Have you had enough fun? You look like you have.” He brushed a stray lock of hair back from my face. “Were you dancing? Your crowning glory is a mess.”
“I told you I tripped over something and fell in the garden,” I said. I pulled the remaining pins out of my hair and shook it out, letting it fall loose onto my shoulders.
“You okay, Sid?” He stared at me. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
“No, but I am also ready to go back to the Commodore. You’re so right. It’s late, and we have to be at David’s breakfast seminar in a few hours.”
We walked down the steps and climbed into a waiting cab.
“Did you see Brooke?” I asked Jay, as we rolled away into the fragrant night. “How funny to run into her here , halfway around the world.”
“Yes, I did,” he said, leaning back on the lumpy old car seat, his eyes half-closed. “She told me how she just decided to pop over and grab some sun. Now wouldn’t that be nice? Don’t you wish you could do that? Just go wherever you want, whenever you want? I think she should adopt me, Sidney. You can adopt adults, you know. Then I would never have to work again and I could live like that all the time. Why don’t you speak to her about that idea, Sid, the next time you see her? Tell her she should adopt me. It’s the least you could do for me, after all I’ve done for you.”
I laughed. “Great idea, Jay. I’ll get right on that.”
Honestly. I couldn’t believe the way Jay’s mind worked. And the thing is, he was only half-kidding. He would let Brooke adopt him in a heartbeat and never look back.
I know Jay. He is my best friend. I know him well.
Chapter 4
T he next morning, over scrambled eggs, toast and marmalade, we met with our tour leader, David, and the rest of the group.
David was dressed in a white linen suit that looked as if he might just have a panama hat around somewhere to go with it. I’m sure Jay approved, and was more than a little envious. David brought a bundle of local newspapers, which he handed to George to pass around. George looked as if he had had an extremely late night. He must have stayed at the bar long after we left.
David tapped on the little podium with a pointer. “Ladies and gentlemen! Today we will be embarking on a splendid adventure, which promises rare excitement to all of our thousands of international visitors, but particularly to those of you right here in this room.”
Along with lots of extra emphasis, David rolled the Rs on “rare” and “right” and “room.”
“South Africa is a captivating land of amazing beauty with an astonishing variety of flora and fauna.”
He tapped on the table with the pointer and then tucked it under his arm like a swagger stick.
“Now please direct your attention to the first of the brochures in the information packets I have prepared for you. We begin our adventure this morning with ...”
Jay passed me a note during the introductory speech:
Bleh. David claims to have a missus somewhere, but he is gayer than I am, and he is not English, either. That accent is faker than my Rolex. He is probably from Jersey.
I had my own doubts about David’s British authenticity, but I didn’t care in the least. The itinerary he was describing sounded great, phony accent or no phony accent. I looked over the printed itinerary as he filled in the details.
The day’s plan called for us to have a short presentation on Cape Town and South Africa, followed by a city tour, lunch included, and an afternoon boat ride to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for so many years. Then we would be driven back to the V&A Waterfront for dinner at a lovely Belgian restaurant called Den Anker.
On the next day’s schedule was a tour to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, then lunch with an afternoon tour of Simon’s Town and Kirstenboch Gardens. The following morning we were scheduled for an early flight to a tiny airport at Hoedspruit, near our private game
“I told you I tripped over something and fell in the garden,” I said. I pulled the remaining pins out of my hair and shook it out, letting it fall loose onto my shoulders.
“You okay, Sid?” He stared at me. “You’re not hurt, are you?”
“No, but I am also ready to go back to the Commodore. You’re so right. It’s late, and we have to be at David’s breakfast seminar in a few hours.”
We walked down the steps and climbed into a waiting cab.
“Did you see Brooke?” I asked Jay, as we rolled away into the fragrant night. “How funny to run into her here , halfway around the world.”
“Yes, I did,” he said, leaning back on the lumpy old car seat, his eyes half-closed. “She told me how she just decided to pop over and grab some sun. Now wouldn’t that be nice? Don’t you wish you could do that? Just go wherever you want, whenever you want? I think she should adopt me, Sidney. You can adopt adults, you know. Then I would never have to work again and I could live like that all the time. Why don’t you speak to her about that idea, Sid, the next time you see her? Tell her she should adopt me. It’s the least you could do for me, after all I’ve done for you.”
I laughed. “Great idea, Jay. I’ll get right on that.”
Honestly. I couldn’t believe the way Jay’s mind worked. And the thing is, he was only half-kidding. He would let Brooke adopt him in a heartbeat and never look back.
I know Jay. He is my best friend. I know him well.
Chapter 4
T he next morning, over scrambled eggs, toast and marmalade, we met with our tour leader, David, and the rest of the group.
David was dressed in a white linen suit that looked as if he might just have a panama hat around somewhere to go with it. I’m sure Jay approved, and was more than a little envious. David brought a bundle of local newspapers, which he handed to George to pass around. George looked as if he had had an extremely late night. He must have stayed at the bar long after we left.
David tapped on the little podium with a pointer. “Ladies and gentlemen! Today we will be embarking on a splendid adventure, which promises rare excitement to all of our thousands of international visitors, but particularly to those of you right here in this room.”
Along with lots of extra emphasis, David rolled the Rs on “rare” and “right” and “room.”
“South Africa is a captivating land of amazing beauty with an astonishing variety of flora and fauna.”
He tapped on the table with the pointer and then tucked it under his arm like a swagger stick.
“Now please direct your attention to the first of the brochures in the information packets I have prepared for you. We begin our adventure this morning with ...”
Jay passed me a note during the introductory speech:
Bleh. David claims to have a missus somewhere, but he is gayer than I am, and he is not English, either. That accent is faker than my Rolex. He is probably from Jersey.
I had my own doubts about David’s British authenticity, but I didn’t care in the least. The itinerary he was describing sounded great, phony accent or no phony accent. I looked over the printed itinerary as he filled in the details.
The day’s plan called for us to have a short presentation on Cape Town and South Africa, followed by a city tour, lunch included, and an afternoon boat ride to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for so many years. Then we would be driven back to the V&A Waterfront for dinner at a lovely Belgian restaurant called Den Anker.
On the next day’s schedule was a tour to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, then lunch with an afternoon tour of Simon’s Town and Kirstenboch Gardens. The following morning we were scheduled for an early flight to a tiny airport at Hoedspruit, near our private game
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