Part 37 (1/2)

Raoul spent the evening inspecting the plane, and when Brandon rolled out of bed the next morning, clean and well rested, the Frenchman announced through Ike that he would indeed be able to fix the aircraft. He said he'd get to work on it immediately, but he'd have to head into town eventually for supplies so it might be a while before it was up and running.

Brandon nodded absently, his thoughts still far away. He didn't want to leave the village until he heard from Sam.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long.

That afternoon an Mbuti girl came running, right into Raoul's house. She sputtered in French to Ike and Raoul, looking excitedly at Brandon and gesturing for him to follow. Raoul quickly donned his hat and led Brandon through the rows of maize to the line of BaMbuti huts.

Sam, Temba, and Alfred were standing amongst the BaMbuti. Temba spoke to the others, but Sam's eyes found his and her lips framed the softest smile. She raced to him, jumping into his arms. Her familiar body pressed against him, relieving all of the stress he had felt since they had crashed. Suddenly, nothing else mattered.

”I need to contact a Hurley representative,” Alfred declared. After the news of Nessa's death, Alfred's excitement over the discovery was tempered with grief. He had hoped to share the news with her.

”If you need, mate, I'll take you where you need to go,” Ike told him. ”Just say the word and we'll be off.”

”As soon as possible,” Alfred replied. ”I don't want to take any chances.”

”Understood. We can head out in the morning if you like.”

They sat at Raoul's table with a dinner of corn and potatoes. Two days had pa.s.sed since their return from the forest.

”Does that mean you won't be staying here with us?” Sam asked.

”Afraid not,” Ike replied, s.h.i.+fting in his seat. He reached into his pocket and produced the ring Nessa gave to him. ”I need to find a good place for this. It keeps cutting into my a.s.s whenever I sit down.”

”How about on a woman's finger?” Sam suggested coyly.

”Really now?” Ike asked. ”How would you feel if when Brandon proposed he gave you some dead chick's ring?”

”Well, if he put it like that I probably wouldn't appreciate it too much,” she laughed. ”But if he told me a good story . . .”

”I see.”

”Why don't you do that?” Brandon asked. ”Head back to Australia. Settle down. Stop getting shot at.”

Ike laughed. ”Oh, I will. You can bet I will some day.” He shook his head. ”But, the thing is, I'm just not done with Africa yet. It's hard to explain.”

Brandon nodded, but Sam gave him a bright smile. ”It's okay,” she replied. ”I get it, completely.”

Ike and Alfred left the next day as promised. Brandon gave Ike his contact information. He tried to hand Ike the check, but Ike tore it up right in front of him.

Sam gave Alfred a long hug and wished him luck.

The day after they left, Raoul took the big truck into town with promises to return with a fixed airplane, ready to fly. In that time, Brandon and Sam spent most of their day with Temba. Some of the BaMbuti took time to mourn Kuntolo's death, and Brandon was surprised by the intensity of the emotional outpourings; but even before Raoul returned things began to get back to normal.

At one point, Brandon asked Temba what would become of the BaMbuti in the forest. Temba replied that they would have to move on to another part of the forest because they would not be welcome in this village or by this river again. He then added that maybe one day they would be, but not today.

It was a full week before Raoul returned, towing their Cessna behind. He invited them up onto the trailer bed to have a look. Brandon looked under the engine and noticed that the bullet holes had been welded over. It didn't look quite as good as new, but Raoul promised it would serve them well on their trip across Africa.

As anxious as they were to complete their journey, when the realization of their imminent departure seeped in, Sam grew reluctant to leave. She spent more and more time with Temba and Raoul. While Brandon had felt a bond forming between him and Raoul for their shared experience, Sam became more attached to Temba.