by P J Skinner
Bees buzzed from flower to flower in the bougainvillea and climbing hibiscus plants that were strangling the walls. A hummingbird flitted from flower to flower, its iridescent wings glinting in the sunlight. Sam rescued a beetle which plopped into her drink, flicking him back onto the grass.
‘This is luxury,’ said Sam. ‘I wish the sun would shine more in Britain.’
‘Ah, but you have tea and chutney and Lady Diana.’
Sam did not bother to tell her that Lady Diana was a princess now, or that she was not Sam’s cup of tea. It would have broken the mood and she had not had Gloria to herself since Amanda had barged into their friendship and usurped her.
The two women relaxed, dozing in the heat and chatting in low voices until a small blonde torpedo jumped straight into Sam’s arms, almost knocking her off her recliner.
‘You’re back,’ said David.
Sam hugged him close and kissed the top of his blonde mop. After a minute he wiggled free and observed her with his old man’s eyes. Sam beckoned him close and whispered in his ear.
‘I have a present for you. I left it on your bed.’
His eyes opened wide. He ran back indoors and up the stairs. There was silence for a minute and then he thundered back down the staircase and out onto the patio.
‘I couldn’t find anything,’ he said, disappointment written on his face. ‘Only this stupid rock.’
‘Stupid rock? How can you say that? Look again,’ said Sam.
David peered at the rock and his face lit up.
‘Is that gold?’ he said.
‘Yes, I thought you’d like it for your collection.’
‘Mummy, look what Sam brought me.’
Gloria’s eyebrow raised as she examined the rock.
‘Wow, there’s a lot of gold in there. I thought you said you couldn’t see gold in rocks.’
‘Normally you can’t. This is a special rock for David. Very rare.’
David blushed.
‘Thank you. I love you,’ he said.
‘And I love you, sweetheart.’
‘Will you marry me when I grow up?’
‘If you still want me. Now go and watch Ninja Turtles and tell me what happens later. Don’t lose that rock. It’s worth millions.’
He stuffed it into his pocket and ran back into the house.
‘Don’t lie to him,’ said Gloria.
‘I’m sure it’s worth millions of lire or some currency like that.’
Gloria laughed.
‘I’m glad he loves you,’ she said. ‘It makes it easier for us to get on somehow.’
Sam couldn’t figure out who was getting on better with whom but it didn’t matter. Progress was progress.
It didn’t take long for Amanda to join them. She had changed out of her lurex number into a pair of yellow slacks and a chiffon blouse with big yellow roses on a brown background. Her hair was scraped up into a chignon. Effortless chic. Annoying.
‘Have I missed anything?’ she said.
‘Not really,’ said Gloria.
‘We’re just hanging out together,’ said Sam.
‘Tell us about Cerro Calvo,’ said Amanda, pulling up a chair. ‘Did Rhett behave himself?’
She dragged out the last sentence, raising an enquiring eyebrow which made Sam uncomfortable.
‘I’m not sure what you mean. He didn’t do much. Sat around and made sarcastic comments most of the time,’ she said.
‘Was he rude to you?’ said Amanda, with faux sympathy.
No ruder than you were this morning.
‘Not really. That’s not what I meant,’ said Sam. ‘I’m not sure where I stand with Rhett. Is he my boss?’
‘Good Lord no! My father agreed to buy me the company if I allowed him to send his own representative to keep an eye on things. Rhett doesn’t have an official role in the company.’
‘How irritating,’ said Gloria. ‘He is handsome though. Do you get the full range of his services?’
‘You know I do,’ said Amanda, with a wicked smile. She patted her chignon, and sighed, her expression changing to one of regret. ‘My father doesn’t have any faith in my abilities to run the project on my own. He sent Rhett to supervise. It’s a dreadful bore. I’m perfectly capable of doing this by myself. I was born on a mine site. It’s in my blood.’
‘Why didn’t you do a degree like engineering or mining?’ said Sam.
