Authors: Kate Metz
Stiletto Safari (21 page)
Love,
Hamish
I crumpled the note in my fist before tossing it into the waste basket. So Hamish loved me this morning, but in front of his ex only a few hours later I was just some girl in his research group. I could only deduce from this that:
a. he was still in love with Sasha; or
b. my spying antics hadn’t gone down well; or
c. he’d put two and two together and worked out that he was the “awful” guy in my e-mails.
Of course, a combination of (a), (b) and (c) was also quite possible.
I composed a short reply note and pinned it to his door:
Hamish,
I hope you’re not mad at me for this afternoon. I can explain, but I’d really rather not as my explanation is not very good. It’s not as bad as it looks…well, it is, but I had my reasons (sort of)…
I’m not sure if you still want to see me tonight given that I’m just some random girl in your research group (yes, that hurt), but I can’t make it anyway, as I’m going up to the lodge to discuss the feature article with Kelly.
Zara
I contemplated adding that every thought I’d ever had on our relationship was on the Internet for the world to see before concluding that honesty might not be the best policy in this case.
As I trudged back to the volunteer camp, I realized our relationship was doomed. Even if Hamish wasn’t cheating on me and was prepared to overlook the unfortunate spying incident, he probably wouldn’t overlook the horrible things I’d said about him in my e-mails. Of course I didn’t feel any of those things now, but how was he to know?
I’d ruined everything through my own stupidity. Stupid people don’t deserve to be happy I ruefully thought.
W
earing my green summer dress and snakeskin stilettos, I reluctantly made my way up to the lodge for drinks. When I arrived, Kelly was already at the bar, but there was thankfully no sign of Sasha.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Zara,” Kelly air-kissed both my cheeks. “You look amazing; I’m loving your tan.”
“You look great too. It seems like a lifetime since you were last here,” I replied, feigning enthusiasm. Wearily I sat down on the soft suede couch opposite Kelly. My whole body ached from my earlier hike.
“So how’s Mark? He must be lonely without you.” Though I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, I forced myself to make an effort.
“I hope so! I’ve told him not too much partying while I’m away. It’s actually a bit of a joke because Mark is a workaholic.”
A waiter came over with two G&Ts. “I ordered them just as you arrived—hope that’s okay. I asked for extra-strong ones.” Kelly reached for her glass and chinked it against mine. “To a successful feature,” she enthused.
“Absolutely,” I agreed before taking a mind-numbing gulp.
Kelly looked down at her watch, “Sasha is always late, which is actually good, because I really want to go through the feature. Plus, I’ve got to catch up on your life.”
I took another large gulp of my G&T.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am about this feature,” Kelly gushed, her face lighting up. “I really think it’s going to resonate with a lot of our readers. So many people I’ve spoken to feel trapped—they’re unfulfilled in their day-to-day lives and want to contribute more to society, but don’t know how.”
“Right,” I agreed absentmindedly.
“Volunteering gives people the freedom to try something completely new, but in a safe and supportive environment. Plus, there’s the buzz of helping others.”
“Absolutely,” I murmured without really listening.
“The angle of the feature is that you can make a difference and step outside your comfort zone at the same time—grow while helping others.”
I simply couldn’t concentrate on what Kelly was saying. After a long sip of my drink, I finally cleared my throat. “Kelly, I’ve got to ask: how did you find out about my e-mails?”
Kelly laughed, “When I got back to the States, I Googled you to get some background for the feature and your e-mails came up. I loved reading them and others must have too because your e-mails have gone viral.”
“Sounds like some nasty STD when you say it like that,” I moaned. “I’m beyond embarrassed. I had no idea my e-mails were public until you mentioned it earlier today. I just want to die.”
Kelly patted my knee sympathetically. “It’s not that bad. Just delete the page off the Internet and in a few days time no one will remember your e-mails were ever there. If you didn’t post your e-mails though, who did?”
“This real cow from work,” I groaned. “She has always hated me and unfortunately I accidentally included her in my mailing list. Her name is really similar to that of a close girlfriend…,” I explained.
“Seriously, don’t worry. Your e-mails are funny and people have obviously enjoyed reading them. Maybe you should start a blog?” Kelly suggested giving me a kind smile.
