Chapter Twenty-Four
Darren was finally discharged and became the proud owner of a pair of crutches. His care was to be transferred to the clinic in Kasane, who would remove the plaster from his leg in eight weeks time. His clothes had been ripped and covered in blood when he was admitted, and the hospital staff had disposed of them.
‘I can’t get on the bloody plane in my dressing gown!’ he had complained, as the doctor signed the discharge sheet.
She raised her eyebrows. ‘I’ll sort it.’
Within thirty minutes, Abbey had returned from the shopping mall in Broadhurst, where she had managed to buy a pair of jeans, trainers and a shirt from Woolworths. Abbey presented the nurses with a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates, as a thank you before they left for the airport.
The man finished his drink and left twenty pula on the bar. The mall was busy and he felt at ease to wander freely around, blending in with the shoppers. He had not been paid for the last job and it annoyed him. He was always paid, either on delivery or death. This time there had been neither. Scott was not dead. A few superficial injuries maybe, but nothing that wouldn’t heal in time. The prospect of being paid at all for his efforts was looking highly unlikely.
Permelo had got himself arrested and his access to any cash had now been scuppered. He had, however, used his ‘one’ phone call to tell the man that a particular guy had enough information to leave them both dangling at the end of a rope. This guy had lived in Kasane and knew far too much about Permelo’s dodgy dealings. The man shook his head at the dangerous lack of foresight of Permelo in allowing this guy access into his affairs.
The man knew that he must find this guy and silence him before the police picked him up. The young man Mani, he had paid at the camp, had been arrested and was now in prison awaiting trial. It was only a matter of time before this guy was arrested too.
He took out the envelope on which he’d scribbled down the address, tore it up and dropped the pieces on the floor. He felt for his passport in his back pocket. After this brief visit into town, the South African border was next on the agenda.
The taxi took them straight to the airport. They queued at the Botswana Airlines Desk, hoping to get a seat on the next flight up to Kasane. They were in luck and, after a few hours’ wait, they arrived back at the bungalow by late afternoon. Darren stood at the bottom of the porch steps, leaning on his crutches, and decided the best way to tackle them was on his backside going up, backwards. Abbey giggled at him, and went to help him as he steadied himself back onto his crutches at the top of the porch.
‘What the hell?’ he gasped, pointing one of his crutches at a small, wooden effigy that was sitting by the front door.
‘Do you know what that is?’ she asked.
‘Of course I do,’ replied Darren. ‘What the hell is it doing on the porch?’
‘It was Phil’s idea,’ explained Abbey. ‘He said a tokalosh would keep the house safe because it’s an African devil, and even the hardest criminal wouldn’t cross the threshold with that on it!’
‘Well, I don’t think we’ll sack the police quite yet,’ he laughed and shook his head in amusement. He had heard the men talk about these things at work, but had never imagined he would have one sitting on guard outside his own front door.
He turned, casting his eyes over the shadows that slowly crept nearer as the light faded, watching and listening for the slightest hint of anything suspicious.
Once inside, Abbey rearranged some of the furniture to give Darren more room to manoeuvre, and moved the rug off the tiled floor to prevent him from slipping and breaking the other leg. The house was clean and welcoming and Abbey’s gut feeling about Prisca’s reliability had been correct. The white envelope Abbey had left for Darren still sat on the table. She handed it to him. He tore it open and read it.
‘I wish I’d got the chance to read this before,’ he said sighing. ‘I honestly thought you didn’t trust me anymore.’
Abbey sat on the arm of the chair directly opposite him.
‘Darren, I do trust you and I should have told you that in the letter. In fact, I should have told you that weeks ago. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I’m sorry.’
They sat and stared at one another before Abbey broke the silence.
‘Do you want me to make up the spare bed for you?’ she asked, wearing the most serious expression she could muster.
‘You are joking?’
‘Well, I just thought you might want the space if you couldn’t settle with that leg in plaster!’
