• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 677 0

a milk run for me by now, especially on a morning like this with perfect flying conditions. I suppose it must have had some interest for her although she certainly gave no sign of being particularly excited. In fact we only spoke twice over the voice pipe during the entire trip. Once as we turned up the Mortes from the Negro and I pointed out Forte Franco on the island below and again, as we approached Landor and I made preparations to land.

One thing did surprise me, the Hayley which was parked by the hangar. I had imagined it would be well on the way to Santa Helena by now.

As we rolled to a halt, Mannie came to meet us with a couple of labourers. He grinned up at me. 'What kept you? Sam's been like a cat on hot bricks, isn't that what you say?'

'I didn't know he cared,' I said and dropped to the ground.

'He doesn't,' he replied and elbowed me out of the way as I turned to help Joanna down. 'The privilege of age, Miss Martin.' He held up his hands.

She liked him, that much was obvious and her smile was of that special kind a woman reserves for a man she instantly recognises as good friend or father confessor. No strain, no cut-and-thrust, someone she would never have to surrender to or keep at arm's length.

I made some kind of lame, formal introduction. Mannie said, 'Now I understand why Sam's been acting as if he's been struck over the head with a Huna war club.' As I took off my flying helmet, he ruffled my hair. 'Has the boy here been treating you all right? Did he give you a good flight?'

I think it was the one and only time I ever felt angry with him and it showed for his smile faded slightly and there was concern in his eyes.

I turned away and Hannah came running across the airstrip rather fast considering the heat and the fact that he was dressed for flying. When he was about ten yards away, he slowed down as if suddenly realising he was making a fool of himself and came on at a walk.

He ignored me and said to Joanna Martin, 'Satisfied now?'

'Oh, I think you could say that,' she said coolly. 'Where's Sister Maria Teresa?'

'When I last saw her she was down at the jetty having a look at the mission launch. Had some sort of crazy idea that you and she might sleep on board.'

'What's wrong with the local hotel?'

'Just about everything so I've arranged for you both to move into my place. I'll take you up there now and show you round, then I've got to run Alberto up to Santa Helena.'

He picked up her suitcase and I said, 'What are the rest of us supposed to do?'

He barely glanced at me. 'We can manage in hammocks down here in the hangar for a few nights. Mannie's moved your gear out.'

He took her arm and they started to walk away. He paused after a few yards and called over his shoulder, 'I'd get that mail up to Figueiredo fast if I were you, kid. He's had the district runners standing by for an hour.'

'And that puts you in your place,' Mannie said and started to laugh.

For a moment, the anger flared up in me again and then, for some unaccountable reason, I found myself laughing with him. 'Women,' I said.

'Exactly. We have all the trees in the world and an abundance of fruit. All we needed was Eve.' He shook his head and picked up the mail sack. 'I'll take this up to Figueiredo for you. You go and have a cup of coffee and relax. I can see you've had a hard morning.'

He walked away towards town and I got my grip out of the Bristol and went into the hangar. He'd fixed three hammocks on the other side of the radio installation with a wall of packing cases five or six feet high to give some sort of privacy. There was a table and three chairs and a pot of coffee simmered gently on a double-ring oil stove.

I poured some into a tin mug, lit a cigarette and eased myself into one of the hammocks. I couldn't get Joanna Martin out of my mind - the change in her. It didn't seem to make any kind of sense at all, especially in view of the fact that she'd deliberately chosen to travel with me in the Bristol instead of in the Hayley.

My chain of thought was interrupted by Alberto who appeared in the gap in the end