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A Farm In Africa (complete 14/6 p.3)
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2895
Author:  andi [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 3:54 pm ]
Post subject:  A Farm In Africa (complete 14/6 p.3)
Hi, hope no one minds me emerging from 4 (eek!) years of lurkdom to post this - inspired by re-reading a Chalet Girl from Kenya and watching 'Out of Africa' last week. Also apologies in advance for all mistakes and liberties taken with Kenya's geography, climate, etc etc..!

After the heat of the July day, the evening cool was welcome. Jo Scott stood at the window of her dormitory, enjoying the breeze as she waited for the others to finish changing. Her gaze rested on the majestic mountain peaks that towered over the Platz, but her mind was far away. It was three weeks now since that shattering day when Joey Maynard had told her of the attack on her mother and father in Kenya. She knew now that they were both safe and recovering from their injuries. It wouldn't be that long before they were here, and then they'd find a place to live, the three of them together again, in this beautiful, peaceful, and most importantly, safe country. When Jo had read the letter from her father telling her that they would be leaving Kenya for good, she'd been so thankful he was alive that nothing else mattered. But now, after this afternoon's talk about the school's “Dances from all Nations” show, and her impromptu 'demonstration' of a traditional African dance, her mind was suddenly full of memories.

Memories of early morning walks in the bush with her father, and of hearing the eerie whistling cry of a fish eagle high above the lake. Of sitting motionless in front of her tent as a herd of elephant trod delicately around the edge of the camp on their way to the waterhole, their huge feet making barely a sound as they passed. Of lying on the top of a landrover feeling the earth shake as hundreds upon hundreds of migrating zebra thundered past on either side. Of the sound of the crickets at night, the smell of the red earth after the rains, the feel of the hot sun on her back. And over it all, the endless blue sky, the long, tawny golden grass, and the enormous flaming African sun sinking behind a black cardboard cut-out silhouette of thorny acacia trees at the end of the day.

“I know we have to leave,” she thought. “But how will I bear never to see it all again?” There was a lump in her throat and she had to blink hard to clear the prickling behind her eyes.

Mary-Lou, ready ahead of the rest as usual, came to stand with her at the window. Noticing the younger girl's quietness, she followed her gaze to where it rested on the mountains.

“They are beautiful, aren't they, Jo?” she said. “We're so lucky to be here.”

The memories fled, disappearing like rain evaporating in hot sunshine. Brought back to earth, Jo blinked. Then she looked at the view spread out before her and gave a sad little smile.

“Yes, I suppose they are,” she said. “You're right, Mary-Lou. We're lucky.”


******************************************

High above Europe, the big 747 droned through the night. The cabin crew came around to clear the supper trays and people settled themselves under blankets to sleep away the long flight as best they could. Jo's neighbour, a friendly-looking elderly lady, smiled at her.

“Are you going to Kenya on holiday, dear?” she asked

“Not exactly,” Jo answered. “I'm just about to start a new job there.”

“Oh, goodness, how exciting! What is it that you do?”

Jo smiled to herself. She'd had this conversation so many times over the last few weeks, and the reaction was always the same.

”Well, I used to work at Kew Gardens, but now I'm going to be joining a sort of cooperative near Nyeri. Helping the people who live there to develop better farming methods, keep up the traditional crafts, that sort of thing. I'm really looking forward to it.”

She winced inwardly at the defensive note in her voice. Looking at her companion, she recognised the same expression of baffled surprise that she'd seen on the faces of all her friends in London. The look that said plainly 'You must be mad.' Well, she supposed, maybe it did sound a bit strange. Giving up one of the most prestigious jobs in her field to go and live 'in the sticks' as one of her colleagues at Kew had put it. 'I mean, for heaven's sake, Jo, what are you going to do out there, grow yams for a living?' In a way, it was a blessing that her parents had both died - her mother the year after Jo left school and her father three years ago. They would have been appalled at what she was doing.

