Antarctic Affair

by Louise Rose-Innes

  “I wish you had come with me, Charles. Then we’d be able to experience this together.” Georgina blurted out.

  “I think I’d rather be here, if it’s all the same to you.” He sounded horrified at the thought. Georgina swallowed hard over the lump that had formed in her throat. “Well, maybe we can take a holiday together sometime.”

  “Let’s see when you get back, shall we? Look, I really have to go now, Sir Rowley…”

  “Yes, yes, I know,” she cut in. “He’ll be there any minute.”

  Another pause. “Good bye, Georgina,” Charles said slowly.

  “Good bye, Charles.”

  Georgina walked back to the bar with a heavy heart. Her coffee had gone cold so she got another cup and sat alone at a table, staring out of the window, thinking about her disappointing conversation with Charles.

  “Are you okay, George?” She turned to see Taj leaning against the doorframe, camera around his neck, watching her.

  “I think so,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

  “Do you want some company?”

  She tried to hide her surprise, “Sure.” She couldn’t get used to him being so friendly to her.

  He took a seat opposite her. “Look, I’m sorry about before, I didn’t mean to harass you about your mother. I know what it’s like having parents you don’t get on with.”

  She met his eyes, “It’s a common problem.”

  “I got stuck in boarding school at the age of five. I hated every minute of it. It’s probably why I’m so anti anything to do with routines or schedules.” He smiled wryly. “And why I’ve given you such a hard time.”

  “Ah, well never mind. I’m not complaining. If you hadn’t forced me to go on those excursions I would never have known what I was missing.” She smiled at him, “I realised something today, that I actually enjoy being out of doors, in nature. I’d never really thought about it before, but this trip has made me realise how,” she searched for the right word, “invigorating life can be.”

  “How does it feel knowing you have to go back to a desk job next week?” he asked.

  “Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’m due a promotion after this story, which I’m quite excited about, but I do plan to take far more holidays this year.”

  If Taj was disappointed with her answer, he didn’t show it.

  “I just hope I can get Charles to come with me,” she finished, her eyes losing some of their sparkle.

  “The fiancé?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I spoke to him tonight. It was the strangest conversation. It was like we were strangers. He could not relate to anything I was telling him, and suddenly everything he said seemed so dull and boring compared to this trip.”

  “Travelling has a way of doing that,” he said and Georgina knew he was talking from experience.

  “I suppose it’s not real though, is it? I mean after the holiday is over, you have to return to reality.”

  “Not me,” he stated.

  “No,” she mused, “but not all of us are lucky enough to have jobs like yours.”

  “You could have,” he pointed out. “You’re a writer. You can work anywhere.”

  Georgina gritted her teeth, “I’m not a travel writer. I work for a fashion magazine.”

  “I know, but what’s stopping you from working for a company like mine? You could do full length features about gorillas caught in a war zone, for instance, or Bolivia’s indigenous people and their traditions, or even what coral reefs should look like. There are endless stories out there waiting to be told. Exciting stories. Stories that will invigorate you.”

  Georgina stared at him. “You make a good case, you know that?”

  “It’s my father’s genes coming out,” he said with little humour.

  She smiled. “Actually, now that you mention it, I was contemplating doing an article on Antarctica while I’m here, perhaps to sell to a wildlife magazine.”

  “Like National Geographic, maybe?” he suggested with a grin.

  She smiled back at him, “Maybe, you never know.”

  “I could put in a good word,” he offered.

  “Thanks.” Without thinking she leant forward to pat his hand. It was a playful, friendly gesture, but ended up being more of a caress than a pat. Then he turned his hand over and gently held hers. Her eyes flew to his face and what she saw there startled her. Instead of his usual cool aquamarine gaze, she encountered a look of such passion that it instantly turned her insides to mush. She gasped softly, and withdrew her hand. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

  She was so flustered, that she took a large gulp of coffee and nearly chocked.

