Bee's four famous travel companions were used to staying at high-end hotels. Because they were famous singers, the hotels offered twenty-four-hour room service, allowing them to eat whatever they desired whenever they wanted it. Their suites had plenty of space to move around, especially if they needed to host a party. A bathtub, to soak their aching muscles after rehearsal, or a shower big enough for two, was a must. The king-sized bed molded to their bodies as they drifted off to la-la land. They were pampered during their stay at the hotel.
The hotel they were in now was vastly different than any they'd ever stayed in; there was no room service. If you wanted to eat, you used the built-in kitchen to prepare your meals with food you bought from the nearby market. For washing purposes, the hotel provided a basin; there would be no showers tonight. Bee's hotel room was not what she expected; it was a small bedroom barely big enough to hold the bed and nightstand that occupied it. The bed looked as if someone took straw and wrapped it with material.
"Oh, great! I guess I won't be getting a good night's sleep tonight."
Without removing her shoes or clothing, Bee curled up on the crudely made mattress; to her relief, she found the bed to be more comfortable than it looked. The flight had taken a lot out of her, and she welcomed the long-awaited sleep.
The next day she was up early. Making her bed and washing at the basin, Bee removed her outfit for breakfast from her suitcase.
After his morning rituals, Jay knocked on her door, waited for her to change her clothes, brought her luggage to his room, and then he escorted her downstairs.
"The hotel has two tables outside; would you like to eat our breakfast at one of them?"
"I would love, too." Their friendly waiter appeared and took their order.
"I can not believe we are finally here!" Bee stretched, taking in the hotel's surroundings during the daylight.
Jay laughed. He was excited to be in Africa as well. The two carried on small talk while they waited for their food to be served.
"Here is your order," the waiter returned, placing two egg whites, fried ham, and toast before Bee. Her stomach grumbled when she sniffed the delicious aroma.
Jay had ordered three eggs, sausage, potatoes, and toast. It was during breakfast she discovered his only fault; he ate the egg yolk. She hated egg yolks; even the smell of them made her nauseous. Serving breakfast for a fast-food chain, she'd cracked eggs onto the grill and discovered undeveloped chickens and blood spots mixed in with the yolk. She vowed never to eat egg yolk again.
"I am surprised to see we can eat the meals we are used too. I have to admit, I thought we would find bugs or other gross animals on the menus."
Jay laughed. "This part of the Africa is more civilized than the village we are going to."
Nicholas and his brother, Daniel, joined them when they woke up. Bee was glad they ate outside. She was able to enjoy the scenery. The rest of the crew ate in the dinning room, away from the flies. The five friends were anxious to be on their way and breakfast was full of their excited chatter. The trucks to take them to the village they were assisting arrived during breakfast and their luggage was loaded onto the trucks by the hotel staff.
Bee watched as a young boy walked alongside stopped cars in the street selling peanuts. Many of the drivers refused the nuts, but a man and a woman in one car accepted. The man pulled out shillings to pay the boy and just as he was about to hand him the money, another boy reached into the car and tore the woman's earring from her ear. She let out a loud shriek and the man jumped out of the car and ran after the boy who took off running down the street. Darting in between the stopped cars he caught the boy. At first a part of Bee wished the boy would get away, but she knew he was wrong to steal - even for food. The man returned to his car with the boy in tow and told the woman they were taking him to the police station. Bee watched as they drove away, feeling sorry for both boys: one for the customer he lost and the other because he was going to jail.
"We better head for the trucks if we want to be together during the ride to the village," Nicholas urged while they were eating. Bee finished quickly; she wanted to make sure she was able to stand near her friends. Not knowing the other workers, she wanted to ride to the village comfortably.
The five companions rode in the same truck, which was last out of the two trucks taking them to their destination. Nicholas helped her climb into the back of the truck and shielded her from the shoving and pushing of the men climbing on board with them.
They were talking when Jay worked his way through the men to join them, asking Nicholas if he could stand next to her. Nicholas moved out of the way allowing Jay to take his place next to Bee.
She and Jay goofed off together, not really paying attention to the scenery or in which direction they were headed. Occasionally, Nicholas yelled for them to look at something he thought would be of interest to them.
"You waited a lifetime to come to Africa and you aren't going to pay attention to your surroundings?" Nicholas questioned his friends, sounding annoyed.
"I am, Nicholas," Jay told him, wondering what was bothering him.
"Did you see the baby elephant?" Bee asked.
Jay nodded his head and smiled at her with his eyes on the baby elephant, which was trying to wrap its trunk around the mother elephant's thick leg playfully.
Bee was delighted to be in Africa. She felt like she'd left all her cares and worries back in the United States. The thought of the sights she would see and the adventures she would experience made her giggle like a young girl.
Nicholas watched Bee laughing and having fun with his friend. When Jay noticed him watching them and nodded his head in acknowledgement. Nicholas turned away without responding. Jay gave his attention back to Bee; she shined from the excitement she felt.
"Look at her glow," Nicholas nudged his friend.
"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Jay asked.
"Yes, she does," he agreed.
The trucks drove past a herd of zebras. Nicholas, a wealth of information, shared how the zebra's stripes helped them blend into one large mass of black and white stripes when they ran from predators. As the trucks approached the zebras, he told her they were family orientated and directed her attention to the center of the herd. Bee barely made out the young zebras the adults were trying to surround, protecting them from the unknown intruders.
"Look at how they protect their young ones," Bee said to Jay, trying to point out the little ones before they passed the herd completely. Jay smiled as she repeated to him what he heard Nicholas tell her.
"Look over there under the rock by the bush," Nicholas told her when the truck drivers stopped to look at their maps.
"What is that?" she asked, turning Jay's head in the animal's direction so he could see it too.
"It's called a zorilla," he told her.
"A what?"
"A zorilla. Look he has long thick black fur with white stripes, plus a whitish, bushy tail, short legs, sturdy claws for rooting around in the ground, and a long snout for eating bugs." Nicholas sounded like a walking encyclopedia.
"He looks like a skunk," she laughed.
"He's related to the skunk and just like the skunk he has scent glands under his tail that expels a strong-smelling liquid when he is alarmed. Most predators, like the lion, are repulsed by his spray. Because of the spray there are few animals that prey upon them," Nicholas said, teaching her about the zorilla's built in defense system.
The drivers discussed which direction they should take to avoid running into soldiers. They had been warned over their radios that the soldiers were last seen in their area and they were afraid to be caught alone on the road with foreigners. The soldiers didn't like outsiders assisting the villages or the villagers talking to them. After several minutes of discussion, they agreed on a path to take and the trucks started moving again. They arrived in the village after several hours of travel. The time passed quickly for Bee, Jay, and Nicholas who spent most of their time discussing the animals Nicholas pointed out, the people they had already met in Africa, their hotel rooms, and the food stands they saw on the streets. They compared everything they experienced to their homes and surroundings back in America.
"Look!" Bee exclaimed noticing the circular huts as they approached the village.