“Well, I hope it goes well for you, dear,” the woman in the next seat said uncertainly. Jo gave her a polite, non-committal smile, pulled her airline blanket up around her shoulders and shut her eyes, firmly ignoring the little voice in her head that kept telling her that they had all been right and she was making a huge mistake.
Author:  Lesley [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 5:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Good for you Jo - follow your heart.


Thanks andi - lovely way to leave lurkdom! :lol:
Author:  Rosalin [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 6:17 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks Andi, nice to *meet* you :D

I wish I'd been sitting next to Jo on that plane, her new job sounds fascinating (and I'd be going to Kenya).
Author:  MaryR [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 6:50 pm ]
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Oh, Andi, you made me nostalgic for something I had never seen when I read your descriptions. Beautiful - and I can just see why Jo would want to return to what she had once lost so very abruptly.

Thank you for posting this.
Author:  leahbelle [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 6:57 pm ]
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Thanks, andi. I am going to Kenya in September and I am looking forward to it even more now!
Author:  Mia [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:09 pm ]
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This is great & welcome! :D Hope you post more soon Andi
Author:  Tara [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:31 pm ]
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Welcome, Andi, and thank you. It's easy to forget how much they all lost, despite gaining safety - and what a different life it was for Jo. Glad to see her going back to help.
Author:  Sugar [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:47 pm ]
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Lovely Andi. Very evocative
Author:  Rob [ Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:52 pm ]
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That was great Andi - I'm glad you decided to leave lurkdom to post it!!
Author:  Jennie [ Sun Jun 10, 2007 12:36 pm ]
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Thanks, Andi, what a wonderful first post. Welcome to the Board.
Author:  Fatima [ Sun Jun 10, 2007 2:07 pm ]
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Welcome out of lurkdom, Andi, and thanks for a most compelling first post. I'm glad Jo's finally going 'home' and hope she is happy there.
Author:  francesn [ Sun Jun 10, 2007 4:08 pm ]
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Are you sure it's only going to be two posts long, Andi?

And welcome out of lurkdom!
Author:  andi [ Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:18 pm ]
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Er... yes, it is turning out to be slightly longer than two posts :) (but still quite short!) Thanks for all your comments. Here's the next bit







“Ladies and gentlemen, we are commencing our descent into Nairobi airport. Please fasten your seatbelts, and ensure that your tray tables are stowed and your seats are in the upright position.”

As the plane banked for its final approach to the airport, Jo looked out of the window. Miles upon miles of rolling hills, fawn-coloured grassland and swathes of green treetops spread out below her. After twenty-five years, it looked totally alien, and at the same time weirdly familiar.

“I'm really here,” she thought, but it didn't feel real, and the cold sinking feeling in her stomach grew stronger.

There was the usual jolting thud as the plane's wheels hit the runway. The engines screamed into reverse and the plane slowed and taxied to a halt in front of the terminal. All around her, seatbelts clicked open, and passengers leapt to their feet and rummaged in the overhead lockers. Jo sat frozen. Finally, when the plane was almost empty, she forced herself to get up.

“Stop being such a spineless jellyfish,” she muttered. The words made her giggle and she felt marginally better. Dragging her bag from the locker, she followed the last of the remaining passengers out of the plane into the warm sunshine.


The drive though Nairobi was frankly terrifying, but at least worrying about the hundreds of minibuses, taxis and pedestrians all seemingly bent on suicide kept Jo's panic about her new life from spiralling out of control. Her driver didn't seem to notice any problems, cheerfully weaving between the traffic with only an occasional blast on his horn. Nairobi itself had changed almost beyond recognition since the days when she had been a small schoolgirl here. Tall modern office blocks of concrete and plate glass confronted her on all sides.

