Part 2

"It's not that impressive." Sofia cocked her head and looked at the Uluru.

"You don't think so? I think it's amazing. There's a certain energy around here."

"Mhm." Sofia tried to concentrate but couldn't get anything.

"Do you enjoy it at least a bit?"

"Absolutely." She linked her arm with Sara. "It looks great, it's a huge rock in the middle of nowhere but it's not that special. I liked the Twelve Apostle more. Maybe I'm not that impressed by things in the desert because I grew up there and the ocean is something special to me."

"Maybe."

"I'm glad you didn't want to climb it."

"Me? It's a holy place for the aboriginals."

"Yeah but a lot of people who like the Uluru want to climb on it."

"You saw where they climb, didn't you? It's a rope up the mountain, no steps, nothing. And only one rope for both ways. Even if I'd make up to the top the way down would be much more difficult. So no, I respect their religion, I can walk around and take pictures where it's allowed and that's it."

"We had one round, that's enough. Crazy tourists, walking around a rock in the desert, it's…hot and the sun burns. We are crazy."

"It's around one hundred."

"As I said, it's hot. There was a pool around the corner." They were on a campground only a few miles away from the Uluru. This night they'd sleep under the sky in a swag. As their tour guide had promised them, a real Australian feeling.

"Okay, let's have a swim. Dan said he wants us back in an hour for dinner."

"I've to cook in my holidays…"

"That what happens when you book a backpacker tour."

"Yeah…I thought Australia is famous for the backpacker, I want to meet a few. This one guy is cute, but they are so young…what a pity."

"Much too young for you, Sofia."

"I know…and again, I'm sure the age gap would be around yours and Grissoms and nobody said anything about that."

"There were only a hand full of people who knew and as you see, it didn't work out."

"Not because of the age."

"True. It wasn't the age."

"Maybe I'll give this cutie a try…let's see where he's from."

"Don't get a baby in your swag."

"Don't worry, if he's under twenty-one I'm not interested anymore."

"Under twenty-one?" Sara couldn't believe her ears. Sofia threw her towel in Sara's arms and dove in the pool, not waiting for her friend and the lecture.

"She's crazy." Sara put the towels on a chair and went slowly down in the water. It wasn't as cold as she had expected, the sun must have headed it up quite good.

Not paying attention to Sofia, who was in a conversation with the young man (or old boy what Sara would call him) the brunette swam a few rows before she got out of the water and back to their towels. Another young woman, who was in their group, sat on the chair next to her.

"How is the water?" She asked.

"Not that cold but nice. You don't go in?"

"No, I'm not into pool water, I prefer the ocean."

"The ocean is too far away."

"True. But the water up north is great if you go north."

"No, we go back south again. There's not enough time." Sara remembered the name of the woman was Sharon.

"How much time do you have?"

"We've two weeks for the trip from Sydney to Melbourne, Great Ocean Road to Adelaide, up here, back to Adelaide, with the trailer…caravan…through the outback back to Sydney."

"You must have pretty long distances to drive."

"The last was over six hundred miles…kilometer."

Sharon laughed. "Getting confused with the different measures?"

"Yes. Everything is wrong here. They drive on the wrong side of the street, they have the wrong temperature, the wrong distance, it's like being in a country you don't understand anybody."

"On top of that the Australian English."

"Yes." Sara laughed.

"Where in the States are you from?"

"Las Vegas."

"Nice."

"And you? I can hear an Irish accent…"

"Dublin."

"The capital."

"Yeah we moved there when I was a child. I liked the country side more. Have you ever been to Ireland?"

"No, never."

"If you like green places and nature, you'll like it."

"I'll tell Sofia our next trip has to be to Ireland."

"Your girlfriend is busy flirting, if she goes on like that you've to go alone."

"She has a soft spot for this guy…I forgot his name."

"Luigi. Perfect for an Italian man."

"He's too young for her."

"How old is your friend? Sofia?"

"Sofia is…let's say she's closer to forty than thirty." Sara chuckled. Sofia would kill her if she found out Sara said that.

"He looks young but as far as I know he's closer to thirty than twenty."

"That's a start."

"You're okay with her flirting with him?"

"Sure, why…oh, no, we're not a couple." Sara laughed. It seemed like they had looked too much like a couple when they were taking all these photos arm in arm in front of the Uluru. Like their colleagues, people here got the wrong impression.

"Oh, sorry, I thought…"

"No, we're friends, very close but not a couple."

"Than you've no reason to be jealous."

"No. I'll make sure she sleeps alone in her sleeping bag anyway."

"Tell her, she's on her way back to you." Sharon pointed to the pool where Sofia got out with one elegant jump. Sara handed her the towel and made some space on her chair because there was no empty chair left.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Any luck with the man?"

"I've got an email address. Jealous?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?"

"You mean because you've got his address or because he had your attention?" Sara asked back with a smile.

"Let's start with both."

"No."

"Pity."

"I start to understand why people think we're couple." Sara grinned to Sharon. "She behaves like that."

"A little bit."

"Absolutely."

"She always does, she can't help but flirting. Must be a kind of addiction."

"Stop talking bad about me when I'm sitting next to you." Sofia pinched Sara.

"I consider it as telling the truth. Sometimes the truth isn't nice."

"And she calls herself friend." Sofia got Sara's knees upright so that she could lean on them.

"If I wouldn't be a friend you'd fall."

"Right in your arms."

"No, I'd let you fall on the ground."

"Ouch."

"Yes."

"You guys sure you'll survive the holidays together?"

"That's no problem, we're used to spend a lot of time together. We work together and these are not our first holidays together. All you have to do is ignore her when she's smug – which is most of the times."

"Grumpy Smurf is talking."

"I think I'll go and see if Dan needs some help with the dinner. He wants to take some stuff with us when we go back to Uluru to see the sunset."

"Good idea. Mind if I join you?" Sara asked.

"Not at all."

"Yeah, leave, that will give Luigi the chance to use the chair next to me."

"Take your hands off that boy, you're too old!"

"I hate you. Get lost!"

Sara grinned and walked with Sharon away. She knew by telling Sofia she was old, she got the blonde to think about her age for the rest of the evening. A mean trick but it was working all the time.