The Smoke That Thunders

by Nathan Bassett

  After thirty minutes, Peter threw the tent poles down. “That’s it. You two do it,” and five minutes later, the tent was up.

  As they sipped cocoa, Lisa breathlessly described the scene to her parents, who had been preparing their bed in the kombi. When Johan finished his drink, he stood up, looked at the stars above. “It has been a very fine day. This is what life is about. We are going to have a great holiday. Let’s get to bed. We have an early start in the morning.”

  The next day, they hiked around Cathedral Peak and Bushman’s Nek. They returned to the campsite that evening, exhausted and ready to enjoy some peace and quiet. The family and friends played card games, laughing and joking as Lisa and Johan playfully cheated, just to frustrate the others. As the evening wore on, Chad thought, This is what it means to be a family – playing games, fixing meals, washing up together, and laughing with each other. My God! I want to be a part of this. God, give me a chance with Sarah. Just a chance.

  The following morning included a trip to the Champagne Castle area, where they hiked to Crystal Falls and admired the stunning views of Cathkin Peak – the most recognizable peak of the Drakensberg Mountains.

  Shortly after they returned to the campsite, Johan disappeared. With dinner nearly ready, Susan sent Lisa out to find her father. She took Peter’s hand and said, “You’re coming with me.”

  On the far side of the campsite, they saw Johan sitting around a campfire eating boerewors and drinking beer with two loud Afrikaner families.

  Lisa stopped and grabbed Peter’s arm. “It’s too late. We need to go back.”

  Peter said, “Lisa, don’t be silly! It’s fine. I’m sure he’ll come back with us.”

  “I wish.” She sighed.

  “Come on. He’ll come back.” Peter walked to the campsite with Lisa half a step behind him.

  “Lisa! Peter! Meet my new friends. This is my wonderful daughter. And this is my very wonderful friend, all the way from America. These are my friends from Pietersburg. Is it dinnertime already? Run home and tell them I’ll be there shortly.”

  One of the friends slapped Johan on the back and said, “What about our poker game? We have to get started. It’s going to be a long, long night for you, bru.”

  Johan laughed. “You two go on back. I’ll be back just now.”

  Susan waited fifteen minutes. When Johan still hadn’t showed up, she said, “Go ahead and dish up. I’m famished. Let me go and get your father.”

  Sarah dished up, and they sat with plates on their laps and waited.

  A few minutes later, they heard Johan’s faint voice. They could only make out two words: “Interfering bitch!”

  Two minutes later, Susan returned. “Go ahead and eat,” she said before she retreated into the kombi.

  The four traded glances.

  “I’ll go get him,” Lisa said. “I’ll drag him back.”

  “Ja, man. You do that, Miss Piggy. You do that,” Sarah stated in a strangely comforting manner. “Go and bring him back.”

  “You come with me. Come on, Sarah,” Lisa pleaded.

  Sarah looked at Lisa. Her eyes whispered, You know it’s too late. There is nothing we can do.

  Lisa said, “Well, fine. Let’s eat. He can stay there all night. I don’t care.”

  Peter slipped into the kombi to check on Susan. He found her sitting on the makeshift bed with her head buried in her hands.

  “I sometimes think I can’t take it anymore. I just cannot. I just can’t bear anymore of this ... this …” Her words refused to surface.

  Peter stood silent. He was not equipped for this display of crippling despair. Should I agree with her? ‘It is too much, give up, leave him.’ Should I argue with her? ‘No, no. It’s not so bad, things will be fine.’ Should I defend Johan? ‘Oh, it’s okay. Just let him have his fun.’ He sat down and said nothing as her tears welled up and began to trickle through her fingers. Peter reached for a tissue from the front of the van. Still searching for words of comfort, he handed her the tissue.

  Susan dried her tears and said, “We won’t let this spoil our evening, will we?”

  Peter said, “No. Let’s go eat. Johan will come to his senses when he’s ready. He will! There’s no reason to let it ruin a good meal.”

  The evenings that followed, at the numerous campsites, remained unpredictable. Some nights were relaxing, laid back, and enjoyable. Other evenings, the dysfunction would suddenly manifest. Peter likened those nights to the massive thunderstorms of an Oklahoma spring; they never knew when the next powerful, frightening monster storm would roll through, or how much destruction it might leave in its wake.

