Doctor Who_ Combat Rock - Mick Lewis [14]
Wina snapped out of her shock. She advanced on the struggling girl, shouting back in the same dialect.
The Doctor tried to intervene. He stepped towards the furious Indoni, offering a small purple fruit from the table. She finally managed to get free from Jamie’s clutches and smacked the fruit out of the Doctor’s hands. She followed this up by smacking Jamie, hard, across the face. Jamie reeled backwards, at a loss what to do. Wina then smacked Santi, equally as hard, and the two Indoni girls launched into each other, tearing, pulling at each other’s hair, snarling, yelping.
Victoria’s mouth gaped open as she watched.
This time the Doctor was more effective. He pulled at Santi’s skirt from behind until she fell backwards into him, sending them both sprawling in the dirt. Jamie managed to grab a hold of Wina’s arms and clung on manfully until her struggles ceased. Victoria noticed with some embarrassment that a crowd of early-morning tradesmen had gathered, with no little amusement, to watch the spectacle.
The Doctor regained his feet, brushing dust off his baggy checked trousers. Then he bent and helped Santi up, wary of another burst of volatility. But the fight had gone from Santi now. She held onto the Doctor’s hand and her face crumpled.
Whining sobs emerged from her.
‘It looks like you had a very successful night indeed, Jamie.’ Victoria said rather smugly, taking a sip from her tea.
Jamie looked at her in obvious confusion. ‘I just tried to help yon wee lassie, that’s all.’ He looked to Wina for support.
She merely shrugged and turned her head away haughtily.
‘There, there, my dear.’ The Doctor was doing his best kindly uncle act. It wasn’t helping the inconsolable Santi. He frowned, and then brightened as an idea struck him. He withdrew his recorder from a pocket and began tootling imbecilically on it. At first. Santi stared at him incredulously as if he were mad. Then her face split into a broad grin and her eyes lit up with joy.
‘Aye, well, that thing obviously has its uses sometimes, I suppose.’ Jamie commented grudgingly. He approached Santi, who gave him a filthy look. The Doctor put his recorder away.
‘But why did ye attack me, lass?’
Santi looked as if she were in danger of whining again, but resisted the urge. ‘You make Santi’s boyfriend leave her,’ she hissed. ‘Now Santi all alone.’
‘Well, Jamie, it seems like you enjoyed a very busy little Highland fling last night, doesn’t it?’ Victoria was delighted at both her own wit and the look of embarrassment on her companion’s face. She was suddenly struck with inspiration –
and was even more delighted at the mischievous impulse that drove her to ask: ‘Perhaps you can make up for causing so much misery by inviting your other friend to accompany us to Papul?’ She resisted looking at Wina as she spoke, but knew the girl would be bristling. Which was, of course, exactly why she had made the invitation.
Jamie looked helpless; the Doctor dithered for a moment, glancing between Santi and Wina, but then his innate chivalry came to the fore and he beamed at Santi.
‘I think that’s a rather splendid idea. Would you care to join us on our little expedition?’
Santi wiped drying tears from her cheeks and looked at these strangers – this very odd bunch of people who had interrupted the flow of her life so dramatically. She thought about the offer for a moment. She thought about Pan. If she stayed here, she would see him every night, and that would only make her feel worse. She saw the amused faces of the slowly dispersing crowd. They would remind her of her humiliating outburst only too often in this small community.
Lastly she looked at Wina. The Indoni’s expression positively dared her to accept the Doctor’s offer.
She smiled.
‘Santi come.’ she said, and there it was. As simple as that.
It was so easy to change your life.
Chapter Three
It was hot. Sweating, headache, dry-throat, no-air hot. But then it always was on Baru, apart from the rainy season, and even then the rain only lasted for approximately one hour every day.