‘I had no intention of getting my hands, or my trousers dirty. I like being the boss. Gloria and I have a lot in common.’
The similarities between Gloria and Amanda had not gone unremarked. Gloria’s father, Hernan Sanchez, a rich government contractor, had also tried to control her life for years before he finally gave up. Both women were glamourous chain smokers with unconventional love lives. They must feel like they are looking in a mirror when they are together.
Sam felt a pang of jealousy which was unlike her. She was generous to a fault in every aspect of her life but sharing Gloria was not easy. They had gone through so much together, they were more than sisters, a friendship forged through danger and adventure. It was not a competition but it felt like Amanda was throwing down a metaphorical gauntlet.
‘Rhett told me that you impressed the hell out of him,’ said Amanda.
‘He said that?’
‘He thinks you are some sort of Valkyrie.’
‘She is,’ said Gloria. ‘Boudica’s daughter.’
‘That explains the dress sense,’ said Amanda, deadpan.
The three women sat in the garden until the sun went down. There were no mosquitos in Calderon because of the altitude, but a rapid reduction in temperature drove them all indoors. Sam sat with David while he had his tea and then sent him to the sofa to practice his reading. Amanda came in and sat beside her. She stared at the back of his head with a weird intensity.
‘David is so pure,’ she said. ‘I’d love a child like him.’
‘He’s a special little boy. Are you planning on having children?’
‘Not likely! All that screaming and sweating. I’m looking for a readymade one, past nappy age. What about you?’
Does she think she can buy one?
‘Undecided. I’m trying for the boyfriend first,’ said Sam. ‘One step at a time for me.’
Later, when Amanda and Gloria had gone out to party, Sam pondered on her conversation with Amanda. The woman gave erratic a bad name. She veered between good fairy and devil incarnate with an ease that was startling. Was there something sinister about her interest in Gloria? She seemed to have clamped onto her like a limpet. Gloria’s uncritical adoration of Amanda was misplaced but Sam’s instincts told her not to burst the bubble yet. Amanda would do it herself sooner or later.
Chapter VIII
The taxi drew up outside Las Terrazas beach hotel and Sam stepped out into the damp air. She had decided to go to the beach on a whim after her row with Amanda. There was no point hanging around in Calderon. David was at school all day. Alfredo was either drunk or asleep and Gloria was partying like it was going out of fashion. The possibility she would have to make an appearance in the office to explain some aspect of the geology convinced her that a few days at the beach with no telephone was the best option.
The hotel and the cabañas looked as if someone had given them a fresh coat of paint. Their pastel colours stood out against the golden sand and the blue-green Pacific Ocean. Sam remembered the first time she had visited the site as a newly graduated geologist fresh from her initial experience of the jungles of Sierramar. Where was Mike Morton now? Had he ever made a fortune or was he still at the beck and call of Edward Beckett?
A gentle breeze was blowing and she shut her eyes and allowed it to ruffle her shirt as she stood swaying on the sand.
‘Hello, can I help you?’
She opened her eyes to find a young blonde man standing in front of her. He looked like Socrates, the owner of the hotel, but twenty years younger. She blinked but he wasn’t a mirage.
‘Um, who
are you? I was expecting Socrates.’
‘I am Yannis.’ Seeing her confusion, he smiled. ‘Ah, my uncle. He’s on holiday right now. He went back to Greece and he left me in charge.’
Sam tried not to notice how handsome he was, not an easy job as he wore only a faded pair of denim shorts on his tanned, lightly muscled torso. He had blue eyes with flecks of grey in them like the threat of a stormy day.
‘Is there a cabaña available?’ she said, crossing her fingers in her pocket.
‘Take your pick. They are all free except the one on the far left and those guests are leaving tomorrow. I recommend the green one. It has the best bathroom and a new mosquito net. How long are you staying?’
Forever.
‘Um, a couple of days at least, it depends.’
