Tim and Amy

We barged in to their room and came to a sudden halt, seeing Pam in Tim's arms.

"Oops," said Laura.

"Don't worry," said Pam, smiling. "How's your room?"

"Great!" we chorused.

"I brought you a mosquito net," Tim said. "They might find you tasty."

"OK," said Laura.

"When do we eat?" I asked. "It feels really late, though the sun's only just starting to set."

"I can hear the luggage arriving," Tim said. "Let's shower and change, then we can go down and see what they have for us."

***

When Tim and Pam came out of their room, Laura and I were standing side by side leaning over the balcony rail and looking out into the central area.

"We've seen things that look a bit like starlings, and some sort of crows, and there were some birds on the telegraph wires that looked like swallows but had huge long tail feathers," enthused Laura. "I'll have to sit up here and sketch them."

"Good idea," Tim said. "Now, dinner."

We went down to the dining room, which had windows floor to ceiling looking out over the darkening jungle. The manager came over and said, "We've prepared a special meal for you, so you can try out some of our local dishes. If you like something, tell the waiter and we'll make sure it's available later in the week."

"Don't worry," came a voice from behind him, "they won't have made it too spicy – they don't throw guests in at the deep end."

We looked up. Sarah stood there, totally transformed from how we'd last seen her. Instead of her uniform, she wore a long, flowing dark dress, and her hair was up.

"Captain Sarah!" Laura and I chorused.

"Mind if I join you?" she said.

"Not at all," Tim said enthusiastically.

She took a seat, and looked at the expectant waiter, who had approached the table to take orders for drinks.

"My usual," she said. She turned back to us and explained, "They make a Singapore Sling that packs a real punch."

Tim looked across at Pam. She grinned and nodded.

"All round, then, please," Tim said to the waiter. He disappeared in the direction of the bar and came back with five tall, frosted glasses.

"Cheers," said Sarah.

The food was brought, and Tim tried the various dishes, knowing that Pam had less tolerance for spices.

"Actually, Pam," he said, "I think you'll be OK with most of this. Perhaps this red one will be a bit hot for you."

He dipped a small spoon in the dish and held it out. She cautiously tasted it.

"Phew, perhaps you're right," she said, taking a sip of her drink.

We chatted as we ate, savouring the unfamiliar food.

"Well," said Pam, "I have no idea what time my body thinks it is, but I want to be up early to see an Indian sunrise, so I'm going to turn in."

Tim kissed her, and she walked back in the direction of their room.

"Another cocktail, anyone?" Tim offered.

"Definitely," said Sarah. "I don't have to fly again till the day after tomorrow, when I'm taking some guests back to Delhi, so I want to make the most of the time – and the company."

Tim caught the look that passed between me and Laura. He got the waiter's attention, and ordered our fresh drinks.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Captain Sarah?" asked Laura.

Sarah smiled again at the mixture of formality and familiarity, then her face looked a little sad.

"I did," she said, "but he wanted to keep flying fighters, when I'd had enough and wanted to get back to civilian life."

She blinked, and took another sip of her cocktail. "Still, who knows how it would have worked out. I enjoy my job, and there are some great perks."

She raised her glass to Tim, and he clinked his against it gently.

A few minutes later Tim excused himself to go to the toilet.

"So, girls," said Sarah. "Tell me more about your family. You seem very close."

"Well," I began. "Tim and Pam are actually my uncle and aunt. I'm living with them while I'm at uni."

Sarah nodded. "And where do you come in, Laura?"

"Amy and I started at uni at the same time, and we just clicked – I stayed with the family at Christmas, and never left. Home's a bit difficult for me."

Sarah reached out a hand to Laura. "I'm sorry to hear that." She sipped at her drink. "That's a nice bracelet you're wearing, Amy."

"Actually, Tim bought it for me," I said.

Sarah raised her eyebrows. "Generous," she said.

I glanced at Laura. "Actually he's been very good to both of us. You'd probably think our relationship is a little unconventional, especially when Pam's elsewhere."

Sarah smiled. "I'm the last one to judge," she said. "I'm looking forward to spending more time with Tim. Just to talk, of course."

"I think we can arrange that," I grinned. "When he comes back, Laura and I will find an excuse to give you a little time by yourselves, and we'll see where things go from there."

When Tim returned, he looked at us quizzically. I was trying unsuccessfully to suppress a smile.

