If The World Was Ending

Chapter 4

As Thabo maneuvers them through the busy airport to their car, Shane introduces himself and informs him about Dr Kramer being delayed and that she will only be joining them later.

“All good, Mr. Stone,” Thabo nods grinning.

Thabo comes to a halt next to a huge white 4x4 truck and Shane whistles in admiration. Thabo unlocks the truck and Shane immediately takes the seat next to the driver’s. Elizabeth rolls her eyes and appreciates Thabo’s help getting her into the back seat. Thabo stows Elizabeth’s suitcase behind his seat and Shane’s bag onto the seat next to her and then climbs in to take his place behind the steering wheel.

Elizabeth pulls up the sleeves of her sweater and fans herself.

“Is it always this hot?” she asks.

“It is mid January, and it is has been our hottest summer so far” Thabo answers. Thabo switches on the air conditioner after starting the engine and Elizabeth sighs as the cool air fills the truck.

“To which hotel are we going?” Shane asks, retrieving his sunglasses and putting them on.

“No hotel, Mr. Stone, guest farm in Touwsriver,” Thabo informs as he concentrates to get them out of the airport.

“That is a few hours’ drive,” Shane huffs checking his watch, it was just after 10 am and that will put their arrival in Touwsriver at about half past 12 if traffic was good.

The traffic so far has been smooth, actually the traffic has been non-existent ever since they had gotten on the N1, the traffic decreasing the further they went inland. Elizabeth had been thrilled to catch a glimpse of the awe-inspiring Table Mountain as they had made their way out of the city. Cape Town was situated between the mountain and the ocean, and with the ocean behind them now the breathtaking natural scenery going inland did not disappoint.

If circumstances had been different, Elizabeth would have liked to take a holiday and explore the city. Elizabeth touches her window with her hand, she remembers as a child she used to do the same thing. She would try to capture the beauty outside and hold on to it. Elizabeth had been born in South Africa, but her father had immigrated to America when she was just a baby.  

She knows nothing about her South African heritage and her father has always been vague if she asks about it. She has no knowledge of who her birth mother is or was. Elizabeth drops her hand into her lap. Even though she loves her father and her step-mother she has always had a secret desire to know who her mother was, she does not even know if her mother was still alive.

“Traffic is quiet, we should make good time,” Thabo says.

“Great! Can’t wait to take a shower and get out of these hot clothes,” Elizabeth grimaces, tugging on the neck of her sweater. She was overly sweaty and sticky despite the cooling air from the air conditioner.

“The guest farm is very nice,” Thabo smiles over his shoulder at Elizabeth, “it is just outside of Touwsriver.”

Elizabeth nods appreciatively, hoping that he will stop talking and concentrate on the road. But Thabo continues telling them about Touwsriver and the surrounding sightseeing opportunities, his head bobbing back and forth between her, Shane and the road.

Shane was very quiet and he has not said a word since they have left the airport. He would nod at Thabo every now and then and just stare out of the front window. They have not had any real type of conversation between them and Elizabeth assumes he is the non-talkative type like her.

But Elizabeth has to admit Shane being this reserved was unnerving her. She had not pegged him at first glance as the strong silent type because of his obvious attractiveness. Even on the airplane they had not spoken more than a couple of words to each other. Elizabeth supposes it was for the best, they each have a job to do, and they were not here to become friends.

Elizabeth had been lost in her own thoughts, drowning out Thabo’s chatter, who has continued talking all the way until they finally turned off the highway into the main street of Touwsriver.

It was very rural, the buildings and houses were old and rundown. Thabo had spouted something about Touwsriver being an old and very small railway town with just over 6 800 odd people. Elizabeth chuckles, Thabo has chatted so enthusiastically and she and Shane were the most disinterested tourists ever. Not that they were tourists but it was painfully obvious that Thabo’s initial impression of them was that they are.

Shane’s commando gear apparently not fazing Thabo at all.

Thabo turns off the main road and starts down a dirt road leading away from the town and half back in the direction of where they have come from. About two minutes later they turn and go through an open rusted gate. A minute later Thabo was pulling up in front of a small two windowed smooth concrete cottage with a sink roof.

The single entrance wooden door was adorned with two brightly painted red pot plants each housing a thorn bush and grey and white pebbles were strewn in front to create a pathway. Beneath one window was something that resembles a rock garden with orange and dirty red boulders.

Thabo parks the truck and switches off the engine, he jumps out and starts to get their luggage out.

Elizabeth opens her door and gasps for air as the heat from outside envelops her. Elizabeth peers out the door down to the ground, contemplating whether to just jump out or slither out like a snake when Shane suddenly appears before her.

“Come on” he says holding out his hand. Elizabeth takes it considering she does not want to fall flat on her face. The warmth of his hand sends a spark up her arm, and she involuntary shivers making Shane arch a questioningly eyebrow.

Elizabeth does not look at him and instead shimmies forward, her other hand reaching for his shoulder. With the forward movement Shane releases her hand and encircles her waist with both his hands lifting her out of the truck.

Elizabeth stands a moment breathless, her hands clinging to his arms to steady herself before she moves backwards away from him, but stops when she realizes he was not releasing her. She looks up but with the dark sunglasses Elizabeth cannot see his eyes.

Shane shakes his head and abruptly lets her go, turning around and moving away. He did not think holding her for a few moments would affect him so strongly. Either this heat was getting to him or he needs to stay as far away from Elizabeth as possible.

His mind has been dwelling the whole drive here on how he had felt with her hugging his arm last night and the fact that he has not slept so well in months. Shane glances at Elizabeth who was now standing with Thabo at the entrance of the cottage. Her hair was plastered to her head and face from the heat and she keeps pulling on her sweater.

He needs to remember why he was here. Shane sighs and slowly makes his way towards the cottage.