  “Easy,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. I understand you’re upset and probably missing your fiancé.”

  She frowned. “That’s just the thing… I don’t think I am missing him.”

  At Taj’s surprised look she explained, “I know that’s terribly disloyal, and it doesn’t mean I don’t love him, but he seems so far away right now. When I told him about everything I’d been doing he asked me if I was drunk. Can you believe that?”

  Taj burst out laughing. “Drunk? He’s obviously never seen this side to you before,” he commented.

  She giggled, “No, I suppose he hasn’t. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen this side to me before either. It’s kind of taken me by surprise, so I can just imagine how shocked Charles is.”

  “Better to find out your fiancé isn’t who you thought they were before you tie the knot, right?” he said lightly. She knew he was joking but his words hit home and she suddenly wondered if that’s what Charles was thinking at this very moment.

  Taj took one look at her face and said, “That was insensitive of me. I’m sure he’s just having trouble relating, that’s all.”

  “That’s what he said too,” she said quietly. Suddenly nothing made sense anymore. Taj was right, she’d discovered another side to her personality on this trip, one that she really liked. Problem was it didn’t fit easily into the life she’d made for herself. This new independent spirit was a far cry from the highly-strung, materialistic girl who’d got on the plane in Santiago a few days ago. She hadn’t styled her hair since she’d arrived on board the Explorer, preferring to tie it up so it was out of the way. She hadn’t worn make-up since she’d looked in the mirror after the volcano hike and nearly died of fright. That was a scary moment, one that she definitely didn’t want to dwell on. Now she scrubbed her face clean in the morning and that’s how it stayed until she went to bed. There were other changes too, like her feelings for Taj. She liked him, but he was definitely not the kind of man a girl could be friends with, he was just too damn attractive. It was that whole fearless bad-boy thing. He oozed sex appeal with his rugged good looks and slightly wild demeanour – and he jumped out of helicopters and abseiled into volcanoes for God’s sake. Not many men could compete with that. To cut to the chase, he was a man women dreamed about, not actually dated. Which was precisely why he made such a great cover story. Even she was having trouble keeping her hands to herself – and she was engaged!

  With that thought in mind, she finished her coffee and stood up, “Thanks for the chat but I’m afraid I’ve got some writing to do this evening, so I’m going to get my laptop and find somewhere quiet to work.”

  He nodded, “No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow. We’re doing another hike I believe.”

  “Oh, sounds like fun,” she smiled gamely. “At least my hiking boots are worn in now.”

  He laughed, and then said, “Just for the record, I’m enjoying this new side to your personality, George. I hope she sticks around for a while.”

  “Thanks,” she said, moved by his thoughtful words and then with a little smile, “she certainly intends to.”

  He stood up. “You’re welcome.”

  He checked the settings on the camera around his neck and Georgina watched as he strolled out onto the bow, presumably to take some photographs in the f
ading afternoon light.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “How much do you know about photography?” asked Taj as they set off along a scenic cliff path edged by soaring ice-covered peaks above a pristine bay along the Antarctic peninsular, appropriately named Paradise Bay, early the next morning.

  “Enough to be dangerous,” admitted Georgina candidly.

  “You in the mood to learn something new? I could use a hand here.”

  “Sure.”

  He was carrying something that looked like a cross between a flash and a cell phone. “This is a light metre,” he explained, handing it to her. “It measures the available light and takes a reading. That way I know what settings to use on my camera to take a particular shot.”

  She nodded. He stood behind her and placed his hands over hers on the light metre to show her how it worked. They were warm and his touch was gentle. She went very still, pretending to concentrate on what he was saying.

  “You point it in the same direction as you would if you were taking a picture, and press this button on top here.”

  “Oh, this one?” she asked, pressing it softly. The flash went off just as Lance the seismologist turned around, temporarily blinding him.

  “Oops sorry,” called Georgina as he blinked rapidly. “See I told you I was dangerous.”

  Taj laughed, “He was probably just working up the nerve to talk to you too.”