But gradually, as she looked, she started to recognise glimpses of the city's colonial past. She felt a wave of nostalgia as they drove along wide avenues lined with flowering jacaranda trees, their branches meeting high overhead to form cathedral arches of purple blooms. And as they reached the other side of the city, and the office buildings were replaced first by houses and then by trees, hills and open grassland, Jo felt the knot in her stomach start to dissolve. She looked out of the window at the sky, and it was just as impossibly blue and high as she remembered.
Author:  Alison H [ Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hi Andi - welcome to the CBB :D , and how lovely to read a drabble in a different setting!
Author:  Sarah_K [ Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:00 pm ]
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I've never been to Africa but everyone I know who has says exactly that about the sky, that it's impossibly larger than you could ever imagine!

Thank you andi, and welcome back to the CBB :D
Author:  Ruth B [ Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:35 pm ]
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Welcome Andi, and thank you for a lovely Drabble.
Author:  Tara [ Sun Jun 10, 2007 11:11 pm ]
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Glad that everything hasn't changed out of all recognition, and that there are still bits that feel like home. Beautifully written, Andi.
Author:  Elbee [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:09 am ]
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Hello and welcome Andi, I'm finding this very atmospheric and I'm glad to hear it's going to be more than just two posts :D
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:14 am ]
Post subject: 
Welcome to the CBB Andi and love the drabble about Jo Scott
Author:  brie [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:00 am ]
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Thanks Andi (and welcome!)

This is lovely.
Author:  Laura V [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:04 am ]
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lovely. thank you!
Author:  PaulineS [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:23 pm ]
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Welcome. Thanks for the insight into Jo and Africa.
Author:  La Petite Em [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:30 pm ]
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Thanks Andi; always liked Jo Scott.
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:42 pm ]
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Glad this is going to be longer than two posts :lol: .
Author:  Alex [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
De-lurkers always welcome, especially when they come bearing drabbles.
Author:  Fatima [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hooray for drabbles that grow and grow! Thanks Andi.
Author:  Kathy_S [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:26 pm ]
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Thank you, Andi. Most interesting! :D
Author:  Mona [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:31 pm ]
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Thankyou Andi! Your description of Jo's memories is wonderfully evocative.
Author:  Lexi [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:56 pm ]
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This is great. Lots more please! :D
Author:  Lesley [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:59 pm ]
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Thanks Andi - Bringing back memories of when I visited Nairobi.
Author:  Jennie [ Mon Jun 11, 2007 7:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, Andi. It's great to have another drabble about Jo Scott.
Author:  andi [ Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
Next bit:




As they sped along, the road stretching out in a straight line to infinity in front of them, Jo plucked up the courage to try out her language skills on the driver. As a child, growing up on the farm, she'd automatically absorbed the Kikuyu she heard spoken all around her, and despite her years of French and German lessons at the Chalet School she'd managed to retain a fair amount of it. She'd also, on the advice of her new employers, taken intensive lessons in Swahili for the past six months. Now, she was relieved to discover that she was able to communicate quite easily, and another lurking fear was banished.

“Shades of Aunt Joey,” she thought with a grin. Joey Maynard's passion for acquiring new languages was a legend in the Chalet School. Jo made a mental note to add in a few local phrases for her godmother's collection when she next wrote.

After about an hour's drive, they turned off the tarred road onto a rutted dirt track. A few minutes later, just as Jo started to worry seriously that the car would shake itself apart, they drew up in front of a large white bungalow with a red-tiled roof and a deep shady veranda running the length of the front face. Thankful that the journey was over, Jo got out of the car, stretched, and looked around her. A shiny greenish-black beetle the size of a 50p piece trundled industriously past her foot and disappeared down a crack in the dusty red earth. In the distance she could hear the voices of the farm workers calling to each other across the fields. There was a faint scent of wood smoke in the air, and from overhead came the rippling burble of doves in the trees. A tall elegant Kenyan woman came out of the house.

“Welcome to Nyeri Co-operative, Miss Scott. I'm Faizah Mbote, the administrator. Let me show you where you'll be staying.”

