Chapter 18

For the first time in many years, Lauren saw the sun rise. The great yellow orb pushed into the sky lazily, greeting her with a warmth and welcome that she found almost endearing. It was seven o'clock, and time to wake Emma, who would keep her company on the way to the airport. She knew they were both tired having spent a long evening clearing out the spare room of all the stored food and pushing it into the garage, but the journey might wake them up and she was so excited to think that Nikki was probably circling the coast of South America at that moment. Perhaps she too had found someone to confide in during the journey.

Lauren had decided to wear jeans and a T-Shirt that morning as it was sure to be what Nikki was wearing. Emma settled for a plain pale blue skirt, flip flops and a white blouse. Neither girl had even considered wearing a bra.

Lauren recognised little on the way to San Serra, but thankfully it was well signposted and she knew they were headed in the right direction as they passed the waste ground where she had first tried the car. She wondered if she should get a local driving licence and decided to investigate the next day. She could take Nikki and Emma down to the Post Office and find out what she needed to do. A series of pot holes slowed their progress as they got within the city limits, all on their side of the road. It looked as though they had been made deliberately, a view that was confirmed by temporary traffic lights ahead and a small excavator rumbling along the road. The lights took a full ten minutes to change, causing Lauren to worry about meeting the plane. They crawled past the excavations, not a workman in sight.

The car park was in a remote corner of the airfield, nowhere near where Gustav had left the car, and they had to wait for a bus to take them to the terminus. By the time they arrived, the plane (according to the arrivals board) had been on the ground almost thirty minutes. Lauren looked ahead to the immigration area and saw Nikki, looking out onto the tarmac. She walked up to her, forgetting about Emma, and tapped her shoulder.

Nikki shrieked and hugged her tight. She stood back and took another look. "Wow, just look at you!"

"What?" said Lauren, smiling and looking down at her feet.

"You're so tanned. God, you make me sick. Why aren't you scrubbing floors all day?"

"No need. Hey, this is Emma. Emma, Nikki." They smiled at each other. Lauren sampled the body language and breathed a sigh of relief. "Got all your stuff? Good, come on, only three hours to the car!"

Nikki looked at Emma as Lauren strode off towards the exit. "What is she going on about?"

"It's the heat!" said Emma, taking her hand luggage and lumbering after Lauren.

Nikki rattled on all the way home talking to both of them while admiring the countryside. Lauren concentrated on the road, driving well and keeping to the speed limit.

"Hey, have you passed your test?" asked Nikki.

"No, you don't need to!" replied Lauren, grinning. Nikki shook her head as though shocked. "Are you tired?" she asked as she pulled up at a cross-roads.

"Yeah, it's a long flight. It's three o'clock in the morning Swiss time. I would normally be thinking about going to bed." Nikki smiled, obviously delighted to be abroad and in their company. The journey was quick and they pulled up at the house within two hours.

"Oh wow, is this it?" she asked, studying the grounds as she pulled her suitcase from the back of the car.

"Yep, come on, I'll show you the spare room." said Emma, running on ahead. She unpacked and stuffed her clothing quickly into the drawers.

"Here, this is from your mother. I can't guess what it is but I'm sure it's both old fashioned and embarrassing!" Nikki watched as Lauren unwrapped the parcel, pulling out three pairs of white knickers that had come from a thrift shop no doubt, a letter and a brand new pale yellow cardigan. She threw the knickers on the bed and looked at the cardigan.

"Actually, it's quite nice" she said, nodding at the cardigan as she read the letter.

"Nice? Are you serious?" Nikki looked over her shoulder at the letter. "Any gossip, scandal?"

"It's a cake recipe" replied Lauren.

"The only scandal then is that cardigan!"

"Hey, I wear them now and again, you know" They giggled and Emma took them (and the cardigan) on a guided tour of the house. Nikki was most definitely impressed and jealous of her friend's lifestyle, facts that delighted Lauren.

"Now, this afternoon you can sleep, then maybe we'll go into town for a couple of hours, about five o'clock, then you can sleep again. Tomorrow you'll be fine." said Lauren, shooing her back into her room with a cup of coffee. "The bath's through here. All the bedrooms are arranged the same. You even get your own little lounge. TV is useless."

"Hey!" shouted Jamie.

"Oh good, he's back." She stuck her head into the hallway. "We're in the spare room!" she bellowed. She grabbed Nikki's hand dramatically. "I hoped you would see him today before you fell asleep" Nikki peered past her towards the door and saw Jamie as he entered the room.

"Hi, I'm Nikki, Lauren's friend." Lauren couldn't fail to notice the glazed, wishy-washy look in her eyes as she looked at Jamie. 'Oh God', she thought, 'here's another holiday romance that's going to end in tears.' Lauren really was astounded by the change in Nikki's demeanor as Jamie leant forward and kissed her cheek.