‘Let me know when you do.’
Sam made her way to the cabaña, sinking into the soft sand which insinuated its way into her shoes and scrunched under her socks. She sat on the rough wooden steps and took them off, shaking the sand back out onto the beach. Leaving her bag on the bed, she changed into some shorts and came back outside onto the small veranda where she lay down in the hammock. The smell of the sea wafted over her as she swung in the breeze, reading her book and listening to her Walkman.
A shout from the beach made her lift her head. The couple from the other cabana were throwing a frisbee with Yannis who was beckoning her to join them. Sam hauled herself out of the hammock and trotted down the beach towards the sea. She caught the frisbee which came sailing towards her and threw it back. Soon they were all laughing and having fun.
After the other couple had gone back to the cabana to shower for dinner, Sam and Yannis waded into the sea. He jumped into the air and dived under the water, surfacing in deeper water. Sam, who was not a strong swimmer, moved into the sea but did not go out of her depth.
Suddenly a wave, much bigger than the rest, knocked her over and a strong current dragged her out to sea. She tried not to panic but the water was now too deep to stand in and she had swallowed lots of salt water. I hate the sea. She was afraid and thrashed around trying to get back to shore. But the current would not release her. Just as desperation and fear were overwhelming her, a strong arm slid under her shoulders.
‘Relax,’ he said. ‘I’ve got you.’
And she did. They were back on shore and sitting on the sand within a minute. Sam felt stupid when she realised how close she had been to shore.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘I can’t swim well. The strong current made me panic.
‘I could see that,’ he said. ‘You should have told me. I would have held your hand.’
And he did. She could feel his cold, prune-like skin press against hers, generating mutual heat.
‘I’m going for a shower,’ said Sam, breaking the mood, unsure of what to do next.
‘Can I come?’ said Yannis.
Sam laughed despite herself.
‘No.’
But she was tempted.
By the time she made her way to the restaurant, her anticipation of what was likely to happen made her queasy. To her disappointment, all the tables on the top floor were full of people from other hotels along the beach and Yannis did not seem to notice her arrive. She sat at the bar sipping a gin and tonic, watching him work the crowd.
His effect on women was obvious and some of the male diners made their displeasure obvious. The noise level from an all-female table fell each time he came near and rose when he went away. It irritated her that she had been taken in by a man who personified the definition of beach lothario.
When a table came free, she sat downstairs where a young black woman waited on the tables. She ordered ‘fish on the beach’, a delicious mix of fresh fish and seafood in a cream sauce served with rice. The food was as delicious as she remembered from her first visit, and she soon forgot her disappointment. Afterwards she leaned back groaning and decided to go for a walk along the beach to digest her meal.
She set out in the moonlight, being careful not to tread on the hermit crabs scurrying around at the water’s edge. Several shiny jellyfish were stranded on the sand, their tentacles like dreadlocks. The swish of the waves and the feel of the sand between her toes washed away her troubles and she let out a contented sigh.
Despite her enjoyment, she decided to turn back to the hotel as she hadn’t noticed if the water was ebbing or flowing. As she turned to go back, she noticed two figures on the beach ahead of her. They were marching purposefully towards her and something about the way they were approaching struck her as odd.
She started back to the hotel, trying to pick up her pace without being too obvious. The men were getting closer. They did not speak but increased their speed in unison with her. Fear gripped her heart like a vice. The moon had disappeared behind a cloud and the beach became enveloped in darkness. Only the lights of the hotel guided her home.
Then, they caught up with her and stood in front of her preventing her from walking.
‘What do we have here?’ said one.
‘A gringa. Walking alone on our beach.’
‘Maybe she’s lost.’
‘I think we should take her home.’
Sam forced herself to speak.
‘I’m not lost. I’m staying in the hotel.’
‘Ah, but you have to pay tax to us if you want to go back,’ said one of the men, and he grabbed her arm.