She led the way around the side of the house and across a courtyard to a compound of smaller, simply-built brick houses. Opening the front door of one of these, she waved Jo inside and handed her the keys.

“We've done some basic shopping for you. It's all in the kitchen. We'll leave you to unpack and rest for a while, and someone will come this afternoon to show you around.” She turned to leave and then paused. “Oh, and Sister Mary said to tell you that she would drop in as soon as the clinic has closed for the day.” She gave Jo a friendly nod and left.
Author:  Rob [ Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
This is great Andi. Thanks!
Author:  Alison H [ Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:01 pm ]
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This is really different and interesting :D .
Author:  Kathy_S [ Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:38 pm ]
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So far, so good for Jo -- and it'll be interesting to see what she adds to t'other Jo's vocabulary. :lol:

Thank you, Andi.
Author:  Tara [ Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:43 pm ]
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Enjoyed the bit about the languages. And I wonder if we'll find we know Sister Mary? Very evocative, Andi, thank you.
Author:  Cath V-P [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 12:59 am ]
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I'm really enjoying this Andi - I can see that the country would have haunted Jo since she left it, and I do hope she can find something of the Kenya that she remembers.
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 1:13 am ]
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I'm another who is really enjoying this Andi - and I'm sure Joey will be glad to have some words from yet another language to add to her collection! It's a while since I read 'Kenya' but am I correct in thinking that Jo and her parents' coffee farm was close to Nyeri? The name seems familiar, and I can't think of another context where I might have seen it.

Like Cath, I can see why her memories of the country would have haunted her during her time in Europe - I hope that she will find things to remind her of her earlier time there - but without the Mau Mau, fortunately. I'll be looking forward to the next bit.
Author:  Fiona Mc [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 3:08 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, it'll be interesting to see how Jo gets on and am also wondering if Sister Mary will be a familiar face
Author:  Karoline [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:44 am ]
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Thanks Andi I'm enjoying this and I'm another who expects that we might know Sister Mary :lol:
Author:  andi [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
Elder - yes, the Scotts' farm was in Nyeri, and there is a faint connection as you will see.... :D

Last part


Late in the afternoon, after a tour of the site, a token attempt at unpacking and a wonderfully refreshing shower, Jo sat in a cane basket chair on her own little veranda with a large mug of tea, gazing at the view. In the distance she could see the outline of the Aberdare mountains. Somewhere over there was her parents' old farm. One day, when she felt strong enough, she would go and visit. There were ghosts there that needed to be laid.

A sudden hammering of thumps on the front door interrupted her thoughts. Guessing whom it would be, she hastily put down her mug and flew to open it. Her delighted grin was mirrored on the face of the tall nun with the sparkling blue eyes who stood outside.

“Margot!”

“Oh, Jo, how lovely to see you again!”

They hugged, dancing with excitement and sounding far more like schoolgirls than mature grown women.

“Margot Maynard, you haven't changed one bit!” Jo exclaimed. “Oh dear, should I be calling you Sister Mary?”

Margot pulled a face. “In public, yes, I suppose so, but certainly not in here!” She peered hopefully into the little kitchen. “Is that a teapot I see, by any chance?”

A few minutes later, both of them supplied with tea and relaxing on the veranda, Margot looked across at Jo.

“Well, I know you've only been here about ten seconds, but how does it feel? Do you think you'll be happy here?”

Jo gazed out across her small patch of garden to the cultivated land beyond, and past that, to the hills and the open country. The sun was setting, a red ball of fire in the fast-darkening sky, and a lone acacia tree stood sharply silhouetted in black. A pair of swallows swooped and dived in great acrobatic curves. All around, she could hear the first stirrings and chirps of the night insects. She turned back to Margot and smiled.

