Mother & Her 10 Year Search

Post Colonial Zambia a few years after independence.

"Have you seen Louise?" Keith asked, his voice slurred.

Tom replied, "walking around the cricket pitch, she wanted some fresh air."

Keith staggered off into the evening cool, looking for her.

"I reckon she's getting a bit more than fresh air," Harry said to Tom, once Keith was out of earshot.

Tom gave an harrumph, "married to Keith, can you blame her, anyway say nothing."

Mike and Louise were behind the sightscreen. Mike was busy trying to take her panties off, they were snagged on her foot, "lift your leg," Mike instructed her.

"Which one?"

"The left one," he managed to retrieve them, then screwed them up into a ball and put them in his pocket.

"Hold on to the support," he told her, lifting up her skirt.

"I just love that you wear stockings, she felt the cold on her thighs and shuddered, Mike took this as excitement. I haven't even stuck it up yet, he thought to himself.

"Don't tell anyone, otherwise they'll want to know how you know," she warned him.

They were in total darkness behind the sightscreen, despite there being a full moon, Mike took a quick glance around they were alone.

"I don't know why you needed to take my panties off," she scolded him, "they're not easy to put back on with these high heels."

"Don't worry they're safe in my pocket," he assured her.

Mike inserted himself, she sounded appreciative.

"I love doing this outdoors, of a night time, I love the cold on my prick when I pull it out and then the warmth when I push it back in."

"I like the warm feeling inside me as well," she agreed.

Mike held onto her by her suspender straps, and got into a steady rhythm.

"You know when I was a lad, I managed to start a fire once by rubbing two sticks together, but this is much better." Louise was rapidly starting to regret her decision to fuck Mike.

"Mike, I need to let you into a little secret, you're just the warm-up act for my vibrator."

"Wow, am I really," Louise was seriously thinking of standing up and leaving him to wave his dick in the air, he started to speed up, he was hitting her G-spot and she quietly orgasmed. Mike followed a moment later.

"Have you had it," he asked, concerned.

"Yes, it was a good one."

"You're the only woman I know who can cum bent over like this, can I leave it in, just a bit longer," he pleaded?

"Yeah, why not, it's all I'm going to get tonight, most nights in fact."

Suddenly she heard her husband, calling her name, she looked through a gap in the sightscreen, he was no more than fifty yards away. Mike was leaning over her back, pushing his semen back into her leaking pussy, he too had heard Keith calling.

Mike released his pent-up breath, he reluctantly pulled out and whispered, "Go back to the clubhouse, go through the trees, and go quietly."

Keith had heard the noise and approached as rapidly as his drunken gait allowed. Mike stepped out from the sight-screen holding his penis as though he had just urinated, "Hi Keith, Louise took a walk around the ground."

"How did you know I was looking for Louise, and who were you talking to?"

"I was singing quietly to myself, thank you, and I've just seen Louise."

Keith looked down at Mike's dangling dick, "what's that doing out?" he pointed at Mike's penis.

"Oh, that, there was a queue for the toilet, so I came out here, the sightscreen is fairly private you know."

"What did you do, go to the Ladies by mistake, there the only ones who have to queue?"

Mike pretended to be slightly affronted but he had deliberately left his penis exposed as evidence to support his story, "I know which toilet is which thank you, come on, let's go back to the clubhouse, I'll buy you a beer."

"No thanks, they've refused to serve me, as soon as I find Louise I'm off home."

Mike didn't like the idea of Keith driving, as drunk as he was, "If you want to go I can bring Louise, or I can take you home, we can get the car tomorrow."

Just then Louise came into view, Mike hastily put his penis back into his trousers.

"I heard you were looking for me, well here I am," she held her arms out to her side.

"We need to go home, but if you want, you can get a lift from Mike, he's been good enough to offer," there was heavy sarcasm in his voice.

Louise tried not to let her guilt show she wondered if he suspected anything, "no, let's go, I've had all I can take for one night," she said looking at Mike.

Keith managed to get the car started, he drove erratically out of the cricket club car park and onto the main road, at this hour of night it was empty of traffic.

"Let me to drive," she urged Keith, "you're all over the road. If the police stop you, it'll be twenty-six weekends in jail, remember Tom, twenty six weekends, and he hated every minute, and he had to take two days leave for each weekend he was in prison."

