Page 39 of The Summer Island Swap
‘As usual, he spoke complete nonsense,’ I said briskly. ‘Think of all the pets you’ve got to know – the regular clients at work – and how you’ve attended the procedure when they’ve been put to sleep. You’ve come home a little quiet. Perhaps shed a couple of tears. But it’s always amazed me how you’ve sprung up for work the next day, determined to help the next sick pet. Jackie wouldn’t let you near the zoo, to observe an animal in a fragile state, if she didn’t respect your experience. You’re a professional just like they are.’
‘I guess… she did let me into the enclosure to offer Wink some beetles, but Benedikt had to wait outside.’
‘There you go.’
Amy blushed.
‘It’s only natural you should worry. I bet the best vets are those who don’t block off their emotions one hundred per cent.’
‘Klopf, Klopf,’ called a voice from outside. ‘Burger and chips await. Benedikt and I leave in ten minutes.’
Amy and I looked at each other as a harmonica cheerfully played. ‘I’m sure Jonas doesn’t fancy me either,’ she whispered. ‘I’d have picked up a vibe by now. He’s more likely to fancy you in that stunning bikini.’
I grinned. Despite feeling like the odd one out, my new bikini was comfortable and it had felt surprisingly liberating not to have a full-length mirror to scrutinise myself in.
‘Come on. Let’s stop worrying about the men,’ she said. ‘Us women need to get ready.’
I grabbed my makeup bag. ‘Here’s to finding the old Sarah and shopping and dance bars and…’
Amy grinned and passed me her hairbrush, not even chiding me for ringing home to once again check on Nelly.
19
Rick stood on the helm of the fishing boat, white shirt flapping in the breeze as we left Seagrass Island. The first few buttons were undone revealing a tanned chest. I tried not to look at the fitted linen trousers. Malik had insisted on steering us across to Tortola.
‘Go, enjoy yourself, have a few cocktails,’ Malik had said to Rick over lunch. ‘You never take a break. My lovely Zina finishes work at the beauty salon at seven. I can cook dinner for her as a surprise. It suits me perfectly. We’ve missed seeing each other for a couple of weeks as she’s been putting in so many hours lately, training to be a masseuse and Reiki healer as well.’
I breathed in the salty air. Rick clapped his hands. ‘Right everyone… a bit of information about your new home. There are four main British Virgin Islands and fifty smaller ones, thirty-five of which are still uninhabited. Road Town is the capital of all of them, on Tortola where we are going today. The collective population of all the islands is around thirty thousand with twelve thousand of those people living in Road Town itself. Eighty-five per cent of inhabitants are African or of African descent and…’
I gazed across the ocean. Never had I felt such joy at slipping into a pretty skirt and top, and strappy sandals. I felt like me again. Jonas had let out the longest wolf-whistle which was met with a frown from Benedikt.
I knew what Amy would say but surely I wasn’t that out of practice at reading the opposite sex? There was no way Benedikt likedme. It was more likely that he saw Jonas as some sort of player who enjoyed flirting and had Amy on his radar next.
‘… Hurricane Irma did a lot of damage to Tortola,’ said Rick, ‘destroying houses, yachts and cars. It looked barren and brown afterwards because the hurricane stripped the trees of their leaves. But as you can see, the lush tropical green landscape is back. In the first year alone after the devastation much of Road Town was rebuilt. There is still work to do but it’s an up and running tourist centre once again and—’
A woman with black pigtails squealed and pointed to the left-hand side of the boat. Helga caught my eye and jabbed her finger at the ocean, grinning.
Oh my word.
A group of dolphins had decided to join us.
Everyone took out their phones, Benedikt pushing to the front with his. I didn’t want to lose this moment worrying about how to take the best shot. I stood on tiptoe and admired the strong, curved forms that cut through the air in a perfect semi-circle, before diving, smiles first, back into the whipped cream white crests of water. One after the other the dolphins flew through the air, cleanly rising upwards before seamlessly entering the water again.
They followed the boat as if seeking out company. What had I done to deserve such a precious moment? Tears came to my eyes. I couldn’t help it.
Rick watched as I wiped my face, as if he’d never seen a person cry before.
Despite the tough start to this experience I stared at the dolphins. The sun, and waves sparkling underneath its rays. The lushness of Tortola in the distance. What a contrast to the grey of London and its urban outlook. I’d almost forgotten what a tonic it was to breathe in air flavoured by fresh brine and not car fumes… To be able to look into a never-ending horizon instead of a finite computer screen and feel a breeze lift my hair that was normally sprayed rigid.
‘Why do they jump out of the water?’ asked Jonas, slipping his arm around my shoulder.
Rick put a hand above his eyes to stop squinting. ‘No one knows for sure. Some think it’s to get rid of parasites – or just because they are happy. It might be to spot other pods. You’re lucky today. Some volunteers never get to see these guys.’
‘That’s an amazing photo, Benedikt,’ I said, looking at his phone. ‘You’ve captured that jump just at the right moment.’
‘Thanks,’ he said in a flat tone.
If only Amy had heard. She’d realise I was the last person he was out to impress. But I wasn’t going to let anything like that ruin my day. The dolphins moved on and I stared at rich green trailing clumps of seaweed happily bobbing past, like the discarded wigs of mermaids. Amy and Benedikt had the rest of the boat in tears of laughter with their exaggerated rendition of ‘Under the Sea’. I went over to Rick.
