If she wouldn’t do it for her friends and she wouldn’t do it for the above, I knew she’d never do it at all. I only hoped that Elle wouldn’t take it too hard, and that Tecla wouldn’t despise it.
We’re all entitled to our choices, and I let her stick to her own. As I left Amanda’s room, I found Alicia and Skylar standing a few feet away; waiting for me.
“We’re arranging a doctor, sir. You’ve been coughing and sniffling all morning.”
“I have?” I asked, suddenly realising I had a runny nose and sore throat. I guessed my fixation on family and business had me seeing past it. As always, those things came first — my own health second.
I insisted, “I’m perfectly fine.”
Skylar turned to Alicia and gave a knowing look. “See? Men….”
“What Skylar means, sir–”
I cut short Alicia’s post hoc justification, aimed at excusing talk she thought was inappropriate from an employee. But I didn’t mind. Sky had a point.
“I guess I should get something for this cough.”
My chief of staff was thankful. “We’ll make immediate arrangements.”
An hour later, we heard the approach of a helicopter. Alicia had asked for cough syrup, but our hosts weren’t taking any chances. The helicopter landed and a dozen men and women in white coats disembarked.
Heading into a subterranean room, I crowded into the villa’s clinic — designed for the president — as the doctors began prodding at me. My Spanish was poor, and their whispering made it harder for me to understand, but I could tell they were floating some truly preposterous theories.
“Radiation poisoning?” the one mused, now speaking in English for my benefit.
Another doctor jumped in, “No, the symptoms fit better with a more primitive chemical weapon.”
“Yes,” another agreed. “We should contact our friends in Moscow and have a team sent over.”
“Not enough time. Let’s get Colonel Fernandez from the army over here. He deals with this sort of thing,” another doctor asserted.
As the medical team spoke, they kept poking at me; checking my blood pressure once every few minutes and tapping at my abdomen. All the while, the theories only grew more outlandish, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
After the attempt on my life, I became paranoid. But this bunch were taking it to the next level!
Getting to my feet, I made a suggestion of my own. “Maybe I’ve been travelling a lot, sleeping irregularly, facing stress… It’s not absurd to think my immune system is a bit weak and I have a cold! Now, can I please get something for my sore throat?”
The medical team convened in Spanish again as I shook my head and watched them scratch theirs. They were conditioned to live in a world of severe danger, spies, tricks, and atomic intrigue. I also had a feeling that being the president’s guest meant there were consequences if they missed something in my diagnosis. So, it took them about 20 minutes to settle on the obvious fact that I wasn’t dying of some Cold War concoction that had been fired at me from an umbrella gun.
The general practitioner among the bunch explained what meds I’d have to take. “You must also deal with your stress in a constructive manner. Meditation and massage, along with other mindfulness exercises. Are there particular colouring books you enjoy?”
“Colouring books?” I toyed with the idea a little in my head. “I don’t know, doc… But it sounds like it could be a bit of fun. At the very least, it sounds relaxing.”
“We will send a small selection by helicopter. There are several massage therapists available. We have both men and women, depending on your preference, along with acupuncturists, yogis and chefs who specialise in healthy eating.”
I assured the doctor my people could handle everything, but asked that he send the books over.
With everything settled, each doctor offered me a handshake as they went back to their helicopter. It was a wild experience that I wouldn’t soon forget and, in a way, I was tempted to live on the island forever. They had my best interests at heart; whether because I had money they sorely needed or a connection with their ruler’s son.
Before they left completely, I asked, “Any psychiatrists here?”
One older doctor raised her hand. I asked her to stay behind. She was the closest thing to an objective voice as I’d ever get. Having seen Amanda’s reaction, having committed to our new life… I wanted to make sure I wasn’t hurting the girls.
Amanda’s hatred — or what seemed like hatred — had a big effect on me. I wanted affirmation, or just an independent opinion.
As the other doctors left, and it was just the two of us, I took a deep breath and didn’t hold back on the truth.
“I’ve been having sex with my twin sisters.”
The doctor nodded, without an ounce of her composure falling away. Her English was good and her voice monotone. “Who initiated this behaviour?”
“It came from both sides. Just before I found out about the inheritance, I’d slept with our cousin…”
“And one thing led to another?” the doctor concluded. “Well, is there anything you’d like to discuss, or did you just want to tell someone?”
“Sorry?”
The doctor frowned; unsure if her English had been hard to understand.
