. She added, "I guess we should get moving. Paul will pick us up at nine."
"I love the warm scent of you," Alex answered.
Sarah blushed. Common sense said that going back into a relationship that had ended so painfully would be stupid. "Alex, we haven't seen each other in a long time. We've changed. We need to get to know each other and address some of the old history."
"Do I still turn you on like you do me?" Alex asked.
Damn the woman, anyway. She knew exactly what she was doing. Alex had that sexy, arrogant half-smile she got when she was being a tease.
"Yes," Sarah answered. "I'll go shower first." She slid out the far side of the bed and disappeared quickly, annoyed to hear Alex's soft laugh from the other bed.
When Sarah returned wrapped in a fluffy towel, Alex insisted on checking her infected shoulder.
Alex took her turn in the bathroom, and then they went to the morning room for breakfast.
"Eggs and bacon. When did you start eating cholesterol and fats?" Sarah asked, as she eyed the food that Alex had brought back from the hot food section.
"I keep telling you, I'm a changed woman. I don't eat a lot of red meat or eggs, but I'm not the puritan I once was. I see you're eating better. Fruit and oatmeal. Hmm, what happened to cold pizza for breakfast?"
"My tastes have matured. Besides they don't have pizza here." Sarah laughed and took a sip of coffee. "So, how is your practice going?"
Alex hesitated. "Good. It's challenging. There's a lot of varied work, and I do a lot of general medicine as well as surgery now. What about you? How's your research going?"
"Now that I understand the language better, I'm really starting to understand the Masai culture. On the surface, they seem to live a very simple life, but their worldview and traditions are very complex and tied closely to their sense of family and self. They're a fascinating people."
They talked over breakfast for nearly an hour and then walked through the gardens back to their room. Sarah was the first to realize that someone had been through their bags. "Shit! I think we've been robbed. Someone dumped my makeup bag. Alex, go through your stuff and see what's missing."
Alex went immediately to the medical supplies. The box had been opened and the contents were a jumbled mess. She carefully checked through each item. Everything was there. That was strange. The needles and the drugs would seem the logical items for a thief to take. She checked her own luggage. Again, everything was a mess, but nothing had been taken.
"God damn it!" Sarah said. "I don't know how but they got into the wall safe... I don't believe it, our passports, travelers' checks, and money are still here. Do you think we scared him off when we came back to the room?"
Alex looked at the safe. The lock had been drilled out. Sarah checked the door—nothing. She went to the bay window. A pane had been broken and the side window unlocked. Whoever had entered their room was no amateur, and they hadn't come to steal, but instead were looking for something.
Alex moved beside Sarah. "This is really creeping me out. Someone was looking for something."
They took their important belongings down to the main hotel safe and arranged for the damage to their room to be fixed. Paul showed up as they finished sorting things out with the distressed hotel manager.
"What's the matter?" he asked
"Nothing really," Sarah explained as she accepted a receipt for the articles they had put in the hotel safe. "Someone broke into our room, but luckily nothing was taken."
"Oh, no! I'm glad that you're safe and didn't lose anything. Robberies happen all over the city these days. We need a stronger government with higher moral standards. Do you still wish to go out this morning, or have you things to straighten out?"
"We do have a bit of a mess back in our room, but I think we'll go out anyway. I want Alex to see the Rothschild giraffes."
Alex smiled. "The mess will still be there when we get back. Let's go."
They piled into the van. This time Sarah sat beside Alex in the back. Alex gave Sarah a quick, happy smile before watching the city slip past the van window. Nairobi was a dusty, over-populated, modern city of crude cement buildings, tin shacks, and modern high-rises. Laundry hung from windows, and weeds and grasses seemed to be winning the battle in parks and along roadsides. The streets were crowded with people and cars, and the air was heavy with dust and pollution.
Sarah tried to explain. "It's not really safe to walk in some areas of the city now, especially for tourists. The Kenyans blame the social decay and crime on the refugees who have flooded in from unstable neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Chad, and Somalia. The refugees are accused of importing crime, poverty, guns, and social problems, but it's not as simple as that. The government is ineffective and corrupt at many levels. It's more of a dictatorship than a governing body."
Sarah noted the homeless people sleeping in the parks or on grassy roadsides, the crippled beggars, and the ragged women and children who stared at them as they passed.
