Chapter 23

I sat motionless, just holding Angie. She looked up at me with those big emerald green eyes, the whites slightly red from all the crying. This was something I did not expect. Willem looks like the asshole who tried to coerce her when she was a schoolgirl.

“I didn’t mean to say it is Willem, just the teacher looked like Willem, had the same surname, and used those exact same words...”

“It may be a coincidence, but let me think about it.”

“I know how you are, Ash. Don’t go over the edge.”

“I won’t. I’m not that type of man.”

“Good. I think I’ve cried enough for today.”

“You should never cry, sweetie pie, never.”

“There will be times, but I’m not usually that type of girl. I’ve come to realize that I must be strong and fight for myself. No one is going to do it for me ... except, maybe ... you.”

“I’ll always fight for you, Angie. I love you...”

“I love you too, Ash. I love you very much.” This time I placed my hand at the back of her head and pulled her face towards me. Our lips connected. We kissed; her lips hungry on mine. A tongue searching for mine. I don’t know how long we kissed, for the world stood still, and then we had to come up for air.

“Wow! Just wow! You make my toes curl.” she said and breathed in deeply.

“You do it for me too, Angie,” I murmured, stabilizing my own breathing.

“Let me go wash my face,” she asked, but did not get up from next to me.

“I’ve got a basin, washcloth, and a towel here...”

“I want to take a shower too. Wash my hair and ... get my pyjamas if you don’t mind.”

“No, no, not at all. But what about supper? We were invited to go ashore to TC’s camp,” I said, still holding her close to me.

“I forgot about TC and the braai.”

“I’ll not make you go if you don’t want to go. I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day. We can stay here.”

“No, let’s go. It might be good for me to get some fresh air on the beach.”

“Are you sure, pumpkin?”

“Yeah, let’s go. It might be good, and my mom and dad would think so too.”

“Okay then, but the moment you feel uncomfortable, you tell me, and we come back here.”

“Thank you, Ash, but let’s go and enjoy ourselves. Let the bad memories stay away.”

“Okay. One more kiss.”

Giggle. “Okay, one more...” And we kissed, long and passionately. How could I have fallen for this young girl? Okay, woman ... she’s not a girl anymore. Today I’ve seen and heard the dark part of her past, but it will not spoil any thoughts of her. No, I want only good things for her and me. For me, she is a good thing: that part of my life I was missing.

Angie broke the kiss.

“Phew! We’ll smother each other. Now, please release me, let me go, for I need to go freshen up.” And with that, she untangled from me and got up. Reluctantly, I released her.

“How are we getting to the beach?” Angie asked. “Should I wear my high heel stilettos?”

“On the beach? Nope, wear your ‘tekkies’ or go barefoot. I think we’ll be using the longboats, so barefoot is a good idea,” I said.

“Do you think...”

“I don’t know anything. We’ll play it as it comes.”

“I’m taking my Glock.”

“Bettie is always with me...”

“Bettie, like in, Beretta, for when?”

“For if; in the case of a fire, break the glass and defend the love of my life.”

Giggle. “Okay! One last kiss for that remark!

The old Angie was back!

(Max made his decision.)

The fog was rolling in from the Atlantic, bringing with it the cool of the early afternoon and blocking out the sun. Wherever there’s fog, there’s no wind; no breeze, just the rhythmic rolling of the sea pushing out on the white sandy shore. Wave after wave rolling onto the beach, just to recede back along the sloping sand in a display of white frothy foam.

Max stood in a circle of his men in the camp on the beach, high above the high-water mark.

“Two of you will go out to the south, now when the fog is completely settled in. Get on that dune to the east of the next bay over. Report everything you see. I want to know what those assholes are up to.”

“The ones in that camp we saw when we came in might pose a problem,” One man ventured.

“That’s why I said, go to the east of their camp. They will occupy the high ground on the north side of the camp. If I were their commander, that is what I would do. They will not see or expect you from the east, and they won’t see you too easily in this fog.”

“Good, we will move out now.”

“The rest of you, I need to circle around to the south. Stay behind the dunes until you are past their camp, then move in onto the south dune and await my signal.”

“What are you going to do?” Günter asked.

“I am going to visit them. Günter you, two guards, and I will just walk into their camp and ask for directions. We will say we are lost and have to meet someone in Spencer Bay.” Max chuckled. Adolf was not so sure that the plan will work.

“And if they are hostile and try to take us, prisoner?”

“That’s why we’ll have them surrounded from two sides. If anything happens, the men will fire on them.”

“Sounds like a sketchy plan, but you’re the boss. Let’s go.” Adolf said, not feeling too convinced that the plan will work.

“Right, you two, get going,” Max said to the two designated men and then turned away towards the longboat.

“So, what are you going to do now,” Adolf asked, and Günter spoke up.

“We are going to visit the guys in the next camp over. Leave everything to me. I am the tour guide. You will be my clients, and our car broke down a few kilometres to the south.”

