Rose finished most of her main course. A waiter cleared her plate away and replaced it with a glass of chocolate mousse. She looked up as another figure approached their table.
“Hi Rose, Chris,” said Chloe, as she nodded towards Chris. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Is the major here?” asked Chris.
“Yes, Dan is with his BATUK mates.” Chloe indicated with her hand but did not look back at the tables full of noisy diners.
Chris pushed his chair back, stood and offered it to Chloe as he said, “Here, have my seat. I’ll go and join them for a short time. Is that OK, Mum?” He looked down at Rose.
She smiled weakly. “Of course. Thank you for getting me lunch and sitting with me.”
Chris squeezed her shoulder, then left.
Chloe sat down and looked across at Rose with her eyebrows drawn together. “Is something wrong? You look rather pale. And I thought you and Craig were staying at the lodge with Marina and Thabiti until tomorrow.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Is it Craig? Where is he?”
Rose placed both arms on the table in front of her and leaned forward. She said in a hoarse voice, “Craig had an accident at the lodge. A fall. So I brought him back to the Cottage Hospital.”
She sat up, sipped her brandy wine and continued in a stronger tone. “He’s damaged his hip, which is common after a fall, but it’s his left hip, the one that’s damaged by polio. And because he’s no longer mobile, Dr Farrukh is worried that it might not heal.”
Chloe leaned forward and placed her hand on Rose’s arm. “I’m so sorry. How long do they expect to keep him in hospital?”
Rose looked down at her uneaten dessert. “They’re not sure. Not sure if he will ever come home.” She rubbed her forehead and covered her eyes with her free hand.
“Maybe he just needs some time. Who knows, in a couple of days his condition could improve and he could be ready to leave hospital,” Chloe said as she removed her sunglasses.
Rose sniffed and looked at Chloe. “I do hope so.” She noticed that Chloe’s eyes were bloodshot and her face was puffy. “But I’m not the only one with problems, am I?”
Chloe replaced her sunglasses and leaned back in her chair. “I don’t know what else to do. I’ve tried so hard, doing the things Dan wants to do, like coming here for lunch with all his BATUK mates, but does he appreciate it? No, and he forgets I’m there half the time. But if I want to do my own thing he gets annoyed. I can’t seem to win.”
“And you’ve tried talking to him, and telling him how you feel?”
“Of course. But he barely listens and drones on about how tough his job is, and how hard it is being away from home so much. And just now I could really do with some support.” Chloe removed a tissue from her small shoulder bag, turned away from Rose and blew her nose.
Chloe continued, “Sorry, you have your own worries and problems to deal with.”
Rose replied, “I’ve always got time to help you. And it’s good for me to remember that other people have their own problems. Besides, it stops me dwelling on what might or might not happen. Tell me about it.”
Chloe turned back to Rose and once again removed her sunglasses and secured them in her long blonde hair. She leant forward and spoke slowly and quietly. “I’ve been seeing a counsellor. Actually, the one you recommended. And she’s really helped me come to terms with my miscarriages and my inability to keep a baby. It’s the reason I was running for the Baby Loss Awareness charity at Lewa. It’s all part of coming to terms with the issue and the beginning of my healing process. But I’m not even sure Dan is aware I’m attending the sessions.”
“Have you told him? Or talked through anything the counsellor has said?” Rose asked.
Chloe twisted her wedding ring. “No, the time never seems to be quite right. But he’s only home for a few more days and then who knows how long he’ll be away for.”
Rose leant towards Chloe. “You really need to try to get him to understand before he leaves. Would he attend a counselling session with you?”
Chloe scoffed. “I doubt it. You know what the army boys are like about not admitting to any weakness, never mind their own feelings.”
“Then you really need to approach it from the angle of helping you. Something along the lines of, ‘you’re really going to miss him when he’s away and that you are also finding life hard when you’re on your own, particularly as you keep worrying about not being able to have a baby. And would he mind providing moral support at one of your counselling sessions?’ Something like that. Make it seem that the issue is all with you and that he is being a chivalrous husband by accompanying you.”
“OK, I’ll try.” Chloe eyed Rose’s chocolate mousse. “Are you going to eat that?”
Rose pushed the dessert towards Chloe.
“I shouldn’t,” Chloe said as she picked up a spoon, “but I feel like comfort eating.”
Rose smiled. “And you did run a marathon yesterday. That was a real achievement. Do you feel stiff this morning?”
Chloe waved the spoon in the air. “A little. But we met more of Dan’s mates at Kongoni’s this morning, so I went for a swim, which I think helped. Another English lady arrived and joined me. She’d also run in the marathon yesterday.”
Chloe ate another spoonful of mousse and then pushed the half-eaten dessert away. “So how is Aureus Lodge? I’m sure Marina is being her usual efficient self, but what about Thabiti? How is he coping with the guests?”
“They’re both doing admirably, particularly in the difficult circumstances.” Rose looked up into the branches of the Cape chestnut tree.
“What circumstances?”
“One of the guests, an English woman, has gone missing. It appears she walked off into Borana Conservancy on her own this morning and hasn’t been seen since. I do hope she returns to the lodge before nightfall.”