Page 77 of The Politician

Kendra raised her hand. “Hello, my name is Kendra, and I’m a sad lesbian.”

Malee laughed. “Well, that’s the truth. But no. I was thinking of using the activities to help people overcome their anxieties. Stress is our biggest silent killer.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“I knew a doctor once, back in England. She told me. Money is the greatest cause of stress, then relationships. We could help people appreciate how to live simpler lives and build better relationships.”

“Ha. We’re such shining examples. You’re having a laugh.”

“You’ve seen how much people change in a week here, and that’s without any planned intervention. It would be a winner with us just doing what we’re doing. It’s marketing, or packaging, or whatever it’s called.”

Spin was the word that came to Kendra’s mind, and then she recalled how much Sarah had relaxed during her stay at the camp. Kendra wouldn’t say she’d changed much, but she’d certainly seen a different side to her, maybe even seen the person she was before she’d gone into politics. Kendra had the benefit of working in nature, which she loved, though that wasn’t for everyone. But there was something soothing about the place, something mystical that couldn’t be bought or consumed. It just embraced you, and held you, and showed you there was another way. She could imagine people coming specifically for the purpose of decompressing. They would find it hard not to achieve their goal. “You might be onto something,” she said.

Malee smiled, nodding her head in a way that suggested she was already planning the courses. She’d likely have something advertised on the web before the day was out.

Kendra studied her. She was the best friend anyone could wish for. Fun, compassionate, smart, and kind. She’d picked Kendra up from the moment she’d arrived and supported her when Sarah had turned up for the week. She hadn’t commented on Sarah’s departure or Sarah’s appointment to PM. She hadn’t criticised Sarah as a person, though she wasn’t impressed with politicians in general, and she’d never once said to Kendra, “I told you so.” Malee had mellowed since their activist days together, maybe because of being here, and she was one of life’s beautiful human beings. Malee was living the dream, and she’d invited Kendra into her world to live it too. She smiled with the warmth blossoming in her chest. “I never really thanked you,” she said.

Malee kicked her shin. “Don’t get all sappy on me. We’re in the middle of a very important business development conversation. We’re partners. I need your focused attention.”

Kendra laughed. “Yes, boss.”

“Partner, not boss. I think we should make that an official appointment. What do you say?”

Kendra launched herself across the gap between them, rocking the boat, and hugged Malee.

“Get off me, you sad lesbian.”

Kendra slapped her arm and laughed. She put her hand into the cool water and let it run through her fingers. She gazed appreciatively at the white karsts, with their ragged rockface and green tops, and imagined spending a lifetime here to see how it felt inside her. Other than missing her family, who planned to visit after the monsoon season, there was nothing drawing her back to the UK. Although November was a long way off, so she could always fly back for a week if she missed them that much. The idea of permanence resonated though the calmness. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sun caressing her face.

It was a short taxi ride from the pier to the Khlong Yan Wildlife Sanctuary for the official opening ceremony. Kendra opted to have the air conditioning off and the windows open. It was something she’d become accustomed to because it was easier to control her body’s response than when switching from one extreme in temperature to another. Still, she felt the sweat trickle down the centre of her back as she exited the car.

They entered the elephant building. A large external enclosure to one side housed half a dozen female elephants and three babies that had been born during the duration of the project. The females grazed close to the waterhole where the calves played in a cooling bath. The two bulls were housed in enclosures separated from each other and the cows. One chewed on the branch of a tree, the other waved his trunk in the air as if he had a lot to say. Visitors could watch them from anywhere around the perimeter fencing, or they could venture into the air-conditioned building where a computer screen showed the sound waves of the elephants talking to each other, and the strange low noises that couldn’t be heard naturally with the ear echoed through the sound system around the room.

Ananda, the Thai ranger they’d worked with on the project greeted them. “Isn’t it fantastic?”

“It’s incredible,” Kendra said. She hadn’t seen inside the building since it had been completed and hearing the elephants was amazing.

“Come. I’ll show you the setup for the ceremony.” He led them to an open area where rows of chairs and a podium with a microphone had been set up. “Malee, we’ll call you to the podium and ask you to officially open the centre by cutting the ribbon.” He pointed to the gold-coloured strip that had been tied across the main entrance that the rangers used to get into and out of the enclosures.

“I’d like Kendra to do the honours,” Malee said. She smiled at Kendra. “If you want to?”

Kendra’s stomach leapt into her throat. It was only a small thing, and it wasn’t as though she had to make a speech or anything, but her insides doused her in heat and anxiety, nonetheless. She nodded because her mouth was too dry for words.

Malee slapped her on the back. “You’ll be fab,” she said.

“Would you like some refreshments?” Ananda asked and led them to a drinks station. “Help yourself to snacks.”

Kendra gulped the chilled water and gazed around as guests started to take their seats in front of the makeshift stage. “This is as well-equipped as any zoo you’d find in the UK,” she said.

“It’s better. It’s a hundred percent self-sustaining,” Malee said.

Kendra took another drink. It had been a while since the project had concluded and she was itching for something new to get her teeth into. “What are we going to do next?”

Malee tapped her temple with her fingertip. “I was thinking, the white tiger project just north of Rainforest Camp. What do you reckon?”

Kendra smiled. “I love big cats,” she said.

The people’s voices around them, coloured clothing made vibrant by the strong sun, the scent of perfume, and the sense of occasion had become more electric in the two hours they’d been there. The jittery feeling in Kendra’s stomach became more intense when the man on the stage tapped the speaker and announced for everyone to take their seats. A camera flashed and then another, and people shifted in their seats. If she needed a justification for Malee’s personal development retreats, she was a great case in point right now. She could barely breathe and was grateful she didn’t have to give a speech. She moved closer to the stage, her heart thundering, and scanned the crowd as if they were about to pounce on her. She picked up the scissors and they shook in her hands, and the head ranger’s words merged into an incoherent string of mumblings.

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