I shook my head sadly, “I think the world already knows quite enough about my life.”
“So I have to ask are you and Nick back together?” Kelly was sitting on the edge of the couch in suspense. “I need to catch up with everything I’ve missed. I haven’t read your recent e-mails.” Sensing my hesitation, she said, “Don’t worry, none of this is going in the feature.”
“No,” I answered truthfully “Nick is a wonderful guy, but I’ve realized he’s not the one.”
Kelly was now halfway through her second strong G&T, “There’s someone else, isn’t there? Is it Hamish Walters? Oh crap, I feel so stupid. I can’t believe I mentioned your e-mails in front of him. He doesn’t know, does he? I’m so sorry.”
“Yes,” I miserably offered. “Hamish will be so offended if he ever reads my e-mails. I’ve said some pretty awful things about him. He’s not the only one, though. You should know, Kelly, that I’ve also been pretty rude about Sasha. Among other things, I’ve been referring to her as “bitch-face”—a really unfortunate choice of names, I know. I totally understand if you want to cut me from the feature.”
Kelly was silent for a moment before glossing over my remark. “Sasha has been called worse things.”
“Anyway, I think it’s all over between me and Hamish.” I stared glumly into my empty glass. “I guess I was just the rebound girl.”
“I take it Sasha doesn’t know about you two? It’s no secret she’s desperate to get back together with Hamish. She’s obsessed,” Kelly said thoughtfully.
“No, I don’t think she knows. Hamish didn’t want to tell her. Suspicious, isn’t it?” With a new drink in hand, I was tipsy enough to start opening up to Kelly. It wasn’t like I had anything to lose and besides she already knew plenty about my personal life.
“Actually, I can see where Hamish is coming from.” Kelly leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “I love Sasha, but she’d try and ruin you if she even suspected you two were together. She can be really vindictive.” Her voice dropped even lower. “I was with them all morning and Sasha was trying every move in the book, but Hamish didn’t seem remotely interested.”
My mood temporarily brightened before I added hopelessly, “But we’re talking about Sasha Friend. She’s a rich, gorgeous supermodel.”
“I don’t really know Hamish, but maybe that’s not the type of woman he’s after,” Kelly offered.
My eyebrows arched at this.
“Well, it’s a thought,” Kelly mused.
“Time to change the topic, here comes Sasha,” I grumbled. Kelly plastered a wide smile on her face.
Sasha swooped into the room. She was dressed casually in figure-hugging jeans, a low-cut sleeveless top which accentuated her perfectly augmented breasts, a wide conch belt that cinched her tiny waist, and towering heels. Her long blonde hair swished behind her and a limited-edition Birkin bag was slung over her shoulder. She looked absolutely amazing, in a very skinny supermodel sort of a way.
“Hi Sash,” Kelly gushed. “You must have had an amazing sleep; you look so refreshed.”
“Something like that,” Sasha breezed, sounding mysterious. “I’ll have a dirty martini,” she imperiously demanded of the hovering waiter. “And I’m sure Zara will have one too,” she said, giving me an ice-cold glare as if sizing me up.
“You’d better make that three,” Kelly brightly chirped before adding as an afterthought, “And can you bring some snacks? I’m starving. What do you girls feel like? Maybe some antipasto and lamb cutlets? I had them last night and they were divine.”
“Oh, I don’t eat,” Sasha exclaimed in horror. “I’m sure Zara would like some though.” She looked me up and down in a critical fashion as though implying I had some kind of weight problem.
A hostile silence ensued, during which time Sasha lit up a cigarette, despite the very obvious “no smoking” sign, and puffed smoke in my direction. I fantasized about shoving her filthy cigarette up her perfect nose.
“Isn’t it exciting being here?” Kelly exclaimed enthusiastically, trying to change the tone. “I just love Africa.”
Sasha rolled her eyes and took another drag on her cigarette.
“Don’t you like it, Sash?” Kelly asked, her voice now full of concern.
“I can’t believe people live here,” Sasha complained. “Where are the shops? What do people do all day? I really need to get Hamish out of here and back to civilization.”
