33. Elle remembered her visit to a college

Elle remembered her visit to a college in Motueka when she was still in the South Island. All the walls in the classroom for French had been pasted with propaganda such as: "they blow bombs in our backyard". She had been amazed. These were lies, Elle had thought, but who on earth had an interest in triggerring hatred for the French, in a school moreover?

- "Trigger hatred for the French?!" a kiwi lady had interjected when Elle asked her, "but you are the ones who blew a Green Peace boat here in our harbour in Auckland!!!"

The tone had not left any room for debate. Elle had remained silent.

The boat that had been sunk by the French spies more than ten years before was now laying on the bottom in the Bay of Islands. It was used successfully as a tourist attraction for underwater exploration. Divers of all nationalities came to get a photo taken of themselves surrounded by colourful fish and shellfish. They would be making the divers sign of a zero with the thumb and forefinger while the other fingers are extended, thus meaning all was fine, in front of the Green Peace sunk boat called the Rainbow Warrior.

- "I'm going to buy a car," Elle said one night to Scottie in room 6, "we will be able to drive to Opua on Wednesday nights for drinks, you know... I have to keep an eye on yachties likely to sail to Rarotonga..."

- "You told me it was not the right time!" Scottie answered seeing that Elle was talking about leaving again.

- "You never know," she said evasive, "...have you got news from home in Scotland?"

- "My niece is going to be two years old. I must send her a birthday present."

- "And your boyfriend?"

- "Which boyfriend?"

- "Didn't you leave a friend behind, like you told me the other day?"

- "No, he was no boyfriend, just a friend," Scottie answered, "...he had been my brother's best friend in fact until one day when they became the worst enemies, for an unknown reason, back from a trip to the United States..."

- "A common girlfriend?" Elle asked.

- "Oh no!"