“I’m just surprised you’re not lecturing me or prescribing pills,” I explained.
Smirking, the doctor took a step forward and placed her hand on her chin. “Have you been feeling out of control recently?”
“A little–”
“More often than not?”
“No.”
The psychiatrist nodded politely, taking mental notes and filing them away. “Sir, you do not present as someone in distress. However, I would advise proactive steps to ensure the sexual health of all partners involved.”
“Of course.”
“Will that be all?”
“Yes… Yes. Thank you, doctor.”
As I walked back into the villa after greeting the final doctor, I lost my way in the unfamiliar house. Part of me worried I might have returned to the mental haze I experienced in Cape Town. I had to stand still and take stock, before knowing exactly where I wanted to go next…
Finding the girls sitting by the pool, I decided it was time for a proper breakaway. No phones; no business.
“We’re going to Argentina.”
59 • The Fall(s)
We landed on a small airstrip that was a good two hours’ drive from our destination. Amanda had been left behind and our regular plane took her back to Texas as we needed to charter a smaller one for this leg of our travels.
I’d picked the destination in part because of its remoteness, but also because I wanted a second white-dress and black-suit moment with the girls. The area felt very safe, far away from everything, and I decided it had been too long since I got to chat to Alicia. So, I asked if I could ride shotgun with her. This was welcomed by everyone as the twins stacked into the car behind us with Skylar behind the wheel.
“Drive carefully!” I instructed the Aussie bodyguard, and she gave me a naughty smile in exchange. I had no doubt she’d entertain the girls with some adventurous off-roading.
We packed into our cars, excited for the trip ahead and the rare chance to see one of the wonders of the world. The Iguazu Falls looked breathtaking on pictures, so I couldn’t wait to see the real thing.
I was following the doctors’ instructions. Plus, this could be our honeymoon after the marvellous beach wedding.
Our route was a strange one, cobbled together on the plane as we tried to pick the most secure path. We’d be moving through backroads, kicking up dust as we cut through the forest. Alicia and I were alone in our car. The road was full of lumps and bumps — somewhere between rocky and muddy.
“How have you been?” I asked.
“Not too bad, sir. I’ve been enjoying seeing more of the world.”
“Have you been taking time for yourself?”
“Yes, sir. Not that I need it… I’m very content just sitting with work and nothing else.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Surely you must want more.”
“Like what?” Alicia asked sincerely.
“Love.”
My companion smiled a beautiful smile that lifted the mood in the car even as we hit a massive pothole. We simply laughed as our heads hit the roof of the car. For the next few minutes, we drove in silence.
We were making good progress; slowing down, speeding up, keeping pace with the convoy. There was jungle on either side of the road, but it didn’t encroach. We simply kept going straight, skipping over the bumps.
Then… Then.
There was a sudden screaming sound. Like a whistle.
Shooting straight at us, a rocket came flying from the trees to our right. Alicia gasped, grabbing the gearstick as she took evasive action. But we weren’t the target as the car ahead of us went up in flames. The men inside had no chance of survival!
Alicia didn’t waste a second, throwing the steering wheel with precision as we tried to make a break for it. One of our protection teams powered forward to take a firing position, but a second rocket soon extinguished their valiant attempt.
I desperately tried to find the car carrying my sisters. Our convoy was chaotic — I couldn’t tell which was theirs, couldn’t see them, couldn’t make sure they were okay… Suddenly, our vehicle shook as successive unending gunshots struck the bullet resistant windows. The thunks of the rounds embedded themselves in the thick glazing robbed me of my ability to breathe as my heart raced.
We picked up speed, gaining forward momentum. It seemed like we might get away, but a pick-up truck came racing in our direction slamming into our side.
There was no way we’d be getting back on the road.
“We need to get out of the car!” Alicia shouted. “Keep low and follow me.”
As we stumbled from the wrecked 4×4, Alicia fired shots into the windscreen of our attackers’ pick-up and I saw two men die. Keeping low, I circled ’round to meet her at the back and we started rushing deeper into the jungle. Footsteps to our right — the sound of rustling plants — drew another blast of fire from Alicia’s gun and I heard a man felled by the speeding bullet.
We kept moving; ducking, running, sliding, jumping over obstacles… We could hear people behind us and there were lots of them. Possibly half-a-dozen or more. Alicia fired a shot wildly in their direction to suppress their movements and they stopped running; moving more stealthily, now frightened by the prospect of death.