by Carly Smesh
"I've taken the liberty of having Yasmin's old bungalow prepared for you," Aunt Vicky told them.
He saw Sharon frown, and Shaun explained. "Yasmin is married to Sultar, a Ghurkha, he fought with my Grandfather in India and here in Kenya. Yasmin was an Indian Princess who gave up her succession to the throne when she married Sultar. They both now run the Crater Game Reserve, their home is now on the reserve."
Sharon nodded, "So how old are they now?"
Aunt Vicky replied, "They are both in their sixties, although you would never guess it to see them. I'm named after Yasmin, Victoria Yasmin," she answered.
They chattered away about the people she would meet at the Crater, saying that a barbeque had been arranged in honour of their arrival tomorrow.
Sharon's eyes opened wide as the big V8 passed through the walls that surrounded the Crater. Her smile grew upon seeing the green of the grass as opposed to the brown that that was prevalent out on the veldt.
The car made its way up the gravelled road, coming to a stop by the three buildings spread out around a small lake. Tamba got out and with Shaun's help gathered up the luggage and started to walk towards the centre of the three.
"Please, just leave the cases on the stoep, Tamba," Shaun called out. Sharon frowned, and he explained, "Stoep is what you would call a veranda, in Afrikaans."
Aunt Vicky climbed the stairs leading to the stoep, with Sharon close behind. Shaun hung onto the rail to help him negotiate the stairway.
The door opened and a young man dressed in white trousers and shirt stood in the doorway to accept the luggage from Tamba. Shaun smiled when he saw him, "Hector, are you going to be running the home?"
The young man's face lit up with a smile, he nodded, "Yes Sir,"
Aunt Vicky explained to a mystified Sharon, "Hector was at school with Shaun here in the Crater. He's the son of Ali who was our cook before his death. He learnt cooking from his father."
"So who does your cooking now?" Sharon asked.
Aunt Vicky smiled, "Tamba see's to all my needs. I'll leave you now, my dear, to settle into your new home. You both must be exhausted after your long journey. Tomorrow you will meet the others at the B-B-Q." She hugged Sharon and kissed Shaun on the cheek before leaving.
Shaun reached down and picked up Sharon, who squealed has he carried her over the threshold.
Sharon followed Hector and Shaun into the bedroom where they left the suitcases on the ottomans at the foot of the bed.
"I'm ready for a drink, how about you darling?" Shaun asked.
She nodded, "I'll just change and meet you out on the," she hesitated, "stoop."
Shaun chuckled, "Do we have any vodka Hector?"
He nodded, "Yes Sir."
When she joined him, she had removed her cardigan and brushed her hair. He was sat in a large cane chair by a small table, their glasses were upon it. She sat down in the chair opposite, lifting a glass and taking a sip before settling back into her chair.
She looked over to the lake, then to the verdant, green pastures. Cattle were milling around in it as small black boys herded them. Closer to them, she saw horses in paddocks. "How many cattle and horses does Aunt Vicky have?" She asked.
"About 700 cattle, over a 100 are in the Jersey heard," he grinned, "they supply the milk, cheese and butter, which is sold in Nairobi. We have a plant there that converts it. The other cattle are sold for slaughter, and we have a slaughter house, also in Nairobi.
We only have around 100 horses now, most are bought for riding at gymkhanas, although thirty or so are used by the Rangers out on the game reserve. Patar will fix you up with one, so you can see around the Crater. By the way, it doesn't belong to Aunt Vicky, but to me, I'm the eldest male in the family. Although she has been running it since Gran died."
They finished their drink and went inside. The lounge was large, dominated by huge a leather couch and two matching armchairs, with a long coffee table between them. A liquor cabinet was against one wall and alongside of it was a tall cabinet. On the walls were paintings and native masks and weapons.
Sharon was looking at them, "Doe's Tamba and Hector both belong to the same tribe?"
Shaun chuckled, "No darling, Tamba is pure Maasia, Hector's father Ali, was the result of an Arab rape of his mother."
Sharon paused, "I thought he looked different from Tamba. So all the natives are Maasia here in the Crater?"
