The Road to Beira

By Adam Mann

By a complete accident Colin meets Monique on the road to Beira. Monique was driving with some friends away from Beira when her car refused to start, whilst Colin was driving towards Beira. Beira is in Mozambique on the east coast of Africa, and parts can be a bit wild and uninhabited.
They had previously been students at the same university but that was twenty years ago, but that made it easier for Colin to assist Monique and her friends to get them to their destination, and as they settled into their hotel Monique decided that she needed a new man after her acrimonious recent divorce. Amazingly it worked!

• Language: English
• Publisher: ButterflyBooks
• Release date: May 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463074558

Adam Mann

Adam Mann has lived and worked in Africa and then Asia for many years. He has always been fascinated by personal relationships, and in real life is now enjoying his fourth marriage, after being widowed, divorced, and even had a marriage annulled as this ‘wife’ had forgotten to get divorced.As a result he has extensive experience of social and sexual activities, which he brings into his books in explicit detail. Underlying all these activities is a quest for a loving and ongoing relationship with his partner.Adam Mann is a pen name.

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The Road to Beira

By Adam Mann

© Adam Mann, 2015

Adam Mann asserts his rights as the author of this novel.

ISBN:

You and I, dear reader, are each the centre of the universe in our respective opinions. You, as I understand it, were brought into being by a considerate Providence in order that you might read and pay me for what I write; while I, in your opinion, am an article sent into the world to write something for you to read.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)

Durban.

Hello, can I speak with Laura?

Just a moment, I’ll see if she’s available. Who shall I say is calling?

The phone made some whizzing noises in her hand.

My name is Monique Dreaper, and I’m calling from South Africa.

Hold a moment, please, said an English voice.

The phone receiver made a few more clicks.

Monique, said an excited female voice, suddenly compassionate remembering her friends recent and difficult divorce, How are you?

I’m feeling much better, thanks, but that’s not why I’m calling,

Oh?

Did you get the invitation to come to the unveiling ceremony for the new hotel at Mount Vanduzi?

Oh, yes, will you be there?

I’m going to try to get there, but if I know you’ll be there I try even harder!

How’s the staffing going?

I was going to ask you that, said Monique, the recruitment of the manager and head chef is critical, but we’ve been lucky managing to find some trained catering staff in Beira. The only trouble will be their lack of English, although that’s not a problem for hotels.

I’ve sent the developers, I think a Mr Hugh Greene, a bunch of CVs, and I’m waiting to hear from him. The hotel is a bit remote, and we might have a problem attracting good staff to work there, even though he’ll pay them well.

I’ve suggested that Hugh Greene conducts the interviews for the senior staff here in Durban. Did you get my email?

Yes, great idea, especially as several come from South Africa, or that region,

Well, can you come down, Laura? asked Monique, and continued, stay with me in Durban, the children would love to see you again, and we could have a good chat, and then after the interviews we could travel on to the new hotel together, couldn’t we?

You’re very persuasive, Monique my dear, I’d love to see you again. How many days would I need?

You could fly direct to Durban, I’m sure. The interviews will take two days at the most, and then we could fly on to Beira, and get a hire car from there? she paused to get her breath, the ceremony would take another day, two at the most to allow travelling time, and then we all go home?

I’ll try to persuade Hugh to hold the interviews on Thursday and Friday, and hold the unveiling ceremony on Monday, so I’d only have to be away five days at the most, and not all in the same week!

OK, Laura, please email me, and she was about to put her phone down,

Monique, before you go; what will the communications be like at the new hotel?

I’ve not been there, but I’ve been told the electricity is working, water is clean and on tap, she paused to take a breath, and I’m told they will have new satellite phones working that will accept the internet and emails.

Great! Bye Monique. I look forward to seeing you, and Laura switched her mobile phone off.

Monique took a deep breath and felt better just talking to her friend Laura. They had worked together for several years in Amsterdam, and then first Laura had moved to a new recruitment agency in London, and Monique after a few more months, had gone home to Durban.

Her mind was preoccupied with the new hotel arrangements, but then she remembered meeting her husband in Pretoria, and becoming Mrs Clive Coetzee. Clive was tall and blond, and they had not wasted any time conceiving two children, who were now teenagers. They lived in Durban, and Clive was the manager of a local chain of hotels along the coast, so his absence from home for a few nights was not unusual. Until, that is, he didn’t come home at all!