“Sounds like a plan. We’ll leave the talking to you,” Adolf said, and Max nodded his head, smiling.

“Good boy!” Günter said.

(Beach, 9 kilometres south of Spencer Bay: 16:15 SAST.)

The skipper of the rubber duck judged the surf and breakers with his experienced eye. Getting the first swell just before it broke with a white frothy crest, we ran over it. The rubber duck kept pace with the breaker in front of us and stayed away from the one at the back. It flew over the water, and just after the breaker in front of us hit the sandy shore, its aluminum hull hit the beach, sliding along and losing momentum.

The skipper and his crew member hauled the twin Mercury 200 marine outboard engines out of the water as the rubber duck slid across the beach, stopping half in the receding surf and keeling over to the left. We were at TC’s camp.

The TC Rangers ran down to help Angie, Lorie, Gretah, and Leah out of the boat. Olivia just jumped ashore and strode out to the camp. Friederich, Davie, and I jumped down on the lower side of the boat and walked towards TC, standing on the beach with his hands on his hips, imitating a fuel pump.

Chuckling, I walked up to TC and said: “Take your fingers out of your ears and take me to your leader!” TC obviously heard the joke before and laughed, reaching out his right hand in greeting.

“Welcome to my humble dwelling in the desert! Camel milk and dates, with goats’ milk cheese for you?”

We all chuckled at his wit.

“Are you roasting a camel on that bonfire of yours?” Friederich asked.

“No, but I can always get a giraffe if you wish!”

“Only if I could get the neck! But I’m not that hungry,” I said. “Besides, Captain Davie here brought along the whole freezer from the Ocean Wanderer! Are you in for some thick slabs of beef all the way from sunny South Africa?”

“Yeah, we brought you a Texas steak. I think it’s about fifty centimetres across and five centimetres thick!” Lorie said with a smile and a little blush on her cheeks.

“Wow, thanks, but you’ll need to share it with me, Lorie! It’s mighty big. Come let’s go up to the tent. There are some camping chairs there.” And so our beach party started. I saw Lorie standing “in the near vicinity” of TC. Not too close, but also not too far out of reach. Hmm ... If the others noticed, I don’t know, but as we started up the slight incline towards the camp, TC had placed his hand on the small of Lorie’s back and guided her towards the camp. Another; “Hmm...” Should I have brought one of Angie’s AK-47s? Nah, Lorie is Lorie, and if she needs to she can date whoever she wants. It’s about time little sis gets out of her rut.

“Is it one small step for mankind?” Angie asked next to me, rolling her eyes in the direction of Lorie and TC.

“One giant leap for Lorie, if you ask me.”

Giggle. “They look good together.”

“Let’s not get carried away. Maybe it’s just a fleeting thing.”

“Two ships in the night...”

“What do you know about ‘two ships in the night?’”

“Never mind...” she said, wiping a stray lock of hair out of her face, but looking at me with a smile on her rosy lips.

“Come on, sweetness, let’s go let our hair down for a spell.”

Angie hooked her arm through mine. “Let’s go. Just now my dad will come to fetch me.”

“Nah, your mom won’t let him. Look at them. One can see that they are still very much in love.”

“Yeah...” she sighed, and then fell silent. Together we walked up to TC’s big tent, slightly to the right of the “car park.” The olive green of the tent reminded me of the bivouac out in the field during my Air Force days. The smell of A1-jet in 40-gallon drums piled in batches next to the tent reinforced the image.

Only a handful of TC’s men were around the camp. The others, I suppose were somewhere in hiding. Darya also seemed to be missing. I thought that she would at least be in the camp to savour some female chatter. She was always a loner, but even loners hang on the edges absorbing the banter.

When the “braai” started to get into gear, Angie drifted away towards Leah, Lorie, and Olivia. They were sitting on camping chairs a little to the side and out of the smoke of the fire, with TC hovering in the background. Each was sipping on some cool drink that TC always seems to have around in gallons. Yes, out here and expecting any kind of hostility, one drank either water or a cool drink. Alcohol will have to wait until the environment is safer.

Friederich was admiring one of TC’s Unimogs, with one of TC’s men happily showing him over the vehicle. Willem came up to me and looked a little dejected.

“What’s up, big guy? You look like you lost your appetite,” I asked.

“The thing with the little redhead over there is still bugging me,” he said.

“Willem, can I ask you something personal?”

“Fire away. I have nothing to hide.”

“Were you ever a teacher?”

“Yes, why?” He said looking at me, and a cold shiver rand down my spine.

“Because the little redhead had a run-in with a teacher that wanted sexual favours from her.”

“So, she doesn’t like teachers. It is understandable. I would have liked to have her in my class. She looks intelligent, but I taught only for two years at an all-boys school out in Pretoria, South Africa. Afrikaans Hoër Seuns Skool,” he reminisced, and I relaxed a bit after his initial revelation that he was a teacher.

“Okay, thanks. Maybe I owe you an explanation without giving too many details, but the teacher that tried his luck with Angelique looked like you, to a tee. His surname was also Botha, and he wanted to see and touch her ginger biscuit.”

