Well hello there, here is a little chapter for you. I hope you like it.
J'adore the Gordon reviews, he's so great to write so there's some more in this chapter. The other Tracy boys will be making a (bigger) entrance soon and Jeff will at some point have to get involved, for now we need to solve the mystery of Alan's destination.
CK Carter, Ruth Ashworth and Colin Davies were the three individuals that made up Alan's crew, he'd expected more people to have been involved yet Ruth had subtly added on the plane that Colin would be heading off for a day or two once they landed and wouldn't be back till nearing the end of the shoot. That meant that the actual crew following Alan and giving the protection he'd assured Gordon's he'd have consisted of a guy only a few years older than himself (sporting some pretty expensive camera equipment), and an older lady who looked like she wanted to hug trees and save the pandas. All in all, when the plane touched down in South Africa the youngest Tracy wasn't filled with the confidence he'd set out with.
Apparently the limited crew was usual for travel type documentaries, (whatever it was they wanted to call it), to gage his true reactions and appreciation for certain activities and experiences it was best to have a limited close knit crew rather than a large unfamiliar one. It made sense yet was still somewhat unsettling as he found himself entering an unfamiliar country of which he was only vaguely aware of through news bulletins and newspaper headlines.
The connecting flight from London saw eleven hours crawl by, although Alan had tried to get some sleep it was hard to turn his mind off to the possibilities of what lay ahead and the repercussions of what lay behind. They'd landed in Johannesburg International Airport and had almost immediately taken a South African Airways flight to the city of George which saw two more hours pass.
George was in the Western Cape Province, it was warm but thankfully the months Alan considered to be his summer were different all those miles away and were ironically referred to as the cold season. It wasn't anywhere near what he'd considered cold but all the same he was thankful not to have the worry of not being able to handle the heat, he may have lived most of his life on a tropical island yet the climate change bore a stark contrast.
Unfortunately arriving in the cold season also had its disadvantages; as they exited the airport a downpour of rain greeted them with overwhelming exuberance. It left Colin rushing his goodbyes before heading off to find a taxi, as the production manager he needed a base camp to correlate footage and information with the main studio back in New York, he was heading to a rented space in the city whilst Alan, Ruth and Carter were heading out into what seemed like no man's land - territory none of them were particularly familiar with.
His two remaining companions may have been vastly unfamiliar but they did know what they were doing and easily tracked down the transport which had been arranged some days prior; an old white mini bus with rusted wheel rims and prayer beads hung on the rearview mirror. It had seen better days but as soon as they had loaded their luggage and climbed aboard the engine didn't disappoint. Heading through the car park and then the busy city away from George the driver turned the radio up and began tapping the steering wheel in rhythm to the music as it cut through the airwaves.
The mini bus had two rows of double seats with a tight aisle between them, Ruth and Carter had spaced out on two rows whilst Alan sat opposite, watching a world he'd never before seen pass by the window in a wash of rain drenched color.
"Two hours, or there about. Not long now." Ruth smiled ruefully, for an older woman she'd weathered the long journey amazingly well, in fact Alan wasn't even sure she'd slept. Not that you could tell.
He smiled over at her wondering how many stamps her passport held, she'd spoken a lot about Europe and her favorite places in the world to visit on the long flight over and had gone into detail about past charities and missions she'd been involved with. He'd thought himself well traveled but other than traveling around the United States his list was small. "Have you been here before Ruth?"
She pulled a small paperback guidebook from her knapsack; she'd picked it up on the way out of George Airport along with some food and a couple of bottles of water. "I've been to South Africa but not where we're heading now, I was just going to see if the guidebook covered it. I'd be surprised if it didn't…" A smirk edged her lips as she flicked through.
Carter leant round the seat in front to get a better view of the book, he had his camera equipment spread out across the aisle and had been methodically checking it to make sure it had all come through their many flights unharmed. He held what seemed to be his main camera, flicking through the touch screen as one hand swiveled the lens, a moment later a red light flicked on indicating that it was recording.
They'd been recording him on the plane and between airports, mainly questioning his expectations and previous travel experience. Mundane questions he could easily answer and didn't waste much time mulling over, it felt completely different now that they were in South Africa. It was like leaning back in a chair that bit too far, his heart fluttered with expectation yet he wasn't entirely sure where he would end up.
"Maybe we should tell him where he's heading," Carter shuffled in his seat so he could fit Alan into the shot fully. "I think he's been in suspense long enough Ruth."
And Alan was worried, suddenly more so because although he'd spent the last two days traveling there was forever that sense that if he stopped everything would catch up with him. What if they only filmed one episode and no one liked it? What if when that camera turned on he looked like the spoilt brat America had at one point thought him to be? It was make or break and nothing was scripted, not from his standpoint anyway.