Shaun shook his head, "No, he's the only Maasia in the Crater. The Maasia live out on the veldt, they rear cattle which is their life's work. We have a tribe of Matabele here in the Crater, you'll meet Jason, he's the son of N'debi the chief of their tribe. N'debi was a great friend of my Grandfather. He must be well over eighty by now. Jason, Hector and I all started school together here in the Crater." He smiled, remembering, "We used to love the stories told to us by Gran from the Iliad, about Helen of Troy and the war. That's where they got their names. I was Achilles."
They passed through to the study. Bookshelves filled one wall packed with books of different subjects.
"Most of these were my fathers and Grans. Gramps didn't do much reading, but the maps were his," he said, indicating where they hung on the wall. Alongside of them stood a tall, teak, gun case, his rifle, still in its canvas case, was propped up against it. Opening the gun case he removed the rifle from the canvas case and clipped it into position alongside four other rifles.
Hector called them for dinner. After, they sat out on the stoep as the sun set listening to the sounds of Africa as darkness fell.
Shaun finished his drink and rose from the chair. "I think I'll turn in, it's been a long day."
Sharon smiled, "I'll be in shortly," she replied.
Sharon knew that Shaun still had a hang-up regarding his false foot, and hated her to see him without it. It had affected their love making, they had only made love twice since he had left the hospital. It had been hesitant, almost clumsy. She knew it would take time for him to come to terms with it, until then she would have to make the best of it.
When she entered the bedroom he was in bed asleep, she undressed and slipped beneath the bedclothes naked.
The next morning after breakfast, Shaun took Sharron down to the stables and introduced her to Patar. Patar was in his late sixties now, but showed very little signs of his age.
"So, I must find you a horse to match your beauty," Patar said as he led her along the stable stalls. He came to a stop at one and entered, then led out a pure white mare for Sharron to see.
"Patar, she's beautiful!" Sharron gasped.
Patar smiled, "Her name is Moonbeam, she can trace her linage back to Sulkie and Khan, Sahib Ramage's horses that first came to the Crater. She is four years old and accustomed to the saddle, do you wish to ride her today, Sharron?"
"Oh please Patar?" Sharron asked excitedly.
Patar led the mare back to the tack house, and whilst Sharron petted the horse, he entered, returning with a saddle and tack.
Sharron heard a noise and swung round to see Shaun mounted on a black stallion.
"I see Patar has fixed you up with a horse, darling."
"Isn't she beautiful, Shaun? Her name is Moonbeam."
They chattered as Patar saddled the horse, then gave Sharron a leg up to mount it, finally adjusting the stirrups to suite her.
They set off with Shaun leading the way. "Is your horse descended from your grandfather's horses?"
"Not exactly, it was one of his horses, but originally its grandfather belonged to a German Officer. He's called Loki, after the Norse god of mischief. When I first started training him to the saddle, he would take off the horse blanket with his teeth. That was five years ago."
As they rode, Shaun pointed out the school, the hospital and where the Ghurkha families lived, giving a running commentary about them. Sharron began to realise how huge the Crater was. Down near the entrance she saw the grave yard too the men killed in action defending Kenya during the First World War.
They rode slowly back t
owards the stables, as they neared them Sharron became aware of a low humming noise coming from a building off to the right. Shaun saw her looking at it and chuckled, "That's the generator house. It produces the electricity for the Crater. We have three of them, two are always running with a third as a backup."
They unsaddled and rubbed the horses down before releasing them into the paddock.
As they walked back towards the bungalow, Shaun told her she would be meeting Sultar and Yasmin along with Uncle Martin and Aunt Jill that evening at the B-B-Q. They were down on the Reserve at the moment, along with Jason who was chief tracker for the reserve.
Once in the house Sharron announced she was going to have a shower. He watched as she undressed feeling the accustomed ache in his groin. "Do you want to wash my back?" Sharron asked softly.
"No, you go ahead," he replied as he removed his shirt.