Sarah sighed. "Poverty is a rapidly growing problem in all of Africa. It's particularly bad here in Nairobi. Officially, the unemployment rate stands at twenty-five percent, but in reality, it's much higher." They passed small, dirty shops filled to overflowing with cheap Asian articles and clothes, black-market goods, and mass-made tourist souvenirs. On the street, gaunt, scruffy men went from car to car selling newspapers, fruit, and stolen articles.
There was another side, too, that Sarah pointed out as they drove along. There were huge ornate mosques and Hindu temples, women in black robes with their faces covered, and modern hotels.
The old colonial homes now housed embassies, international businesses, and private schools and universities. Like most African nations, a large part of the land they passed was owned by the military. The contrasts were extreme.
They arrived at the Giraffe Centre an hour later. Sarah gave Paul the money for the entrance fees, and he left to visit the gift centre. As they walked over to the low stone wall that separated the tourists from the giraffe population, Sarah explained that one of Paul's many relatives worked in the gift store, and it was unlikely they'd see him again before they were ready to leave. They found four adult giraffes and one baby feeding nearby. When the giraffes saw Sarah and Alex arrive, they wandered over.
"These are Rothschild giraffes, and they're very rare. You can tell they're Rothschild's because their legs are all white below the knee where other giraffes are spotted down to their feet."
Sarah picked up a handful of kibbles from a feeding bucket, and one of the adults leaned his head down. Sarah popped a few pellets onto the giraffe's tongue. "Don't put your hand out flat like you would with a horse to feed the giraffe. It's likely to mistake your hand for a leaf and try to pull it off."
Alex grabbed a handful of kibbles and started feeding the row of giraffes that were leaning her way. "These are wild giraffes that forage in this private preserve most of the time," Sarah said, "but this feeding centre helps cover the costs of the research that's going on here."
Alex used up the feed she was holding and scratched a giraffe's neck. Sarah bent to get another handful of pellets. "Because of their long necks, giraffe's have real problems with blood pressure... Alex, look out!"
The warning came too late; Sarah only had time to drop the feed from her hand and reach out to grab Alex, who had just been head-butted from behind by an impatient giraffe who wanted more food. Alex went sprawling forward into Sarah's arms.
"Ouch!"
"They head-butt when they get annoyed."
"Now you tell me."
"Knock any sense in?"
"I'm in your arms, aren't I?"
Sarah smiled in spite of herself. "You bribed that giraffe, didn't you? Are you okay?"
Alex crossed her eyes. "No, I think I'm dizzy. I'd better stay in your arms for a while."
Sarah gave a snort and pushed Alex away. "You're fine and just as roguish as ever."
Alex smiled wickedly. "It was fate."
"It was a greedy giraffe. Come on, let's go see the display up in the observatory tower."
They toured the information centre and fed the giraffes once more from the vantage point of the observatory balcony. Sarah realized she was finding excuses to move closer to Alex today. Could it be that she had missed Alex far more than she was prepared to admit?
After their visit with the giraffes, Paul drove them to the Karen Blixen home, which was now a museum. Blixen was best known for her novel Out of Africa. Paul did his Robert Redford imitations, and the three of them laughed a good deal as they toured the colonial ranch house. The clothes the actors wore in the movie hung in the bedroom of the house, and on the walls were old black and white pictures of the original inhabitants of the house.
Sarah stood by the old wooden kitchen sink and looked out over the gardens. Blixen had put a light in the window when it was safe for her bush pilot lover to visit and had covered it with a red cloth if her husband, the Baron, was home.
After the plane crash that had killed her lover and the fire that had ruined their already-struggling coffee plantation, she had gone back to Europe, alone. She had expressed her passion in her books after that, and died of anorexia, cheating the cancer that she also had.
They didn't talk much on the way back.
When they got back, they had time for a quick meal and had to rush and get ready before meeting Paul again. He entertained them with a hilarious story of the argument that had ensued over lunch with his mother's latest attempt to marry him off.
"You know, Paul, you wouldn't have the problems you do if you would just let your parents pick out a nice girl for you," Sarah said.
