*** Warning: This is a long story, with a plot that slowly builds up. The actual sex happens towards the end. If long stories aren't your thing, then please beware.
*** This story is fiction and all characters are of legal age (18 years of age or older).
- Chapter 1 -
"I'll see you in twenty minutes." Zoe hung up the phone and, mop in hand, looked at the kitchen floor of her flat. Half of the tiles were sparkling white, while the other half had a dull, dusty look to them. She dipped the mop back in the bucket and began untying her apron.
"Peter! Peter! Come over here!" she yelled out turning her head towards the living room where the television was making excessive noise.
Several moments later, Peter shuffled into the kitchen barefoot.
"Careful honey! The floor is still wet over there," warned Zoe and she watched Peter nearly slip on the damp tiles. "Peter, I need to drop by the office and have a quick chat with Doug. I'm going to have to ask you to finish mopping the rest of this."
Peter glanced at the floor and quickly estimated the size of work. "Oh, um... but I'm watching my show, mom." He had a hint of begging in his tone.
"Peter, you've been watching TV all day, while I've been cleaning the house. You could have, at least, asked me if I needed help. It's one show after another for you, isn't it?"
Peter didn't feel like being chastised, thus he nodded solemnly and reached for the mop.
"At least put some shoes on," instructed Zoe pushing past her son on the way out of the kitchen. "The floor better not get dirtier either. Oh, and when you finish with the floor, could you wipe down the counters too? Thanks, son!"
Peter scowled -- his relaxing afternoon was turning into a pile of chores.
As Peter shuffled off to get some shoes, Zoe hurried down the hall into her room. She changed into more suitable clothes and looked out the window. Gray clouds were covering the sky and it was anybody's guess at the chance of rain. She decided to arm herself with an umbrella, just in case.
On the way out, Zoe peeked into the kitchen where Peter was keenly working the mop over a row of tiles. She smiled -- Peter did good work once he warmed up to it. With that thought, she marched out of the door.
The office of the local branch of the European Humanitarian Association, or EHA, was located in the heart of the city. As Zoe walked down the familiar street, she scanned the clouds for any immediate threat of rain. With a flick of her wrist she opened the umbrella and positioned it above her. At this pace she would reach the office in about fifteen minutes, and the sooner the better, since the early fall chill was beginning to make its way under her thin, gray coat.
While walking, Zoe was wondering what it was Doug, her boss, wanted to talk to her about.
"I want to talk to you about this in person, if you don't mind," he said to her on the phone. He wouldn't even tell her what this was about. Zoe loved surprises, so she didn't press him further.
When she reached the office, she folded the umbrella realizing that rain never fell.
"Hi Mary!" she greeted the receptionist at the front desk.
"Hello Zoe. Didn't know you'd be coming in today."
"I wasn't planning on it, but Doug wanted to chat about something."
"Ah! He's in his office."
Zoe nodded, took off her coat and hung it up on the wooden coat rack. She took a deep breath, turned the nob on Doug's office door and peeked her head in.
"Hi Doug. May I come in?"
"Of course, my dear! Did you get rained on?"
"No, you can say I got lucky. It looks terrible outside."
"I know. I shouldn't have asked you to come down here. I keep forgetting that you don't own an automobile."
"And I keep telling you that not everyone is as privileged as you," said Zoe with a playful cock of her head.
"I know darling, but when you get to be my age you forget things." Doug paused and stared out of the window, watching the wind whip the fallen leaves into a restless dance.
Zoe looked at the old man and almost felt bad that she made him bring up his age. Doug was in his early seventies but still too stubborn to retire. He's been with the EHA for over forty years and claimed that there was no one competent enough to succeed him. It was a fact. Doug was a great boss, he was understanding, reasonable and knew more than anyone about the affairs of the Association. He was just one of the many reasons why Zoe loved her job.
"Doug? What was it you wanted to talk to me?" Zoe spoke up when it seemed that Doug had forgotten about her.
"Oh dear, I almost forgot." Doug turned around and smiled warmly. "Zoe, you might have heard me talk about a certain affair in Africa for quite some time."
Zoe nodded.
"This morning the confirmation finally came back from the headquarters." Doug walked over to his big, wooden desk and rummaged through some documents. "Here is the official project description," he handed several documents to Zoe and continued: "There's a limited-contact tribe in Zimbabwe that needs our organization's help." He paused and looked at Zoe, who was trying to skim the contents of the documents. "Since you are my most trusted agent, I thought that I would present the opportunity to you first," he finished.
Zoe's eyes shifted from the documents to Doug. She had a faint smile on her face that was growing fast. Of course, she knew about this assignment. It has been the talk of the office for quite some time. Ever since she learned about it, Zoe's been hoping that it would go through.
"Oh Doug, this is wonderful! You know that this is what I love to do. Thank you so much!"
Doug couldn't help but grin like a fool. "I know Zoe, but I wanted to see that face when I gave you the news myself. Just imagine a year in the African jungle, bonding with the indigenous people. How I wish I was young again, so I can take this job myself."
"I've been telling you for years -- retire and move to Africa. That way you can always be where your heart is."
"I know. I should, but that old hag of a wife of mine won't move anywhere for all the diamonds on Earth. But enough about that. I'm sure you're very excited and I've got some phone calls to make. That's all I needed you for." Doug winked. "Go on! Go home and read over the briefings."
Zoe thanked Doug five more times and then practically flew out of the office. She headed straight to the cafe around the corner and, once she had her latte, she settled into a booth to read over the details of the assignment.
This was the assignment Zoe had been waiting for. Sure, it was nice to help third-world countries from behind a desk but it was nothing like a hands-on experience. Twice since college, Zoe got a chance for such work -- once in Peru for a few months and once in West Africa. Such assignments usually consisted of living among a tribe or a community and teaching them modern skills like preserving food, fighting off disease, and basic education. Of course, every time she ended up learning a lot herself.
