Chapter Two
“Finally!” Ladipole called out loud when Kimberly showed up at the top of the stairs. “I was beginning to think that you had run back to mummy.”
Kimberly ignored him. For as long as she had known them, Ladipole and Emma had made it their lives’ mission to tease her. So, she was surprised when Emma said, “Don’t mind him.” Then he patted the space by him. “Come and sit here and try this food that Rueda cooked this morning. It’s heavenly.”
Kimberly smiled. Just listening to Emma about food could make her stomach rumble. And it did. Loudly. The two men laughed and she joined them. “Where is Jessica?”
“Here I am.” She appeared in the doorway. “I was making arrangements with Hussein here to let one of the workers drive us today.”
Kimberly’s smile vanished at the sight of the man standing behind Jessica, and her heart did a little somersault. He had costed her her sleep the night before. She had stayed awake staring at the ceiling and replaying the night’s incident in her mind over and over again. She had been so sure then that it was a cow on her. And could she be faulted when the man had actually weighed and smelt like one?
But he was no cow. As he held her, his face a breath away from hers, she had realized that he was every inch a man. His eyes were dark, probably made darker by the anger. His hair was cut low, not too low, just enough to make him handsome and bring out his rugged good looks. And he was strong –she would know. She could almost swear that the three days old beard masked a powerful jaw. How and why her brain had been able to register those details, she could not fathom.
But the beard had disappeared. Apparently, he had found time to shave and shower. She watched him now from under her lashes as Jessica introduced him and he shook the men’s hands. She made an act of picking something from the floor so she did not have to talk to him.
“You are all welcome to the Big House,” Hussein said after the introductions. He was so calm and collected while she felt uneasy and irritable. “I hope you have a good time while you are staying here.”
“Man,” Emma said, “if I’m going to have food as good as this every day, I assure you I might not want to leave.”
As if on cue, Rueda appeared with a tray load of food. “You must be hungry,” she said to Kimberly. “You all went to bed with nothing in your stomach. And Hussein,” she turned to him, “I found the supper
I left for you still in the kitchen. Untouched. What happened? Sit down and take breakfast. You too, Farida.”
Knowing that Rueda would not accept any excuse he made, Hussein simply sat down and decided to enjoy his breakfast if possible. He had been watching Kimberly from the moment he entered and he knew she had intentionally avoided greeting him. Now, she was putting in great effort not to look at him as he sat directly across her while Rueda dished out their food, but he would not be avoided for long. “So, what brought on this unusual vacation?” he asked the group.
“It was a spontaneous trip,” Ladipole spoke. “Just when we thought everything was going on smoothly at the firm, boom, Bosman dropped the bomb. He is calling it a temporary let go but we all know it for what it really is.”
“Yeah, we’ll be lucky if we ever get called back.”
“Hey, did I tell you guys that Hussein worked with the team that designed some of the newer Bosman buildings?” Jessica asked, beaming.
“You don’t say!” Emma exclaimed, clearly amazed. “An architect?”
“Yeah.”
Hussein looked uncomfortable that the conversation had turned on him. He glanced at Kimberly and caught her staring at him. She quickly looked away, her face burning with embarrassment, but not before he saw the surprise on her face.
She must be thinking that it was impossible for a bushman to be an architect. He smiled to himself and before they could further question him about his profession, he said, “So you don’t know when or if you’ll be called back.”
“I can’t speak for Kimberly, but I know the rest of us don’t have any chance of being called back.” Emma replied.
Hussein grinned, sensing an opportunity to finally rope her into the conversation. “Why is that? Do you have special privileges?” he asked her.
“I don’t,” Kimberly answered, a little louder than she had intended. She was already sick of him making himself instantly comfortable among her friends and then making insinuations about her work life.
“But you do,” Emma Kuma said. “Apart from being one of the most industrious, you also have that thing going on between you and Isaac Newton.” If looks could kill, Emma would have instantly dropped dead. Instead, he stayed decidedly oblivious to the deadly looks that Kimberly aimed at him and continued, “I’m sure Newton will talk to his uncle to call you back.”
So, she was -is in a relationship, Hussein thought. He did not know why that piece of information bothered him –he wasn’t planning on getting into a relationship with her himself –but it did. “Ah,” he said simply.She despised the tone of his voice when he said that single word, and the smug look on his face as if he had her all figured out in an instant. “I don’t have any thing going on between Isaac and me,” she said heatedly and all eyes turned on her. She felt her cheeks burning but she persisted. “In case you did not get the latest memo, Isaac Newton and I broke up three weeks ago.” Although her words were directed at Emma, her gaze never left Hussein’s. As if she was daring him to challenge her next words. “If I get called back, it’s going to be because like you said, I’m industrious and very good at what I do. Not because I’m getting favours.”
“If we are done with breakfast, I suggest we get our things and head out. The driver must be waiting.” Jessica stood and Hussein followed.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he said, “I shall return to my cows.”
