He experienced the wildest kind of partying he had ever known in his life, although he remained aware of his surroundings at all times. Rene hated being drunk.
During the day they also frolicked in an elegant Olympic-sized swimming pool, with some of the prettiest girls in town. By early evening they danced with such energy that it was difficult to believe that they had been having fun and sports all day long already by then.
As soon as Rene got home he had a desire to be back in England again. He knew that he had really experienced the time of his life back there this time.
Two days after his arrival, having by then slept off the effects of his long weekend, Rene tried to contact Laura. He did not find her at home, but he managed to find her on a cellular phone.
She was on location where she was modelling for an environmental magazine at a lodge, outside Pretoria.
Rene was pleasantly surprised at the change in Laura. She sounded as spontaneous as she been at the age of nineteen, when he had started to date her. The fact that he had not after all managed to spy on Blake in London did not disappoint her.
Instead she excitedly told him about a trip, which she was shortly going to undertake, all the way to Hollywood. She sounded so thrilled. So Rene decided that he could tell her about his wonderful time in London at a later stage.
***
When Laura found Blake already at home on the Friday of the week that they had spent apart, she realized immediately that they were somehow both emotionally fulfilled, but in different ways.
The effect was such that it did not seem as if they really needed each other as much as usual. This had to be the case, because somehow Laura did not feel emotionally dependent on her husband or her marriage.
She gave him a firm embrace after she had walked into the lounge, having found the door unlocked.
She embraced him before he could rise with Monique on his arm. For the first time that she could remember, Laura embraced her family without a nagging fear that they might lose each other at some point.
She felt close enough to them, but somewhat detached at the same time.
Blake was as tired from his trip as Laura was from her shoot, so they both agreed to have an early night.
The following morning, when Blake told Laura that he would have to return to London in all probability, she simply told him about her own planned trip to Hollywood.
She did this with as much excitement as Blake employed when he told her about his intended trip.
About five months later, Laura left for Hollywood as planned by her agent, for a two week-long visit. Blake agreed to stay home and look after Monique.
It would be a little while again, before he had to report back to Shannon and go on his particular trip overseas. He was on a brief vacation period, after doing work for Shannon locally, around South Africa, this time.
***
Hollywood was like a living adventure to Laura.
In-between modelling for an American makeup company called Diamante, she had found the chance to do an exciting tour. This included Universal Studios and Disneyland.
She regretted not being able to bring Monique along, but realized that it was just as well, because Monique was too young to appreciate something like this anyway.
It would be good to have another chance like this when she was at least five years old.
Laura's agent in the United States, Perry Adams, invited her over to visit a friend of his in Beverly Hills.
Laura had been in the USA for almost two weeks already, by then.
So they went to George Hendricks' house for lunch, two days before Laura was due to leave.
George was eager to become a candidate for local elections, in order to have a chance at becoming a state governor.
So he spoke mainly politics when he conversed with Laura, her agent and his own business manager, Frank Lucas.
Laura was flattered that he thought of her as an intellectual. George also owned a cosmetics house and a toy-making factory. His house was indeed unique. The first floor was a miniature version of Disneyland. It was filled with life-size dolls, toys, sports cars, trains and boats.
The trains were on tracks, the boats were on a miniature, artificial lake and the cars were standing on a racetrack.
There was also a rock with a fake python draped over it. Laura wondered whether he had children who played with these things.
According to George, all these toys were electronic, so that they could be turned on and everything would come to life, complete with artificial star lights in the sky-blue painted ceiling.
There were also a few white clouds painted on the ceiling.
Later, about two hours after lunch, when Laura was beginning to feel bored and restless, she found herself alone with George.
He was probably in his mid-forties: small, with thick, wavy, light-brown hair, which was beginning to show greyness at the temples.
He had lively blue eyes under thick, dark and well-defined eyebrows, which framed his face dramatically.
George did not evoke much interest from Laura, though.
He got up from his seat at this point, to place himself beside Laura. She immediately felt uncomfortable.
So, she concentrated on staring through the French windows, pretending to admire the garden and the koi ponds outside. Laura hoped that Perry would pass by soon and relieve her of her unexpected burden.
"My dear," the prospective governor said.
"How about coming over to my place on Saturday and then you can meet some celebrities?
I say they won't believe my luck in landing a bombshell like yourself darling," he said with a chuckle.
Then he rose to sit on another chair, opposite her.
He then proceeded to take her left hand into his.
Laura knew immediately then, that she was not going to like this man very much.