Chapter 7 Love And Loyalty
Chapter 7: Love And Loyalty
Emma
“This was all a mistake from the start and you caused it,” I fired at him.
“Oh, now it”s my fault?”
“I don”t know who you think I was, but it was the only reason you were going to listen to me, so I went along with it. If you had listened to me, you would have realized that I was genuinely interested in antiques, not because I was an investor. But from the very first moment, you”ve agreed to talking with me because you thought I was here for business.” I paused, fighting the rage that threatened to overcome me.
“And you continued with the lie. You knew I liked you; why didn”t you tell me?”
“You didn”t say you liked me.”
“But you knew.”
I could see the initial anger in his eyes receding.
“Emma, I”ve not spoken to anyone in the last four years like I have with you in these past few days.”
“And why”s that?” I grabbed the opportunity to ask.
“Never mind. I think I want to be left alone.”
“Jack, you said I could come for us to talk, and I actually have some ideas to share with you.”
“It”s not important anymore. The real investor arrived today. Maybe you should go away.” His words pierced me, even though they came out calmly.
“You know, I always thought I could help you, but I just realized something right now.”
“What?” He was looking me in the eyes.
I stood up gently and stepped forward, making sure I was close enough.
“You cannot be helped! Not until you accept healing within you from whatever is eating you up.” My words trembled from my lips with anger and my eyes itched with the tears of rejection.
“You know why I was beginning to like you?” he asked, covering the space between us so that I could feel his breath over my face. “Because I thought you were different from everyone else around here and that you hadn”t come here with some kind of pity for me and self-proclaimed healing remedy. But now that I know you are no different, maybe you should leave right now and never return.”
His voice had become hoarse and his nostrils flared as he spoke.
“Fine! I”m leaving!”
“Fine!” he yelled back.
I left the store, regretting that I had not come with my car. Now I had to walk through the streets, fighting this anger that boiled in me. I stood on the road, still not sure of what to do, when a car slowed to a stop beside me. A woman”s face appeared in the window.
“Let me drop you off,” she volunteered.
How did she know me or where I was headed? I didn”t really stand around to ask. I jumped into the front seat beside her.
“You just left Jack”s shop,” the woman said.
With her tone, I couldn”t tell if she was asking or guessing, so I kept mute.
“Are you two fighting already?” she went on.
I was still silent, not ready to divulge a word to her. It was my privacy she was trying to invade and I wasn”t going to give her a chance to do that.
“You see, when we all saw Jack with a new look today, we were happy that finally, someone was able to get to him and help him. He even answered our greetings without the usual grunts. And we had you to thank for that, but seeing you this way now, I guess our joy has been cut short,” she narrated.
I had also noticed the change in his look. He had worn a well-ironed top and perfect-sized jeans. He’d also shaved. Was that for me? If it was, he wouldn”t push me out so easily for a misunderstanding that he started.
“What happened to him? Has he always been like this?” I asked the woman.
“No. Something terrible happened some years back that changed him,” she said and sighed.
“Four years back, I suppose,” I mumbled.
She turned from the road to look at me.
“He told you that?”
“I guess it slipped out of him while we were arguing.”
“Ahh ha. I was right about you two fighting.”
I kept quiet and looked at the road in front.
“Jack lost his wife and daughter in a car accident on the same day. It was heavy on him and nobody has heard him talk or smile since then. We”ve tried to help him as a community, but the harder we try, the more he retreats into his shell. He has managed to cut off everyone,” the woman said.
“I thought I could help him,” I murmured.
“You can,” she answered, looking at me again.
“You just saw it yourself; he can”t be helped. I”ve tried.”
The car screeched to a halt after I spoke.
“Why are you stopping?”
“Emma, we all have our hopes on you. Jack is a good man; he has helped a lot of us in different ways and it”s agonizing watching him go through his grief alone. The look I saw on your face when you stepped into this car was one of a woman in love who has been hurt. But you can”t give up on him now. It took four whole years to get someone like you that could make him talk… who knows how many more years it would take to find another person? Do this for Serenity Springs, please.”
