“Welcome back, Dr. de Villiers,” Mike said. “You and Heinrich hang on here; we will be back in fifteen minutes after we have dropped off Christian and Isabella.”
Waiting for them at the bottom of the steps was a black BMW X5. Christian and Isabella sat in the back with Suleiman. Mike and Galela sat up front with the driver. Christian for the first time felt the excitement of Isabella’s body next to him. Perhaps after all on this trip, he was going to have the answer to another question, which had persisted since he had met Isabella: that they had a special chemistry unique to them and which he had not been able to replicate with anyone else. He glanced sideways at Isabella, and saw her smile.
The BMW pulled up outside an entrance which, Christian could see in the headlights, was marked private. Christian held the door for Isabella as Mike punched in a number on the keypad next to the door. As the door clicked and opened, Mike turned to Christian and Isabella.
“You two go first. Walk down the corridor until you see the VIP lounge on the right, go in there and you will find Nadine and Sian will be waiting.”
Fifty metres down the corridor they saw the VIP sign. Christian looked at Isabella.
“After you, Issy.”
Isabella opened the door and Christian recognised both Nadine and Sian in the background chatting animatedly. Nadine turned as she heard the door open and saw Isabella before shouting her name.
“Isabella!”
Christian watched as Nadine advanced rapidly, her arms wide open. Isabella smiled broadly at her mother’s greeting, pushing the door fully open which allowed Christian to see a tall dark beautiful African woman, staring intently at them both. Nadine embraced Isabella with tears streaming down her cheeks and as they embraced, there was so much kissing that Christian did not notice that Sian had come up beside him and tapped him on the shoulder.
“So where’s my greeting, handsome?” she said.
“Sian, it’s fantastic to see you again.”
“Is your wound okay? Mike told me you had an excellent surgeon.” Sian winked at him.
“Yes, a fantastic surgeon. I was so lucky to have him there. I cannot wait for you to meet him,” Christian whispered in Sian’s ear.
Nadine finally disentangled herself from Isabella and held out her arms to Christian.
“Christian, so nice to see you again, and all in one piece.”
Christian put his arms around Nadine while she kissed him on the cheek. Over her shoulder, he could see the unknown African woman smiling at Isabella, who stood looking at her surprised, overwhelmed, and with her hand over her mouth. Within minutes, as Christian watched, Isabella began passionately kissing Simone, oblivious to everyone else in the room. Christian looked across at Sian and raised his eyebrows as if to say what was going on? Sian’s shrug of her shoulders and the way she pulled the corner of her mouth down indicated she was just as puzzled as to what was going on. Nadine fully disentangled from Christian’s embrace looked up and saw the puzzlement on his face. She grasped his hand and said,
“Come on. Let’s introduce you and break these two up.”
Nadine, as she walked up behind, pulled on Isabella’s jeans’ pocket to get her attention. Isabella slowly turned around, not looking directly at Christian, but staring adoringly at the African girl whose hand she now held tightly.
“Isabella, how rude! You haven’t introduced Simone to Christian.”
Isabella took her eyes slowly off Simone and looked at Christian apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I was genuinely looking forward to seeing whether we could find our old chemistry, but as soon as I saw Simone, this wonderful feeling came back, a feeling I know that you were hoping to find with me again.”
“That’s okay, Issy. I know feelings can be surprisingly irrational; however, if you have found that with Simone, it might be possible for me to find something similar as well.”
“Alright everyone,” Mike said, walking into the room completely oblivious to the discussion. “Time to get moving, darling. You’ve got the BMW at the back entrance, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I’ll just see Nadine off with Simone and Isabella.”
Nadine and Sian, with Simone and Isabella hand-in-hand, walked out through the door. Isabella stopped and put one hand on the door frame before turning and looking at Christian. She smiled and blew him a kiss off her hand before leaving.
“What was that all about? Did I miss something?” Said Mike
“I think Isabella has decided that she’s gay.”
“Well, not quite certain how to answer that, because I know that you were hoping that things might work out between the two of you. But these things happen in life and I believe when one door closes, another opens. So watch out for an open door that has lots of excitement on the other side is my advice.”
“Thanks, Mike, good advice but still a bit of a shock.”
“Well, maybe it’s good preparation for your father meeting your mother tomorrow morning!”
Christian smiled. “Let’s hope it is not that dramatic.”
“Well, he must be dying to get off that plane, so let’s get into the car and home. Of course he’s going to be interrogated on the way home by Sian.”
Suleiman came down the steps from the Lear jet to meet them as they drove up. Mike wound down the window.
“All clear?” Suleiman asked.
“All clear. Tell Jannie to come and join us.”
Solomon gave the thumbs up sign to Heinrich standing at the top of the stairs and within a few minutes, Jannie was in the front seat next to Mike.
“Did it all go well inside?”
“Not quite according to plan, dad.”
Jannie turned around to look at his son.
“That wasn’t quite the overjoyed expression I was expecting to see. Is your wound okay?”
“The wound is fine, dad. It’s a bit complicated but I’ll tell you when we get back to Mike and Sian’s. Prepare yourself though; Mike says Sian is so excited to see you again that none of us may get a word in until we get to their house!”