After she had gone, he sat down on the bed thinking. Why did he balk at being naked in front of her? She knew he had lost the foot and that made no difference to the love she had for him. The fault lay within him, how could she love a man who wasn't whole, who only had a stump where a foot should be? It was an embarrassment, the ugly wooden appendage that had to pass for a foot. She had never been allowed to see him without it. He knew that this was affecting their marriage, he had to find some way of overcoming this obstacle.
***
Hector conducted them to the B-B-Q area set behind the school house. Already twenty or so people were already there in front of a 45 gallon barrel, split in half with a steel grill over the top. A long table supported drinks and glasses, and at the end of it a beer barrel had been tapped where you helped yourself. Sharron stood looking amused at the scene as an elderly couple approached her.
The man smiled as he extended his hand, "So you are Sharron, whom we have heard so much about," he said in a friendly way. "I'm Martin and this is my wife Jill, we have the bungalow next to yours."
They began chatting and Sharron learned that they had only arrived back at the Crater that afternoon having been at the Reserve tending to some of the animals.
Martin looked up and grinned, "Sharron, I'd like to introduce you to Sultar and his wife Yasmin."
Sharron turned and saw another couple with Shaun alongside of them. Yasmin took the lead and hugged Sharron, smiling she said, "So, you are the one to finally bring this lout to heel."
"Less of the lout, Aunt Yasmin," Shaun protested.
Sultar chuckled, "It's not before time, perhaps you'll be able to help out Vicky now you've finished playing at soldier," he said, giving Sharron a kiss on the cheek.
Shaun laughed, "Oh I suppose only you and Gramps didn't play at being soldiers."
Sharron looked on amused at the banter, then she heard a deep voice murmuring, "So the young lion has returned from the war?"
She turned and saw a giant of a man with a head of white hair looking fondly at Shaun. He was dressed in skins with a kilt of leopard tails, a lion skin covered his shoulders.
"Chief N'debi," Shaun cried out hugging him, breaking away he presented Sharron. "Sharron, this is N'debi, my Grandfather's dearest friend. He taught me to track and hunt when I was only a young boy."
"But the young lion has turned into a man, Jason told me of your many victories against the enemy." He looked at Sharron and smiled, "You have picked a fine wife. She is beautiful and also a warrior, from what Jason as told me?"
"It seems Jason as told you too much, N'debi," Shaun replied chuckling, "where is Jason anyway?"
"He brings the Impala that we shall eat," N'debi replied in his deep voice.
"Jason picked them out yesterday, but left it until today to kill them. He was behind us butchering them, so he should be here shortly." Sultar added.
When Jason showed up, Sharron saw he was like his father, tall and muscular, but dressed with green Ranger shirt and shorts and wearing boots.
He and Shaun fell into a huge bear hug. Breaking away, a beaming Shaun brought him over to meet Sharron. "Jason, meet my wife Sharron. Sharron, this is my old school pal, Jason."
Sharron smiled as she shook his hand, "Hello Jason, Shaun as told me so much about you."
Jason chuckled, "Knowing Shaun, it would all be bad," he said in a deep baritone voice like his father's.
Everyone started chatting as they moved over to the drinks table.
Suddenly a voice cried out, "So they didn't kill you, you old bastard!"
Shaun swung round, his face breaking out into a wide smile. "Ken, you old bugger!" he cried, embracing his old army chum.
They broke away, both smiling broadly. "So where is the girl who finally hooked you?" Ken asked.
Shaun presented Sharron, telling her that Ken had been member of O patrol.
"Well, you are not the only one with a bride, I have one as well," Ken informed them. He disappeared into the crowed, returning with a very pretty girl who was obviously pregnant.
"Folks, I'd like to present the love of my life, Jennifer," a smiling Ken announced.
The women all gathered around Jennifer all seemingly talking at once.
Shaun drew Ken to one side, "You old devil, you didn't waste any time did you?" He said grinning.
Ken's face drew serious. "She saved me, Shaun, when I left Salisbury with the tin leg, I thought my life was over. When I got home, I just stayed indoors feeling sorry for myself. Jennifer and I used to go out with each other prior to joining up. She came to see me at home, at first I didn't want to see her... not in my condition, but she insisted on staying until I talked to her. We had a couple of dates, movies mainly, by then I could get around reasonably well!"
