‘Did you hear his mother threaten me?’ she says, her voice wobbling.
Garry shakes his head. ‘No. She didn’t.’
‘But… but you all heard what she said. She’s basically telling me to leave my job and get out of Turkey.’
Garry shrugs. ‘I’ll try and sort it, but don’t hold your breath. Your cards are marked.’ He lets out a huge, exasperated sigh. ‘And so now are ours. We’ll be constantly watching our backs from now on. All thanks to you.’
‘I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.’ Astrid’s eyes fill as she races away.
* * *
Despite Astrid’s earlier tears, when we are gathered for the kayak safari briefing, only a short while later, she is back to her self-absorbed ways. While I’m pleased she has recovered, I’m not so pleased to see that she has stopped speaking to me and has chosen to communicate via stroppy hand gestures and mime, as though this whole fiasco is somehow my fault. An example being when we were distributing kayaks and oars to pairs of guests, while I was diligently reading them the disclaimer information, fitting them with lifejackets and checking that they were strong swimmers and that they understood what to do if their kayak flipped over in the water, she was rolling her eyes, impatiently clicking her fingers and beckoning me to get on with it by waving her hand in a circular motion. It was all very embarrassing.
‘Come on, let’s get this over with. First group with me. You two,’ she bellows at Emir and me. ‘Bring the provisions and kit with the second group. We’ll do laps round the boat until we’re all in the water. Don’t forget the first-aid kit and spares. And don’t take all day about it.’
Emir and I exchange a look of annoyance. We literallycouldtake all day. It’s supposed to be a fun leisurely trip.
It’s a relief when she takes the first group out onto the water to get used to paddling around the boat, and I’m left to see to Emir and supervise the boxes of provisions (food and drinks) even though it is only a fifteen-minute kayak trip back to the boat. We could easily swim it, if it wasn’t for the slim possibility of great whites and hammerhead sharks patrolling these waters. I notice this wasn’t included in the safety briefing I was given to read out.
All of a sudden there’s an almighty shrieking sound. I race to the edge and peer over into the water. Astrid is standing, her kayak wobbling from side to side. She is jabbing at an enormous spider crab that has somehow ended up in her boat. We watch as she flails around trying to find her balance but it’s no use. She windmills her arms but can’t steady herself in time as she lands with an almighty splash in the water.
Emir erupts into peals of laughter.
‘How did that huge crab spider get into the boat?’ I wonder aloud, peering down at Emir as he shrugs innocently.
Astrid attempts to swim back to the gulet, spitting feathers and determined to blame someone (me) for not checking the kayaks thoroughly enough as she drags hers with her. Once she has clambered back onto the wooden platform, she takes her oar and flicks the crab from the boat. She spins around to face us, hands on hips. Her hair is splattered to her face, fronds of dark brown sea kelp are gathered on her shoulders, and her legs are streaked with strands of green seaweed. ‘Well?’
‘Right. Let’s get you fitted with a lifejacket and some magical weapons,’ I say, ignoring her as I hand Emir a toy water gun and slip a shimmery gold waistcoat (slim pickings) that I grabbed from the games cupboard over his lifejacket. ‘To protect you,’ I explain quietly, nodding over to Astrid. ‘From the sea monsters.’
‘Cool.’ He’s so excited to get going that I’m filled with a rush of delight as I check him over.
‘Hey, Maddie. I know that crab had something to do with… Shit!’ Astrid yelps.
I turn around to see she has accidentally stepped through a lobster pot and is shaking her foot free. The pot is attached to a length of fishing wire.
‘Look out!’ I yell. Astrid flings her elbow up to protect her face just as a bucket from the shelf above flies towards her. She is knocked straight back into the sea, causing everyone to erupt with laughter. It’s like a scene fromScooby Doo. Wait. I glance down. Emir has a satisfied look on his face. We exchange a few non-verbal communicative gestures that neither confirm nor deny his involvement.
I shall have to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Before Astrid has a chance to climb back on board, we step diligently down off the platform onto our vessel and encourage the remaining guests into the water so that we can lead a group of eight kayaks over to the beautiful island very close by. Astrid is bringing up the rear and has been partnered with Emir’s grandmother whom I am both delighted and very surprised to see volunteer for the trip. It looks like she’s letting a fuming Astrid do all the work. When we reach the island and drag our kayaks onto the shoreline, Emir’s granny comes straight over to greet us.
‘Last minute change of plans,’ she says gleefully. ‘Apparently, some of the reps aren’t to be trusted. I thought it best to keep an eye on our precious cargo.’
Ah.
‘About that. I’m sure Astrid didn’t mean to…’
Emir’s grandmother raises an eyebrow, which stops me in my tracks. Astrid definitely meant to push Emir in the water, whether it was a joke or not. She was in the wrong. And this is clearly not the family to cross.
‘Anyway, life’s too short to spend it playing board games when I could be here exploring with my only grandson and heir.’ She looks Emir up and down before bending down on one knee. ‘Very snazzy outfit.’
‘It’s got secret powers,’ he whispers in her ear. ‘And look. A weapon.’ He thrusts his water gun into the air. ‘I’ll protect you, Babaanne!’
This makes her chuckle as she tries to straighten up. I give her a hand. ‘Thank you, dear. You know, it’s lovely to see him being a child. He’s so routinely over-exposed to the adult world that it’s easy to forget he’s not a market trader trapped in the body of a nine-year-old.’
‘Five, Babaanne. I’m only five. But I’ll be six in a few days,’ he exclaims joyfully. ‘Then I’ll be a big boy. Like Mehmet.’
We are momentarily interrupted as Astrid, further down the beach, screeches something unintelligible, yanks at her lifejacket and begins waving it around while trying to scratch her back, her arms and now her hair. Once again, the guests are treated to her plunging into the sea. There is much guffawing.
