Paradise Revisited Read Online Free

his brief time as Assistant Manager.  That had been part of the fantasy.  He had inherited the position without any qualifications for the job like the younger brother of the heir apparent that he was. It would never have worked even if Mike hadn’t turned against him. He had loved Matambala without knowing how it worked and love was not enough.  He was a naturalist, not a manager.  He was passionate about preserving nature, but not about growing perfect tea.
    They hadn’t been equipped for the inevitable collapse. Only Megan, who had never been wholly part of the community, had survived more or less intact. He thought to himself that though he was not intact either emotionally or physically, he had survived and, he realized suddenly was determined to continue to survive.  He had come home and it was still home, no matter how damaged and dilapidated, and he, with Megan’s help, would work for something better. Though the past could never be recovered, the future could be made to work.
    With that decision, he went for a nap, sleeping until drinks time before dinner.
    ***
     
    Chapter 6 - A Look Forward
     
    When Megan joined him, pouring herself a gin and tonic, she had done a lot of thinking and Andy had already become part of her plan for Matambala. A woman alone had great difficulty running a tea estate singlehandedly, no matter how skilled she was at management. Andy had been a child when he had left, but had grown into a man.  With her help, he could face the reality of Matambala today. She had his love for the place to work with and, she thought with a small tremor of shame, his love for her. She’d always known that he had formed a puppylike attachment for her when she came to Malawi and she had to admit that though her adult passion had been for Mike, she’d had a lot of affection for Andy, maybe more than she’d ever had for Mike.  That was a foundation to build on, and however cold-bloodedly she used it, it was congenial to them both. She had dressed appropriately for the task she was engaged in, and was very fetching in it.
    Settling in one of the easy chairs, she asked, “How did the afternoon go?”
    “Very well, actually.  I went on a trip down memory lane and was wallowing in nostalgia, but also seeing things in a new and more accurate light. It was a beautiful life, but there was rot at its core.”
    “Oh yes, indeed. I saw that almost at once and tried to make Mike see it. But he couldn’t and that’s part of went wrong both with the estate and between us. The idea frightened him, so he pushed it away furiously and every time reality impinged, the fury broke through. I soon learned not to mention it. I knew, for instance, that sacking you was a mistake he’d deeply regret, but if I had objected, it would have made him even more obdurate.
    “How are things now, really?”
    “Well, we’re making it, barely. But there’s so much to be done and not enough money to do it with. And the government is dysfunctional when not actively malign. You can’t blame them. They got power suddenly without training; they have a mindset that doesn’t fit the way the modern world works, and have to deal with 200 years of mistreatment on top of that.  But in fact, the economy is a shambles, which makes things very difficult for businesses, especially on estates like ours that existed with near slave labour. “
    “And frankly, I need help I can depend on.  The staff I’ve gathered are knowledgeable, intelligent, reasonably hard working, but they don’t have the loyalty that family members would have, and when the chips are down they regard their families and their clan as more important than Matambala.”
    “And you’ve got your beady eyes on me.”
    “Well, that’s putting it too strongly, but if you decided to stay indefinitely, it would be a pleasure and a boon.  But you must decide. I’ve no intention of pressuring you.”
    “I admit it’s crossed my mind.”  He sudd enly realized the