The Beat of Safiri Bay (15 page)

‘
Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars

live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars

The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap

We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat,’

Emma starts laughing but Alex and I keep going. I wonder about the irony of the words with what just happened to Sarah but Emma seems to not mind at all. We put on our best Nickelback voices and finish the song. Not only was it fun, it also made Emma relax completely and she starts chatting away about her plans for the future.

We make a stop half way through our trip at the fuel station and at last I can visit the ladies room, all that tea is making me very uncomfortable. I check my bag again to make sure the wet wipes are in there. I will have to clean the seat at least three times before I sit on that. Alex fills up the car and Emma and I leave for the shop and toilets. When we get back outside fifteen minutes later, it is raining. We run the short distance to the car and hop in quickly. “Looks like that weather is catching up on us,”
A
lex says. He doesn’t sound worried at all but he hasn’t lived in this part of the country for the past four and a half years. I know that these storms kill people almost every time and I strap myself into my seat feeling very nervous about what will come.

We make it to Emma’s school half an hour later than what we anticipated. It was raining so hard we had slow down. Alex helps Emma with her bags and I make a quick call to Aunty Lee. The road to the farm runs over a river and I want to make sure it is accessible. “You know how slippery that road can be Lane, just be careful,”

“Yes, I will make sure Alex understands.”

“We are so excited to meet your boyfriend,” she giggles. I didn’t tell her that he was my boyfriend; she must have gotten that from dad. “I fixed him Paul’s blue room; do you think he will like it?”

“I am sure he will, thank you for having us tonight.” Even though I know I don’t have a big family, she is by far my favourite aunt and I am sure not many people have a loving aunt like her. “We’ll see you in half an hour or so,” I deliberately didn’t say an exact time. She might get worried if we are late. “Okay Rose bud, drive safely.” Alex returns from the hostel without Emma and jumps into the car. He is soaking wet even though he was out in the rain for only a few seconds. His shirt clings to his chest and I cannot help but stare at the muscles underneath the wet cloth. He turns on the heater and shakes his wet hair, I swallow loudly. I cannot believe that this amazingly sexy man I am sitting next to was just called my boyfriend by my aunt. I think Alex would be happy to hear it. I just hope my family won’t embarrass me in front of him. “Lane, do you think you could lean over to the back and get me a towel and dry shirt from my bag? I can’t meet your family looking like this.” I don’t mind him looking like that at all but I am scared he might catch a cold. The sky has gone almost entirely black and the low rumble of a storm seems ominous. We cannot get out of the car in this pouring rain and we are out on the road already so I take off my shoes and climb onto the back seat. I lean over the back and open the zipper on his bag. “I put the towel right at the bottom,” I carefully lift out his change of clothes when a condom falls out from in between his things. My eyes almost pop out of my head. My mind starts shouting. Did he think that we would? I mean we haven’t even kissed yet! Or is this how it works in the world of normal people? I take out the blue towel and a clean shirt and pack his things back into the bag. I decide not to confront him about the little package but I place it on top of everything and zip the bag closed. I climb back onto my seat and put my safety belt on. “There you go,” I try to sound normal even though my throat has closed up. By tonight he will either tell me what his plan was with that little package or try to use it on me, I swallow even louder. If that is what he thinks of me he has been lying all this time about caring for me and taking one step at a time. I would like to think that Alex would be my first but there are so many first I have to experience first. My head is spinning from all the things I am thinking and I have to remind myself that there might be a very logical explanation for him carrying that around in his bag. Yeah right. I am naive and inexperienced but I am not stupid. He takes off his shirt while driving and I battle not to stare at his perfect abs. He dries his hair and arms, and puts on the dry shirt. “We are almost there,” he says and I check the GPS on the dashboard. It is impossible to see where we are by looking out the window. Bright bolts of lightning light up the sky in front of us and the cracking sounds it makes me think of bones snapping. It is very foggy and it is still raining. He places his hand on mine on my lap and I stiffen involuntarily. “Relax Lay, you are safe. This is one of the safest cars out there,” If he only knew what I was so stressed about.