‘Come here,’ he beckoned over to Abbey.
Smiling, she walked over and sat down beside him on the sofa. He pulled her across him. Neither of them spoke, both content just to be in each other’s arms, safe and back home.
Abbey returned to work and, true to her promise, Boitachello had everything under control. The news of Darren’s accident had spread around the town, and Boitachello looked genuinely relieved to see her and hear that Darren was at home and on the mend.
Abbey suddenly realised that, in her rush to get back, she hadn’t bought either Boitachello or Alfred a present. To remedy the situation, she put in an extra one hundred pula in Boitachello’s pay packet, and an extra fifty in Alfred’s, out of her own money. Their smiles delighted Abbey when they opened their pay packets that Friday afternoon, and were enough to put her in a good mood for the rest of the weekend.
In the week that followed, a constant string of visitors came to wish Darren well. This included Mr Kobe, who arrived with a bottle of Darren’s favourite whiskey. Abbey was trying to do a balancing act between the AVP office, attending to Darren and running errands for the prospecting business, and the strain was beginning to show, as she collapsed into her bed just after nine every night.
After Mr Kobe’s visit, Darren sat on the veranda looking out across the garden, deep in thought.
‘Penny for them,’ quipped Abbey, as she came up the steps unnoticed.
‘Have you got time to talk?’ asked Darren.
‘Yeah, I’m on my lunch break to check up on my patient!’
‘I spoke to Anna Halley this morning.’
Abbey felt a slight tremor pass through her at the first mention of Anna’s name since the hospital.
‘Anyway,’ Darren continued, ‘the samples are in and the reports will be finished by the end of the week, which means that the contract will be concluded as soon as they’re passed over.’
‘Are you likely to get another one? A contract, I mean,’ asked Abbey.
‘I don’t want another one, Abbey. I’ve given this a lot of thought recently. I’ve been doing the same job for nearly fifteen years, and that accident has made me realise there are other things I want to do with my life before I take my final breath.’
‘What are you saying? Do you want to move back to England?’ she continued in a low voice.
‘No, I don’t really want to do that either. We’re both settled here and I honestly think you will continue to get employment with AVP for as long as you want it. No, Mr Kobe has made me an offer.’
‘An offer of what?’
‘One of the safari guides is retiring next month and the guy is looking for someone to buy his business. Mr Kobe has suggested that he and I buy it as partners. It has a good reputation, and used by most of the major tour operators as well as being promoted by the Safari Lodges. He wants to continue as the Manager at the Savuti and I would take on the practical side of running the business, and be the senior partner.’
‘How much do you know about running that type of business?’
‘Very little,’ laughed Darren. ‘At the moment that is, but we wouldn’t be firing anyone and there is no reason why the business couldn’t keep operating as normal. Obviously, I will be learning as I go along, but all the guys know me and Mr Kobe, so we’re not unknown entities coming into the business.’
‘How much would you need to raise?’ asked Abbey.
‘Over one hundred t
housand pula. I’ve already had an offer for the new drill, and the other assets in the business from a couple of the other prospectors, so I could raise the capital. But as it’s your money as much as mine, I would like your agreement before I do anything.’
Abbey thought quietly, looking out across her garden. She would miss her house, her garden, in fact everything about the place now, and the thought of moving back permanently to England filled her with despair. If Darren bought into the safari business, it would provide them with the opportunity to stay in Kasane for as long as they wanted. The tourist business was booming and, with a little more careful marketing, she was confident it would grow further.
‘OK,’ she replied. ‘I think it’s a sound idea and I’m happy for you to go ahead and invest, but on one condition.’
‘And what might that be?’ replied Darren, slightly bemused at her reaction.
‘That you appoint me Marketing Director?’
Chapter Twenty-Five
The police had, as promised, visited them briefly on a daily basis to check all was fine. Although the man they wanted to question still evaded arrest, the officer in charge in Gaborone had sent word that he doubted Darren had anything to worry about, as they had received information that the man had crossed the border into South Africa. Also, because Mr Permelo was now in custody, he was not in a position to be a threat to anyone.