Her name was Elizabeth and she lived in East London, along the coast. Her father was a partner in a law firm and they had handled the divorce.

Monique kept the house, and gave Clive unrestricted access to the two children, but as she had a full time job the allowance he had to pay for the children was minimal! The first weekend the children went to stay with their father in East London was a disaster, and they both came home in tears!

Monique brushed away a tear herself as the phone rang on her desk, and she picked it up.

Monique, said her assistant, could you please come to look at some of these applicants for the hotel jobs in Beira,

On my way, said Monique and put down the phone.

They had arranged to interview the staff in groups and today was Reception, tomorrow would be Accounts, and on Monday it would be Security.

As she entered the meeting room all the potential staff respectively stood up, knowing that her opinion went a long way to their potential employment.

Most of the applicants were female and young, and their eyes glistened as they listened to Monique’s assistant outlining the new hotel development.

Most of the work on the buildings is complete, and there a separate block to accommodate all hotel staff, with your own dining room. At this stage we need to appoint only four of you, who will have to share a room for the time being.

Monique looked at the applicants who were looking at one another wondering who they wanted to share a room with.

I’m going to see the new hotel myself, there is an unveiling ceremony in two weeks, so we will make arrangements for the successful applicants to travel there as soon after that as possible, said Monique, to the seven applicants.

Could you please explain to us exactly where the new hotel will be? asked a tall girl.

Monique turned to a large printed map on the wall showing the Zambezi river delta in Mozambique, and the hills behind it going towards Zimbabwe. She used a pointer to show the position of the hotel, south of the Zambezi.

All of these buildings are a new development, she explained, and the preferred access is by road from the local airport, she continued, although most of us would prefer to drive there from Beira.

As you all know the hotel management have agreed a six week tour, and then a week off, for each of you. You can stay there if you want, or go home, or look around the district, she repeated, and they all nodded.

One girl stood up, who was obviously pregnant, and said,

Sorry, I didn’t know that when I applied for the job, and she made her way to the door.

Monique’s assistant pointed to a name of the list. That left four to select out of six.

Does anyone else have problems with that before we make our final selection?

A smart young man who had been sitting silently said with a grin;

Who’s going to share a room with me? and they all laughed.

If you’re selected the hotel management will arrange for you to share a room with a man from Accounts or Security, said Monique’s assistant without the trace of a smile of her face.

Right, said Monique, we’ve arranged a buffet lunch for all of us, and we’ll make the final selection this afternoon.

They could hear the rattling of plates and cutlery in the adjoining room, and they all trooped into that room.

Monique and her assistant watched the applicants silently as they helped themselves to food, and took their plates to a place at a table to eat. This was a critical part of the selection process, as although they were all trained receptionists their relationship between themselves and with other staff would be critical in that remote area of Mozambique.

The final selection was the young man with the smile and three young ladies who all looked smart and capable. One was a bit older and had two years experience at a hotel in Johannesburg. The hotel would be providing uniforms for them, even Accounts – two each initially, one on and one off being cleaned!

It was late in the afternoon when Monique’s assistant came to see her.

Accounts tomorrow, and Security on Monday, she reminded her.

I’ve asked the provisional head of Security to join us on Monday, and we’ll probably leave most of the selection to him, agreed Monique.

What about Catering?

We’re leaving that to the local staff in the hotel, and they’ve agreed to make most of their selection in Beira, Monique reminded her, so they’ll probably all speak Portuguese in the kitchen!

Who did they decide on for the Head Chef?

I got an email this morning telling me that the Chef would be an Italian couple, whose wife is a pastry chef!

I’ll bet the food will be great then!

Monique stood up and tidied her desk.

I’d better go and see what my mavericks have done at home, and she smiled at her assistant, who knew her children.

OK, see you in the morning, and they both left the office.

Monique had an old Land Rover in which rattled as she drove home. She was often teased by her colleagues at her choice of vehicle, but as she said,

"We all like going on Safari, or camping, whenever we can and that’s the best vehicle for that job, and apart from that nobody will ever