Ciao! We’re In Africa

It’s at this point that Tonino dramatically announces that, as the sun goes down, we will have our first sunset viewing of wild African beasts.

“What do you mean?” Eugenio leans forward expectantly.

“It’s what you do here in Africa. We have a black guide. He’ll take us out at sunset and we’ll go and see what we can find.”

“Non e’ pericoloso? Isn’t it dangerous?”

Three pairs of eyes turn to me. I chew my lip self-consciously. “I mean … well, you said there are wild animals out there!”

“Non preoccuparti! Don’t worry!” Tonino rises from his seat and strides across to the far end of the room. Stopping in front of a large wooden cabinet, he extracts a set of keys from his pocket. They jingle loudly as he unlocks and pulls back the right-hand door with a flourish. He does the same with the other door. Turning around to face us, he is ramrod straight and smugly stands to attention as the contents are displayed.

“Pistole? Guns?” I squeak.

“Fucili. Rifles. We’ll all carry a rifle for protection. Of course, we’re not in any danger,” Tonino hastily adds. “Our guide, Charles, is an excellent shot. He’ll also show you how to handle the rifles.”