Marie-anne imagined the dozen our so people cramped together in the sweaty, stinking bus that had left just before her. Alone, in the back of the jeep, with the wind in her hair and her private guide behind the wheel, she was glad not to be one of them. The faster jeep had quickly passed the crowded bus of tourists and left the well-traveled road. She was sure she would see a lot more wildlife than any of them, her guide had promised her as much.
She wasn’t sure what to think of him yet. Tall, ebony dark skin, handsome and with a decent grasp of English, probably her age or even younger; he seemed a good companion, but when he talked she wasn’t sure whether he was sexist, or just flirting. Her inner-feminist had growled when he had said ‘you must have a rich husband, if he lets you take private tours like this,’ as if a woman could have no succes of her own, or needed her husband’s permission for trips like this. She had told him clearly that she was not married, before realising that might’ve been just an awkward try of him to get exactly that information. There was more of course, but she just couldn’t tell when he was serious and when he wasn’t, his accent wasn’t helping either.
Despite that, the trip was heavenly, the stories he told interesting and the view wonderful. They were just passing through an open stretch of savannah when she emptied her first bottle of water. She had a dozen more, not wanting to dry out in the heat, and tossed the bottle aside out of habit – a woman of her wealth didn’t clean up her own mess afterall – watching it fall amoungst the grasses. Before the realisation that it might not have been proper to just throw it away could come to her, the guide angrily asked. “Did you just throw something out?”
“Yes, sorry.” She blushed. “I wasn’t thinking.”
The jeep quickly turned around and returned to the dropped bottle. The guide climbed out and handed it back to her. “Don’t do that again.” He said. “We have very strict rules about littering.” With a blush she accepted the empty bottle and put it next to her.
Several hours later, she had almost forgotten the incident. She felt more comfortable around the guide too, now that she’d got to know him better. She was already on her fifth water bottle, it was so hot. She had already stripped off most of her clothing, leaving only a short dress and a wide brimmed hat to protect her from the sun.
When the jeep jumped up from a ditch she reached for the bottle balanced on her knee. But instead of grabbing it she hit it with the tips of her fingers, sending it flying away. The car quickly came to a stop. “Get out.” The guide set.
“But…”
“Go pick it up.”
Slowly she got off the jeep, she hadn’t left it before, in the middle of the wilderness. “It was an accident.” She said as her feet hit the dirt. But as she ran to the dropped bottle she heard the guide drive away. “Wait!” She cried, running after him with the empty bottle in her hand.
He hadn’t gone far, but she was terrified when she reached him again. “Don’t get in yet.” He said after she threw the bottle with the rest, he got out of the car.
“It was an accident.” She said, slightly angry.
“Of course.” He replied. “Do you think I’m stupid? Because I don’t have as much money as you do, or because I live in a third world country?”
“No.” She said. She did think his world views were a bit odd or old-fashioned, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
Still a bit of it must’ve shown on her face, as his eyebrows narrowed. “Whatever you think, we have our own way of dealing with women like you around here.” He said threatingly. “Put your hands on the car.”
***
This was a preview.
Become a patron on patreon, and continue reading
Except for the typos, I’m a published writer as well, I enjoyed the story. It may have been interesting had Mary-anne panicked and run into the thicket, only to have been intercepted and turned around with the guide following her, naked, switching her backside at each hesitation, her bare feet prickled by the undergrowth. All for being a pompous litterbug!
Hmm, that is an interesting idea, I have done something similar in a story in the past. π