“That’s the little girl? My god! No!”, and his mouth fell open.

“You know about the incident?” I asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Yes, yes, I know about it. I am ashamed to admit it, but it was my twin brother. He got fired after the incident. He was teaching English in a school in Windhoek,” Willem said and looked at me. I could see the hurt in his eyes. “He’s now left the country; gone to the Philippines and teaches there. After the incident, he could not get work as a teacher in either Namibia or South Africa. I don’t know what he thought he was trying to do. It’s insane.”

“Don’t worry about it. I think Angie will understand that it’s not you.”

“I did not think either. Calling her a ‘ginger biscuit’ was just me being funny. I meant nothing by it.”

“I know. I’ll tell Angie. She seems to be doing okay now.”

“Yeah. Anything, Captain Windsor. Anything to make it up to her.”

“Willem, here we are on dry land; call me Ash,” I said.

“Thank you, Ash. I think I must go make myself handy with the braai. Can we talk later?”

“Yes. I’ll catch you later,” I said as Willem walked off to the guys by the fire. For the moment I was left alone and wanted to go over to the ‘car park.’ I still smiled at the term TC used to describe the place where he abandoned the vehicles.

The sun was breaking through the fog that was slowly dispersing in the late afternoon breeze coming out of the desert, now blowing steadily from the south-east.

“So, what was that all about?” A small voice asked at my elbow. I turned towards the voice and there was Angie. She looked up at me while wiping a stray breeze-blown strand of red hair out of her face. “You looked a little lonesome, so I came over.” Giggle.

“No, not lonesome, just thinking over what Willem told me.”

“And?”

“Well, he knows about the incident with you, and why you went over the edge.”

“How does he know?”

“It was his twin brother that tried his luck with you.”

“Oh, shit! No wonder he looked so familiar. Just the voice was different, and the beard.”

“He is disturbed that it was you. But don’t worry, he said his brother is out of the country, working in the Philippines.”

“That’s a bit of a relief. Ash, if you don’t mind, I’ll set things straight with Willem.”

“Why should I mind. If you want to set things straight, I’ll not stop you. Just know that I am there for you and just keep an open mind. Willem seems to be a good person and seems distraught about what his brother has done.”

“Don’t worry, I’m over it and will handle it.”

“Good.”

“Give me a kiss.”

“With your mom watching?”

“That’s why I said, give me a kiss.” Giggle. Angie reached up on tiptoe, and I bent my head forward. Angie’s hands went around my neck, and we kissed. I placed my arms around her waist and picked her up clean off the ground. Her one leg bending at the knee, she brought her bare foot up behind her. Our kiss lasted a long time as the world came to a standstill.

“Now you can put me down on my feet again.” Giggle. Over her shoulder I saw Gretah looking at us, smiling, and leaning over to Leah, saying something to her. Leah threw her head back and laughed. It looked like Gretah was satisfied and happy with the things that were going on between Angie and me.

“Let’s go see how supper is doing,” Angie said, taking my hand in hers. With the fog now completely gone, the late afternoon sun was just about to touch the horizon and was casting red-tinted light over the desert sand. The desert glowed in the last rays of the sun.

As Angie and I walked hand in hand over to the fire, our feet kicking up little sand sprays, there was a glare from the sun on the frothing foam as the sea spilled onto the beach and receded back to the ocean. The drumming and dull crashing sound of the waves onto the beach sounded like a symphony played only for Angie and me, magnificent and beautiful, idyllic and serene.

Halfway to the fire, Angie stopped dead in her tracks. First I thought she saw something or stepped onto something.

“Listen to the ocean. Do you hear it? Echoes of a million seashells...”

“Yes, I hear it and see it. The ocean, forever in motion like the rhythmic symphony of unwritten music...”

“That music is played eternally ... Only if you stop and listen, will you hear it...”

“How lucky we are to be here, where nobody comes ... the unspoiled ocean, the desert. Ain’t it beautiful, Ash?”

“Yes, but, it does not compare to the beauty I hold before my eyes.”

“Ash ... you ... You say the nicest things. You make the Desert Rose bloom...”

The kiss was inevitable.

(What is happening out in the desert with Max and his crew?)

The trek across the desert from his camp was not what Max had in mind. No, the loose sand and the distance towards his objective had him a little disturbed. It was only eight or nine kilometres, yet he did not anticipate the sand, and the way that wading through the sand drained his energy. Adolf was doing worst. Adolf was panting and sweating like a fountain.

“I think I’ll return to camp,” Adolf huffed as he came up to where Max was standing, resting for a moment, hands on his knees.

“We’re more than halfway there. The distance to them is less than the distance back to camp,” Max said, feeling dryness in his mouth. He reached for his water canteen and took a swig of lukewarm water. The water tasted horrible. “Besides, we will look the part of being lost in the desert when we reach them.”

“If we do reach them. My lungs are burning,” Adolf said, and feeling sorry for himself.