“Well, I do remember that she’d love to chat and we did get on really well as a couple, didn’t we, Mike?”
“Yes, we did and Sian has lost none of the ability to find all the pieces of the jigsaw and put them together. So be warned, my friend.”
“In a strange way I am looking forward to it. It’s like putting all parts together of my life that had been hidden. Seeing Renata again is going to be wonderful. I just hope it’s not too much of a shock to her.”
“It’s going to be, dad, but I think she’s had a small candle burning for you. I’m sure it may take a while but that claim might burn brightly again when she gets over the shock of knowing that you’re alive.”
“Okay you two, enough of the philosophising. There’s Sian waving. Let the interrogation begin.”
They pulled up next to Sian and Jannie opened the front door and stepped out. Sian rushed at him, threw her arms around him, and started crying. Christian watched as they embraced, rocking each other backwards and forwards.
“Well then, not quite the interrogation I was expecting, but then they were such great friends,” said Mike turning to Christian. “And I think, young man, you going to have to get in the front seat with me so that we can put those two in the back seat and Sian can ask her 1000 questions on the way home.”
Christian remembered the drive, the shantytowns lining either side of the roadway not clearly visible in the dark but nonetheless still there. He could hear Sian in the back seat, hardly allowing his father to reply before asking another question. That sequence was interrupted when Jannie tapped Mike on the shoulder.
“Do you still have any association with the Groote Schuur hospital?”
“Yes and I’m planning on taking you and Renata there, but there are not many of the old faces left. You probably won’t recognise it; there have been so many changes.”
The large, electronically-operated gates were remotely opened by Mik
e. They drove up the driveway that Christian knew so well and stopped at the foot of the steps. Mike tooted the horn, the front door opened, and Ruby stood there waiting for them.
“She’s so excited to see you again,” said Sian to Christian. “We didn’t tell her about you, Jannie, just to prepare an extra room, so be prepared for lots of tears and hugs when she sees you.”
“Master Christian, Master Christian, it is so wonderful to see you and have you back,” said Ruby as Christian reached her at the top of the stairs.
“Thank you, Ruby. It’s great to be back, and I brought a surprise for you.”
“You didn’t need to do that, Master Christian.”
“Brace yourself for the surprise, Ruby,” said Mike as he walked past her into the house.
Ruby peered into the darkness towards the car. Jannie was partly obscured by the open boot and Ruby turned back to Christian and Sian.
“The surprise, is it in the boot?” She smiled
“In a way it is.” said Sian laughing as Jannie started to walk up the stairs towards them.
Three steps from the top, Ruby screamed.
“Oh my God, it’s Master Jannie, its Master Jannie, oh my God, I can’t believe it, he’s meant to be dead!”
“As you can see, Ruby, he’s very much alive which we are all thrilled about.”
Christian looked at Ruby, the tears rolling down her cheeks as his father made it to the top step. For a second they both stopped and looked at each other, smiled, and then embraced. Christian thought the hug may go on all night.
“Come on, you two old friends. Let’s get everyone inside where it’s warm and I’m sure these two need to get some sleep as there is a big day planned tomorrow.”
“Still the wonderful Rwandan coffee to look forward to,” said Christian to Ruby as they walked through the kitchen.
“Yes, Master Christian, and I remember how you like yours, black with no sugar or milk.”
“Very good memory,” said Christian.
“I’ll show you to your rooms and we can have breakfast at whatever time you wake up. It’s too late to call Renata, but she’s going to be here tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM. So if you want to sleep in, don’t worry.”
“It’s whether I will get to sleep is the real issue, I think.” said Jannie.
Chapter 27
Christian knew he would struggle to get to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Isabella and Simone embracing. It did not trouble him that she had chosen Simone over him; the more interesting question to him was how she had decided. Their discussions in Rwanda had left him believing that she had not found the type of chemistry with Simone that they had had. He woke up thinking about Isabella. He wondered whether he would get to talk to her now that Simone was her partner.
Rubbing his eyes, he looked across at the digital clock and saw that it was 9 AM. Downstairs he could hear his father’s voice and Sian laughing. The smell of Ruby’s coffee, just as he remembered, filled the room with a rich Arabica aroma. He rolled over and looked down at his phone on the floor next to his bed. There were three messages. The first message, which surprised him, was from Isabella: We won’t come to your reunion today, but Simone and I would love to talk to you. His mother’s message was next: So looking forward to seeing you, love mum. The third message was from Petrea: Kariba successfully picked up, we need to talk about the $5 million reward, would love to see you, staying at the Waterfront hotel. He replied to his mother, then to Petrea suggesting they meet at the Mount Nelson hotel for lunch, and left Isabella’s reply for later until he had thought about it a little more.
“Good morning, Master Christian,” Ruby said, as Christian walked into the kitchen. “I hope you had a good night’s sleep.”
“Wonderful sleep, that bed is as comfortable as I remember it, and it’s so nice to be back, Ruby.”