“I... I’m okay, really,” I try to sound convincing and drop my shoulders to fake relaxation. He removes his hand from mine but I miss his touch as soon as he does. Maybe I will just do it, maybe I should just stop being such a baby and start acting like a grown up. My stomach pulls into a tight knot and I think of my first kissing experience. I know I would not be able to go through with going further if I started. We make the rest of the trip in silence, him concentrating on the wet road and thick fog and me having several indecent thoughts that make my head ache. At last he slows down even more and turns left onto a muddy road that will lead us to the farm. A flash of light right in front of us and ear a piercing noise brings me back to reality. The rain is even harder than before if that is possible. Alex blinks a few times and looks at me. “That was so close,” I can see the shock in his eyes and I nod my head at him slowly. “The lightning in this place has never been normal,” We follow the muddy road toward the river and the car slides almost completely off the road. I grab hold of the arm rest to stabilise myself. The mud is flying from behind the back wheels as he tries to get us back onto the road again. He doesn’t look as relaxed as he was just two minutes ago. He switches on the 4 wheel drive mode then and we search to find the two tracks we need to follow.  Another bolt of lightning strikes and this time it hits a tree on our left. I jump in my seat and put my hands over my eyes. The tree has been split in two and all I can think about is what it could do to me. Quiet tears well up in my eyes but I keep them to myself. I do not want Alex’s attention to be focused anywhere but on the road. I hear the water sloshing against the car; we must be crossing the river. Another one hits somewhere close to us and I start to shake. I try to force my body to be still but it has been taken over by fear, my extreme unrealistic fear of lightning. I take a quick peek at Alex; his hands are white at the knuckles from holding on to the steering so tightly. We make the last climb up the hill and I see a very faint light. The house, I sigh without trying to hide my obvious relieve but it was too soon. It is as if someone is trying to prevent us from getting into the yard. Another blue bolt of lightning hits the gate and a tree. The tree falls over onto the gate. The gate falls down as if it wasn’t made of half a ton of steel. And there we sit, stuck in the car in one of the worst storms I have ever encountered. My body is shaking violently and the tears are now running freely down my face. I am hyper ventilating, with shock I am sure. My head feels dizzy and I feel as if I might actually black out any time. The storm carries on around us relentlessly. Alex undoes my seat belt and lifts me out of my seat to sit on his lap. He cradles me like a baby and I start to sob. “Shh... Lay its okay. We’ll be okay. We are safe in the car.”

“Alex, I’m so scared,” I cry.

“I know, I Know,” I hold on to him as if he is could protect me from this vicious storm and he holds me tight as we wait in terror for the storm to move on. After about twenty minutes the lightning is no longer around us but the rain hasn’t stopped. I am still on his lap and I reach for my phone in the little console in between the seats. It has no reception, I should have known. Alex let go of me as I wriggle myself free from his hold and I move to sit on my seat again. I am not embarrassed about what happened, it was very scary and I could sense that even he was tense. We hear a low rumbling but it is not the same as the noise that came from the storm. I recognise it, my uncle’s tractor. They must have watched the whole thing from the house and he must be coming to the gate to try to open the road again. There is only one entrance to the yard. I see the red cab of the tractor. Luckily for my uncle it is a closed cab. Two of the farm hands are out in the rain with a thick cable. They are tying it to the gate. Alex and I get out of the car, covering ourselves with his blue towel, and run toward the tractor. My uncle waves at us then motions for us to go to the house. We run over the muddy grass toward the front door onto the cement floor. It is very slippery and I try hard not to fall face first on to the muddy floor. I take a quick peek at my uncle in the tractor and then as if in slow motion I feel my feet moving out from under me. I close my eyes and brace myself for the fall. A very sharp pain shoots through my head and I am gone.

“Oh Rosie, my child, are you alright?” I try to sit up but I am a bit dizzy so I lay back down again. Alex is by my side immediately replacing the ice pack on my head. He sits down on the couch next to me and takes my arm to feel my pulse.

“How are you feeling?” his perfect English accents asks. Aunty Lee is hovering around motherly no doubt she is worried sick. “Rosie? Are you okay?”

“Yes I am fine. My head hurts a bit but it’s not too bad,”

“Would you like some tea now?” I must have gotten that from her. I nod and she disappears into the kitchen. “What happened Lay? One minute we are running to the house the next you lay flat on your back,”

“I was just looking to see if Uncle Nick was okay then I slipped,”

Aunty Lee comes to give me some tea on a tray and then goes to stand by the window to check how my uncle is doing. It is dark outside but the tractor has good lights.

There is a fire burning in the fireplace and the room is nice and warm. I sit up slowly and look down at my mud covered clothes.  Aunty Lee comes to sit with me. “I think you need a warm bath,”

“That would be nice, I just want to finish my tea first,” She nods.  Uncle Nick comes into the lounge. Alex gets up and Aunty Lee walks over to my Uncle. “You kids okay there?” he asks in his gruff voice. “That was a hard fall Lany.” He walks over to me then and he gives me a hug with his big arms. “Halo uncle,” I say.

“You look a bit pale my girl,”

“I’ll be okay,” I smile at him. Alex holds out his hand and my uncle takes it, “Alex, I am glad you know how to drive your car properly,” he smiles at him. “It’s good to meet you boy.”

“How do you do sir?”

“Oh please, call me Nick, everyone else does,” he winks at Alex and walks over to the coffee tray, Alex sits down next to me again. “I’ll make you a cup Honey,” Aunty Lee says and gets busy with the flask. Alex and Uncle Nick start talking about the storm but I don’t think I would like to relive that story again so I lie back down and close my eyes. “Alex will have to bring in his car so you can pack out. I will help you with that Rosie,” The men must have heard. They leave then to go fetch the car, Uncle Nick with a cup of coffee in his hand. As soon as the door closes behind them my Aunt smiles at me and shakes her head with disbelief, “He is a looker that young man,” I laugh at her honest observation, “and a doctor,” she is obviously impressed.