"What can I do? My parents only pick for me ugly girls! 1 don't think my parents like me." It was a long drive to Nyeri where the Outspan Hotel was located. There, the three of them enjoyed a lovely buffet meal on the terrace. All tourists had to check in at the
Outspan Hotel before overnighting in the famous Treetops Lodge. Alex and Sarah walked through the landscaped gardens while Paul took the van to get gas.
"The gardens are beautiful," Alex murmured, as she watched a brightly coloured sunbird flutter from one branch to another.
"Yes."
Alex swallowed. "So, do you think that we can rediscover the love we had before?"
Sarah sighed. "Damn it, Alex, I don't know. I've never stopped loving you, and that hasn't made this any easier. You think all you have to do is show up here and tell me you've changed and everything will be all right. Well, it won't, Alex. 1 can't live the life you want your partner to live. It would bore me to death."
"Do you mind?" Alex said. "You have no idea what you're talking about. I have no preconceived—"
"I do know what I'm talking about. I lived that life. The woman I was attracted to could be wild and dangerous. She was a rebel. Your medical degree changed all that. All your force and energy went into moving up the damn social ladder, and I was just the pretty woman on your arm. We were the token queers at the socially correct parties you wanted to attend." Sarah spun around to look at the late afternoon sun hitting the trees so Alex wouldn't see the tears welling in her eyes.
Alex tried again. "I was a kid when you met me—a university student with a tough, bitch attitude. I grew up, Sarah. We all have to. I became responsible. All I wanted to do was be a good provider and someone you could be proud of. I know I got caught up in the whole social climbing shit and made a mess of things, but you weren't without fault. You were spoilt and idealistic."
Sarah reeled around, her face white with emotion. "Bullshit!"
Sarah stormed back to the hotel. Well, that hadn 't gone well. Mainly because they both had told the truth, and neither one of them was ready to hear it.
Chapter 8
On the trip to Treetops, Paul tried to engage the women in conversation, but having failed a few times instead listened to the van's radio. They were the last of the guests to arrive at Treetops just before sunset. A guide carrying a rifle big enough to down an elephant waited for them, and they walked with him up the hill to the famous Treetops game resort.
It was a strange building, high, long, and narrow. It was built on top of a tall log base. The building was a basic structure four stories high. It was sided in bark shingles and the roof was a flat observation deck. On each side was a large watering hole that attracted the wild animals from the game reserve.
Once they had checked in, Alex wished for a way to mend some bridges, but feared only starting another argument. Alex sensed Sarah regretted flying off the handle earlier that day. Her angry retort had hit too close to home and upset Sarah. Sarah was quick to anger, but, Alex knew, she was also quick to cool down and would make an effort to see both sides of the issue. Alex just needed to give her time and then maybe they could talk. In the meantime, she went out of her way to be caring and polite. Being close to each other again, Alex reasoned, had really put them both off emotional balance. Alex waited. That wasn't easy for her. Finally, Sarah broke the ice.
"Listen Alex, I'm sorry. I was a little out of line with my reaction back at the hotel. How about we go up to the bar and have a drink? There's a great view of the water hole from there. One wall is all windows."
"I kind of lost my cool a bit, too," Alex answered. Then she took Sarah's hand and stammered out the words she wanted to say earlier. "I've made a lot of mistakes in our relationship. I lost sight of who I was and refused to listen to your concerns. You were right to leave me. But Sarah, I have changed. I'm not a driven social
climber anymore. I've gotten in touch with who I was—the person you once loved. I'm here to try and prove that to you."
She gave Sarah a gentle push and followed her up the spiral metal staircase to the third floor. They sat in comfortable lounge seats and looked at the large water hole.
The water hole was a pathetic affair by the standards of the western world, but in Africa, where water was so scarce in the dry season, it was a small paradise in a parched land. The banks were low, muddy, and well trodden, and the water chocolate milk in colour. A marsh island was located near the centre, and it was there they finally saw movement. Out from the bushes popped a Sacred Ibis, a large wading bird with a long beak that curved down. Paddling around, too, were White-faced Whistling Ducks and Egyptian Geese.
Alex brought two beers with a glass of tomato juice over from the bar, and Sarah pointed out the birds. "The Egyptian Goose is easy to spot with the lump at the top of its orange beak, and of course, the blue on its wing. In flight, you can see the white shoulder on its wing and its white belly. It's a bit early yet for many animals to show up, but over on the far side of the pool, you can see a black rhino heading this way. Do you see it in the tall grass?"