"Can Amy and I go and watch the fireflies for a while?" asked Laura.

"Sure," he said. "You'll have to go inside if the mosquitoes get too bad, though."

We walked towards our room, leaving Tim with Sarah, and sat on the balcony in the warm evening air. After a few minutes Tim and Sarah returned, and Laura winked at him.

"Goodnight, Captain Sarah," we said. Sarah grinned at us, and disappeared in the direction of her own room.

Tim walked up the stairs with us. "Did we get it right?" asked Laura hopefully.

"I got a bit of a shock when Sarah told me you'd let her in on our secret, but yes, you were spot on," Tim said. "I'd really like to spend a little more time with her tomorrow – I'm sure you can help me find a way."

He kissed us each on the cheek, and went into his room, closing the door softly. We grinned at each other, then went into our own room and went to bed.

Sarah wasn't around for breakfast, and we amused the serving staff by taking the hot bread they brought us – intended to be eaten with the spicy potatoes that came with it – and spreading it with butter and jam like croissants.

After breakfast, Pam said, "I spoke to the manager about elephant rides, and we can go this afternoon if you like."

Tim considered. "I'm still quite tired – I think you made a better choice about how to cope with the jetlag than I did, and I think I'll need to sleep. Why don't you and the girls go?"

Laura chipped in. "I'd like to sketch after lunch if that's OK – I'll look after Uncle Tim."

We relaxed in the morning, taking a short walk around the perimeter of the lodge.

"We'll see lots of wildlife from the elephants," I said. "You must do it another day, Uncle Tim – I'm sure Laura would go to keep you company."

We went to lunch, and Sarah again joined us. As we were eating, Tim said, "Laura's going to sketch after lunch – why don't you come up and have a cold drink with her, Sarah? She tends to forget the passage of time when she's working, and we all need to remember to drink enough in this heat."

Sarah nodded. "I'd be delighted," she said. "They do the Singapore Sling without the gin in the daytime, it's very refreshing."

After lunch, Pam and I got in the rickshaw that would take us to the starting point for the elephant safari, and Laura installed herself on the balcony with her sketchbook.

We reached the starting point, and the guide showed us to the top of the wooden platform from which we would mount the elephants. After a few minutes, three elephants in a line came into sight, and the previous group dismounted onto the platform. They took local currency notes from their pockets and tossed them to the ground, where the elephants dextrously picked them up with the tips of their trunks and passed them to the riders.

"Amazing!" I said.

"So now we know how it's done, I'll find a few notes to tip them with when we finish," Pam promised.

The safari was everything we'd anticipated, and once we thought we might have glimpsed the black and orange of a tiger far away at the edge of the forest. The rhinos wallowed in the water holes, and the long-legged birds that we'd seen in wildlife films stood on their backs and snapped up the insects that irritated the great armoured beasts.

We returned to the mounting platform, and Pam handed me the notes she'd found. I scattered them, and the elephants deftly retrieved them and handed them up.

The rickshaw brought us back to the lodge, and we looked up at our balcony. Tim and Laura waved, and we waved back, getting out in front of the lodge.

When we arrived back on the balcony, Tim kissed Pam and said, "So, did you two see much?"

"There were buffaloes, and rhinos, and eagles and kingfishers and hornbills," I said in a rush. "And the elephant went in the river with us on it and it felt really odd the way his legs climbed down the bank. And we went through the jungle and the leaves kept slapping us and a really weird moth fell on me."

"Whoa, slow down," Tim grinned. "Sounds like you had a great time."

Pam managed to get a word in edgeways. "We took the camera," she said, "but you and Laura really have to do the safari before we leave."

"Now," she said, "I don't know about anyone else but I need a shower before dinner."

She went into their room. As soon as the door was closed, I kissed Tim on the cheek and said, "So tell us – how was your afternoon?"

"Well," said Tim. "I sat watching Laura sketching for a while, then Sarah came up. She invited me to her room, and made us coffee. We sat on her balcony watching the birds for a while, then she said, 'Tim, I know we haven't known each other long, but what the girls told me has convinced me I can trust you'."

"I smiled. 'Of course.' She put her hand on mine, and said, 'I told you I hadn't had a boyfriend for a while, and I really miss having someone to hold me'."

"'I understand,' I said. I put my arms around her, and held her, and she closed her eyes, resting her head on my shoulder. I stroked her hair, and after a while I felt her tears on me."

