As we sat watching a herd of kudu, a species of antelope with long spiraled horns, I heard a rustling to my right. I looked around. None of my fellow travelers had seen them.
“Sonny,” I whispered. “Look.” I pointed to our right.
Three lion cubs were nestled together in the shade.
After taking in the sight, he turned around astonished. “You could be a tracker!”
He waved his hand over his head to signal for the group’s attention. When he had it, he pointed to the small animals. After oohs and ahhs, and many camera clicks, Hazel asked, “Where’s their mother?”
“She’s off to find food. She left them somewhere secluded, somewhere safe until she returns.”
“Safe from what?” Sabrina asked.
“Predators.” You think of a lion as the king of the jungle. You don’t consider the danger the little ones face.
Sonny glanced at the group to make sure everyone had gotten the photos they wanted. “I don’t want to stay too long. I don’t want to disturb them, plus I don’t want the momma to find me too close to them. If you thought the rhino was bad, a lioness protecting her cubs is far worse.”
“A mother will do anything to protect her children,” Sabrina said.
Geri and Hazel nodded in agreement.
After a glorious game drive, we pulled up to a sandy parking area. Advice was waiting for us for at the end of a wooden walkway. He held out a platter with eight flutes filled with orange juice on it.
“A special treat for my group today,” Sonny announced. We each took a glass of juice and followed Sonny down the path.
The wood walkway, with wood posts on its sides to keep you from walking off the edge, was covered above by trees. When we reached the end of the narrow bridge, the area opened up onto a large patio. It took my breath away. And I wasn’t alone. The group was stunned into silence.
The patio had been built around a large tree. Its huge trunk split into many branches, and covered most of the patio. A long table, with a tablecloth and eleven settings, was arranged between the large tree trunk and the wood railings that lined the edge of the patio.
Sonny walked to one of them at the edge of the lookout and raised his arms in the air. “Breakfast in the bush this morning!”
The group found its voices and cheered. Awakened by the glorious sight, I didn’t immediately seek my cup of coffee. Instead, I walked to the edge to get a closer look. I wasn’t alone. Spaced out, we each stood at the edge of it and took it all in.
Only one, the youngest of us, seemed unimpressed by the sight. Zaden immediately pulled out his phone and tried to make a call. He walked the perimeter, holding his hand up at varying degrees and angles, searching for the elusive signal.
I returned my gaze to the scenery. So much beauty. It was a shame so few in the world got to see it. The patio overlooked the river. On the far bank, more lush greenery. I watched the leaves, hoping to see movement and reveal an elephant or giraffe grazing.
The aroma of coffee disturbed me from my contemplations and I headed to the table.
With all seats unoccupied, I took a seat facing the view. I wanted to take it all in. My fellow travelers were still enraptured and remained along the edge. They had started taking photos—selfies, group shots. I hadn’t even taken my camera out.
Advice placed a cup of coffee in front of me. I guessed the breakfast staff had told him about my early-morning drink of choice.
His cell phone sweep completed, Zaden plopped down next to me. “Cell service sucks here.”
“Are you surprised? We’re in the middle of nowhere.” I poured myself and Zaden another glass of juice.
He mumbled, “Thanks.”
“You trying to reach your girlfriend again? Can’t you just text her?”
“I did earlier. Mom said I could only speak to her once on the trip. Or else I’d have to pay for it. I talked to her earlier in the week. I was trying to reach my dad.” He finished his glass of juice and looked at his phone again. “I’ve tried a bunch of times but I haven’t been able to reach him.”
“What about Zonah and your mom? Haven’t they been able to reach him?”
“No, they haven’t tried.”
“And he hasn’t called any of you?”
“Not any calls have made it through. He might be saying the same thing. That we haven’t tried to reach him.”
“True.” I looked at Sabrina and Zonah, who were talking over at the railing. “They don’t seem to be worried about him. And you said they haven’t tried to call him?”
“Mom says she hasn’t but I don’t know for sure.” He leaned in, to whisper a secret. “I tried to check her phone but she changed the code. It used to be their wedding anniversary.”
“Maybe she was forced to change it. My work computer does that to me every so often.”
“But your iPhone doesn’t,” he reminded me.
“True.”
He looked at his phone again. “That’s not a good sign, is it?”
I didn’t want to upset him but it probably wasn’t. Changing your password takes some effort. I didn’t even know how to do it on my iPhone. “Why are you so worried about your dad?”
“Mom and Dad had a fight. Before we left. That’s why he’s not here.”
My mind flooded with questions. Was the fight about coming here? Did he not want to go on vacation? Did he not want to go to Africa? I didn’t want to pepper him with questions and scare him off, so I asked the most pressing of them.
“Was it a physical altercation?”
“Like a real fight?” he asked, shocked by the question. “My dad wouldn’t hit my mom.”
That wasn’t who I was afraid was violent, but I didn’t tell him that. “Oh, that’s good. I was worried for you and your mom.” I looked at the rest of his party. “And Zonah.”
“No, my dad’s real nice. He wouldn’t raise a hand to us. He barely raises his voice. He’s real good to all of us.”
He seemed to emphasize all, which I found odd. Sabrina and Zonah joined the group at the table before I could ask what he meant.