Free A Stirring from Salem by Sheri Anderson

climbed back into her seat.
    None of them noticed a girl in the bulkhead filming a video of the entire tirade on her iPhone.
    ***
    It was six-thirty in the morning when they finally landed. After going through customs and security in Jo’burg, they had a two-hour layover before climbing onto a South African Airways flight for Hoedspruit. Fortunately, the airport’s First Class lounge had been voted one of the best in the world, and the entire team was invited in for breakfast.
    The moment Charley walked in the lounge, she could see that Vince was not happy. He was reading something on his phone as she approached.
    “How did this happen?” Vince asked Charley without even looking up.
    “Beg your pardon?” she asked sweetly.
    “The client is now pissed that I hired Scarlett.”
    “Why?”
    “Her meltdown on the plane is already online,” Vince said as he showed it to Charley.
    “What?” Charley was dumbstruck.
    “Spectator.com,” Vince said.
    Charley’s heart sank.
    “There are times when gossip is good, but this ain’t one of ’em,” Vince added. “See if you can find out who gave it to them. I want whoever’s responsible fired.”

On the first day the clinic was fully open in the new year, a line of Xsoha men, women, and children stood outside. Some had traveled from their nearest rural villages by minibus, some on bicycles, and others by foot for the free medical services they’d come to depend on. They waited patiently outside in the dense heat while Bill and Cornelius prepared the exam rooms for the general physicals and the free TB and HIV tests.
    “How many are out there?” Bill asked as Cornelius brought boxes of condoms from the storage room. The tribesmen had once believed that the white man was trying to keep them from procreating, not saving their lives, but now they were finally accepting distribution of both male and female condoms.
    “Looks to be about fifty,” Cornelius answered as he set the boxes on the counter.
    “And we got our supply of ARVs?”
    The government had been providing the antiviral HIV drugs to the private clinics as part of a massive drive to stem the tide of the deadly disease, which was crippling the country.
    “Last Tuesday,” Cornelius answered. “I told you last week.”
    “Right,” Bill answered, though in truth he had no memory of that. “When’s Kayla due in?”
    “You asked me to tell her we could handle this morning because she had to cover New Year’s Eve.”
    “I did?” Bill asked.
    “She’ll be here around noon to head over to the weavers,” Cornelius answered. “You okay?”
    Bill merely nodded.
    A lithe young girl of about fifteen came from the back with a large pitcher of iced tea.
    “For you,” she said simply. She wore a colorful red top and skirt with bracelets up both forearms and at her ankles.
    “Thank you, Beauty,” Bill said with a smile. The girl, whose name actually was Beauty, had volunteered to help in whatever way she could after Kayla nursed her mother back to health from a severe bout of malaria.
    Cornelius took three tumblers and poured each of them a glass of the cold liquid. One had a worn, etched “H” in gold, and he handed that one to Bill.
    “And thank you,” Bill said as he took his drink and downed it.
    “Should we get started?” Cornelius asked.
    “One thing first,” Bill said. “I’m sorry about the problem with the van the other night.”
    Cornelius was circumspect since Beauty was nearby. “I put the new tire on my personal credit card. And got a spare.”
    “You didn’t tell Kayla, did you?”
    “No. Nor did I tell her that while I was out there I saw one of the dead rhino that was part of that bloodbath.”
    “Wow. At least they got those guys,” Bill said, shaking his head. “Rangers and even an owner. Unbelievable.”
    “One of those guys used to hang out at the Safari Club. I used to toss a few back with him. Seemed like a good guy,” Cornelius said. “Guess he thought all that