“Alex is not practising at the moment but I am sure he will be back at it soon.” She smiles at me and nods. “I really like him; I just hope he feels the same way.” I remember the little incident in his car and I still wonder about his intentions. “From what I have seen in this little time I can tell that he does,” I just smile at that, he was just concerned about my injury. The bright headlights of the Audi shine through the curtains. I get up slowly and Aunty Lee walks with me to my room. It is exactly the way it was when I left in December. This room is normal sized and has a wardrobe and desk and chair with the double bed. Alex and Uncle Nick peek in and he puts my suitcase by the foot of the bed. “I’ll help you pack out now Lany, let me just show Alex to his room.” I walk back to the kitchen holding on to the walls as I walk to wait for them there. I sit down uncomfortably in my muddy clothes. Alex and Aunty Lee returns to the kitchen. “The food is almost ready kids, are you hungry?”

“Starving” Alex says and Aunty Lee laughs.

“You’ll need a bath first,” she says to me. “Oh how I miss my boys now, they are always hungry.” The phone rings and Uncle Nick answers. “Rayner... But that is terrible... No off course... We are on our way,” he hangs up and looks at my Aunt. “Dennis needs us there, his sheep got out, they are running into the ditch and drowning each other, you will have to come as well. With Helen’s arm in that cast she won’t be of any help.”

“Anything we can do to help?” Alex asks.

“No boy, you stay here and look after my farm,” but looks at me when he says that. “Off course,” Alex says.

“Lane, the food is ready you can dish up anytime you want,” Aunty Lee says as she makes her way to the door already.

“Thank you Aunty, please be careful,” They grab their boots and coats and rush out the door towards the farm truck. Alex stands and stares out the window after them. I don’t think I will be able to eat just yet. “I think I would like to take a bath now,” I say and he walks with me to my room. “Your bag is not yet unpacked. I’ll tell you what, let’s get you into the bath and I will do that for you. I feel so tired that I don’t even disagree. He helps me to the bathroom and opens the taps. I sit on the edge of the bath and almost slip in. He catches me just in time and sighs. “Lay, you are a recipe for an accident,” I lean against him heavily and close my eyes. My head is spinning again and I feel a bit sick. Before I even open my mouth he has me bending over the toilet and I throw up soundlessly. I protests loudly but he picks me up very softly and carries me to his bed. Before he puts me down he takes of my clothes. I lay there on his bed in my underwear feeling very dizzy. He covers me with the duvet and props my head up on a pillow. I see him fiddling in his pocket then and suddenly there is a flash of light in my eyes. He is doing a proper examination this time. He goes about feeling my head, asking me questions and I feel as if I am in the doctor’s office instead of in my cousin’s room. “So doctor, what is wrong with me?” I say with a shaky voice. “You my dear have a concussion,” He leaves me then to go and close the taps. When he returns he picks me up again and carries me to the bathroom with his bag of toiletries. “Alex, I am quite capable of walking,” but he ignores me completely. Once in the bathroom he undoes my bra but before he does I take off my own panties. My face must be the colour of an over ripe tomato. I have only been naked in front of one person since my mother died and if I was not so extremely weak and wobbly I would definitely not allow any of this. Alex helps me into the bath without saying a word and I sense that he has his doctor mask on instead of his boyfriend one. He hands me his soap and I go about washing my body slowly not forgetting my usual washing ritual. I reach for the jug to wet my hair but he has it before I do. He wets my hair and very gently washes it for me. The bump on my head is very tender but he is very careful not to hurt me. I have never in my life been taken care of like this and the thought makes me want to cry. This must be love, how can it not be? “Alex, you’ll have to go away now so I can finish washing,” I say still the brightest shade of red imaginable. “No ways Lay, you might slip and hit your head again and I don’t feel like driving out on this road to the hospital.” I wash my girly parts quickly without looking at him. I don’t know how I could ever look at him again. His phone rings and he reaches for it with one hand while holding my arm with the other. “Dover,” Our heads are so close together I can hear everything on the other line. “Cuz, what is going on? Lane’s dad is about to send out the army if he doesn’t hear anything within an hour. What are you doing in Paulsburg
with her in anyway?” Matt sounds very upset not only for my father’s sake. “Matthew, Lane offered to take Emma back to school and I said that I would drive. I didn’t want her to drive all that way on her own. The plan is to spend the night at Lane’s aunt. We ran into a storm and Lane fell and hit her head,” before he could finish his sentence Matt was shouting and I doubt I even needed a phone to hear him, “What the fuck is going on there Alex? Is Lane okay? I swear if you hurt one hair on her head I will...”