“I'm home again,” she said.
Author:  Jennie [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:11 pm ]
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Ah, that was lovely.
Author:  Mona [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:12 pm ]
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Thanks andi. That was lovely.
Author:  Rob [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:14 pm ]
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Thanks Andi. Nice to see Jo so happy and contented!
Author:  brie [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:17 pm ]
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Thanks Andi. this drabble was lovely! :D
Author:  Kathy_S [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:44 pm ]
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Thank you, Andi. Having Margot there makes the homecoming even better. :)
Author:  Alison H [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:33 pm ]
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Thanks Andi - that was lovely.
Author:  Elder in Ontario [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:38 pm ]
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That was indeed lovely - I'm glad Jo already feels at home again there, and that Sister Mary is indeed Margot Maynard! I also hope Jo does have the chance to visit her parents' old farm and 'lay those ghosts' - even though that's not part of your story - but could it be cue for a sequel? :D :D

Thanks, Andi
Author:  Lottie [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:43 pm ]
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Thanks, andi! :D What a brilliant way to emerge from lurkdom. As others have said, that was lovely - I've really enjoyed reading it.
Author:  Elbee [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:22 pm ]
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Thanks Andi, that was really good.
Author:  Cath V-P [ Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:01 pm ]
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Ah, that was wonderful especially the last line.

And such a lovely meeting between Jo and Margot.
Author:  Lesley [ Fri Jun 15, 2007 6:19 am ]
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That was lovely - nice to see Margot so obviously happy, and that Jo feels she is home.

Thaks Andi.
Author:  Fatima [ Fri Jun 15, 2007 7:52 am ]
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That was wonderful, thanks Andi.
Author:  Rosalin [ Fri Jun 15, 2007 10:28 am ]
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Thanks Andi, glad to see that it was a real homecoming for Jo. I hoped Sister Mary was going to be Margot, and I'm very happy that she and Jo are there together.
Author:  Karoline [ Fri Jun 15, 2007 11:18 am ]
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Thanks Andi, that was lovely
Author:  JustJen [ Fri Jun 15, 2007 4:36 pm ]
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Thanks Andi. That was a lovely story about Jo.
Author:  Mrs Redboots [ Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:33 am ]
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Thank you, Andi.
Author:  Elle [ Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:49 pm ]
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Thanks Andi. I have just found this and really enjoyed it.
Author:  Dawn [ Sun Jun 17, 2007 12:45 pm ]
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That was just lovely - I'd never thought how hard it must be for Jo to be uprooted and not have the chance to say goodbye to the place she had lived all her life.
Author:  Miranda [ Sun Jun 17, 2007 2:34 pm ]
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Andi that was really wonderful! It was great being able to see more of Jo (I've always been a fan of her) and in her homeland it's even better. The descriptions are making me want to take a holiday there now.

And I'm glad that Sister Mary was Margot :lol:

Congrats on a lovely first drabble!
Author:  leahbelle [ Mon Jun 18, 2007 4:00 pm ]
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Thanks, andi. I really enjoyed this. It's always nice to read more about Jo!
Author:  JoW [ Mon Jun 18, 2007 4:30 pm ]
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I loved this Andi. Jo Scott is one of my favourite charactors and I have wanted to write about her life after the CS but not found the right future for her. This was great
Author:  Sugar [ Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:53 am ]
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Lovely Andi - just caught up on this. Loved it.
Author:  Sal [ Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:55 pm ]
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Just found this andi, its brilliant your descriptions are so evocative.

Thank you and welcome to the board.
Author:  Róisín [ Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:56 pm ]
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What an utterly beautiful little drabblette - thank you Andi - really hope we will be hearing lots more from you :D
Author:  Becky [ Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:03 pm ]
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Just found this and it's great, thank you! I'm another Jo Scott fan, it would be great to have longer drabbles about her *leaves bunny treats*
Author:  wheelchairprincess [ Tue Jul 03, 2007 3:53 pm ]
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Ooooh what a lovely drabble. I hope it's not the last we'll be hearing from you Andi.
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