  ***

  The day finally came when the kombi headed for Kruger National Park, South Africa’s largest and most famous game reserve. They would spend the next six days on safari around Kruger and other surrounding game parks. This was the Americans’ opportunity to experience Africa, the Dark Continent – an untamed world where man is the uninvited visitor, privileged to witness the reality of pure nature. Nature that survives with no concern of right or wrong, good or bad; nature that exists for the sake of existing. Giraffes, elephants, zebras, hippos, springboks, lions, baboons: This is Africa – wild, exotic, forbidding, raw, and wonderful.

  On their first full day on safari, they came across a sight few visitors to Kruger have the privilege to witness: herds of zebras, giraffes, and kudus grazing together. Johan drove as close as he dared to the wild animals. He encouraged the four to climb carefully onto the kombi roof. They spotted a pride of lions barely in sight, under some brush, biding their time. There the human spectators sat, in awe and wonder, fighting for the binoculars and taking endless pictures. They watched hundreds of animals, peaceful and content, fulfilling their purpose in creation.

  Peter laughed to himself and said, “You know zebras are reactionaries?”

  Each looked strangely at him.

  He went on, “And the giraffes? They are insincere.”

  Susan stuck her head out the window. “Yes indeed. And the antelopes are missionaries.”

  Chad said, “Oh yeah, I remember that monkeys turn on frequently.”

  “No, monkeys stand for honesty. Hamsters turn on frequently,” Peter said.

  Johan called out, “And the zookeeper is very fond of rum!”

  They all laughed except for Sarah and Lisa, who looked at one another indicating that all their companions had gone crazy.

  Before they left the enchanting scene, Johan insisted that the two boys get close to two giraffes that had meandered their way. “It will make for a superb photo,” he stated.

  Susan protested. “We’re not supposed to leave the car. Quit trying to talk them into doing something so dangerous.”

  Her cautions ignored, Johan prodded, “A little bit more … a little closer,” as Peter and Chad inched their way closer to the huge mammals.

  The giraffes looked curiously at the two humans, blinking their gargantuan eyelids.

  “Stop! That’s it!” Johan finally snapped the picture and proudly called out, “Great!”

  The larger of the two animals dropped her neck low, swooshed her tail, pulled her head up, and began to run toward the men. The three darted as fast as their adrenaline would pump their legs and slid underneath the van. The giraffe stopped, bobbed her head, and snorted as if she was laughing. She turned and ambled back to her tree.

  “Another story to tell!” Johan said. “Another cracking tale.”

  ***

  “Slow down, Johan. Please slow down.” Susan moaned.

  Johan replied, “We’re fine. We’re nearly there. The ranger said to hurry if we wanted to catch sight of the herd. It should be only another fifty kilometers.”

  “We’ve seen elephants before, Dad. It’s not a big deal. You can slow down a bit,” Sarah said.

  Johan laughed. “Nonsense! The boys haven’t seen them in the wild. They don’t want to miss this chance.” He accelerated a bit more.

 
Susan opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word ... THUD!

  Everyone flew a foot off their respective seats.

  “Shit! What was that?” Chad asked.

  They all looked back and saw a large lizard in the road.

  “My God! It’s a crocodile!” Susan screamed. “Now we’re in trouble. Why do you have to drive so fast? You’ve killed it. They will throw us in jail now. And they’ll find your darn petrol.”

  “Hou jou bek!” Johan said. He took a deep breath. He was ready to unleash a tirade of four-letter words, when the van swerved out of control, careened off the road in and out of a ditch, and then abruptly halted by a six-foot high, thankfully vacant, anthill.

  The inspection revealed two flat tires, and one wheel rim was bent. “Goddamn suspension is damaged. I bet. At least, it is way out of alignment. Poor, poor Sadie. That damn croc!” Johan said, obviously curtailing pent-up rage.

  “This is it then. Here we are, stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere! We’ve got no transportation. What now, Johan? What now?” Tears were welling up as Susan spoke.