"Welcome to Boquette. Good flight?"

"Fine, thanks." Nikki's eyes dropped from his face to his chest.

Emma sniggered as their hands touched a moment longer than necessary. She also noticed Nikki's eyes reach her brother's navel.

"Let's leave Nikki to get some sleep" said Lauren, quickly stepping between Nikki and Jamie. "Then we can have breakfast together tomorrow morning." She shooed the children out before smiling once again at Nikki and stealing a kiss before closing her door.

"Oh, I'm so pleased she's here. Emma, thank you once again. It's a wonderful present." said Lauren putting her hands on her shoulders. Emma stepped forward and kissed her lips, lingering as her eyes fluttered closed. Lauren inhaled the scent of the girl, instantly entranced by the sensuous embrace. Her pussy tingled as their breasts touched through their clothing. Lauren felt giddy as she broke free, blinking as if to clear the fog that had swirled around them. She caught her breath. "A cold drink, I think. Yes, that's what we all need. A cold drink" she muttered, struggling to regain her composure. She made it to the lounge without spilling any, slumped onto the sofa and watched the news, almost fearful that Emma might join her.

After breakfast the following morning, the legendary Mr. Quintero arrived, sporting brown trousers and a black shirt with the most colourful bowtie in South America. He bubbled, full of news from the provinces, announcing the fate of several villagers to the north who had ventured in search of the Nationalists and found them, fought them and perished bloodily. He romaticised their death, glorifying the bloodshed that accompanied their untimely end. Emma sat in the kitchen, her mouth stuck open in horror as he told and embellished every detail of their suffering. How they had been creeping through the jungle one night when the foe had ambushed them, cutting them into pieces with swift strokes of long curved knives.

Mr. Quintero picked up the bread knife, making Emma squeal as he demonstrated how to behead someone.

"OK, that's plenty of that!" said Lauren, surprising herself with her authority in the house. "Now, you two have your lessons, and this morning Nikki and I are going into town." Brother and sister trooped out, following their lord and master.

Lauren shuddered, switched the coffee percolator on and checked the time. Nine o'clock was good for Nikki. They had visited the town the evening before, but by five thirty everything had shut and Boquette was not really known for it's night life. But Lauren had promised to take her down to the beach, maybe explore a little, and the fact that Emma and Jamie were having lessons all morning was wonderful.

She wandered back to her room and slipped out of the T-Shirt she had slept in and pulled on a white cotton blouse. She found a dry bikini and slipped into the briefs, leaving the top half on the bed for later. She did up two of the buttons on the blouse, making sure that while she looked covered from directly in front, anyone above or below her could see her tanned breasts in all their glory.

The house was quiet and she poured two cups of coffee before knocking quietly on Nikki's door. The room was dark and she saw Nikki curled up tightly on the far side of the big bed, her blonde hair spread across the pillow and the sheet just covering her shoulders. Lauren smiled as she recognised the majority of Nikki's possessions set out around the room. She put the coffee down on the bedside table and knelt by the bed, facing her back.

"Hey! Time to wake up!" she said quietly, hoping to wake her gently rather than make her shoot through the ceiling. "Nik! It's morning!" Nikki stirred and slept again. Lauren crawled up onto the bed and knelt beside her, gently touching her hair. "Hey, sleepy, time to go out and play!"

"No! I'm dreaming. Let me finish!"

"It's coffee time, then beach. Come on!" Lauren shook her shoulder, turning her onto her back. Nikki opened her eyes and looked up, smiling slightly, then examined the blouse and bikini that Lauren wore, a brief glance that Lauren noticed and enjoyed. Nikki rolled over onto her stomach, resting against Lauren's legs.

"You look nice." said Nikki, laying her head on Lauren's legs. Reaching behind for the coffee, she handed a cup to Nikki, making her sit up in bed. While she would love to have explored further the growing sensations caused by being alone once again with her, Lauren had planned other excitement for the day.

"Sorry about your dream! When you're ready we'll go the beach. Remind me to tell you about a boy I met on the plane and what we told each other."

"Dirty stuff?"

"Mmm, real dirty stuff!"

"Lori, where do you find all these people? They seem to come flocking to you. I can't understand it!"

Lauren left and tidied the kitchen, putting the bread knife carefully away in the drawer. Nikki surprised her by bounding into the kitchen half an hour later. She wore a T-Shirt and shorts, under which Lauren knew she had her bikini bottoms. They packed some food and drove off into Boquette where they bought some cheap local wine, cheese and fresh bread. Nikki also bought a local map, found the area that Lauren had mentioned, and gave directions as they set off on the first adventure they had ever had on their own in a car. As they left the outskirts of Boquette, Nikki immediately demanded the whole story of the boy on the plane. Lauren had just started when they pulled off the main route north and took a single track road to the coast.