"I can drive perfectly well, thank you, even when I've had a drink" trying to sound indignant.

"Yes, it's all the bloody practice you get, oh for goodness sake Keith, you're swerving all over the road."

Louise was getting anxious, she had been avoiding Keith all night, only now was she aware of how drunk he was.

"Anyway there no traffic on the road at this time of night, except drunks, just like me," he laughed.

"Keith, look out, there's a lorry!" Her voice rose in panic. The lorry had broken down at the side of the road.

Keith had seen it but too late, and in an act of self-preservation, he turned the wheel, so her side of the car bore the full force of the collision.

They had just passed the hospital, the staff working there heard the crash, the sound of tortured metal, and the smashing of glass.

Keith, in the undamaged side of the car, managed to scramble out, he heard people coming out of their houses and ducked into the rain ditch, they watched him as he ran off up the ditch.

Mike had left the club immediately after Keith and Louise, and kept them in sight, he saw the crash as it unfolded.

He stopped the car, "Keith," he shouted, his voice broke the silence, "what the hell have you done, where are you going?"

"I was going for help."

"The hospital's in the opposite bloody direction!"

Mike managed to get Keith to return to the scene of the accident, Louise was unconscious.

"Louise insisted on driving, you know, it wasn't me."

"Keith, she's on the passenger side!"

"No, she slid across the seat," he insisted.

Mike left him to his blubbering and accompanied Louise in the ambulance.

Once Louise was in surgery, he went looking for Keith, "come on Keith, let's get you home to your lad, make sure he's okay, and then we can come back, the hospital might be able to give us an update of Louise's condition."

Keith was in an absolute funk, scared stiff that if he was still there when the police arrived, they were certain to breathalyze him.

"Yes, thanks, the boy needs me, we'll come back later, see how Louise is," he was hyper-ventilating.

Keith stayed at home in a funk. Mike returned to the hospital and spoke to a nurse he knew, "do me a favor," he asked, can you put these panties into the bag with the rest of Louise's clothes."

She shook her head gaving him a disapproving look, but took them off him without a word.

Two weeks later and things were back to normal except that no-one had seen Keith. Paul walked into the office and plonked himself down opposite Mike, "you heard about Keith?"

Mike looked up from the newspaper, "that dickhead, no, why?" He returned to his paper.

"He's not getting his contract renewed, and he's not coming back to work either."

Mike put his paper down, finally showing interest, "he's still got six months, hasn't he, it's a bit early for new contracts?"

"I was told this by Colin Kirby, no less."

"In that case, it must be true, it'll mean promotion for one of the locals, John Silungwe probably." Paul nodded in agreement, Mike thought for a moment.

"What's going to happen to Alec, their son?"

"Keith's already taken him down to South Africa, to Keith's mother, she's remarried and lives in Jo'burg, she's agreed to look after him until Louise recovers ... or..."

"Yeah, well lets hope, her boy is tough just like Louise, he'll cope. But if she doesn't pull through, it would be better for Keith if he never showed his face around here again."

It was five months before Louise was fit enough to return to England. Mike was driving her to the airport, "I still think Keith knew about us. I mean, you could have been killed, and he walks away scot-free, and to top it all, he kidnaps Alec."

She sighed, "there's nothing for you to feel guilty about, he spent most of his time in a drunken haze, and you can't kidnap your own child."

Mike changed tack, "how long is your recovery going to take, have they said?"

"I'll be almost as good as new in a year, I'll never have anymore kids so that makes finding Alec all the more important, I might go to South Africa and start searching for Alec. I'm staying with my sister, and she's arranged for me to do a Master's degree at my old university," she smiled. "don't worry, I'll be back stronger than ever."

After Keith took Alec, he first went to South Africa, but after a visit from Louise's private investigator, he quickly skipped to South-West Africa, (since renamed Namibia) then Angola, and finally to Rhodesia, soon to be renamed Zimbabwe. Always keeping one step ahead of the investigator Louise employed. Keith was not a caring father he took Alec simply to spite Louise.

In his mind, if she hadn't nagged him so much, the accident would never have happened, and he'd still have his job with the mining company.

Louise returned to Zambia after three years in England, during which she had obtained her Master's degree, and had finally made a full recovery. During the seven years since her return to Zambia, the war in Rhodesia had intensified, making it more and more isolated, it made getting Alec back impossible.