  Lisa hugged Susan. “It’s okay, Mum. Daddy will fix it.”

  “Fix it? You’re dad has fixed it all right. We will all be thrown in jail for killing a poor crocodile, and then no doubt in prison for the hoarded petrol. You’re dad had to …”

  Johan cut Susan off before she could say another word. “Don’t you blame this on me, woman! If you were able to read a bloody map, we wouldn’t be on this road. If you hadn’t been nagging my ear off about everything, I could have been concentrating better. I might have seen the damn thing in the road if I didn’t have to listen to you!”

  Peter braced himself for a monster storm to roll through.

  Lisa, using her fingers for ear plugs, shouted, “Stop it! Just shut up! What are we going to do? We’ll be lost forever and be eaten by hyenas, with vultures picking our bones clean.”

  Everyone looked at her and burst into laughter.

  Minutes later, a Land Rover pulled up, and a park ranger with three Black assistants jumped out.

  Peter whispered to Chad, “Will they just throw Johan in jail or all of us?”

  Chad shrugged his shoulders, squatted down on his knees, and watched the scene unfold. The three other young people joined him.

  Johan said, “I think that tire blew. I lost control. Lucky we didn’t turn over in that ditch. I’m afraid that axel may be cracked.”

  The ranger muttered, “Ja.” He then shook his head. He looked up and down the road.

  Peter’s heart skipped a beat, and he nudged Chad. They looked down the road and saw no sign of any croc or other great lizard.

  Chad whispered to Peter, “Wow! The unfortunate creature must have waddled off into the bushveld. How about that? He’s more durable than good ole Sadie.”

  The ranger inspected the van and gave his impression. “Ja man. Jy is korrek. That suspension, it is quite damaged. Ek is nie seker dit is die moeite werd bevestiging.”

  Johan would not accept that diagnosis. “Oh, she’s worth fixing. She is well worth it, bru. She has many years left to give us. She’s been through a lot worse than this little setback.”

  “Very well. I can get you a tow. It is a good fifty kilometers to the nearest reliable garage. I shall be happy to take your family back to the campsite, but you had better stay with your kombi if you want it done proper, bru.”

  “Dit is egter nie 'n probleem. Dankie. I appreciate it bru. You’ve saved our lives,” Johan said and slapped the ranger on the shoulder.

  The ranger then turned and walked toward his Land Rover to call for assistance.

  Peter saw both Susan and Johan let out slow, deep breaths once the ranger showed no interest in inspecting the kombi for any contraband. Johan took Susan by the waist and kissed her cheek as the ranger radioed for help.

  The lucky ones gathered essential supplies from a disabled Sadie and climbed into the Land Rover. Lisa called out to her dad as they left, “Don’t let the hyenas eat you, Dad.”

  “I won’t, cupcake. I won’t. You keep an eye on that sister of yours.”

  “Of course.”

  Johan remained with his beloved and faithful kombi, content with the two six-packs of beer and a bag of potato chips. He climbed on top of the kombi, opened a bottle of beer, leaned against the petrol cans, and waited for the arrival of the tow truck.

  CHAPTER 18

  Love Unleashed

  Sipping his hot cocoa, Chad chuckled to himself and said, “That’ll be another story Johan can add to the heart-wrenching chronicles of his indestructible Sadie.”

  Susan responded in an unusually relaxed manner, “It shall be a good one, yes, but such trials need time … time to mellow.”

  Pete asked, “Time for the emotions to fade?”

  Susan said, “Indeed. When you are back home and time has put a shadow over the frustration of the event, then it becomes a story to share. This shall become a great tale for the grandchildren – should I be blessed with any.” She gazed at her two daughters. “Right now, I am just glad our little catastrophe is over. However, we better pray hard now that blasted Sadie gets fixed.”

  Chad laughed. “Yeah, pray for the healing of dear Sadie ... and for her poor driver!”

  Sarah said, “No need to waste a prayer on Dad. He’ll be living it up.”

  Susan looked up to the sky and sighed. “That is something to pray about. Nevertheless, let’s enjoy a peaceful night and our time together. If his wretched Sadie is not fixed … well, I don’t care to think about that.”

