Zara's Safari

Chapter 3

"Will I... I mean, will I be safe?"

"As long as you sleep on the bricks." he said, again, I thought I detected slight amusement in his voice. 

I continued to look around. On the other side of the room was a small couch and a coffee table that stood on one of those old brown fluffy rugs from the nineteen- seventies, the kind that no doubt attracts dust mites and diseased rodents. A small wooden table and two chairs were positioned on the other end of the room next to what I can only assume was supposed to be the kitchen. A zinc sink, rust colored melamine counter tops dotted with a few cups and a cooking device of sorts- the likes of which I'd never seen before.

I walked in, took up position in the middle of the room and examined it further. The bed was draped in a hideous beige duvet complete with bulbous maroon geometric shapes, there was also only one pillow- it was brown. The crockery was made of dark blue tin that was chipped in several places- very unappetizing. The couch was upholstered in in a very unappealing olive green color with two pathetic looking red scatter cushions lurking on it.  Perhaps the interior designer was trying to be ironic? Perhaps he was trying to make a profound statement about the nature of aesthetics being in the eye of the beholder?  Or perhaps a three-year-old toddler had put it together in a fit of rage. There seemed to be a bathroom at the other end of the room and I wondered if I should even dare look inside.

I did.

And I instantly regretted it. A sink, a towel rack, a small shower and a plastic toilet. I shuddered- the towels didn't even look like genuine cotton.

The place wasn't dirty, or messy or unhygienic in anyway- it was just as ugly as a flea bitten street mutt.

"I think you'll find it very comfortable," Riaan said handing me the keys.

"What's that around the bed," I asked referring to the net encasing it.

"Mosquito net, be sure to use it,"

"Mmm, great." I said sarcastically, "More bugs."

Riaan ignored my statement and carried on, "The mes hall, where the staff meals are served is in the block behind us. Lights out are at 10:30 Pm and..."

"Lights out? Like, as in, you turn the lights off?" This was starting to sound like jail, and I was an inmate- God, I hope they weren't going to make me wear one of those luminous orange jumper suits, "What? Are we kids that we have to be told when to go to sleep?"

"No, it's not that at all. We are powered by generators, we don't have the luxury to run them 24 hours a day. The candles are in the kitchen cupboards."

"Candles. How positively primitive."

Riaan looked at me coldly, "You know your current attitude is going to get you nowhere."

I glanced as this devastatingly gorgeous man who was now- very disturbingly I might add- starting to sound like my father, "You're not a very nice person Riaan. You know that?"  

He scoffed loudly and this maddened me.

 "Is this how you treat all your guests, its' not wonder anyone comes to this stupid place."

"You're not a guest- do I have to keep reminding you of that. You're here to work, just like the rest of us."

"We'll see about that."

Riaan turned away and walked out the door, "Wait." The word came out a little desperate sounding. Which I guess it was, I hated being alone. It tried to change my tone back to casul and indifferent, "So, which room are you in?," And quickly added, " In case there's some kind of emergency or something."