Alex looked carefully at where Sarah was pointing and could just make out the grey form in the grass. "You have good eyes."
Sarah replied, "You don't last long on the Masai Mara without good eyes." They sat for a while longer watching the rhino slowly work its way down to drink at the far side of the pool. Sarah also pointed out a white-tailed mongoose and they watched the antics of the swift moving animal.
Then the excited news of elephants buzzed through the building, and they hurried up to the observation deck. Led by a massive bull, a herd of fourteen animals lumbered over the hill. They slowly made their way down to the edge of the pool and used their sensitive trunks to scoop up the salt that had been put out for them.
"They have to put salt out here, although they don't like to encourage animals to rely on humans. The problem was the elephants were ripping apart the posts that support this building to get the salt from the wood. It was either a salt lick or disaster," Sarah said.
A strong wind blew. Winter had come to Africa, and one needed a warm sweater or coat at night. The excitement of seeing
the magnificent animals highlighted by the setting sun kept the guests out on the deck. Darkness came, and floodlights lit the pools on each side. A lone Cape buffalo made its way down to the water's edge. It lowered its horns suddenly and charged at a rhino that had gradually made its way around the edge of the pond. The rhino, startled, splashed into the water and bounded up the bank again some distance away. The ducks took flight and the mongoose disappeared. Only the elephants seemed disinterested.
The cold and the excitement of the African night had driven Sarah and Alex closer together. They now stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the events below intently. Alex took pictures while Sarah talked about the animal. "The Cape buffalo is a killer. It's a very dangerous animal, and these old, lone animals are particularly dangerous. They'll take on anything in their path. If you have a close encounter with a Cape buffalo, it's the only animal you are allowed to kill, because if you don't, it will kill you. You have to make sure you get it, too, because a buffalo that's been wounded will follow your scent for days until it finds you and kills you. That's just the way they are. You watch. This one hasn't finished causing trouble."
Sure enough, the old beast moved around to where the elephants grazed on the salt and started licking up the residue. It was only a matter of time before an elephant got too close, and the buffalo charged again. The elephant moved away. It was only when the buffalo, in its over-confidence, chased a baby that three of the adult elephants flapped their ears aggressively and charged towards the buffalo, finally forcing it to retreat.
The sounding of the dinner bell drew them back down to the floor below. The small and narrow dining room was filled with guests. Alex and Sarah took their places side by side on the bench where their name cards were placed and enjoyed a hearty European-style meal. The waiters placed the bowls of food on wooden planks that slipped down the centre of the table in a wide slot. The guests simply slid the dishes along to each other, and so the crowded dining facilities were no problem.
The guests watched the comings and goings at the water hole well into the night. Gradually, couples and families wandered off to bed to escape the chill of the night. Sarah and Alex were one of the last to leave for their room. The washrooms were shared affairs, one for the women and one for the men. The rooms were very small, with just enough space for two wooden bunks and room to stand in
between. Still dressed to stay warm, they went to their separate bunks.
Alex stared into the darkness and finally got up quietly and went back down to the bar. The night waiter offered to get her tea and biscuits. She sat by the window and brooded.
She felt not quite there, like her mind had disconnected from her heart.
"You're the only one left up?"
Alex looked up to see one of the Kenyan rangers standing near by. "Yes. The night's too cold for most people. I live in northern Canada, so I'm used to the cold."
"Ah, Canada. Yes, I have heard it is very cold there. I lived in Britain while I was going to university and I found that country cold enough." The ranger sat in a chair across from Alex.
"Have you worked here long?"
"Five years now, and my father before me, and my grandfather. My village is not far from here."
"You must have many stories to tell," Alex said, before taking a sip of her tea.
"My grandfather remembers the day when Princess Elizabeth was told that her father had died back in England and she was now Queen. That happened right here, you know. He says that she was sad, but calm, but that Prince Phillip was very shaken. My father took part in the Mau Mau uprising when my people fought for independence."
"I've heard they were very bloody," Alex said.
"Yes. My father and others came here one night and burnt Treetops to the ground because it was a symbol of colonialism. But later, the Kenyan government allowed it to be rebuilt because it is now part of our country. My family loves this land."
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