UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CHAPTER 28

 

            The next morning Adam was awake before Charlie. He ordered breakfast from room service and made his morning ablutions before waking Charlie. The ring on his finger kept catching the light and his eye as well. It looked good there, a large band of gold with flowers and leaves etched in the center cut-down part. He hadn’t seen it until Charlie put it on his finger yesterday. He took it off to examine it closely and found she’d had the inner surface engraved as well with their names and the date. He placed it back on his finger and swore he would never ever remove it again.

A knock at the door indicated breakfast had arrived. As he went toward the door, he smacked her bottom and said, “Charlie, wake up. Time to rise and shine. We’ve got lots to do today and breakfast’s here.”

She moaned as she pulled the pillow over her head. Adam came back with a cup of coffee which wasn’t going to help at all since it was decaf. “C’mon, let’s get with it.”

“Nope, not until you tell me about my honeymoon.” Charlie responded yanking the pillow back.

“Only way you’re going to find out is to get out of that bed, eat breakfast, get ready and accompany me to the airport. We have to be there by 12:30 pm.”

Charlie didn’t even get to look in her bags because they were already at the airport to see what had been packed. Her mamma or Sandi had put clothes in the closet for her to wear that day and would return to pick up the wedding finery and Adam’s tux later that morning. Of course, she didn’t know that until Adam told her about the arrangements. She’d felt a bit cranky when she woke up, but that really increased the crankiness she felt. If there was one thing Charlie really hated, it was having other people know what was happening when she didn’t.

So, she wasn’t very warm and nice to Adam or to her mamma and Sandi when they arrived. “What’s your problem little girl?” her mamma asked.

“You and Adam fighting already?” Sandi asked.

“No, we’re not fighting. He just won’t tell me where I’m honeymooning. You know I hate it when everyone else knows what’s going on. So, just tell me where I’m going.”

 “They don’t know either.” Adam responded. “All they know is the kind of clothes and shoes to pack for you. That’s it. So quit being bitchy to these lovely ladies, give them what they came for and let’s head for the airport. The sooner we get there, the sooner you’ll have your answer.”

Charlie apologized to her mamma and Sandi, gave them big hugs and professed her undying thanks for all their help with the wedding, before and after. Once they’d gone, Adam and Charlie headed for the airport and Charlie finally found out their destination…Kenya.

When they’d checked in and Charlie realized where they were going, she could barely keep herself from climbing all over Adam and showering him with hugs and kisses. “How did you know that’s the one place I’ve always wanted to go?”

“You told me.”

“I did. When did I tell you?”

“It was back in the beginning, before we got really involved. I think we were sharing a beer on your porch and got to talking about all the places we’d like to visit one day. You said then that your top three was: Kenya so you could go on a Safari and see all the animals in their habitats, China and Costa Rica. You never gave me any reasons for China and Costa Rica, so I went with Kenya.”

Adam had arranged everything. They flew first class with a stop-over in Amsterdam and then it was on to Nairobi where they joined a group of 14 other people, not including the guides. Everyone had dinner together and there was a lot of joking and kidding once their fellow travelers found out they were newlyweds. Following dinner, the chief guide and his assistants held a short seminar where they talked about where in Kenya their clients would be going as well as what they could expect to see in various places. They were provided with small booklets that contained additional information about where they’d be staying during the safari.

Charlie was excited to find out they wouldn’t be hauled around in a bus, but in three Range Rovers that had open tops so you could stand up, look about and take photographs. The chief guide, Anthony, would move between the three Rovers, but each driver was an educated guide as well. Their Rover’s driver’s name was Daniel and Charlie just knew she was going to be asking him a gazillion questions as they moved about.

Early the next morning, once they’d had breakfast, the drivers came with the Rovers, packed in the luggage and off they went. Charlie and Adam sat together and stared out the windows as the SUV went down what served as a highway. It was so bumpy the driver drove fast so the SUV skimmed the tops of the bumps instead of going down in to each and every gully. Charlie glanced at the speedometer just once and swore not to look again. They were flying at over 70 miles an hour and if something happened out here, it wasn’t like Medic 1 or a helicopter would be handy to take care of anyone injured.