Laura looked as though she was going to cry too. "What then?" she said.

"I held her for a long time, and finally she lifted her head. 'I'm sorry,' she said. 'Don't be silly,' I replied. 'I'm sorry we're not staying very long'."

"'Well, we still have a little while,' she said. I nodded. She turned, and leaned back against me, and I put my arms round her waist. After a while she drifted off to sleep, and I held her again for a long time. As the light started to go, she reluctantly stirred, and said, 'I think our time's up. But I won't forget this.' She gave me one last hug, then I left her and came up to find Laura."

"That's so sweet," said Amy. She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Perhaps we'll meet her again sometime."

Pam rejoined us. "So, dinner then," Tim said, taking a deep breath.

We went down to the dining room and once again Sarah joined us, looking relaxed and joking with Laura and me. We enjoyed an exotic meal and a couple of cocktails each, discussing our plans for the next day.

"Well, I'm in the air tomorrow," said Sarah, "so have a fabulous day and I'll see you in the evening."

She got up, and I could see Tim watching her out of the corner of his eye till she disappeared from sight.

Tim turned his full attention back to the table. "I think we should take that elephant ride, Laura – it sounds amazing."

She nodded. "OK. Amy, Aunty Pam, how about you?"

"The guide offered to take us to look at the animal health centre," replied Pam. "They have a tiger that was injured by poachers, and they've been treating it."

"Sounds great," Tim said. "We should all get some sleep then."

"Didn't you already sleep all afternoon?" queried Pam.

"Well, I lay down for a while, but I didn't sleep much."

"Fair enough," said Pam. "I'm tired, anyway."

We all made our way to bed, and Laura and I were soon asleep.

We got up late the next morning, skipping breakfast, and sat with cold drinks on the balcony, looking out over the jungle, until lunchtime. After lunch, Laura and Tim got in the rickshaw they'd booked to take them to the elephant safari, and the driver revved the tiny engine and accelerated down the track.

Pam and I went with the guide to the animal health centre, staying at a respectful distance from the recuperating tiger, even though the bars of his cage looked reassuringly solid. We looked at some of the smaller animals, then returned to the lodge. For the rest of the afternoon, we relaxed on the balcony, watching the birds catching flies over the central courtyard.

After a couple of hours, Laura and Tim returned from the safari, enthusing about the wildlife they'd seen, and we sat and looked at the photos Tim had taken on his digital camera.

As the sun was starting to set, we went down to dinner and started with drinks. As we sat down, Laura pointed out of the window. "Look!"

I craned my head to see where she was pointing. In the distance, a tiny silver dart was approaching. As it came nearer, we recognised the outline of the Learjet. Suddenly my heart was in my mouth as the plane seemed to flip in midair, then right itself. I felt for Tim's hand and held it tightly. The plane continued descending into what seemed a normal landing, and disappeared behind the trees where the airstrip was, out of our view.

A few moments later we saw Sarah's distinctive figure walking up the path, and she ran up the stairs into the lodge and joined us.

"Gosh, Sarah," Tim said, his voice showing his relief, "you gave us a fright."

She put her hand to her mouth. "Ah, oops, sorry! It's strictly against regulations, but I sometimes can't resist checking I still remember some of those manoeuvres."

We relaxed, and sipped our drinks again. The meal was something different again, and we took our time eating.

"Don't think we'll get anything quite like this when we go back," Tim said.

"Well," said Pam, "I have some Indian cookbooks. I can have a go, buy some fresh spices."

"Yes please, Aunty Pam," I said.

"We could have some of our friends round and tell them it's real Indian curry," said Laura. "They're always going on about how hot they ask the takeaway round the corner to make it, I bet they don't even taste the flavour."

Sarah excused herself. "Long flight," she said, "I could use a rest. I'm off on a bit of a trip of my own tomorrow, but I'll see you in the evening – last dinner before I take you back to Delhi, right?"

Tim nodded. "Night, captain."

She winked, and was gone.

"So, girls," Tim started. "Aunty Pam is off on an Indian-style pamper day tomorrow, what do you want to do?"

"Well," said Laura, "I still need to try and sketch some of the birds – they don't stay still for very long and some of the feathers are amazing."

"Can Uncle Tim take me back to the animal health centre?" I asked. "There are a couple of the animals I'd really like to see again before we go."

"Sounds great," Tim said.

