Still Dreaming of Africa
11
get a nightcap at Harry’s Bar? When Paolo proposes, they decide to make a fresh
start after their marriage and leave Italy. It is not often that a woman would end
up marrying the man who might have been at least partially responsible for
months of pain and suffering. Oh well. The new way of life that Kuki and Paolo
find is a 100,000-acre ranch in Kenya badly n need of repair. Paolo leaves
frequently on big game hunts with his buddies, which are fueled by several cases
of Scotch. Paolo tells Kuki that there is a different rhythm here and that he got rid
of his watch when he arrived in Kenya. Kuki is forced to deal with snakes,
elephants, hungry lions (who kill her dog), poachers, and poisoned water. She
eventually learns to love the land, as her constant squabbles with Paolo reveal.
Paolo needs the sense of adventure and danger that he finds while on safari. “Out
there, there is just the moment. I need that,” he whines to Kuki. However, when
the wilds of Africa begin to take a personal toll-Paolo is beaten up by poachers,
then dies in an accide