Page 17 of Worlds Apart
“She’s precious.” Sunny had never been tempted to jump out of the Land Cruiser like Ethel, but she was in that moment. “How can anything top this?”
Martin caught her eye and smiled. “We’ll keep trying but it’s hard to compete with a baby elephant.”
They watched the family grazing for nearly a half an hour before they carried on.
The night drive was magical, and Sunny didn’t even try to take a picture. After a full two hours of driving across the dark plains, Martin drove onto one of the main roads and turned toward lights in the distance.
“We’ll drop Mingati at his house before we return to the camp, if that’s all right with you.” Martin turned and looked at Sunny for approval. “It’s on the way.”
“I don’t mind. He’s had a long day showing us everything.” She leaned forward and touched the older man’s shoulder. “Ashe, Mingati. Did I say that right?”
The old man turned and the corner of his mouth lifted. “You’re welcome, Miss Sunny.”
Martin turned to look at her but said nothing.
Mingati faced the front again and grunted something at Martin.
“I heard you this afternoon, old man.” Martin shook his head a little as the dirt road turns to gravel.
They drove into the small village lined with wooden fences, small shops, and houses set back from the road. It was the first time Sunny had driven through the local village and she craned her neck to take everything in. After a few moments they pulled up to an iron gate that fronted a large house.
Mingati grunted at Martin, threw his red and blue plaid wrap around his shoulder, and climbed out of the truck to walk to a large white-washed house with high windows and a red roof.
“That’s Mingati’s house?” Sunny blinked.
Martin smiled. “He owns a good portion of the conservancy, so he manages a large herd of cattle and is entitled to a large portion of the lease money. I don’t think he has to work at all, but he’s the best spotter in the area.”
“Wow.”
“We’ll visit a traditional village with the group, but honestly? This is where most of the Maasai people in the area actually live. Only a few of the older people live in traditional villages anymore.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Martin turned again. “Would you like to sit in the front on the way back?”
“Oh, sure. That way you don’t have to keep turning around for all my questions.” Sunny jumped out of the Land Cruiser and climbed into the passenger’s seat. She looked at Martin, now without the barrier of the seat between them. “Hi.”
He smiled. “Hello.”
They pulled back onto the road and he answered the question she’d posed earlier. “Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t know that it is either. It’s simply a thing that happens. Are ways of traditional life lost when everyone moves into more modern towns? Of course. But are you going to tell people that they shouldn’t want a house with running water and modern kitchens? What can you say? Of course they like those things.”
“You’re not from the country though, right? You mentioned a house in Nairobi.”
“I am a city boy, born and raised.” He drove slowly through the town, moving around the occasional cow and more than one dog. “I first came out to the Mara with my father when I was young and I fell in love with this place. I always wanted him to open a hotel here, but he has very decided ideas about ownership. He would never sign a lease for an operation.”
“So the safari camp is all you?”
“It is me and it is Errol too. We’ve been friends since we were boys, and his family kind of cut him off, but that was probably the best thing for him.” Martin smiled.
“Wild youth?”
“He was a young man with very little direction. We will leave it at that. But an excellent friend. Always a very loyal friend.”
“How about you? Were you wild when you were young?”
Martin raised his eyebrows. “The only son of John Karanja? Oh no, I was not allowed to be wild. My parents weren’t as accommodating as Errol’s if I misbehaved.”
“My parents were pretty strict too. But kind. They just had very…decided ideas about proper behavior, you know?”