“Perhaps he likes it here,” I challenged.
“As if,” Sasha snorted contemptuously before turning to Kelly. “I’m pretty sure he’s seeing someone. Not that it matters. I don’t care if Hamish is having a fling. I’m very confident it will be over by the end of the week.” She looked meaningfully at me.
“Oh good, our food has arrived,” Kelly exclaimed, looking very relieved to have something else to focus on.
“So is it true, Zara, that your boyfriend is in prison?” Sasha smugly asked.
What a bitch! Trying to sound even-tempered, I replied, “Well, no, actually. Nick isn’t my boyfriend, he’s my ex-boyfriend, and he has been acquitted. That means he’s free,” I added sarcastically.
“And what did he think of you running off to Africa just when he needed you?” Sasha smirked, not missing a beat.
“If you must know, Nick has been very supportive of my coming here. Not that I need his support, given that we’re no longer together.”
Sasha’s smirk was getting wider; she was clearly enjoying trying to make me squirm. Screw her. Casually I threw in, “In fact, Nick is so supportive of what I’m doing here that he has generously donated $250,000 to start a scholarship fund. The fund is going to help kids at the school pursue higher education opportunities.”
The words tumbled out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. But it wasn’t a bad idea. Nick’s money could help kids like Gabi achieve their dreams.
“Wow, that’s terrific, Zara,” Kelly trilled. “This is exactly why you’re our most inspirational volunteer.”
Kelly turned to Sasha. “Since Zara has been here, she has designed a new school uniform, been a really popular teacher and dorm mistress, introduced a new waste disposal system at the volunteer camp, and now established a scholarship fund. Isn’t she amazing?”
Sasha’s smirk faded. Scowling, she lit up another cigarette. “Well, aren’t you just the little overachiever,” she said in a bitter tone.
“Has the scholarship fund been launched yet, Zara?” Kelly queried.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s actually a pretty recent development. Very recent, in fact.”
“Perfect,” Kelly answered. “Let’s announce it in the feature. She took a sip of her drink and continued,“So for the feature, I’d like to get some natural-looking shots of you at the school.”
“Brilliant.” I smiled and for a second it really did sound brilliant. Not every girl gets their picture in their favorite magazine!
“What about my shoot?” Sasha sulkily demanded.
“We’re going to shoot you with the two lion cubs; it’s going to be amazing. Then we’ll get some bikini shots by the pool as well as some safari shots.” Kelly sounded like she was trying to placate a spoiled child.
“And Hamish will be there the whole time?” Sasha pouted, her eyes narrowing to slits as she glared at me.
“Of course,” Kelly soothed. “That’s what we agreed.”
“Perfect,” Sasha pronounced, blowing smoke directly in my face. The smoke made my eyes tear up. As I reached for a tissue, I accidentally knocked the plate of lamb cutlets. They went flying. Bending down to clean up the mess, I was horrified to see a cutlet protruding from Sasha’s open Birkin bag. Just as I was about to guiltily retrieve it, Sasha remarked, “I just hate clumsy people.”
Seething, I gave Sasha’s Birkin a little kick and watched, satisfied, as the cutlet slid further into the bag and out of sight. It was definitely the highlight of my night.
The rest of the evening was spent with Sasha alternating between blowing smoke in my face and making snide remarks. In her case, beauty really was only skin deep. To block her out of my thoughts, I drank way too many dirty martinis.
It was after one before I got a lift back to the volunteer camp and somehow managed to stagger to my room. To say I was a bit drunk was an understatement. My head pounded and everything around me spun.
Attempting to find my bed in the dark, I tripped over something hard and cried out in pain. As I finally tumbled into bed, two thoughts resounded in my mind:
- I was never drinking again; and
- Sasha Friend was the biggest bitch I’d ever met.
F
or a few minutes I lay on my bed, disoriented. It took me a moment to realize that it was morning and I was in my bed at the volunteer camp. Try as I might, I couldn’t remember much of the previous night.
Through half-shut eyes I spied a box in the middle of the floor, and had a vague recollection of walking into it. Climbing out of bed, I read the note resting on top of it:
Zara,