Wild Spirit by Annette Henderson Page A

That’s bloody stupid!’
    â€˜It doesn’t mean that it’s a woman – it’s just the wayFrench grammar works. You simply have to accept it.’ Already his face was flushed crimson with irritation and I could feel his resistance building. I moved quickly on to forms of address.
    â€˜Now when you’re speaking to people, it’s crucial that you use the correct form of “you”. When you’re addressing people of high status, people you don’t know well, or other men’s wives, you must use the word vous . That signifies respect and formality. The other form, tu , must be used only for close friends, children or your spouse. If you use the wrong one, you risk giving major offence to the person you are addressing. For example, if you use tu to someone else’s wife, it’ll be assumed that you’re having an affair with her.’
    â€˜How bloody childish!’ The words exploded into the air. He stood up abruptly, shook his head and strode off down to the beach, swearing under his breath. I was left holding an exercise book and pen in my lap, with nothing written on the page.
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    Roger dropped by that morning, eager to hear every detail of our week en brousse (up country). He’d never been as far inland as Belinga. As I talked, his eyes shone.
    â€˜I’ll help you prepare any way I can,’ he said. ‘You’ll need a short-wave radio up there so you can get world news. You’ll be able to receive Voice of America and BBC World Service, as well as Paris and South Africa. There’s a shop where I get ten per cent discount. When you’re ready, I’ll take you there.’
    The plan for our departure had been agreed with Doug during discussions at the camp. Following our week of preparation in Libreville, we would travel in the Kombi upto Makokou, where we and the van would be transported upriver on the company’s barge. Initially, we would continue to live in it, but take our meals in the guesthouse with Mario and the surveyors. As time permitted, Win would convert part of the old sample shed into a flat for us. Doug had authorised us to buy linen, crockery and appliances before we left, and enough non-perishable food for three months. We had just five days to organise everything.
    Our first call was to an import agency that dealt in heavy machinery. Win needed to choose machines that would equip the wood machine shop for every foreseeable task. They would have to come from France. The agent was courteous and keen to do business, but spoke no English. As I had no technical French and no knowledge of timber processing, it loomed as our first big test.
    The agent motioned us to two armchairs and placed an armful of illustrated machinery catalogues, all in French, on a low table before us. An hour later, with the help of gestures, imitated sound effects and roughly sketched diagrams, we settled on a multi-function wood processing machine called a combinée . The price tag was US$40,000 – eight million Central African francs (CFAs). It would be delivered in two months and the machine weighed one metric tonne. We also ordered a breaking-down saw and a drop saw, which the agent could supply immediately from stock. He handed us colour brochures and a detailed quote and we left then to drop them off at Doug’s office.
    That afternoon, we began our survey of the hardware stores. Win needed to equip himself and his crew with a full set of tools each, and order enough hardware, toilet suites, plumbing and electrical fittings and louvre windows tobuild the first three sets of mini-apartments. There were no plans or specifications for the dwellings: Win would be both designer and builder.
    The manager of the third hardware store we visited spoke good English. When he realised the scale of our order, he suggested Win return after closing time, when they could compile it together. One evening stretched into two, and two into three. In