“First of all, who are you? How do you know my name and where I”m headed?”
“I am Zain. The owner of the tie-dye store at the town center. Serenity Springs is a small town and we know every visitor who steps foot here. And guess what?” She beamed.
“What?”
“We like you,” she ended, before starting the car and turning on her car radio, which boomed with Westlife songs, reminding me of my dad. I made a mental note to call him once I got home.
Zain drove to the town”s restaurant after seeking my permission to treat me to lunch. We both had burgers. From our discussion, I learned that she was half-American and half-African. She spoke a lot about her African traditions, even though according to her, she went home only on very important occasions. We spoke at length and I had temporarily forgot about what had transpired at the store.
“Remember what I told you. We”re looking up to you and not just that; I see the connection between you two. It would be nice if you turned it into something.”
Those were her last words before dropping me off at the guest house.
Back in my room, alone on my bed, I revisited the event of the day. I wondered how differently things might have played out if I hadn”t pretended to be someone else. Maybe this wouldn”t have happened.
I couldn”t stop the tears from flowing now. I had felt a genuine connection that I wanted to last.
“Emma, this is the problem I have with you. You don”t know when it”s supposed to be just fun and when to keep things. For goodness’s sake, this was supposed to be a short vacation and you”re nursing feelings for a man? What happens when you come back?” Sandy quarreled over the phone when I told her what had happened.
She was right. I had just one more week to stay. What truly happened after I left?
The next morning, I took the cactus flower from my window and drove to the flower store.
“I want to return this,” I told the store lady.
“I”m sorry, we don”t make refunds after the transaction has been recorded,” she explained.
“No, I”m not saying I want you to refund my money. I just want to return the plant.”
“But why? Don”t you like it anymore?” she asked, surprised.
“I do. It”s just my time here is up and I”ll be returning home very soon. I don”t feel like taking it with me,” I replied.
“You can give it to Jack. I think he wouldn”t mind having it,” she said.
“Hmmm.” I grabbed the plant and left the store.
So, they’d all been watching all this while. And they were now trying to play some match-making game. First, it’d been the African-American lady, now the florist. I stopped at the gate as I drove back into the guest house.
“Tarry,” I called out.
“Lady Emma,” he answered. I gave him a side look.
“Emma,” he corrected.
“Good. I was thinking of gifting you something, but I don”t know if you”d like it. Here.” I brought out the plant.
He collected the plant, his face lightening with a grin and his eyes shining in the same way as the first day we’d talked.
“Do you like it?”
“Thanks, Emma. I appreciate this, but why me?” he asked.
“Ermm… ‘Cause I’ll be leaving soon.”
“Why! Have we done something wrong? Is there something you don”t like here?” His eyes popped.
“No… No, not at all. I… I have to return to work. It has been a lovely experience here,” I assured him.
“You won”t get to see Lady Catherine when she comes.”
Lady Catherine had become our common joke after that first night. I smiled knowingly.
“I wish I could. But I can always return when I have another break.”
“Then I will keep this. It will be a memory of you.”
“Thank you, Tarry.”
I wished I could really stay. The people were warming up to me and it was becoming a pleasant place to be, even if I didn”t get to speak to Jack again. But then, it also would have been lovely if we hadn’t had that fight. Two days had gone by since then, and I had heard nothing from him. Perhaps it was for the best. It would have been very difficult making the decision to leave if we still talked.
I spent my last days interacting more with the women. I stopped by Zain”s shop, watching her as she did her magic with clothes. She was sad that I had to leave and gifted me a white top, designed with blue and yellow dye. Flora, the lady at the flower store, had also become my friend. We shared early morning coffees at the coffee shop.
These were things I would always hold dear. Memories from this summer break that I wasn”t going to let go.