Part 1: The Journey to Africa
Chapter 3
"One Last Tea Party"
By the time that everything had been squared away and all the important details had been completed, Jane and Archimedes had only three more days before their journey to Africa was to begin. For Jane, it was the opportunity of a lifetime to follow in her father's footsteps and study gorillas. Archimedes had done many trips to Africa since the Angelo-Zulu Wars, but this would be special as Jane was eager to follow in her father's footsteps.
Of course, this meant that Jane would be giving up her civilized way of life and wanted to spend one last day with her friends Eleanor, Greenley and Hazel. So, the very next day, shortly after their meeting with Clayton, Jane called her friends for a tea party at the Trafalgar Park mansion. For Jane, it was one last chance to live civilized and spend time with her friends. Putting on her favorite yellow dress and placing her hair into an elegant bun, Jane her home at 17 Cherry Tree Lane and arrived at the mansion just before noon. She would have worn something else, but this was her last day of civilization and she wanted to wear her favorite dress before leaving for Africa.
"Hello, Girls," she said as she arrived at the mansion. The three friends met Jane in the front lobby and quickly approached their friend as she arrived, hugging her as if they were never going to see her again.
"Oh, Jane," cried Greenley. "I can't believe you are leaving us! We will miss you very much!"
"Come now, Greenley," remarked Eleanor. "Please show some decorum in front of Jane, please."
"Now, Girls," she said. "That's quite enough hugging. I'll be wearing this to Africa and I don't want you to ruin it."
"You're wearing this into the jungle?" gasped Eleanor, picking at Jane's dress. "Outrageous! A young woman like yourself should be dressed for the elements and this does not qualify."
"Indeed," said Greenley. "You're going into the jungles of Africa, not a garden party."
Jane wanted to change the subject, so she ushered them into the main hall and sitting down, began their last conversation before Jane was due to leave.
"I must say," said Hazel. "This is the most extraordinary adventure I have ever seen you take part in, Jane. And to think that you were never really fascinated in Science class at Finishing School."
"Well, I was fascinated," said Jane. "You just never really have seen me that fascinated. Daddy has always said that he wanted to take me to Africa and now is the time for me to do so."
"I must say that I have heard rumors of a savage wild man living in the jungles that you are going to," said Hazel.
Jane nearly spit out her tea upon hearing those words. To her, those were the same type of words that Bobby had said to her.
"Who told you that, Hazel?" asked Jane. "Was it Bobby?"
"Of course it was," replied Hazel. "Robert's sister and I are in the gossip club over at Ascot."
"It's a shame that you chose the jungle over Ascot," said Eleanor. "You could have brought Robert there and we could have seen Dover try to win."
The girls laughed and remembered the time that a young woman shouted at Dover to "move yer bloomin' arse." It was embarrassing to say the least, but at least it was humorous at the same time.
"Girls, you know I don't fancy horse racing as much as I used to," said Jane. "I'd rather attend garden parties or tea parties like the one we are having now."
They all chose to ignore Jane's remark and instead focus on drinking their tea and eating their lunches.
"Now, how about a game of badminton?" asked Jane. "One last game before I leave for Africa."
They all locked eyes on Jane for they knew the young Jane Porter was a champion at badminton. Neverthless, the three women had no choice but to accept the challenge.
"Very well then," said Greenley. "One last game before our dear Jane leaves for the jungles of Africa."
After a while, the girls left their table and went out to the back of the mansion for a game of badminton, like they always did at every party that they all attended. Of course, Jane was always the best at badminton and the others were not as good. Jane stepped forward and placing the birdie in her gloved hand, bent down and threw it up in the air towards Greenley who was standing on the other side.
"Service, Greenley!" she called and hit the birdie with her racket and the pink dress woman kept her eye on the birdie and then fearing that she would be hit, defended herself and whacked the birdie back towards Jane. Running towards the birdie, she whacked it back towards Greenley and Greenley jumped into the air and whacked it back towards Jane, however the birdie was too quick and she missed it, thus giving Jane one point.
"Oh, you got lucky that time," chuckled Greenley. "But you do have a weakness."
To prove her point, she tossed the birdie into the air and turned towards Jane in order to distract her.
"Jane," she cried. "There's a bug in your hair!"
"Where?" she gasped and the birdie hit her on the head and nearly undoing the bun in her hair. But, instead of being cross, she smiled playfully and laughed at Greenley.
"Oh, you are going to get it now," she laughed and tossed the birdie back towards Greenley and the battle went on back and forth for over an hour as Jane was of course the first to reach 21 points and thus the game was won by her.
"That was fun!" laughed Hazel. "After all these years, Jane, you still have it!"
"Yes, I have, don't I?" chuckled Jane. "When I get back, we will have another match and the same thing will happen, won't it?"
"I'm pretty sure you will be practicing," said Eleanor to Greenley. "You are going to need a lot of practice if you are going to be Jane here."
By the time that the game had concluded, it was time for Jane to go and although it was bittersweet, Jane knew that she was going to see her friends again as soon as she returned from Africa. On the ride back to her home, she could not help but wonder if this meant that she would never play badminton again. Of course, if anything were to happen to her on this trek that she and her father were about to undertake, then her badminton days would be over. She looked back at Trafalgar Park one last time as the carriage continued to make its way back towards London. A small came down Jane's face and she got a little misty eyed upon her departure from her favorite location. But, of course, she had to focus on what was at hand and that was her departure from Africa in a few short days.
Upon returning home, Jane changed out of her yellow dress and accessories and put on a red nightgown. Coming back downstairs, she entered her father's bedroom and saw him putting some last minute items together.
"Daddy?" she asked. "Can I talk to you?"
"Of course, Jane," he said. "Is something bothering you?"
"I'm not sure," replied Jane. "But I can't help but wonder whether this would mean the end of our civilized way of life. I had what may be my last game of badminton with my friends over at Trafalgar Park today."
Archimedes stopped what he was doing and placed his arms around Jane.
"Jane, dear," he said. "Remember that this was something you wanted to do and after we leave in a few days, there is no turning back and I promise you, unless if anything happens to us, you will resume your normal life when we return."
"But, Bobby said that there is a savage jungle man living in the jungles that we are going to," she said. "Should I believe him?"
"I don't think so," replied Archimedes. "Besides, I have always said that never believe anything unless you see it for yourself and I say that you must never believe what anyone says unless it is not true."
Jane was slightly reassured by what her father had said and she gave him a slight hug before going back to her bedroom for her last big sleep before they left for Africa.
As Jane slept that night, she could not help but hold in mixed feelings of excitement and worry. Of course, she had to think of the positives which was going to Africa and studying gorillas like she always wanted to be. Of course, she failed to realize that she was going to get a lot more than she bargained for, much moreā¦