"Alan?" Ruth waved the travel guide in front of his face snapping him from his reverie; maybe the biggest positive of the whole deal was the fact that he wasn't making those big decisions, all he had to do was go along for the ride and be himself, if no one liked it then that was that, he wasn't going to act.
"Am I actually allowed to know now? You've been keeping me in suspense for two weeks and suddenly you're going to tell me?" Brows furrowed in mock suspicion he felt much too tired to give in to any of the worry niggling in the back of his head, he pushed it to the side into a growing pile.
Holding the travel guide open for him Ruth leant across and pointed down to an article which spanned two pages, there was the image of a giant white bridge stretched over a valley surrounded by forest and a sky as large as the ocean. It was a spectacular photo but not one which gave Alan much information of what exactly it meant.
Taking the book he turned it so he could see better, eyes caught away from the photo and on to the headline.
"Bloukrans Bridge; Home of the world's highest bungee jump." He read aloud.
He should have expected it really, the thought of having to do a bungee jump had crossed his mind on multiple occasions – it was a bucket list, surely that was the kind of thing people liked to add. The image suddenly evoked much more than awe, the idea of jumping of that colossal bridge into the valley filled him with excitement and a fear which washed over him like a bucket of ice.
"Bloukrans Bridge is the highest road bridge in the Southern hemisphere and the largest single span concrete arch bridge in the world." He continued to read, aware of Carter filming him and Ruth beaming from ear to ear at his response and probably the stunned look on his face. "Two hundred and sixteen meters high, four hundred and fifty two meters long, once attracting visitors for the amazing feat of engineering Bloukrans Bridge now attracts visitors for a entirely different reason."
He stopped, eyes taking in the dimensions and brain working through how quickly his body would fall and what it would feel like. Brains would work something like that out in seconds, heck, Fermat would, but to Alan the idea was too vast too comprehend. He'd fall fast, he knew that much.
"I've never done anything like that before, that's for sure. I've been pushed into the pool at home more often than I can count, heck… it's probably the greatest distance I've fallen if I'm honest." He was nearing six feet in height, that in itself seemed a pretty long drop. "Two hundred and sixteen meters?" He looked to Carter, chewing his lip before rolling his eyes, taking a breath and letting a grin spread over his face. "Well, I guess there's nothing quite like tying an elastic cord to your feet and jumping off a bridge head-first."
"So you're up for it?"
"Sure, throw me off a bridge. What's the good of health insurance if you don't push the parameters of risk every now and then?"
They spent much of the two hour trip talking through what the jump would involve; he had two days to prepare himself mentally and to catch up with some sleep before they'd head to Bloukrans Bridge. Before then they would be staying in Tsitsikamma, the area close to the bridge with other places they could take a look at whilst they were there.
It was a bucket list but that didn't mean they couldn't add a few extras, 'get to know the real Alan' as Carter so finely put it. Though it felt like a good chance for Alan to get to know the real Ruth and Carter to.
Gordon had been in London for a few days, he'd had the time to catch up with old friends and makes some new ones, an easy task when you walked around with a grin from ear to ear and curiosity which would kill a cat. He'd even managed to get a ticket to the opening ceremony, something he wouldn't soon forget. His leave in London would last two short weeks before he'd have to return to his duties on Tracy Island, he was trying to make them count.
The auburn haired Tracy was still unsure of what to tell his brothers regarding Alan's new 'job', having considered their individual reactions and their reaction as a whole he had finally come to the conclusion that if he put it to the back of his mind then time would deal with it later - he didn't quite see the irony in that, especially as he was unaware that his youngest brother often thought on a very similar wave length. The only problem was that time seemed to be passing like grains of sand through his hands, he couldn't put it to the back of his mind for long nor hide the worry he felt for a brother who had not experienced the world in such an extreme way.
Alan had been living and studying at college for the last three years, and before that he had been to the same boarding schools as his brother's before him, and before that he'd been at home. In a way Alan had been institutionalized; he'd lived in a world arranged in a way which taught him to abide by certain rules and to ignore outside influences. He'd followed brothers who had left footsteps in which he'd eagerly followed, for a time all too easily molded into a clone of each one of them. He had interests in everything they had interests in, he followed what sports they excelled at and tried to follow, he eagerly sought approval when he matched those goals and pushed to exceed them.
There'd come a point in his life where the enthusiasm towards becoming those he looked up to turned into something quite different, Gordon was close to the kid but the youngest Tracy had turned something once thought of as endearing into something altogether resentful.
Hence, it was easy to grow concerned at the thought of him out in the world alone.
