8
DOMINIC
We’re seated for lunch in our now habitual pairs. Flavia is still tense as we’re served grilled chicken and salad. Shehadrelaxed a little after getting off the bus, but since the group conversation turned – very naturally – to the safari to come, she became much less chatty than usual, almost rigid.
As Mike talks about the big five animals, I sense her go very still next to me. I can’t help thinking that there’s something about the safari itself that’s making her like this. And maybe that’s why she’s been tense at other moments while we’ve been away. I thought that she might have received a stressful message or two from family, friends or work, but maybe not; maybe it was all worry about the safari.
‘I’ve been reading about lions,’ Mike tells us. ‘Surprisingly, the average pride only makes about fifty kills a year, and for a single lion it’s clearly much lower.’
‘Sounds like I hunt better than a lion,’ Alex the self-billed Serbian sniper comments.
We all – except Flavia – laugh a little too much. She doesn’t seem able to produce even a smile, let alone a chuckle, which is very unlike her.
I wait until everyone else is distracted by more lion facts, like female lions doing more of the hunting than the males, then lean in so that no-one else will hear and ask, ‘Without wishing to intrude, are you okay? Not worried about lions or anything?’
‘Little bit,’ she tells me in a strangled voice.
She’s been facing straight ahead so that I can only see her in profile. I angle round and note that she looks quite pale.
‘Is it just lions?’ I ask.
‘Nope.’
Wow. Really not the best for going on a big animal safari.
‘It’s going to be okay,’ I say, while I cast around in my mind for something a little more concrete to help her.
‘I do like them,’ she says. ‘They’re beautiful. So majestic. Iwantthe opportunity to see them in their natural habitat. It’s awful seeing them in zoos and reading those statistics about them being able to cover huge distances daily while they’re living in a hundred-metre-square pen or whatever, and it’s obviously an immense privilege to be able to see them here in Africa. And I do think they’re incredibly beautiful animals. But, yep, if I’m honest I’m kind of terrified.’
‘What are you scared of exactly?’ Have I just asked a really stupid question?
‘Of one of us getting killed. Which Iknowis silly, and Iknowthat statistically it isn’t going to happen and that it’s an irrational fear, but, yep, there you go.’
‘Okay. You know what?’ I’m searching for the best arguments I can find to cheer her up. ‘I don’t think it’s entirely irrational. I mean, of course it isn’t. Lionscankill people. But statistically, if you were to do a deep dive, I’m sure that you’d find out that there are very different levels of safety among the different tour companies and the different jeeps you travel in, and the guides as well, obviously.’
‘Yes.’ She’s regaining a little bit of colour in her cheeks, probably just because she’s talking about it, but she doesn’t look entirely convinced.
‘And you know what, I did actually check the company out.’ I actually did. Because an ex-colleague did have a bad experience on a South African safari (which I will definitely not be telling Flavia about). ‘And they have an excellent safety record.’
‘Really? Is that true?’
I nod.
She narrows her eyes. ‘I do feel as though you’re telling the truth. Unlike with your aeroplane statistics. But what I wonder iswhyyou checked the company out?’
Bugger. Of course she was going to realise there had to be a reason. Except…
‘Because I’m Dominic,’ I say. ‘I plan everything.’
‘Youdoplan a lot, I’ve noticed. I just didn’t realise you’d plan to this extent.’
Ithinkthere’s a vague compliment in there – she didn’t think I wasthatanal – and that I will now be going down in her estimation (or maybe there was no compliment and it was pure insult), but it’s worth it, if it makes her less stressed, because she’ll clearly enjoy the next two days a lot more if she isn’t constantly worried.
‘Yeah,’ I say. She smiles at me, and I have to say I feel very good about that.
‘Also,’ I continue. ‘I’ve just remembered. You know when you read all those news stories about surprising statistics about the most dangerous animals: lions are definitely not up there. As in, they mightbedangerous if they’re hungry or scaredandyou’re unprotected and in their sights, but they kill very, very few humans, and those who are killed by them are nearly always people who live locally and have the misfortune to stray onto their territory, or for the lions to stray onto theirs.’ I really don’t know whether that’s true or not but it certainly sounds plausible.
‘That does make a lot of sense.’ She gives me a proper, big smile, and I feelverygood that she feels better.
