Read Online A Kind of Eden by Amanda Smyth - Free Book Online Page B

small palms; their smooth trunks are red and bright, like blood. The large garden must take a lot of maintenance. An acre and a half, at least. What would young Vishnu make of it? It would certainly keep him busy. There are three or four coconut trees, and a large mango tree. There is a landscaped section to the right of the veranda with an enormous cactus and small boulders, and when he looks more closely he is surprised to see a camouflaged hot tub. It would take four people quite comfortably. Georgia will love it. He will find out from Terence how it works.
    Above the hot tub is a lattice with a vine of some kind; pale purple flowers and grassy shrubs surround the steps. He wanders around the other side of the house where there is a bony white tree with long branches. Its leaves are deep green and it has bright pink flowers; they are scattered all over the ground. He picks one up and the sweet scent is almost overwhelming. Frangipani. He picks up more flowers for Georgia and Miriam. What an abundance of colour; what a wealth of beauty. This place is a kind of Eden.
    â€˜Good morning, sir,’ Terence turns off the hose, he makes his way over. ‘Did you sleep well?’
    â€˜Yes, thank you; I slept like a fool.’
    This is an expression he has learned from Safiya and it has always amused him. Thinking of her, he feels a sudden longing, a lurch of the heart.
    â€˜And you, Terence?’
    â€˜I usually sleep good; the house next door has parties sometimes, and the music gets real loud. But nobody there right now. Tobago dead. You came at a good time. Come Ash Wednesday the island will be heaving with people.’ Terence looks up at the clear sky, ‘Plenty sunshine.’
    â€˜Excellent. That means the beaches won’t be too full. Are there any particular beaches you’d recommend?’
    â€˜Well, you could go to Mount Irvine; the sea is nice but you’re kind of close to the road. Or there’s the beach by plantation villas. Turtle Beach, about fifteen minutes up the road. Back Bay is on the other side of this beach here.’ He points to the right. ‘It’s my favourite. But better to go in a crowd.’
    â€˜Where do you go?’
    â€˜I bathe right here sometimes, or down by Buccoo. I like to take a sea bath at least once a week; it cleans the soul.’
    He is curious, does Terence need to clean his soul, too?
    Miriam has her towel stretched out below the clump of rocks and she is sitting up, watching Georgia in the sea. She is wearing a striped bikini. He has never seen it before. He notices that her stomach is surprisingly flat, almost hollow; her weight loss is obvious now. He has not seen her this skinny since they met. She looks as if she has already caught the sun. Her pale skin is turning pink.
    Pelicans dive near Georgia, plunging the water for fish, and she thinks this is hilarious. ‘I’m going to get abducted by a pelican!’ Georgia shouts. ‘Help me, Dad!’ She is bobbing up and down, holding on to the purple foam noodle she must have picked up from the storeroom. He stands at the edge where the sand is grainy; the warm water licks around his ankles. It feels good.
    â€˜Help me!’ Georgia feigns distress. Pelicans are large, prehistoric-looking creatures. He has never seen one quite so close up, like this, right there, circling in the middle of the bay—and then, crash! The enormous bird plummets like an aircraft into the sea; then it reappears, its big beak clacking with a wriggling fish.
    â€˜Amazing,’ he says. ‘Isn’t that something else?’
    Miriam is inspecting her toenails.
    â€˜Are you going in?’
    â€˜Not yet, I don’t want to get all sandy.’
    He had forgotten that about her, her aversion to sand. When they had not long met, they drove to Crosby Beach. They randown to the sea, took off their shoes and socks and paddled in the water. It was cold, and rain was coming. Once her feet