Page 59 of The Politician

Kendra sipped her drink. “The beds here are comfortable,” she said and looked away.

Sarah thought Kendra had blushed, but it was hard to tell with her suntanned skin and the fading light. The stars were beginning to appear in the darkest parts of the sky. It would be a very romantic place under the right circumstances. “What’s on the menu tonight?” she asked, keeping the conversation light.

“Baked fish and vegetables.”

Sarah stared down into the lake. “Did you catch the fish yourself?”

“No. We get supplies from Khao Sok village. It’s an hour and a half away by road from where you picked up the boat. There’s plenty of bananas here, figs, and coconuts. Try to avoid walking under a coconut tree.”

“Might knock some sense into me, eh?” Sarah said and mirrored Kendra as she sipped her beer. The tingling sensation on her tongue resonated in her core.

Kendra laughed. “I can’t guarantee that.”

The beautiful sound carried over the lake and returned to fill Sarah’s heart with an ounce more optimism. “It reminds me of when we were at the farm,” she said.

“It’s nothing like the farm.” Kendra frowned.

Sarah didn’t know whether she was making a point about their situation having changed or the accommodation they’d stayed in being different. Both were true. The emptiness tried to squeeze out the joy from the memory, the same joy she’d missed these past months with not seeing Kendra.

“There’s no smell of cow shit here,” Kendra said and smiled.

Sarah sniffed the air. “Just flowers and damp.”

Kendra laughed. “You’re not selling it to me.”

“It’s not musty like an old house.” She scrunched up her face, unable to describe adequately the fragrances that surrounded her.

“It’s the smell of the jungle. Damp leaves after the rain, dry dirt after the sun’s baked it, and the floral scents that change with each season. It all comes together to form this delicate sweet bouquet.”

Sarah frowned as Kendra’s smile grew. “You’re taking the mickey.”

Kendra’s eyes sparkled as her expression softened. “No. I felt the same as you when I arrived. But now, each smell is distinctive and vibrant and somehow, no matter whether it rains or shines, the fragrance becomes something indescribable. Sometimes there’s a stronger herbal scent, and sometimes you’re left with more of an earthy taste, sometimes sweet. Always the damp though, but it’s different after the rain has cooled the air. You get used to that wet feeling.”

She narrowed her eyes and stared at Sarah with something resembling a half-smile.

Sarah felt the dampness now and the electric feeling in her core. She flicked a bug off her arm. “And what about the insects?”

“Thousands of different species. Most are harmless. Some are incredibly beautiful.”

Sarah flicked at her arm more urgently. She checked her legs, and shorts, and shirt as far around her body as she could see. She’d developed a reaction to creepy crawlies after her stay in East Africa. Doing battle from behind a desk had been preferrable to the sensation of little creatures crawling across her skin. It was also why she preferred to holiday in the snow. She looked up from her search to see Kendra smiling at her intently.

“Not quite like the ski slopes, is it?”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“I’ve never skied,” Kendra said. She went into her hut and returned with two bottles of beer.

“Do you have a private bar in your room?” Sarah asked. She blushed at the implied message that Kendra might entertain women there and sipped from the bottle.

“Just a few essentials. One piece of advice.”

Sarah tilted her head.

“Stay off the local hooch. It’s lethal. And I know you can hold your drink, but it will make for an early night if you’re tempted to drink too much. Malee will serve it after dinner. It’s said to be a great digestive, but I’ve seen the hardest drinkers fall quickly.”

Sarah laughed.

“I’m serious. Trouble is, it tastes like fruit juice. Because it is fruit juice, only with a clear tasteless locally fermented spirit added to it.”

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