The hotel had packed box lunches for them, so with the exception of stopping to use bathrooms and what an experience that was. Charlie wasn’t sure she could possibly use the one they stopped at in the afternoon but she somehow managed to keep her shorts out of the muck and not fall into the disgusting mess in what was supposed to be a toilet. She told Adam later it was worse than any Sani Kan she’d ever used. Hopefully there wouldn’t be too many stops like that.

The other thing that was available when they stopped besides bathrooms were the various little markets that fronted the buildings. A wide variety of Kenyans were selling a wide variety of items and Charlie bought a packet of what were supposed to be gift cards. Each card had a piece of material carefully glued to it and the variety of Kenyan animals had been batiked on the material. They were works of art as far as she was concerned.

At the end of the day, they arrived at the Mountain Lodge and the focus here was the waterhole a short distance away. They had a wonderful dinner and were told when the animals came to the waterhole after dark, they would be waked so they could get up and watch. Charlie was sound asleep when the knock on the door came and the resulting watch wasn’t very exciting. It was a bit too dark to see much and all the animals appeared to get along so they could drink. She was happy to go back to bed but Adam stayed up and watched for a while.

They next morning after a sumptuous breakfast, they got back into the rovers and headed out. Their first stop was at the equator where the guides did a demonstration showing how water went down a funnel clockwise on one side and counter-clockwise on the other side. Charlie and Adam took photos of each other standing with one foot north and the other south of the equator and one of the other guests took photos of them together. They were also each given a certificate certifying they’d crossed the equator.

Then it was on to Samburu. There, each couple had a cottage in which to stay and the first game drive of the safari was that afternoon. The various guides, both with their group as well as other groups, kept in touch via radio so if one found a good site, others could be advised. Driving around, they saw impala, zebra and giraffe. Then, the sky opened up and before the guide and men in the van could get the top closed, the folks inside were fairly wet. The deluge didn’t last long and then the sun came out and the guide opened the roof again. They saw dik-dik and even a leopard tortoise which wouldn’t have appeared if it hadn’t rained.

As the game drive continued, they came across elephants and Charlie was tickled to see the animals actually hold tails as they move along. One mother even stopped in the middle of the road so her baby could nurse. They were treated to the site of gazelles, cape buffalo, bushbucks and even a mother lion with cubs. Charlie couldn’t wait to share all the photos she’d taken.

At dinner, Charlie finally couldn’t stand it any longer and had to ask why they were given so many pieces of silverware. She was told it was the result of the British occupying Kenya for decades. It was the way the Kenyans were taught to set a table. And here, Charlie thought her mamma had taught her everything there was to know about proper table setting. She took a photo just so she would be able to show her mamma.

The following morning, they went on another game drive which ended at a Samburu Native village. The Samburu Chief met the group and talked about his village and how his people lived. The meeting was held under their Parliament Tree where the elders would meet to talk about their people’s needs and render decisions about any problems that might arise.

Then it was time to visit the village which was surrounded by a boma, or fence was made of branches with huge thorns. In the evening, the village’s cattle were brought inside and the gate closed so the wild hunters couldn’t get inside at either the cattle or the people. The women of the village performed a welcome dance wearing brightly colored material and beautifully made necklaces, bracelets and head pieces. The women appeared joyful and Charlie felt joy as well until one of the elders told her the women with silver bracelets had been circumcised. She had read about this horrible practice and had been told not to mention it at all, no matter what so she didn’t comment. She did, though, feel very bad for those women. It would be hell to never ever have an orgasm.

The homes of the people weren’t as tall as Adam and made of sticks and covered with cattle dung. Invited to go inside one, Charlie and Adam acquiesced. It was pitch dark and Charlie thought they were alone inside until she took a photo and used her phone’s flash. A mother and child were just across the firepit from them.

When it was time to move on, Charlie was so hot she thought she was going to pass out. To reach their vans and water, they had to move through a gauntlet of village women selling a wide variety of handmade items. All she cared about was getting to the van and having a nice long drink, so she didn’t stop to buy but stumbled on to the van. When they got back to the lodge, the swimming pool was utilized by every single member of their group. The water felt wonderful.

