A jolt and a loud 'thud' tell me that John has landed our jet.
“Good morning, Ms. Brown,” I say as she opens her eyes and looks at me like she’s seen a ghost. “Ms. Hanson and I are about to depart the plane. Would you care to join us?”
Emma’s eyes shoot wide open. I don’t think I have ever before seen anyone look so confused and horrified, both at the same time.
“Sure. I mean… What? Why did we stop? Did I…? Are we…?”
Meanwhile, she’s shaking the arm that leaned up against the window. It’s probably gone numb while she was sleeping.
“Ms. Brown, please get your things together,” Ms. Hanson interrupts. “We landed a few minutes ago. Come with us, please. We have a car waiting outside.”
Ms. Hanson is merciless. She has the ability to speak kind words with a voice that’s sharp as a razor. It may be a wild guess, but I’m not sure she likes our new companion.
Our hotel is about a 50-minute drive from the airport. Whenever I'm in Tanzania, I always stay at the Four Seasons in the middle of Serengeti National Park in their presidential lodge. I'm used to luxury, but there's nothing I enjoy more than the view from the suite. It's my sanctuary and my home away from home.
"Ms. Hanson, why don’t you go over the agenda with Ms. Brown while we’re still in the car? Once we've settled in at the lodge, I have some things to do. But I'd like to set up a meeting tonight at 7 for me and her to discuss the next steps in the project."
I hate wasting time. And given Emma’s unfortunate start to the trip, we’re already behind schedule.
"Sure," Ms. Hanson says, pulls out her laptop and starts to explain.
I lean back into the seat and look out the window to take in the scenic landscape as we make our way towards the hotel. I've been so focused on business up till this point that I haven't fully grasped what we are about to experience. But now all of sudden, I can’t wait to get there. I've been traveling in and out of Tanzania ever since I was a little boy. I’ve shared so many amazing moments with my grandfather, observing perfect, exotic creatures and beautiful scenery. My home is in Boston, but nothing makes me feel more at ease than coming here.
"My gosh, I can't believe how beautiful this is," Emma says as we approach the lodge. "Wait, is that a lion?" She points towards two lions hanging out by a waterhole. I chuckle.
"That must be a rhetorical question coming from a zoology expert," I say, and for the first time since we met at the airport in Boston, Emma breaks into a laugh. It becomes her. I guess a smile really is the most beautiful thing you can wear.
Usually, I am attracted by women who wear lots of makeup and dress their fit bodies in tight clothes. And here's this perfectly natural creature, unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. Only a hint of makeup, and dressed in very practical clothes. She does all the wrong things, and yet, a smile from her revealing those pearly white teeth makes my cock twitch.
"They are so beautiful," she says and pulls my attention back to the lions. "This is my first time out of the States. I've never seen a free lion in its natural habitat before. It’s breathtaking."
She’s right. Serengeti is indescribable. On our way to the lodge, we pass grazing zebras and giraffes eating leaves from a tree. A young gazelle runs elegantly next to our car, apparently unaware that we could be a threat. But we’re not.
“Did you know that Serengeti is the home of the Big Five?” Emma says, and I remember that she doesn’t yet know me well enough to know how much of my life I have spent in Tanzania.
“I do,” I nod and continue to take in as much of the magical scenery as possible.
“The Big Five?” Ms. Hanson looks at me and asks. “What is the Big Five?”
Ms. Hanson is very practical and service-minded, but there is nothing outdoorsy about her.
“The Big Five is a term used to describe the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and African buffalo,” Emma says.
Either she didn’t notice that Ms. Brown asked me and not her, or she doesn’t care. She continues. “These mammals were originally considered very difficult to hunt, and so it became a feat for trophy hunters to bring them home.”
Ms. Hanson nods briefly and then disengages from our conversation.
“Are you a hunter, Mr. Durst?” Emma asks, apparently oblivious to the fact that she’s being vilified by my secretary.
“I am not. My grandfather was, and he’s told me many stories from his trips into the wilderness. But no, I can’t say that I’m a hunter. I love being out here, but I prefer to watch the wildlife instead of shooting them.”
Ms. Hanson chuckles and Emma smiles. “I know what you mean. I don’t know how anyone can shoot these beautiful creatures.”
We’re just a few miles from our lodge now. I’m starting to recognize the bushes and trees on our way.
“I like it here,” Ms. Brown says in an attempt to join our conversation. “And yes, the animals are beautiful. I get that. But they’re also so dangerous. I don’t know how anyone can live here,” she says and shivers.
“You’re right, they are,” Emma says and brushes a wisp of hair away from her face. “But this is their home. We’re just guests here. Animals are dangerous to human beings if you disrespect their territory. If not, they’d much prefer to leave you alone.”
We turn a corner. Almost there.
“As a matter of fact, the rhino is considered to be one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. But the poor thing suffers from really bad vision. Sometimes they’ll attack rocks or a tree by accident. Can you imagine what that’d do to your self-esteem?” I don’t mean to, but I burst into laughter. I can easily visualize a bad-ass rhino feeling humiliated because he heroically attacked a rock which he’d thought was an enemy. This girl…
Emma laughs, too. Her laughter is cute and irresistibly contagious. I suddenly realize that I feel more at ease than I have for years.
“Mr. Durst, Ladies. We have arrived.” Our driver pulls up in front of a group of lodges and stops right in front of mine. Immediately, he jumps out of the car to help us out.
“Welcome to the Four Seasons, Mr. Durst. You are welcome to just go to your lodge. I’ll have someone bring your luggage.”
I briefly brush my suit to straighten out any wrinkles I might have.
“Alright, ladies, I’ll leave you here. I trust our driver will help you settle in. I’m not hungry, but you are very welcome to go to the restaurant and eat anything you’d like. I just need to rest a little.” I start to walk towards my lodge. “And Ms. Brown, please meet me at my lounge tonight at 7 p.m. Bring your laptop so we can get started on the project. Do you have any questions?”
Emma takes the suitcase which our driver hands her. She shakes her head.
“No, Sir. I’m good. I’ll see you at 7.”
The staff has put a ‘Welcome, Mr. Durst’ sign on the door, which is unlocked, and I walk right in.
“Aaaahh.”
I take a deep breath and fill my lungs with cool, dry air. The view from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows is stunning as always. I can almost touch the Serengeti Plains, and right there in front of the window, a Masai ostrich rests with his chick.