  Peter said, “I guess for a while, there will be no storms on the horizon.”

  As they finished their cocoa, Chad started to fidget. He kept telling himself, Now is the time. Here’s my opportunity. Eventually, he leaned over and whispered to Sarah, “We should take a walk.”

  Sarah immediately stood up and stated, “Mum, we’re off for a bit ... and no, Lisa, you’re not invited.”

  “Can if I want, and I want.”

  “Mum!” Sarah whined.

  “Let your sister go, Lisa.”

  Lisa still protested. “I’m going if Peter’s going.”

  “Oh. I’m staying here.” Peter reassured her. “Another cup of cocoa is all I want.”

  Susan warned, “Don’t go too far, and don’t be too long.”

  Chad and Sarah wandered around the perimeter of the campground. Toward the far end of the site, they came across a large log bench on the crest of a lazy slope, well hidden behind some trees and bushes. “This is perfect!” Chad exclaimed. “We can disappear from nosy family and those noisy campers for a while.”

  Sarah smiled and nodded as they sat down.

  “Look at this, Sarah. There must be a thousand names carved in this log.”

  “Ja, a thousand witless fools thinking they fell in love on their summer holiday – young, innocent puppy love.”

  Chad said, “Yeah, disgusting.”

  They gazed toward the base of the incline, where flickering torches illuminated three-thatched roundovels and two dozen or so Black workers eating and drinking after a long day’s work in the game reserve. The beat of African music echoed up the slope, offering a faint serenade.

  “Look there!” Sarah said and pointed.

  They sat silent and motionless as an enormous orange-hued ball slipped into the night sky. The chatter of the workers at the bottom of the hill ceased, allowing them to pay homage to the resurrection of Earth’s lonely companion. Chad and Sarah watched the moon’s creeping ascent, mesmerized by its haunting orange glow which slowly turned to silver.

  “God, that was amazing,” Chad whispered. He looked at Sarah and pulled her silky golden brown hair aside, allowing the moonlight illumine her face. His heart started to pound. Now. Right now. He spoke. His voice lacked its usual confidence; that self-assurance that too often bordered on arrogance. “I can’t stand this. I really can’t. This pretending, this hiding, this ignoring one ano
ther. Please tell me you feel the same.”

  Sarah stared down the slope and said nothing.

  Chad knew the silence declared he was wrong about her; he had been living in a fantasy. The silence exposed how stupid and naïve he had been. With pressed lips, he waited for the declaration that his love was unrequited.

  “You’re right. I hate it … this … this superficiality. I want … I want to let go, let it happen, and see where it will take us. I want you. I want us.”

  “Wait … wait, are you sure? Do you realize what you’re saying? I don’t want any more teasing. No more ‘Wait and see’ or ‘I don’t know.’ Sarah, are you for sure?”

  “As sure as that moon up there shines, I want you. No, wait. I don’t just want you, Chad. I love you. Part of me doesn’t want to, but I do. I don’t know how much. But by God, I do love you.”

  “It doesn’t matter how much. That is something we figure out along the way. I love you, and I don’t know how much, but I know I care more about you than I have anyone in my life. I don’t understand that, and part of me doesn’t like it, but I do care, and I do love you. Where it takes us, we’ll see. But what about … well, you know ...”

  “What about what?” She arched her eyebrow.

  “What about your other friend … little fat Philip?”

  “I’ve told you before, he’s pretty well gone. He’s nothing to worry about.”

  “What does that mean? Pretty well gone?”

  “I mean I’ve had enough of him. He’s been driving me crazy. He’s like a fourteen-year-old. He knows it’s over, that it has been for ages. He just doesn’t want to accept it, to believe it. You were right. He is a creep, a certified creep. He’s a bloody Boer, a thick-tongued plank.”

  Suppressed adoration, desire, and love was unleashed, and Chad’s emotions exploded. This did not resemble any previous experience he had had with all the females he had pursued and pretended to care about – or even with all the females he pursued and wanted to care about.

  The couple embraced, kissed, and caressed. It seemed a fleeting moment before the rude beam of two flashlights flickered around them. They looked up and saw the moon high above them.