By the end of the month, all the legal work had been completed and Darren had gone into business with Mr Kobe, insisting that Abbey also be named as a partner on the agreement. Mr Kobe had agreed and, with a direct marketing campaign organised by Abbey around the travel agents in Francistown, Maun and Gaborone, the business had increased its profit margin by ten per cent in the first month. Abbey had no intention of giving up her position with AVP, and decided that she could juggle this job with the marketing work she was doing for Darren quite easily.
The week the partnership agreement had been signed, Abbey returned home to find Darren packing a small suitcase.
‘Er, what are you doing?’ she asked.
‘The samples are in and I have to deliver them to the surveyors. I got an email from Anna, saying Mr Gunnell is going to fly up to Gaborone and meet me halfway. I’ve arranged to meet him on Friday at the Grand Palm.’
Abbey stared at him before replying. ‘Darren, your leg is still in plaster and you’re on crutches. You can’t possibly fly down there, not yet anyway.’
‘I have no choice, Abbey. These samples must be in if I’m going to get the final payment.’
‘Actually, you do have a choice. I’ll go.’
‘Are you sure? What about the office?’
‘Darren, for Christ’s sake, I’ve left Boitachello for much longer than two days. I think she’ll cope without me!’
That Friday, Abbey flew down to Gaborone. She was meeting Mr Gunnell at the hotel at three o’clock in the main bar. She arrived at the hotel at lunchtime and quickly showered before making her way downstairs to the bar. She took a table by the window overlooking the pool. At three o’clock exactly, Abbey looked up to see Anna Halley walk through the door. Anna stopped momentarily as she surveyed Abbey, the expression on her face unable to disguise the disappointment of Darren’s absence.
Abbey stood and invited Anna over to the table, before calling the waiter over.
‘I was expecting Darren,’ said Anna as she took her seat, without offering any greeting.
Abbey smiled. ‘He’s otherwise engaged, Anna. I take it Mr Gunnell is also busy?’
Anna ignored the question and sipped her water. Abbey, feeling in total control of the situation, took the samples out of her bag and placed them on the table.
‘I think you have a cheque for me, Anna?’
Anna picked up the samples and put them into her own bag. ‘It won’t last, you know,’ she said, her eyes not quite managing the same solid stare as on their last meeting. ‘This marriage of yours.’
Abbey laughed at her remark. ‘Well Anna, what can I say? I’ve lasted more than one night. But then, isn’t that what you’re used to? Darren told me about his drunken fumble with you in the dark a few years ago. Unfortunately, he can’t actually remember much about it apart from waking up the next morning with a headache.’
Anna stayed silent so Abbey continued, gaining confidence at every turn. ‘You’re a very attractive woman, Anna. Are you in a relationship at the moment?’
‘I don’t think that’s any of your business,’ she replied coldly, now looking down at her knees, not sure how to deal with the backhanded compliment.
‘No, you’re right, I’m sorry it isn’t any of my business. My business is my relationship with my husband. And let me make this perfectly clear to you Anna…’ Abbey lowered her voice and spoke slowly, ‘Darren is my husband. He lives in the same house as me and we sleep in the same bed. Now, is there anything else I can help you with today?’
Without looking at Abbey, Anna stood up and threw down a twenty-pula note to pay for her drink. As she turned to go, Abbey touched her wrist.
‘Anna, I think you have a cheque for me?’
Anna took a small brown envelope out of her bag and dropped it onto the table. Abbey watched Anna as she left the bar. Amidst the immense feeling of satisfaction at the way she had handled the situation, she also felt sad for Anna. Sad in that, for all her beauty and money, she was a lonely, insecure woman who couldn’t hold down a long-term relationship.
Abbey left the bar, giving the porter the twenty-pula note, and made her way into town to the Main Mall to deposit the cheque in Barclay’s Bank.
