I couldn’t help but giggle. Darrell had this easy carefree way about him that I found relaxing. Maybe it was Africa. Maybe it was living out here in the middle of nowhere with zebras for neighbours. Maybe it was the fact he loved his job and he was happy. Whatever it was, whatever he was drinking, I wanted a glass. A big one.
“If you’re sure?” I hated that my momentary meltdown had caused him not only worry, but also a delay.
“Get some shoes on and grab a jacket. I’ll meet you out front in five minutes. Does that work?”
“Yeah, that works.”
“Easy. See you in a few.” I watched Darrell step back from the door and down the path. Just before he turned the corner, he glanced back over his shoulder. With the clock ticking, and feeling more than a little awkward under his gaze, I quickly shut the door and scampered off to get ready.
Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in the front seat of a jeep that didn’t have a windscreen or sides. It was cool out here with the wind whipping past as we bounced along the well-trodden, used and abused dirt tracks that Darrell kept referring to as roads. I wasn’t convinced. Roads weren’t dotted with potholes so deep I was worried if I fell down one I’d be halfway to China. Slowing to a crawl, I found myself holding my breath as Darrell edged the Jeep into a wide stretch of water that covered the road. Given the condition on the road we’d been bumping along, who knew what sort of surprises lurked beneath the muddy waters.
Wiping the spitty rain from his forehead, Darrell drove slowly and deliberately through the puddle not saying a word until we were safely on the other side. Tucking the oversized, green poncho around my thighs, I was grateful for the ugly thing. It was heavy and lined and completely snuggly. At least it would’ve been if it didn’t smell like wet dog.
We rounded a corner and Darrell slowed to a halt. Looking around I couldn’t see what had made him stop. It wasn’t like there was a cheetah climbing the tree in front of us or a zebra herd crossing the road. With the engine idling, he turned in his seat and faced me.
“Have you seen The Lion King, Maggie?”
Huh? Now I was confused. “You mean the Disney movie?” It was the only Lion King I could think of.
“Yeah. You know, Hakuna Matata.”
“It means no worries.” That earnt me a deep, throaty chuckle. I was really lost. Obviously, I’d missed something. Did we really stop out here in the middle of nowhere, in the rain, to discuss Disney classics? Granted The Lion King is a damn good movie, but I could have stayed at the lodge in front of the fire with a cocktail in my hand for that.
“Turn around in your seat and look over there on that rock,” Darrell instructed.
Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting. Actually, that’s not entirely true either. From a conversation about The Lion King to instructions about looking at a rock, in my head I was expecting Rafiki to be standing on top holding up a lion cub while an Elton John classic played. “You mean that bird?”
There was a bird sitting alone on top of a dark grey boulder covered in bright green moss. Sure, the bird looked cute with its stubby legs and a long curved red bill. Was I supposed to be impressed? My lack of oohs and aahs obviously disappointed Darrell. “Yeah, that bird.”
“He’s… he’s wet.” Even I knew how stupid I sounded.
“Maggie. Meet Zazu.”
It took way too long for Darrell’s words to register. “Wait what?”
“That bird there, he’s a red-billed hornbill. But most people know him as Zazu.” Darrell had this beaming wide smile covering his face that was infectious. Without being ready for it, my excitement levels shot up and I started bouncing in my seat, wringing my hands together. If Zazu was out here, then I wanted to see the whole gang; Timon, Pumba and mostly, Simba.
“That’s so freaking awesome.”
“Yeah, I think so. Ready to continue?”
“Absolutely.”
With a smug chuckle, Darrell shook his head at me before inching the car forward. Leaning as far forward as my seatbelt would allow, I was trying to get as close as possible while remembering Darrell’s warning. Out here, it wasn’t just the animals that would try and hurt you. There was no small amounts of trees with their spiky branches just waiting to shred my skin.
I had no idea where we were headed or when we’d be back. Truthfully, I didn’t care. With every twist and turn he navigated through the African bush, I hoped Darrell knew his way back ‘cause I would be worse than useless if I had to help.