Kimberly watched him leave. Then she turned her icy glare on Emma. As always, he was unperturbed enough to ask, “Who did the breaking up? And how come nobody knew?”
She clasped her hands so that she wouldn’t wrap them around his neck to squeeze the life out of him. Smiling sweetly, she replied, “If you didn’t know, maybe it’s because my personal life is none of your business.”
“Okay, let’s get going now,” Emma said to Jessica. As much as he liked to tease Kimberly, he did not like to make her angry. Hell, they said, had no fury like Kimberly’s anger. So, they all packed themselves into the truck and let Charlie, the assigned driver, take them to all the wonderful places that Jessica had planned for the day.
They interacted with the local people and had fun going from one destination to the other. And while they had fun, Kimberly had to force herself not to think of the man who had joined their group for breakfast that morning, especially any time she saw a cow. And it did not help that she saw a cow nearly everywhere she looked. At this rate, she might not be able to touch cow meat without thinking of him, she thought with irritation.
To take her mind off him, she decided to tease Jessica about the young driver who seemed to live on Jessica’s every word. “I’m afraid our driver might have heart failure if he stares at you for another second,” she laughed.
Jessica laughed too. “Charlie is a good boy, and if you’ll know, I’ve bathed and fed him many times when he was still just a boy. He simply thinks I’m the perfect big sister.”
Kimberly chuckled. “Yeah, right. He looks like he believes the sun rises and sets on your face. Don’t tell me you don’t notice. Poor boy.”
“What I have noticed,” Jessica said, “is that my best friend seems to um, how do I say it? You and Hussein seem to have something between you two. And don’t tell me I’m just imagining things cos I saw the way you two looked at each other earlier. And for a moment, I thought you were going to bite off his head.”
“I don’t think you’d look at him any differently if you had been in my shoes last night.”
“Er, you didn’t have shoes on last night.” Jessica laughed.
“Very funny, Farida. Very funny.”
“Oh, come on,” Jessica said.
Kimberly did not have time to form a reply as Charlie came up to them and asked, “Would you like me to get you some more water for your bottle, Jessica?” He indicated her half empty bottle. “It’s really hot today. You must be thirsty.”
“You know I grew up here, Charlie. Do you think the sun bothers me? Or you think the South’s made me soft?”
“Oh no, not at all.” Charlie looked truly shocked at the idea. “You are the toughest woman I know, Jessica. I don’t think that at all. I just thought –”
“I believe my friend here will be grateful if you filled her bottle instead. See, it’s empty.”
Charlie looked at Kimberly as if he was seeing her there for the first time. “Yes. Yes of course.” He took the bottle and scooted away.
“Poor boy,” Kimberly giggled. “You should give him a chance.” But her friend was not even listening. Jessica had moved away to talk to a group of locals in a local language which Kimberly did not understand. Ladipole appeared beside Kimberly. “What?” she asked disinterestedly when he smiled at her.
“I just struck my first business deal. And I don’t even have a running business –yet.”
“What are you talking about?” her interest piqued, Kimberly asked Ladipole who was still brimming with excitement.
“I was talking to a group of local girls and casually commented on the hot weather and what the sun can do to the skin. One thing led to the other and they agreed to let me sell them some of the skin products in my shop at a discounted price.”
“You don’t have a shop,” Kimberly stated matter-of-factly. “And how do you understand whatever it is that they are speaking?”
“You underestimate me, mummy’s girl. And as for the shop, I’m setting up my own cosmetics business as soon as we get back home.”
“What about BozCo?”
“The second I received that temp letter, I knew I was going to have to find another job. It’s a good thing I know so many people in the business already and I have my very first customers.”
“Are you sure about this?” As always, she was being cautious. She believed in sticking to the safe option. You don’t get hurt in a safe zone.
“If you weren’t a woman, I’d punch you for being a wet blanket. Can’t you just congratulate me or at least, wish me good luck?”
“I’m sorry, but I think it’s such a big decision. Maybe you –” She stopped at the look on Ladipole’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a spoilsport. Good luck and congratulations on your first sale,” she said and meant it.
“Thank you,” he replied, “and that didn’t hurt, did it? You know, sometimes it pays to take risks, even if there’s little or no chance of success.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Ladipole, but I believe I’d rather be sure of what I do with my life and not play a game of risks.”
“I know you never do, mummy’s girl. We all know that.”
Kimberly did not reply because she knew that Ladipole was right. She never took risks. For as long as she could remember, she had always been sure of herself. Every decision she took came after a lot of deliberation. That was what kept her safe and alive. That was what kept her two-member family together. Because unlike Ladipole, or any of her friends, whatever decision she took affected not only her but her mother as well. So, she did not take risks. And by not taking risks, she kept her life organised and her mother happy. That was more than enough.