"I didn't want to get serious, but she had other ideas. She was aware of my hang-up regarding the leg. Then one night we were going to the movies but I was late getting ready. The folks were away visiting some friends. I thought she was sitting in the lounge, but then suddenly she was in the bedroom as I was putting the leg on. She just looked at me and smiled, 'So is that what's troubling you,' she said, and then came over and kissed me. Well, we never did get to see that movie, two weeks later we were married. She takes the leg off for me now at night. Yasmin organized a replacement leg for me from Cape Town, it even looks like a leg now."
Shaun looked hard at Ken, "So it doesn't embarrass you anymore?"
"Not in the least," Ken looked hard at Shaun. "Are you having a problem with Sharron and your foot?"
Shaun nodded slowly, "Not with Sharron, but me, I hate her seeing it."
Ken smiled slowly, "Sharron doesn't look the type of girl to be put off with the absence of a foot, now if you had lost the family jewels that could be another story," he grinned.
"Well, it's not a very pretty sight, just a lump of wood really," Shaun murmured.
"The problem with the Army replacements is they are made to be practical, and cheap. Have a word with Yasmin, she keeps up with prosthetic replacements. She and your Grandmother started taking an interest in them after the First World War, and she's kept it up. You have to buy them but they look a damn sight better than the military ones."
Later that evening, Shaun managed to get Yasmin to one side.
"I've been talking to Ken, he says you helped him get a replacement leg for his military prosthetic leg that looks much better."
Yasmin looked into Shaun's face, "Yes I did. He was having a problem with his original leg in that he thought it looked ugly."
Shaun lowered his voice, "I'm having the same problem, Aunt Yasmin, and it's effecting my marriage."
Yasmin nodded slowly, "Come down to the hospital tomorrow morning, I have some leaflets with what's available at the moment."
The next morning, Shaun made his way to the hospital, finding Yasmin treating some of the mothers and children of the Crater. He waited until she had finished and then followed her into the office.
She rummaged in a tall filing cabinet and returned with several sheets of paper.
"Prosthetic devices have come a long way since the en
d of the first world war. The new materials they are using now are designed to be more wearer friendly, in the respect they no longer need to be so unsightly. Unfortunately they can be quite expensive, if you choose them rather than the military replacements." She handed the leaflets to Shaun. He looked amazed at the lifelike appearance of the prosthetic foot replacement. "It even has toenails," he laughed.
"So, do you want me to go ahead and order it for you?" Yasmin asked. Shaun nodded. "Okay, lay on the bed, I'll have to measure you up for it." Yasmin replied.
She proceeded to measure his stump using callipers and a rule. Then made a casting of the stump with plaster of Paris. "I'll get this requirement in the post today, it usually takes about a month to get one."
Shaun hugged her, "Thanks Aunt Yasmin."
When he returned to the bungalow, he found Sharron sitting on the stoep drinking tea. He drew up a chair and sat down as she poured him a cup.
"I saw you coming out of the hospital, is there a problem, Shaun?"
"No, not really. I asked Aunt Yasmin if she could get me a new foot."
Sharron looked hard at Shaun. "I had a long talk with Ken and Jennifer last night at the Barbie. Jennifer told me about Ken's hang-up regarding his leg, how he thought it was hideous for anyone to see, he was ashamed of it as if it was a disease. Is that how you feel, Shaun?"
Shaun looked into her dark, beautiful eyes, seeing the glisten of repressed tears in them. He swallowed to clear the lump in his throat and nodded.
A silence fell between them, then Sharron was on her feet. She knelt in front of him, taking his head between her hands forcing him to look at her.
"Shaun, I love you... I always will, I'm sorry about your foot but if it meant you losing it so I could have you safe here and now with me, well, then I'm glad you lost it. Darling, you never need to be ashamed of it for me. Now I want you to take me to bed and make love to me like you used too before ever going to that bloody island."
She took his hand and led the way into the bedroom. He stood placidly as she undressed him, only reacting when she started to undo his trousers. But she firmly brushed his hands away, letting the trousers drop to his ankles.