The next few days were spent going on morning and late afternoon game drives. She and Adam added crocodiles, leopards, as fish eagle and vervet monkeys to their animal list. The most interesting drive though involved three lionesses. Initially, there was only one, but she was soon joined by two others. Across the river, the bed of which was wide but with little water, were some zebras that had come down to drink. The zebras were skittish and perhaps saw the one lioness leave the other two and head upstream. The other two waited and then went around the van and into a shallow gully water had made. The zebra continued to drink and then turned to trot and the gallop up the river bank and into the wood. From the left came the single lioness that had disappeared first. She was trotting at an angle toward where the zebra had gone. The other two lioness got up and trotted down the bank and joined her. As the three vanished into the woods on the other side, the guide told the van’s occupants that they would eat well tonight, meaning the lionesses.

Their next stop was Lake Nakuru which appeared bright pink from a distance. That was due to the flamingos that live there. During the day, the birds flock around the edge of the lake and when night falls, they move to the center to stay safe from predators. There was also a huge flock of pelicans. During their transit, they saw wildebeest and white rhinos. The guide said the rhinos were becoming more and more endangered with very few in the area.

Then it was on to Masai Mara. It was the strangest lodge Charlie and Adam had ever seen, but it definitely seemed environmentally friendly since each room or cabin looked as though it had grown right out of the ground, all gray and smooth. Tenants were encouraged to keep their windows closed so the local monkeys wouldn’t visit and steal whatever was laying around. There were more game drives and those who were interested could go on a fishing trip to a nearby lake. Adam decided he would do that, so Charlie went on the game drive alone. She almost didn’t, but later was so happy she had because she finally saw the last of the big five…a cheetah. The big cat chased after a gazelle but must not have been too terribly hungry because she stopped before bringing it down, sat and proceeded to groom herself as if to say she didn’t want it anyway.

Their last day at Masai Mara included a visit to a Masai village. They went in the early morning so the heat wasn’t horrid. The cattle had just been allowed out of the boma to graze shortly before their arrival. The inside of the village was much like the one at Samburu except the ground was covered in fresh and squishy cowpies. Charlie had to laugh to herself as she wondered what the natives thought of their visitors trying to tiptoe through all the crap.

Again, they were greeted by the Chief and the women performed a welcome dance. Charlie couldn’t believe it when the women each went up to one of the visitors to get them to join in the dance. Charlie was a good sport and figured why not even though her sandals would probably never be the same.

At this village the women set up an actual market so the visitors could meander through and spend time looking at the various offerings. Charlie bought a bunch of hand-made earrings, several beaded necklaces, a couple of small woven baskets and some cloth that had to have been hand dyed.

The last game drive that afternoon was rather exciting. The guide was driving their van along looking for game when he suddenly stopped and looked through his binoculars. When he put them down, he informed his guests that they must make haste to leave there. When he was asked why, he said, “When you see elephant with five legs and wet patches on either side of its face, you go fast. It is an elephant in musth. These animals are unpredictable and could easily ram us and knock us over.”

Everyone in the van tried to get a photo of the elephant with five legs, but only the few with cameras with telephoto lenses might have been lucky enough to get that photo op. Charlie told them if they were successful, she would, pretty please, love a copy.

Their farewell dinner was lovely and the chef had prepared the fish Adam and his fellow fishermen had caught. They were delicious and the wine flowed freely with everyone talking about their favorite parts of the safari. When it came to head for their room, Charlie handed out business cards to one and all in the hope the few fellow travelers she really liked would stay in touch. Besides, she wanted a copy of that five-legged elephant photograph.

Packed up and in bed Adam asked, “Well, was this everything you hoped it would be?”

“Yes, yes, yes. I loved seeing all the animals in their natural habitat and being treated as though I was someone very special. I do feel bad for the Kenyans though because life has to be so hard. Maybe there’s something we can do once we get home to provide some form of assistance. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a lovely and generous idea. I also think I want to make love to my wife for the last time on the African continent, at least for this trip.”

Charlie’s laugh was quiet and cut off by Adam’s mouth coming down on hers.