  “Rubbish,” she scoffed as they followed the others, walking side by side along the narrow track.

  “One thing you must remember,” he told her, “is that you never point the light metre towards a light source, like that beam of sunlight through the clouds,” he pointed towards the east. “It fools the metre and you end up with the incorrect settings.”

  “Don’t give me too many things to remember, it makes me nervous,” said Georgina. She wasn’t joking either.

  “That’s it. Think you can manage, George?” he smiled at her playfully.

  She scoffed. “Of course.” Then added in a meeker voice, “I hope so, else you’re going to have a bunch of photos you can’t use.”

  He chuckled, “That’s the beauty of digital. If they don’t work, you toss them.”

  A stiff breeze got up as the track curved around an unusual rock formation and they approached the cliff path that they would follow for the next few hours. “Have you always been interested in photography?” asked Georgina.

  “Since as far back as I can remember,” replied Taj. “There was a teacher at school who practiced as a hobby. I used to accompany him on photographic expeditions during the weekends, it was probably the only thing that kept me sane. My father was always working on some big case or other, so I was left to my own devices most of the time.”

  ”Sounds like my father,” she said dryly.

  “Since I didn’t have anything better to do, I bought myself a camera and began to experiment. I became fascinated with lighting and composition. The way different things could be emphasised in a photograph that you wouldn’t really notice with the naked eye.”

  Georgina gazed at him, her heart going out to the lonely little boy experimenting with his camera. “Like what?” she asked.

  “Shadows, colours, motion, contrasts – you can play with just about anything in a photograph.”

  They looked up as a dark cloud passed over the morning sun and cast them both in a cold shadow. Georgina shivered involuntarily.

  “Looks like there’s weather coming in,” noted Taj.

  “Hopefully it won’t rain,” said Georgina who really didn’t feel like getting soaked again today.

  “No, I think it’ll hold off till this evening. I see Max had got his camera with him today,” he commented, nodding ahead at a sweating Max Copeland who was almost buckling under the large piece of equipment.

  “Need a hand Max?” he shouted down the line.

  Max slowed down until he was just in front of them. “Howdee Taj. I’m not going far, but thanks for your offer. My assistant and I are going to set up shop soon and do some filming. We need to get some test footage to take back to the studio. Have you met Darryl?”

  Taj nodded, “Hey Darryl, how are you doing? This is George.” Then he turned to Georgina, “Darryl and I met in the bar the other night. We traded camera tips over a bottle of Jack”.

  Georgina laughed, “You’ve got to love male bonding. Hi, Darryl,” she leant forward to shake his hand. The wind got quite chilly as they turned onto the cliff path and Taj pulled his beanie out of his pocket and pulled it over his head. He turned to Georgina, “Where’s yours?” he asked. “You really need one of these out here.”

  Georgina was too embarrassed to admit she didn’t own one. Not that she considered them beneath her, but she knew hats did not suit her, not one little bit. She just had the wrong shaped head for hats. Taj on the other hand looked impossibly handsome in his. Dark golden curls sneaked out from beneath the khaki beanie, which set off his turquoise eyes to perfection. She wondered idly if there was anything that didn’t suit him.

  “Um, I forgot to bring it,” she said vaguely. He tsk-tsked and shook his head. “When will you learn, my little fashionista, that warmth and safety are more important than style?”

  Although she didn’t miss the gentle reprimand, he said it in such an endearing way that she felt all warm and fuzzy inside. He’s telling you off, she reminded herself sternly but when she glanced at his face, he was smiling at her fondly.

  Uh-oh, she thought. Please don’t do that. I only have so much will power. Distraction needed - fast. Luckily Max was the one to provide it.

  “Here!” he yelled triumphantly, coming to such an abrupt halt that Darryl and Georgina bumped into his wide back like dominoes. He pointed towards a curved glacier, which disappeared dramatically over the cliff face like some sort of frozen waterfall. It sparkled merrily as the clouds parted briefly and a sunbeam licked its wet surface.