“Everyone is out on the stoep. I’m sure you remember how to get out there.” She smiled, as Christian walked out through the open doorway.
“Good morning, dad. Isn’t that just a magnificent view of Table Mountain?”
“It is. I was just commenting to Mike, you forget how much you miss things, until you see them again. A bit like you. It’s a wonderful feeling after all this time to have you as close as you are.”
“I seem to recall mum saying you were much more clinical in your observations.”
Jannie smiled as Mike and Sian both laughed.
“I can see it hasn’t taken you two long to establish a relationship with a cheeky edge.”
“Yes, it’s funny isn’t it, after all these years; perhaps it’s that genetic link that just breaks through all the barriers that would normally require months of dismantling to get to the point where we are now.”
“I’m sure that’s the way that it will work with mum when she arrives.”
“Here’s hoping. I’m still a little nervous about that, despite all the confidence around me.”
“You have indeed changed, Jannie. Nothing ever seemed to make you nervous in the past,” said Sian
“Well, there is a lot to be forgiven and adjusted to, despite Christian’s encouragement. I’m sure that she has changed and may not feel the same as I do. I’m trying to be realistic, especially with the disappointment of Isabella and Christian fresh in our minds still.”
“I’m sure there will be some adjustment necessary on both sides but you’re both mature, have the ability to talk through issues, and love, when it’s there, can repair even the most damaged relationships.”
“So how do you think we should surprise her when she arrives?” Jannie asked.
“We will need to let her get over meeting Christian first, which will take a good twenty minutes. I will leave the big French doors open out onto the stoep. You stay out here and then after about twenty minutes or so, plug-in the iPod and let the Tom Jones song float in through the doors. I’m sure that will make her curious enough to come out, and then find you. The rest, as they say, will be up to you.”
“Okay, Mike, let’s go with that plan. Do you have a spare pair of jeans and a clean shirt that I could change into?”
“I have. Just as well you haven’t put on any weight over the years!”
Christian watched as Mike and Jannie walked up the stairs, arm in arm, like two old mates at a rugby reunion. The wall clock then chimed ten o’clock. His mother, who was always on time, would be arriving in thirty minutes. Strangely, he now felt a little nervous, possibly he thought because of the disappointing Isabella outcome. Successful conclusions were never guaranteed in life just because you hoped for them. The meeting of his mother and father, while he was seriously hoping that it would have a good conclusion, did have a number of potential hurdles.
“It will be okay,” Sian said as if reading his mind. “They are both intelligent and wonderful people. It may take a bit of adjusting in the beginning, but I’m sure it will all work out.”
Christian smiled at Sian, hoping the disquiet that he felt in his spirit was related only to the Isabella episode the previous day. He got up from the couch, taking his coffee cup, and walked through to the kitchen. As he stood in the kitchen refilling his coffee cup, he tried to imagine what it was going to be like not only having a father, but potentially now a family. He had not told his father about the golden retriever, whom he knew at least would have no problems adjusting to more affection and potential walks. He sat on the kitchen bench for the next twenty minutes slowly drinking his coffee, until he heard the front gates open.
“Dad,” he shouted up the stairs. “You’ll need to hurry; mum’s here.”
Jannie appeared at the top of stairs in Mike’s new shirt and jeans.
“How do I look, kiddo?” he said smiling.
“Handsome, dad, but get your skates on. I can hear the car doors opening.”
Jannie ruffled his hair on the way down the stairs, and then disappeared out through the French doors onto the stoep. Christian sat for a second, offered a prayer to whoever was list
ening, and then walked to the front door. Sian and Ruby were already at the top of the stairs, and all he could hear were indecipherable excited greetings. He momentarily thought about waiting in the family room, so that by the time everyone reached him, they would be much more settled. There was also a strange feeling of needing to show solidarity with his dad.
“Christian!” Renata said excitedly as she walked in through the front door smiling.” I don’t think I’m ever letting you go to Africa again.”
Christian laughed before he said, “Good to see you, mum; I think that’s what you said last time as well.”
As she walked up to him, he put his arms around her and felt her squeeze him tightly. For a minute, she just stood holding him her head nestled under his chin, not saying a word.
“Mum, my shirt is getting wet.”
“That’s what you have to put up with if you go getting yourself shot,” she said, standing back and looking at him, still smiling.
“In fact you look very good for someone who’s been shot; Mike told me that you were lucky enough to have an experienced liver surgeon who operated on you. That was very fortunate in the middle of the Congo. I would like to meet him at some stage and personally thank him. Someone upstairs was obviously looking out for you.”
“Yes, mum, someone obviously was.”
“You’re going to have to tell me all about it; you know what mothers are like. They need to have all the details. But firstly there’s someone I want you to meet, the surprise that I talked about.”
Christian looked beyond his mother to the doorway. Mike was standing in the doorway, making strange hand signals and pointing out towards the stoep, where Jannie was sitting. Christian could not work out what Mike was trying to tell him and then Renata turned round and saw Mike gesticulating.
“What is that Mike up to, Christian? He always had a trick or two up his sleeve.”
“I don’t know, mum. Perhaps related to your surprise.”
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