Louise was in her office looking over plans for a new project when Colin Kirby walked in, "you've not heard the news?"

She shook her head, Colin's demeanor was sober.

"It's not all good I'm afraid, I've got a friend who works for the Central African Power Company, he phoned me today, he told me that just over three months ago one of their engineers was killed. It turned out it was Keith but, as he was using a false name, it took them this long to discover his real identity."

The worry on her face was palpable, "Alec," she asked?

"He's quite safe, Keith worked for the power company, he managed to get Alec into a really good boarding school as part of his contract conditions."

"Typical of Keith, I don't think he really wanted the hassle of caring for Alec, he just, didn't want me to have him."

"I hate to say this but how well do you think Alec will remember you, after all, he was only eight or nine, when he last saw you, he probably thinks you're dead."

"I think your right, it needs to be handled with care."

Colin sat down, "I've also made arrangements for you to attend the technical conference taking place in Kariba next month, it'll allow you to enter Rhodesia, is that okay, kill two birds with one stone?"

Louise gave Colin a hug.

Colin kept her updated, although Zimbabwean independence wasn't quite finalized, some flights were permitted. The day before she was due to fly, Colin visited her office with her travel itinerary, "finish for the day, Louise, go and pack."

The next day at five-thirty in the morning, the phone rang, it was Colin, "just making sure you're all set?"

"Thanks, Colin I'm all set, in fact, I can hear a car approaching," it's headlights illuminated the driveway.

She arrived at the airport, and once through the nerve-wracking customs procedure, she allowed herself to relax and enjoy the flight.

Later that day in Salisbury, capital city of Rhodesia, Harry, the hotel manager, addressed the assembled employees, "today we have a special guest, Ms. Louise Darwen, she's an engineer with the Zambian Copper mines, she'll be here about one o'clock, Alan has agreed provide his services as her guide and escort."

There was a chorus of voices? "Why Alan."

"Because he can drive, he is private school educated, and as we all know he is popular with ladies of a certain age," this brought a roar of laughter.

"Guess what suckers!" Alan responded, "If I can't do my scheduled duties, one of you have to stand in for me, and I get extra hours, and," he emphasised, "I get paid for them," he looked over to Harry who nodded.

This last comment, a dig at Harry, brought further laughter.

Harry shushed everyone, "Alan will man the desk, Steve, you assist and take over if needed."

Someone spoke up from the back of the room, "has anyone seen a good-looking woman engineer? This could be your comeuppance Alan," Alan looked somewhat discomfited at the thought.

Harry spoke up, "tomorrow is Friday, and it's Alan's last exam. I'm going to assign him the use of the hotel car, and, he will go straight there and come straight back, it means if you need anything involving transport get it sorted out today, oh and I'm sure we all wish Alan the best of luck."

Harry dragged him off to his office amid a chorus of "break a leg."

"What's that mean," Harry asked?

"It's a term used in the theatre, it translates to good luck."

In the office Harry turned to Alan all business like, "now then, we all know of your reputation with the ladies, I don't want you to enhance it with our guest is that clear?" Alan nodded, "you've got a terrible reputation as a pikolo," he wagged his finger at Alan.

"A what?"

"A pikolo, you know someone who goes with older women!"

"You mean gigolo, and I'm not a gigolo, a gigolo gets paid," Alan looked up to the ceiling, Harry was the perfect example of the Peter Principle, promoted until he'd reached his level of incompetence, oh well, independence might not be such a bad thing after all.

Alan picked Louise up from the airport, she was impressed by the hotel, on three floors opposite the 'T' of a junction. It allowed a view down the road to the city center.

She'd been allocated a suite, it had an area that could be used as an office, after Alan carried her luggage up to her suite, she went shopping, Alan offered to drop her at he city center but she refused, preferring to walk.

It took only a few hours for Louise to buy more than she intended. The bags were heavy, and she was already regretting her refusal to accept a lift. She was looking around for a taxi when she heard a voice, and looking up she saw Alan, coming towards her.

"Here, let me help," he took the bags before she could refuse.

"It's an unexpected pleasure bumping into you," she told him, rubbing her hands glad that her circulation was returning.

"Harry was on the top floor, and he recognised you, and saw you were loaded up, so he asked me to come and meet you."