He was twenty one though, Gordon kept telling himself that time and time again. Alan was twenty one, he was an adult and needed to get on with life and make his own footsteps, perhaps the real problem was that he still hadn't grown up. Alan was still grasping on to the same issues he'd had as a twelve year old lanky child, screaming at his dad and then storming away to brood and avoid the real issue.
It was maddening, more so now that the kid wasn't actually a kid at all but an adult who could legally own a passport and use it to make ridiculous trips across continents. He had a way with words, he could talk himself into situations with ease and easily charmed those around him - much in the way Gordon could, but talking himself out? No. It wasn't in Alan's repertoire.
It was with an uneasy mind that Gordon found himself sat in his hotel room in front of the small laptop, gazing at the call button which would connect him to a brother he'd been avoiding through fear of choosing the right words. It was late in England which meant it would be early on Tracy Island and God knows what time in space, a concept the aquanaut had never grasped.
Whatever time it was he knew the call would be answered, John as reliable as the stars shining in the night sky and was always there when you needed him. He was laid back, a listener more than a speaker, he contemplated things where others would rush in without hesitation.
The call rang three times in a short shrill like tone before being picked up, the screen in front of Gordon switching to a video feed of John sat in front of a non descript background which made it impossible for any onlooker to guess the location. He wore jeans and a white t-shirt, hair immaculate as always and smile beaming out.
"Hey Gordon, how are things?"
It had taken a long time to convince Gordon to ring, he'd tried to organize his thoughts and separate them from the frantic wave of excitement that ruled London and pulled him all too easily into the events. Time had sped up yet his worries weighed him like a ball and chain.
"Good thanks, I actually wanted to talk to you about Alan. I spoke to him on Wednesday, has he checked in with you at all?"
John's eyes narrowed slightly, concern in his blue orbs as the all too familiar yet avoided subject resurfaced. "I haven't spoken to Allie since the newspaper article came out, Tintin said he'd been busy but would ring as soon as he had a chance." There was doubt there and hurt, the two brothers had been close but the gap between them slowly widened over the last few years. "What did he want to talk to you about?"
That faith held on, forever hoping that maybe Alan had made the first move, maybe his mind had been focused on all the things he'd been ignoring, perhaps the here and now had taken a back seat for once.
"I actually rang him, I'd been filling up his voicemail until he eventually up."
"Oh, right? How is he?"
"He's good, he was in London briefly but only the airport as he was heading out for a job. It's actually why I rang, I'm thinking you and Scott may need to try another one of those nifty intervention things you do. Bring him home for real this time, stop my hair from even thinking about turning grey and get Al and Dad to sort themselves out." He sighed, a hand rubbing his eyes absentmindedly as he fought away the exhaustion the subject brought.
John shook his head in understanding, seeing Gordon so serious was a rare sight and one which was obviously stressing him. "I'm going to go ahead and presume that whatever job he's landed has given you cause for concern, and by the fact that he was at an airport meant that he was heading somewhere outside of US jurisdiction?"
"He's gone to South Africa John, it's crazy! He's not been in touch since he left and I can't even leave him messages anymore because either he's out of signal range or his answer phone message box is full." He stared at his older brother, desperation lacing the anger in his words. "He had to take malaria medication before he left."
If John was surprised then he hid the emotion well, instead staring off into literal space and contemplating Gordon's words for a moment. "What's the job?" He finally asked, perhaps begging it to be some kind of charity aid mission but knowing with certainty that the hope was too much to ask.
"He's in South Africa with a film crew, and get this - apparently the health and safety forms took two days to fill out."
"Two days?" What did that even mean? Were there unimaginable risks or a brother who took none and checked everything fifty times? If it was a question of Scott filling in the forms then it would have been an easier question to answer but when it came to Alan it was anyone's guess. "So he's… he's in South Africa, filming a TV show? Am I understanding you right because that sounds ridiculous."
"You heard it right, and yeah it's completely ridiculous. Who does that?" Alan, the kid who always did the opposite of what you'd expect.
"Can you hang on the line for a few minutes Gords? I'm swapping shifts and need to do some… technical mumbo jumbo. Bare with me five minutes, and hold that thought."
"Sure, whose relieving you?"
"Virgil, though Scott's coming for the transfer."
"Oh." Great, this would be fun to explain. "See you in five."
Quite literally.
Hmmm. Intervention number 2? The first went so well...
Ideas for the name of the show? Karl Pilkington's Sky1 series was fabulously called "Idiot Abroad" but poor Karl didn't know about it until it went to air. I'd like to think we can be a bit kinder to Alan.
Please review :') Pleeeeease.