Scouring the scrub, I screeched when a kudu stepped out from behind a tree. Darrell didn’t even slow. He chuckled at my reaction but pressed on. Overhead the heavy clouds were rolling in and the rain was getting heavier. I had no idea if it was safe to be out here or how much longer we’d last before the weather forced us to turn back and head for home.
Before I could ask though, we rounded a bend and my jaw hit the floor. Blocking the road was the most magnificent animal I’d ever seen.
“Wow!” I had no words. It was as eloquent as I could get.
“He’s a big boy.”
Talk about a freaking understatement. He was as big as the bloody Jeep I was currently cowering in. The horn on his nose looked like it was more than capable of doing some serious damage. Although I was concerned, he didn’t look like he gave two shits about the Jeep that had just rolled around the corner and interrupted his day.
“He’s beautiful,” I whispered. I don’t know if I was overawed by the big, beautiful rhinoceros blocking our path or nervous about upsetting him. We were, at most, fifteen metres from his sharp horn. I could see the scars and scratches carved into his thick hide. He moved so slowly, so deliberately like he didn’t have a care in the world. I hoped he didn’t. Even in Australia we’d heard the stories of the poachers, killing recklessly for the pointy fortune sticking up on his nose.
Darrell nudged my arm, stealing my attention from the new love of my life. He pointed behind me, and I turned to see another rhino half-hidden behind bushes. It wasn’t until he ambled forward a couple of steps that the majestic animal stole my heart. Trailing behind, was a baby. The biggest, most beautiful baby I’d ever seen.
My breath hitched.
My heart skipped a beat.
Tears filled my eyes.
This moment couldn’t have been better if I’d dreamt it.
“I want one.”
“They all say that,” Darrell added with a hearty chuckle.
For a few minutes we sat there quietly watching them mill about, pausing to eat every few steps. When they were far enough off the muddy path, Darrell restarted the engine. “You ready to keep going?”
“Yes.” No. I could sit and watch them for hours. After clicking a million photos, I was just hoping one turned out to be half decent. I wasn’t naive enough to believe one of them would sufficiently do the situation justice, but I had to try. Even if it was blurry and I missed half of him, I’d always have the memory.
As if sensing my reluctance, Darrell assured me that there was so much more to see out here. With no other choice, I believed him and we continued on down. It wasn’t long before we pulled into a fenced-off area and Darrell jumped out. I wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing but I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of getting out of the car. Even though I was Australian and apparently everything at home was out to kill me, here I knew they actually could.
A minute later, intrigued by the crashing and banging, I climbed out carefully trying to avoid slipping in the mud and landing on my arse.
“Gin and tonic, right?”
“Huh?”
“You can’t really have happy hour without a cocktail, can you? You said gin and tonic, didn’t you?”
“Ah, yeah.” I remembered vaguely something being said about drink of choice but never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be standing out in the middle of nowhere, under a tree enjoying happy hour. Sure, it wasn’t the best spread I’d ever seen but the venue more than made up for it.
Standing the
re, ankle-deep in mud, sipping a gin and tonic and munching on salty pretzels, I didn’t even care about the cold rain smacking me in the face. Above me, hidden amongst the branches was one very vocal monkey. I couldn’t see him but I knew he was there. He was definitely making his presence known.
“Maggie?” Darrell almost whispered as he bumped my shoulder, dragging my gaze from where I was scouring the tree tops, and pointed towards the mountain on the other side of the ridge.
“What is it? I don’t see anything,” I said, honestly feeling like the world’s biggest loser. If Darrell was pointing something out, then it was probably something I should see. Yet all I could see was fog, rocks and trees.
“Look! Up there. Right at the top.”
“There’s nothing…” My breath caught. There was movement at the top of the hill. With the low cloud getting heavier and light fading fast, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking at. It looked like something dark moving slowly through the clearing before vanishing just as quickly as it appeared. “What is it?”
“You don’t know?”