  “Perfect,” gushed Darryl shuffling about to find the best position for the camera. “Well spotted.”

  Taj grinned at Georgina. “We’ll leave you boys to it, then,” he said, walking round them. “Come on George, there’s a nice little overhang up ahead that I thought I’d get some shots of. Time to put you to work.”

  “Great,” she muttered, following him. “See you later,” she called to Max who waved distractedly.

  “Here we are,” Taj stopped underneath a dripping arch etched with an array of colourful striations that gave it a stunning rainbow effect. “How does it do that?” gasped Georgina.

  “It’s the different materials that get stuck in the ice as it freezes,” he explained. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Georgina nodded. Everything about this place took her breath away. She turned around to ask him what to do, only to find he’d moved closer to her and was now only a foot away. She looked up into a bronzed face sprinkled with golden stubble and sporting an amiable, untroubled smile, which left her breathless.

  Including him, she thought irrationally.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  She nodded, her mouth suddenly dry.

  “Okay, here we go. You check the light metre and tell me what it says.”

  “What do you want me to point it at?” she asked nervously, feeling ridiculous. To make matters worse, her hands were so cold she could barely feel the button.

  He obviously realised because he pulled off his woollen gloves and put them on her frigid hands.

  “Another thing we must get you,” he chided, rubbing her one hand between his warm ones, then taking the other and doing the same.

  “I guess I’m learning the hard way,” she said apologetically. Her fingers thawed from the heat left behind by his hands. It felt intimate knowing that his fingers had been warmed by the same gloves only seconds before.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked suddenly. He had really done a 360-degree turn in the way he treated her. She wondered if she didn’t prefer the condescending attitude rather than this playful,
almost flirtatious one. At least it was easier to deal with. Now he had her in a constant state of nervousness, or was it excitement. It was hard to tell. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to and not one she particularly welcomed, especially on the eve of her marriage.

  He stopped rubbing. “I’m a nice guy,” he said with an easy smile and let go of her hands. “You’re just not used to it because I was moody and selfish when I met you.”

  “Wow, a man who can admit he’s moody and selfish. I’m impressed.”

  “Oh yeah, ask Don, he’ll tell you,” he said seriously.

  “No need, really, I believe you,” she laughed.

  “And you saved my life, so I suppose part of it is gratitude,” his eyes were still smiling.

  “True,” she agreed gravely. “I did rescue you from certain death.”

  “A very cold, uninteresting death,” he added.

  “Which is far worse than a warm interesting one,” she remarked dryly.

  “Absolutely!” he confirmed with such enthusiasm that Georgina had to laugh.

  “You’re unbelievable,” she told him, shaking her head and raising the light metre. She pointed it towards the arch. “Here?”

  “Perfect,” he nodded, setting up his tripod and screwing the camera on top.

  “What does it say?” he asked, and she read him the digits on the display.

  “Thanks,” he said bending to look through the wide telephoto lens. “Could you move to the side please,” he asked, waving his one arm around, head still buried in the camera.

  “Oh, of course,” she muttered, skirting to the side and then around him so she could watch from behind. She felt rather silly that she hadn’t thought to move out of the way. She turned and strained her eyes to look down the cliff path to see if she could spot the rest of the group, but they were long gone. Secretly she was glad they were moving at a slower pace than the others. Her blisters weren’t properly healed yet, and she was afraid a day’s hike would reopen them again. That gruelling pace of the first day had nearly finished her off. She’d never admit it but it was sheer will power that had bought her down that mountain. Many times she’d considered just lying down and going to sleep, right there on the mushy snow. She understood now that it had all been for her benefit, to try and scare her into not participating in any more excursions. It was very mean to submit all the others to the same punishment though. Thankfully, none of them were aware of it. They probably thought Don was a sadistic tour leader, which could be why so few people had signed up for this hike. It served him right.