章 4: Chapter4
#Chapter4
Morning arrives with the brilliant glare of the sun and the camp starts moving like a well-oiled machine. Work on the house is going at a relatively fast pace and it looks as if they will soon be able to move into their renovated home.
The three of them converge on the rubbish dump at the back of the house where Piet has set up beer bottles at different distances, ranging from 10 m to 100 m.
/"Okay sweetheart, let me show you how the bolt action on this 303 works and remember, set the butt of the rifle tight inside your armpit so the recoil will not bruise you./"
/"David honey you men are all the same assuming that the damsel is in distress, pass the rifle here. Let me show you something./"
Adele takes the rifle from David. Piet moves behind her for safety sake, ready to hug the ground as he does not trust a firearm in the hands of a woman.
The woman handles the weapon like a pro. Sights at the bottle 100 m away, squeeze the trigger, the rifle barks and the bottle shatters. She fires again, and another bottle shatters. The sound of the rifle bounces back at them from the kopje behind them, breaking the still morning air. No birds take flight from the nearby trees, there are no birds.
Both men watch her mouths agape in surprise. Who would think that a delicate English flower could shoot like that? She exchanges the rifle for the 9 mil Browning and finishes off the remaining bottles in a flurry. The whole exercise takes less than 5 minutes to destroy all 12 bottles that Piet had set up.
With a sly smile and a twinkle in her eyes, Adele turns towards the two gaping men. /"Thank you gentleman, that was fun now where’s breakfast?/" Both men are stunned by her performance. /"Bloody hell Adele, how and where did you learn to shoot like that?/" /"Adele, honey, you’re a woman of many talents, and I never knew you could shoot./"
/"Well you never asked me, you just assumed that because I’m a woman I didn’t know how, but let me tell you a secret. My Dad was a marine and as a young girl, I use to go to the shooting range with him. He taught me how to shoot and take care of firearms so you have no need to worry about me guys. I’m able to take care of myself unless of course I‘m trapped in a toilet./"
/"Right darling, that’s true and we apologize for that. Come on breakfasts on me, who wants coffee?/" With a shake of his head in wonder, Piet decides the occasion needs something stronger. /"Ag man, not me, after that display, I need a beer./"
The broken glass glitters in the sunlight, the aftermath of Adele’s shooting performance.
***
The three make their way back to the tent area, where the conversation turns to how David and Piet met and became best friends. The two of them grew up in South Africa in a small town called Amanzimtoti on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Piet, being Afrikaans went to Kuswag Hoёrskool, and David went to Kingsway High. They both played cricket for their schools, and although on opposing teams became firm friends, from cycling to school together to double dating.
Employment in South Africa was at an all-time low under the government of the ANC. Piet being an adventurer moved around until he settled in Zambia.
David had the luxury of his trust fund so an income wasn’t important to him and he had the travel bug, which is how he ended up in the UK and met Adele.
Both men stayed in contact over the years, and when David inherited the small holding it gave him a reason to move back to Africa, and once again team up with Piet.
***
The party is loud, the braai fire is lit and the beer flows like the Kafue River. The celebration of the completion of the house is in full swing. Piet will return to his Safari Business in the morning and the laborers will return home with money in their pockets, a hangover and plenty of Boxer tobacco.
Adam has volunteered to stay on at the smallholding living in one of the buildings that have been converted for that purpose. He will assist with the upkeep of the chickens, as well as maintain the grounds around the house as there is a lot of bush that has encroached over the last three years into the area around the house, and needs to be cleared.
Adele has developed a fear of snakes thanks to her near miss in the Long Drop, and who can blame her. She wants the area cleared.
Chickens had arrived the day before and had taken up residence in their new home. The chicken houses had been rebuilt, new mesh had been installed, feeding troughs totally redone and David and Adele were set for business in the egg and chicken trade.
The house itself is now ready for the newlyweds with running water, a toilet that flushes electricity from the generator, which has been designed to start and switch off from the house. So there is no need for David or Adam to have to crack the handle to get it fired up, and this has been achieved but using a car battery, attached to the generator.
Furniture arrived the day before along with a big double bed, gas stove and fridge, and it now seems as if the house is saying, /"Live in me./"
Morning comes and it’s full of goodbyes. The laborers leave in the truck still drunk from the night before. The sound of singing follows them as they leave, heading back to Kafue and their families.
Piet stands by his Land Rover ready for the long trip back to Lusaka. /"You guys take it easy out here hey. Remember this is not London or Lusaka, this is the bush my friends and if you need me, you’ve got my cell number. Just remember to charge your bloody phones when you run the genny and watch out for each other. Man I love both of you, Adele I just met you, but I love you too./"
/"Cheers Piet, thanks for all the assistance. Drive carefully my friend and don’t be a stranger. Give me a call when you get to Lusaka./"
Dust billows out from behind the Land Rover as Piet follows the road home. They stand in the yard until they can’t hear the sound of the motor anymore and the sound of silence descends down on them. Apart from Adam, they realize that they are finally alone, for the first time in three weeks, eventually alone.
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