Amy Brunstetter had decided that this vacation idea had been one of her best. The small African nation of Zim'bwana was one of those off-the-beaten-path places. Relatively stable despite being next to its larger, less stable neighbor of Zimbabwe, it had its share of lakes, tourist resorts, and breathtaking wildlife. What wasn't to like?
Now, as the 40-year-old mother of three surveyed the beautiful sunrise from their yacht gliding along the River of Osandi, she felt truly at peace for the first time in months. Truth be told, her marriage had been teetering on the edge. She and her 48-year-old husband, Gerald Brunstetter, had simply grown apart during the years of raising their three daughters.
An exotic trip including a safari in Africa was supposed to jumpstart a reawakened romance between them, not to mention give their kids an opportunity for a once in a lifetime adventure.
"Mom, we're out of sunscreen. Dad said you had a bottle in your luggage. Can you get me some?"
Dana Brunstetter was a 21-year-old girl and Amy's eldest daughter. She was a knockout beauty, 5'6, 135 pounds, with a little muscle from her time on the track team. Wearing her white and gold, skimpy two-piece bikini, with her dark blonde hair cascading down her slender figure, Dana looked like she could have appeared as the cover model on any popular celebrity website or magazine. Unfortunately, she also had an attitude.
"It's in the top outer pocket of my smaller suitcase, sweetheart," Amy replied.
"Can't you just get it for me?" The young woman huffed. She gave her mom a look that screamed 'Can't you see I'm on vacation?' and with a sigh Amy caved, as usual. She tried to remind herself that teaching her girls a little delayed gratification and personal responsibility was important, but she just loved her girls so much that she found herself saying 'yes' even when it meant spoiling them to death. It was one of the many things that she and Gerald argued about.
"OK, honey. Hold on." Amy went down to the main level of the yacht and walked by her youngest daughter, Jordan, who was lying face-down in a light-green tank top and bikini panties. Staring out over the side of the deck, she was watching for wildlife, her eager eyes darting to and fro, hoping to see one of the famous dolphins said to swim in the waters of the Osandi. The nerdy 18-year-old girl had long, wavy blonde hair, her small breasts underdeveloped, but her body showed the unmistakable curves of womanhood. She stood just over 5'1, weighing just over 110 pounds, with a cute face, expressive eyes, and delicate cheekbones which gave her an adorable sprite-like appearance.
"Mom, I think I saw one." She pointed excitedly, but no matter how intensely Amy peered over the side, she couldn't see anything besides the rippling waters flowing past the boat.
"That's nice, sweetie," she said to mollify her excitable youngest daughter, then went below decks. There, on her way to her cabin to retrieve the suntan lotion, she walked past her middle daughter, Melissa, and her middle daughter's best friend, Kacey Patel. The two had been inseparable since childhood, and that wasn't about to change. Kacey was like family. The Brunstetters had practically adopted her as a fourth daughter, so of course no one objected to the idea of inviting Kacey to join the family on this once-in-a-lifetime African adventure.
"Hey girls, are you sure you don't want to come above deck to enjoy the view and feel the breeze?"
But Melissa and Kacey were busy playing one of their favorite games, faces glued to their smartphones, as usual.
"No thanks, Mom. It's too hot up there anyway." Melissa made a face. Kacey laughed, punching her friend in the shoulder.
"You're such a lightweight. You did realize that coming to Africa would involve experiencing some heat, right?" That was one of the things that Amy loved about Kacey. She brought her daughter Melissa down to earth in a good way. Kacey had a way of calling Melissa on her bullshit, for lack of a better word.
Kacey and Melissa were both 19 years old, 5'4 and weighed about 120 to 125 pounds, but that was where the similarities ended. Kacey wore a white-striped aqua bikini bra and panties compared to Melissa's all-black bikini. Kacey was an Indian-American girl with breasts much larger than average for her age. She had long, straight chocolate-brown hair. Her perfectly symmetrical, gorgeous face almost always sported a vibrant smile. Melissa, in contrast, had much paler skin, with smallish, underdeveloped breasts not much larger than her younger sister's. The girl's lighter brown hair was wavier instead of straight, her face flatter and less delicate-looking than her Indian girlfriend. The biggest difference was in their attitudes though; whereas Kacey always had a sunny outlook even when everything was going sideways, Melissa always took the dimmest view of any situation.
"Mom, can you get Kacey and me a couple of ice cream bars from the chest?" Melissa asked as her mother walked down the hallway toward her cabin.
Amy called over her shoulder, "In a second, honey. I need to find some sunscreen for your sister."
She strode into their cabin. Meanwhile, down the hall she could hear her poor husband retching in the toilet. Poor Gerald was finding out the hard way just how susceptible he was to motion sickness on the water, even this relatively placid river. Oh well, it couldn't be helped. After grabbing the sunscreen from her luggage, Amy walked over to the bathroom door and gently knocked.
"You okay in there?"
"Yes," came a croak, and a not at all convincing one at that. Amy covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. Amy turned about and strode back down the hallway.
The 40-year-old mother may have given birth to three beautiful girls, but she still looked in the prime of life herself. Tall, with shiny, straight dark brown hair that she kept up in a perennial ponytail, and a slender yet muscular physique, she radiated the aura of a confident modern woman; she worked out, kept up her appearance, and made sure to look beautiful for both her husband and any man who saw her. She loved getting looks. There were many, many who had remarked on the fact that she looked younger than her age. For her, that was the highest compliment.
She was just going to grab those two ice cream sandwiches for Melissa and Kacey when a shout came from above.
"Hey Mom, you and Dad might want to get up here. There's someone approaching in another boat!" That was Dana's voice.