He carried the bags up to her room, "did you enjoy the shops here?" he asked, waving an arm towards the bags.

"Oh, did I?" and so saying she upended the bags on the spare bed, the contents spilled out, Alan helped pick them up and noticed that amongst other things she'd bought underwear, there was a black suspender belt, panties, and various colored stockings.

"More than I expected, and I've still got all day Friday to shop." She smiled at him, "Alan, can you arrange a table for tonight for me, please?"

"I'll tell you what I can do, I'm working the bar until eight o'clock, after that it gets very quiet, I can arrange a table for two, for say eight thirty?" It was more a question than a suggestion, "unless you want to dine alone?"

"No, I'd love to," she smiled, eight-thirty it is."

He looked at his watch, "I'm on duty, in two hours, I need to shower."

Louise took a nap, then showered, she was putting her new underwear in the draw, and she thought of Alan. He was very likable and good looking, she thought of having sex with a man for the first time in ten years.

She decided to wear her little black dress, it was ideal for a romantic evening, especially wearing her new underwear. It was ten minutes to eight when the phone rang.

"Hi, Alan here, can I set a drink up for you?"

She sat on the edge of the bed and spoke into the phone, "vodka, tonic and lots of ice, but no lemon." she replied, as she fastened her suspender belt.

"Is ten minutes going to give you enough time?" he asked.

She looked around, her bra, panties, and stocking lay on the bed, her dress was hanging in the wardrobe, "Yes, ten minutes should be plenty, see you then."

Ten minutes later, she stepped into her high heels and bent down to fasten the ankle straps.

She walked into the bar two minutes late. Alan stood behind the bar and smiled when he saw her in the doorway. He wore a dinner jacket and a dicky bow, he was putting ice cubes in her drink.

"I'd like more ice, please."

"Would you like a bigger glass?" he asked, picking up a pint glass.

"How very funny, careful I don't hit you over the head with it," she smiled.

Alan explained that the restaurant was fully booked so he'd set a table up in the corner of the bar, "this is a two-star hotel but, with a five-star restaurant".

After the meal, they sat with a brandy. They were the only people in the room, Alan still had to look after the bar, if it got busy he could always call on Steve, his stand-in.

"Why do you wear your hair so short?"

"I play a lot of rugby so It's more convenient, in fact have a big rugby match at the weekend, unfortuneately I'm not playing for my usual team."

He offered no further explanation, Louise looked at him, he was strikingly good-looking, tall, with high cheekbones, warm brown eyes, and was his hair jet black? Hard to tell. He took this moment to assess her, slim figure, her breasts were slightly too big for her frame, nothing wrong with that he decided. And as for her legs, out-of-this-world, hair was jet black, in fact so much so that when the sun caught it gleamed a shade of blue, she had film star looks.

"Your meal wasn't cold, was it?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"I had them turn the air conditioning down a couple of degrees, I figured you'd prefer it."

"Oh, and why would I want the room to be cold?" she asked innocently, crossing her legs, her nylons made a rasping sound.

"Erm, could you make that a multi-choice question?" he asked.

She looked thoughtful, "okay, choice A, you think I'm hot, choice B, you think I'm wearing stockings."

"Can you give me a clue," he was joking with her.

She punched him playfully on the arm, "I can only help with choice B,"

"How so?" he asked.

She looked around the room, checking they really were alone, she stood and lifted the hem of her skirt, she revealed her stocking tops, suspender studs, and her firm white thighs, "now do you know the answer?"

He was looking greedily at her thighs, "erm."

"I'm not going to sit here all night with my skirt up, come on, make a decision."

"What do I win if I'm right?"

"You might receive a punch in a minute," she retorted playfully.

"Choice B," he said confidently.

"Wrong, it's choice A," she announced triumphally, "I'm hot."

He shook his head, there was no way he was going to win that one, a wry smile on his face, "do you always cheat?"

"Only when I want to win."

"Okay, you win, so, no prize?"

"Don't give up so easily, should we have one last drink, wait until Steve returns, then we can go and have a nightcap in my room?"

"Sounds like a plan," and went behind the bar, "vodka and tonic, with enough ice to sink the Titanic," he announced and pushed the drink across the bar top.

"Where I drink, I'm referred to as the ice maiden."

"I find that easy to believe."

"There's lots of reasons," she hinted mysteriously.