At this point two guys aged about eighteen walked in. One of them had dreadlocks; the other was wearing a vest top revealing tanned, bulging arms. He obviously worked out and was keen to let everyone know. ‘Mind if we use the table?’ the gym-built guy asked. He sounded American.

‘Actually, yes. We’ve not finished,’ said Caleb, puffing himself up.

Xander shot me a look.

‘But we have,’ Amelia pointed out.

‘That game, but not the next one,’ said Caleb, staring from one newcomer to the other.

A pause followed.

‘Whatever,’ said the guy with the arms, eventually. ‘We’ll come back later.’

‘But –’ Amelia began.

‘It’s not a problem,’ he said, and gave a little wave as he left.

‘Well, that was awkward,’ Amelia said. I love the way she spells things out.

‘Yeah, damn Yanks, so entitled. Not used to anyone standing their ground,’ said Caleb, who seemed not to understand that far from having impressed us he’d embarrassed himself.

For a second I thought Amelia might point that out too, and for some reason I found myself jumping in to head her off. ‘It has to be dinner time,’ I said.

‘Sure, let’s go and eat,’ said Caleb, and led the way back to the bar as if it had been his suggestion. When we passed the two Americans in the main lobby Caleb’s big-man walk turned into an actual swagger.

But if that episode was annoying, things got worse when we sat down in the hotel restaurant. Mum explained that she’d learned Caleb wasn’t due to start his work experience for another ten days. What that had to do with us I couldn’t guess at first. Uncle Langdon, who had ordered king prawns, paused as he was ripping the head off one to make things clear.

‘So, Caleb, to save you kicking your heels here in Kinshasa, I thought you might like to go with these guys, on their safari.’

‘What, as a chaperone?’ said Caleb.

Langdon shrugged. ‘If you like.’

Thankfully Mum corrected him. ‘There’s no need for that. We’ve sourced one of the most experienced safari guides in the country; he’s ex-military and heads a team that has a perfect record in keeping clients safe. They know the hotspots to avoid and how to defuse trouble in the unlikely event they run into it. There’s an element of risk in everything we do, heightened here in the DRC, I concede, but life is all about minimising risk to optimise outcomes. The outcome we want here is for you youngsters to come away inspired to defend the planet. You’re its inheritors after all.’

Mum can be a bit preachy at times, but you have to admire the fire in her eyes when she goes off on one. This safari she and Dad had organised for us, with all their precautionary research and risk assessment, well, it obviously mattered deeply to her, and Caleb’s, ‘Whatever you say. I don’t mind going along for the ride,’ set my teeth on edge.