We finished our meal and made our way to bed. Laura and I talked for a while, before dropping off to sleep.

In the morning a young woman came to collect Pam for her day, and she turned round and waved to us as she followed her guide down the track.

"So, Laura," Tim said when they were out of sight, "Still keen to sketch?"

"How about I come with you," she said. "I'll bring my book and sketch some of the animals."

We walked down to the animal health centre, and Tim watched fascinated as the tiger paced up and down the cage.

"I hope he recovers enough to be released back into the wild," he said. "Perhaps he has a mate who misses him."

When we'd watched the great cat for a while, we walked slowly back to the lodge and had lunch. Then we went back up to the balcony.

"Do you two want to have a bit of a sleep?" asked Tim. "It's our last night tonight, so probably we'll stay up quite late, have a few drinks after dinner."

He didn't mention Sarah, but I knew he was thinking that this evening would be the last chance for us to spend some time with her, before she flew us back to Delhi.

"Sounds great," said Laura. "Can we come in your room? I think your air conditioning works better than ours does."

"Sure," Tim grinned.

We went in, and Tim lay down on the bed. I lay one side of him, and Laura the other, and we drifted off to sleep while the air conditioning tempered the heat of the day.

As the sun started to set, Tim stirred. "Pam will be back soon," he said. We got up, and went back out onto the balcony, now much cooler. The birds were again catching insects, and we watched them swoop and dive. After a few minutes we caught sight of Pam walking back up the track. Laura and I ran down the stairs to meet her, and Tim followed.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked.

Pam nodded. "It's very different from what we'd call a pamper day at home, but I do feel very relaxed."

"Ready for dinner?" Tim asked.

"Definitely," she said. "Lunch was some kind of vegetable juice – very healthy, but I could definitely eat something more substantial now."

We went into the dining room. Sarah was already there, looking cool and comfortable in her dark dress, and we joined her. The waiter brought cocktails without having to ask – Sarah's without the gin – and we clinked our glasses gently together.

The meal was superb, and we sat afterwards talking.

"I've really enjoyed my first taste of India," I said.

"Me too," said Laura. "Perhaps we can come again."

"I hope so," said Sarah. "It would be lovely to see you all again here at Satpura."

She glanced at her watch. "I'd like to stay, but we have to take off quite early to make your connection at Delhi."

She stood. "Sweet dreams, everyone." And she was gone.

We stayed for a few minutes longer, then all went to bed.

In the morning, we finished packing, and the porters came to take our luggage to the airstrip. Sarah met us at the plane, and we got aboard. We were soon in the air, and it seemed all too short a flight before we were on the tarmac at Delhi.

Again Tim had arranged for a car to take us to the main terminal to get on our scheduled flight.

"You'd better get in," said Sarah, "or the heat will get to you."

She hugged Pam, then Laura and me, and last of all embraced Tim warmly. I saw her lips move, her mouth close to his ear, then she turned and walked briskly back up the steps of the jet.

Tim watched her for a moment, then joined us in the car.

We were soon at the check-in area, and Tim took care of the formalities.

Pam left for a moment to go to the toilet, and I smiled at Tim. "What did Sarah say to you?"

He looked surprised that I'd noticed. "She just said, 'Au revoir'."

I nodded. "See you again," I translated. "Not goodbye. Well, here's hoping."

We boarded our flight to Dubai, sleeping most of the way. Our connection was tight, and all too soon we were in our first-class cabin on the flight back to Britain.

It was raining as we came in to land. "Just like when we left," said Laura, seeming a little dejected.

"Never mind," I tried to cheer her up. "We have lots of photos, and you have your sketch books. You can paint, that'll keep everything alive in your memory."

Laura brightened, and I rolled my eyes. "I can see that it'll be even harder than usual to get you out of the dining room, once you have a canvas on the go."

We got off the plane and collected our luggage, then cleared passport control. Tim fetched the car, and we drove through the rain to the house.

***

We returned to our usual routine, Pam and Tim leaving for work early every morning, Laura and I travelling to the campus together.

One Friday evening towards the end of the summer term, as we were eating, Tim asked, "Does anybody have any particular plans for tomorrow?"

Laura answered, "Amy and I had thought about perhaps going into town shopping, but not for anything special."

Tim looked to Pam. "Well, there's some washing to do, but it could wait," she replied. "Do you have something in mind?"