The other man laughed and grabbed the other arm, swinging her around. Sam struggled but she was no match for them. She yelled with all her might but they ignored her, pulling her back along the beach. She wept with fear and frustration.
Another man loomed out of the dark. He had a gun in his hand. Sam went limp with fright. And to think she escaped from Señor Muerte to be faced with this. People were always telling her she shouldn’t do such a dangerous job but real life was as bad.
‘Let her go,’ said the man.
It was Yannis.
‘She’s ours.’
‘Let her go or I’ll shoot you.’
Sam’s arms fell to her side as they released them.
‘We’ll get you next time, girly.’
They sloped off muttering. Yannis tucked the gun into the waistband of his shorts. Sam stood there shaking, trying not to cry.
‘Did they hurt you?’ said Yannis.
‘No, yes, no. I was so afraid. How did you know where I was?’
‘Violetta, the waitress told me you had gone for a walk. I apologise. I didn’t even have time to greet you tonight.’
‘That’s all right. I could see you rushing around. I don’t understand what happened to the beach. Last time I was here I walked at night with no problem.’
‘It’s not as safe as it used to be. Two Swedish tourists were raped down the road from here. They went walking at night and bumped into a group of drunk local men.’
He shook his head as if to dislodge the memory and put his arm around her shoulders.
‘I’d hate anything to happen to you. When Violetta told me where you had gone, I decided to come and find you.’
‘Thank goodness you did. I was so frightened. I thought my luck had finally run out.’
‘You’re safe now. Do you want to have drink with me? The crowd has gone now.’
‘That would be nice.’
One thing led to another as she knew it would. Yannis did not pretend that he had anything else in mind than to take her to bed, which she found refreshing. It was hard to be alone all the time. Rhett had hit a nerve with his nasty comments and it was a relief to find that he was so wrong. She assumed that Yannis spend his days picking up tourists and letting them down gently so she was not expecting much.
They spent an idyllic few days together, mostly in bed or eating or lying together in the hammock. Sam regaled him with tales of her travels and he told her how beautiful she was, healing the hurt and loneliness she suffered.
‘Will you come back?’ he said, surprising her.
‘Yes, I’m not sure when, bu
t my next break is in three weeks. I get one week off a month and work the other days.’
‘I’ll be waiting.’
Sam did not ask him what would happen if he was already occupied, but she loved the beach and could take that chance. On her last evening, Socrates arrived at the hotel, back from his holiday. Sam and Yannis, were canoodling in a corner, half drunk on rum and coke, waiting for their dinner, when he staggered in with his suitcase. His eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped when she turned to him and smiled a welcome.
‘Sam, you’re back. I can’t believe it. I see you’ve met my nephew.’ He winked and grinned. ‘How is Alfredo? Still drinking the water out of the flower vases?’
‘He’s a father now, you know. Lately he’s tried to go sober.’
‘That must be a struggle.’
‘He’s pretty determined this time.’
‘They don’t call it the demon drink for nothing.’
They had a great dinner together. Socrates told the tale of Sam and Alfredo’s time in the jungle searching for Inca treasure with much exaggeration and embroidery. Sam did not interrupt or correct his version which was easily as entertaining as the real thing.
Sam left for Calderon ready to face Amanda, Rhett, Señor Muerte and whatever life threw at her. Grateful, she kissed Yannis tenderly.
‘See you soon,’ she said.
When she looked out of the back window of the taxi, Yannis cut a forlorn figure, standing beside the hotel. He waved once and was gone.
Chapter IX
The rain thundered on the roof of the core shed and streamed along the culverts to join the river below. A white mist had sunk over the valley surrounding the Cerro Calvo project until it resembled an island floating in a sea of foam. The constant precipitation got on Sam’s nerves.
‘Why does it rain every single day? I could’ve stayed in Britain for this weather,’ she said to Selma who was throttling some chickens from the pen beside the core shed.