I guess that meant I was supposed to. “It’s not an elephant, is it?” That’s the only thing that came to mind that it could be. It was what I wanted it to be. More than anything. I’d already explained to Darrell how as soon as we saw one, I’d be a very happy camper.
“No, Maggie. It’s not an elephant. That’s one of the herd. Probably the biggest one we have here in the national park.”
Now my eyes were glued to the mountain, all thoughts of the monkey long gone. My sole focus now was on the elephant herd and trying to mentally convince them to change direction and instead of heading for the hills, come down and meet me. I was an awesome person, well most days anyway, why wouldn’t they want to meet me?
“They’re going the wrong way,” I mumbled sadly to myself.
“Nah, they do this. No one knows why but as soon as the rain comes, they head for higher ground.”
“Well it’s sure not going to flood up there.”
Darrell chuckled. Didn’t look like I was getting up close today. Defeated, I wiped the rain from my face and gulped down the last of my drink. Suddenly it wasn’t as fun being out here in the cold, wet evening. The adrenaline from the rhino sighting was fading fast and I was ready for a hot shower and a warm bed.
Sensing my disappointment, Darrell started packing up the mess, taking extra care to make sure we hadn’t left anything. Not even the couple of peanuts that had been dropped were left on the ground. Instead he tossed them into a container and tucked it tightly under the seat. A stupid idea crossed my mind. Elephants liked peanuts… maybe if I left a trail… It was dumb and childish but sometimes you can’t control the errant thoughts that bounce through your brain while it’s idle. At least I definitely couldn’t.
“Ready to head back? This rain seems to be coming down even harder now.”
“Are we going to be okay?”
“Absolutely. Nothing to worry about. Come on. Let’s get you back so you can get dry and fed.” Once I scrambled up into the Jeep, I pulled the poncho I was still wearing down tight around my thighs. Even though I had jeans on, the cold was seeping through and denim was not the most comfortable thing in the world to wear damp. Knowing I was going to have to peel them off when I got back was already souring my mood.
Darrell fired up the engine and it spluttered to life. While the Jeep was in pretty good nick, there were a few scratches, scrapes and dings in the side, more than likely from the African bush fighting back as Darrell wove his way through the trees, and I was hoping the wear and tear was all cosmetic. Last thing I needed right now was to be stuck out here all night. Not when I had a cloud mattress, oversized bath tub and three course meal waiting for me back at the lodge.
“Grab another one of those from behind your seat and tuck it around you if you’re cold. Last thing you want to do is get sick on your first day. We haven’t even seen the lions or cheetahs or giraffes yet.”
“Or elephants,” I added.
“But…”
“Nope. They don’t count. Unless I can see the scars in their hide, smell them and hear them, it doesn’t count.”
“You sound pretty resolute on that.”
“Oh, I am.”
“Well, guess we better hope for this rain to pass so we can find you one.”
“Or two. I wouldn’t stick my nose up at two.”
Shaking his head, Darrell slipped the Jeep in gear and we rolled out. “Good to know. Good to know.”
The moment we pulled back into the grounds of the lodge, a wave of exhaustion hit me. Today had been a rollercoaster. From the drive just to get out here, the amazingness that was the lodge itself, to my less-than-stellar moment – or moments, to finding the rhino, I’d been up and down and up again. The complete and utter tiredness hit like a brick wall. Stepping inside, everything I was feeling suddenly evaporated, and a serene calmness consumed me. It could’ve been triggered by the cocktail that was thrust into my hand filled with delicious fruit juice. It might have been the warmth radiating from flames dancing in the fire place. Or it might have been the mouth-watering scents wafting over the wooden doors and filling the room..
“Oh my god.”
“It’s pretty special, isn’t it?” Darrell asked as he set down a heavy box on the floor behind me. I was just about to berate him for leaving something so ugly on the perfectly polished hardwood floors before remembering it wasn’t my place.
“It’s almost magical.”
“It definitely seems to have an effect on the guests.”
“Just the guests?” I challenged.