After her trip, Abbey felt more settled than ever and her normal daily routine soon resumed. One Wednesday afternoon, just after she had returned to the office after her weekly trip to the Crossroads with Alfred, Boitachello ran out of the office waving a piece of paper.
‘Miss Abbey,’ she shouted, ‘Miss Abbey, you have an important phone message. It came whilst you were out and I could not get you on your mobile.’
Abbey took the message and read it. ‘What on earth!’ she gasped after she had read it for the third time. ‘Oh my god, some notice they’re giving me.’
The AVP head office had rang to say that they had eventually recruited an extra pair of hands, and the new person would be arriving at Kasane Airport on the afternoon flight. Abbey looked at her watch. It was already two-thirty and the Gaborone flight was due to land in one hour.
‘Quick, come with me,’ she shouted over to Boitachello, as she sprinted over to the bakkie.
‘Where are we going, Mma?’ asked Boitachello, who was quite unnerved by the panicked reaction of her boss.
‘Look, they’ll need somewhere to stay and Phil’s house has been empty for months. God knows what’s moved in there. We’ll need to give it a quick clean. All the stuff we need should be still in the kitchen, or at least that’s where I left it!’
Abbey was pleasantly surprised when she went into the house and only found a small army of ants and half a dozen dead cockroaches to clean up. She sprayed the floors with ‘Doom’ an insecticide spray, which doomed anything it connected with - human, animal or insect. She opened some windows to let in some fresh air and to get rid of the stale smell she had noticed on first entering the house.
Boitachello walked the short distance back to the office and Abbey set off for the airfield. It occurred to her, as she waited in the small airport lounge, that she must look a mess, given she had been moving trees around and sweating profusely in the heat. She attempted to flatten down her hair and wipe away the dark smudges under her eyes, as the small plane landed. She also had no idea who she was meeting. She went over to the administration desk and asked if she could have a piece of A4 paper. She wrote her name and ‘AVP’ in large black letters and held it up against her chest.
The passengers lined up for the security check before filing into the lounge. Abbey’s mouth fell open as the familiar sight of Phil came through the door.
‘What the…?’ she gasped.
‘Hi hun. I take it you weren’t expecting me?’ he laughed, pointing to the homemade sign across her chest.
She hugged him tightly, smiling at the thought of having her best friend back.
‘How did you wangle this one then?’ she asked, as they drove back towards the town.
‘Well, I decided that given all the adventures you were having, that I was missing out on far too much fun. So, I rang AVP and told them my mother was better and I was free to come out and finish my contract! You are pleased to see me, aren’t you?’
‘Phil, my darling, do I really have to answer that one?’ said Abbey, a smile still beaming across her face. ‘What about your prescriptions though? Won’t they cost you a fortune?’
‘I think,’ replied Phil, ‘that’s a small sacrifice to pay, don’t you?’
‘What about Lucy? Isn’t that a sacrifice too?’
‘I tried to talk to Debra, to tell her I was HIV, but I just couldn’t do it. She won’t let me near Lucy now, and if she knew about my condition, I know she would use it as an extra weapon to keep me at arm’s length.’
‘That’s a shame. I’m sorry, Phil. I really am.’
Phil shook his head.
‘She’s still hurting, I guess. I don’t blame her at all. I left her literally holding the baby. I know her parents have been great and all that, supporting her in all the ways I should have done, but I don’t suppose that’s been any consolation. No, I’m just going to have to get over it and hope that eventually she’ll find it in her heart to forgive me, and let me have some contact with my daughter some day.’
‘Don’t ever give up on that thought, Phil. Promise me?’
Phil smiled. ‘I won’t,’ he replied. ‘I promise.’
Abbey drove Phil straight to her bungalow and sprinted up the steps, shouting to Darren that they had company for dinner. Darren smiled at Phil when he walked into the lounge and shook his hand.
The Perils of Skinny-Dipping Page 17