A pink stained Darrell’s cheeks and I knew it wasn’t from the plummeting temperature. “Maybe the staff too.” With a wink, he grabbed the box and made his way through the doors leading to the kitchen and staff quarters.
“Mrs, Sandford?” Spinning around at my name, I was confronted with Edith standing there wearing her white apron, her hair pulled back and tucked under a black net and of course, a polite smile.
“Yes?”
“There’s about twenty minutes before dinner is served if you’d like to get dried off.”
“Oh.” In my cocktail relaxed state, I’d forgotten how bad I must look.
She took the empty glass from my hand and replaced it with a new one complete with a hunk of pineapple and strawberry garnish. “Thanks. I’ll just get cleaned up.” Looking down I saw my mud-caked boots and felt my face burn with embarrassment. I’d just walked red mud across the pristine clean floors.
As quick as I could, I got cleaned up and rushed back to the main hall. If lunch was any indication of what type of food I’d be indulging in while I was here, then there was no way I was going to be late for any meal. And yet again, I wasn’t disappointed. While entrée and main were delicious, it was dessert that had me mesmerised. It was some kind of voodoo magic floating apple things. Even three hours later, lying in my bed with the breeze ruffling the curtains, I was still trying to wrap my head around it. There was caramel and apple and some kind of wafer-like crunch. I hoped that was on the menu again tomorrow night. I’d be first in line for another one. Or two.
When the alarm sounded before the sun was even up, I struggled. Even sleeping in the most beautiful, most comfortable, most inviting bed I’d ever laid my head down on, I’d tossed and turned. It was like my brain was in overdrive. It was replaying conversations I’d had years ago like they were an old-time movie. I was wondering if I’d left the kettle on in the kitchen. I found myself cataloguing everything in the house trying to figure out what Drew would take with him and what he’d leave me. Then came the thoughts about what happened next. Where did I go from here? I know I’d promised Kristie and, perhaps more importantly, I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t worry about any of it until I got home, but lying there in the quiet darkness, I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t turn off my brain that tormented me.
Fumbling around, I clicked on the lamp and sat up. Stumbling into t
he bathroom, I splashed some cold water on my face and finger combed my hair before piling it up in a messy bun on the top of my head. With a headache pounding behind my eyes, I considered crawling back into bed, tugging the blankets up over my head and sleeping the day away. Then I remembered what Darrell told me last night.
“Morning drives are generally much better than evening. It can be quite chilly, so rug up tight, but don’t be late. The earlier we start the more we can see.”
Groaning, I sat on the corner of my bed and pulled on my clothes, remembering to layer up. Ten minutes later I was standing beside the jeep, camera in hand and sunglasses on the top of my head. I was ready to go.
“Morning, lovey.”
Spinning around, I found an overly enthusiastic woman clutching a travel mug of something that was steaming.
“Good morning,” I replied, my voice still raspy with sleep. Swallowing deeply, I tried to get some moisture back in my mouth.
“Ladies. I see we’re all here bright and early…” Darrell was way too chirpy for me to be dealing with him this early. “Everything is loaded up, so if you’re ready, climb on in and let’s get this show on the road.”
“Oooh. How exciting!” my new friend gushed as she took another sip from her cup. I would’ve put money on it that her eyes rolled back in her head as the liquid touched her tongue. “Did you want to sit up front or should I?”
“You can if you want.”
“Gee thanks, lovey. I’m Louise.”
“Hi, Louise. I’m Maggie.”
I held Louise’s mug while Darrell helped her into the front seat before handing her one of the ugly green ponchos. Standing there holding her mug, I could smell the caffeine in my hand. It was so strong, even out here in the openness I could smell the richness. Part of me wanted to take a sip to see if it would help make me as perky as Louise was. Before I could steal a mouthful, Louise reached for it. Reluctantly, I handed it over before scrambling into the back and getting settled.
“Let’s do it!” Darrell swung effortlessly up behind the wheel and a moment later we were bouncing along the dirt road in the opposite direction we went yesterday.
Broken Dreams Boxset Page 8