“Miss London is very special to you, I see.”
“I barely know the woman.”
“But you will. Angela says you two are sharing the same heart. She is ready to see the two of you married already.”
“Tell your wife to stay out of this.”
“You know my wife will do as she pleases, and it would seem to please her to see you and Miss London together. She says you two have been touched.”
Jericho rolled his eyes. Angela Colleu was the perfect complement to his friend. The duo had met in England, both doing graduate work at Oxford University. After an intense political debate about the theologies shared by Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bill Clinton, the two had been inseparable, marrying one year later. It had been love at first sight.
Wherein Peter had immersed himself in Western culture, Angela had instead clung to the ancient ways of the Ugandan tribe she’d been raised in. It made for a perfect match when they’d chosen to return to their homeland to dedicate themselves to helping their fellow countrymen improve their lives. Side by side the two made a handsome couple, both tall in stature with lean builds, blue-black complexions, and the same intoxicating smile that made you feel as if you’d known them forever. Jericho had great admiration and respect for Angela and he loved her like a sister.
As the two men stepped inside the doors of the orphanage’s dining room, Jericho couldn’t help but notice the quiet exchange that passed between husband and wife, followed by the intense look Angela was giving him. He smiled nervously, then shifted his eyes around the room searching for Talisa.
“She is not here,” Angela said with a smile as the two men took a seat at the table.
Peter laughed.
Reverend Oloya reached out his hand in greeting. “Good morning, Dr. Becton. Are you looking for Miss London?”
Jericho could feel himself blushing. “Good morning, Reverend. I was told the volunteers had arrived already.”
The man nodded his gray head. “They’re in the chapel. Miss London wanted to meet with them before they started this morning.”
Jericho nodded. “Have they been fed?” he asked.
“Yes,” Angela answered, still staring intently in Jericho’s direction. “You are the only one who hasn’t eaten yet. Your breakfast has gone cold waiting for you.”
Jericho’s disappointment swept across his face and Angela tossed Peter another silent message. Peter laughed again, pushing himself up and away from the table.
“Reverend Oloya, will you join me for a walk?” Peter said, his gaze focused on the senior member of their group. “I’d like your opinion about some of our future plans.”
Jericho watched as the two men headed out the door. He suddenly lost his appetite, pushing his barely eaten plate away from him. He could feel Angela still staring at him, but he refused to meet her gaze. Pulling the plate back ever so slightly, he forced himself to take a bite of his breakfast, feigning interest in peeling a banana that lay across his plate.
“What?” Jericho said finally, spinning in his seat to face the woman. “What do you want to say, Angela?”
The woman smiled. “Nothing. Why are you behaving so strangely?”
Jericho sneered and then the two laughed loudly.
“I like her, Jericho,” Angela said after catching her breath. “I think you and Talisa will be good for one another.”
Jericho shook his head, waving it from side to side. “We barely know each other.”
“It is like you’ve known her a lifetime.”
“Maybe in a past life.”
“Perhaps, but you greeted her with your heart when you saw her. The Nigerians have a saying that when a handshake goes beyond the elbow, it becomes something else.”
Jericho rolled his eyes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know you, and I can see the energy the two of you share. She has stepped into your light and you into hers. You are both brighter together than you are apart. I don’t need to know anything else.”Angela stood up. The warmth of her appraisal seemed to rain down over him and any weight of doubt felt as if it was being lifted from Jericho’s shoulders.
Angela placed a large hand against his arm. “When you’re ready, Talisa and her students need to know what you need them to do. I told her the two of you would decide together who needed to go where. She’ll be waiting for you in your office.” Angela turned to leave, stopping to take one last glance over her shoulder. “Now, finish your breakfast. We do not have food to waste around here.”
Eyes wide, Jericho watched as his friend headed back in the direction of the clinic. Her words washed through him, seeping deep into his pores. He found himself wanting to believe in her confidence of him and Talisa as a couple, to believe it as true as Angela’s intuition believed it to be true. Inhaling the last of his food, Jericho rushed toward a new beginning, hurrying to meet Talisa.
Chapter 11
She was standing in the corner of his office, staring out the window at the children who played happily in the courtyard. Jericho stopped short in the entranceway to watch her. His gaze skimmed the length of her body, his senses awash in the length of chestnut hair pulled into a tight ponytail that hung down to her shoulders, the pale pink cotton polo shirt which complemented the brown of her complexion, waving past the khaki slacks that neatly fit the round curves of her buttocks, stopping at the slip-on sneakers that adorned her feet.
His mind whirled. The magnetic woman thrilled him. As Angela had just said, it was as if he’d known her for a lifetime and Jericho was suddenly awestruck by the possibilities a future might hold for them. He took a deep breath, straining to stall the sudden rush of excitement that had encompassed his body. He felt his heart leap when she turned, her gaze meeting his.
Talisa smiled warmly, sunlight gleaming along the lines of her profile. Outside, the rising sun was already hot in the clear morning sky, floating against the crystal backdrop like molten gold. Just minutes before, she’d been thinking how idyllic the day had begun. As her eyes locked with Jericho’s, confirmation of that thought reflected back at her.
His stare was intense, swallowing her whole. Hesitation, then resolve, danced in his eyes, willing her to fall head-first into the emotion spilling from his spirit. She could feel a faint line of perspiration beading between her breasts and the air in the room had suddenly become heavy. Dropping her gaze to the floor, Talisa had to catch her breath, nervous excitement infusing butterflies in her stomach.
“Good morning,” Jericho said, his lips pulling into a deep smile that flooded his face with joy.
Talisa smiled back. “Good morning, Jericho.” She took a deep breath. “How are you this morning?”
The man nodded as he came to stand at her side. He took a quick glance out the window, then back toward Talisa. “Excited. It feels like it’s going to be a good day. How about you?”
Talisa beamed. “I was just thinking the very same thing.”
“Did you sleep well?”
She nodded. “I did. I slept very well. Thank you.”
Jericho gestured for her to take a seat in the empty chair behind the desk. He sat down in the wooden chair opposite her.
“So, I’m told that most of your group are medical students?”
“Correct. Two of the young men are research scientists doing graduate work at the university, but the others are all second, third and fourth year students.”
“How about you?” Jericho asked, personally curious more than anything else.
“Actually, I am the only nonmedical member of the group. But I do a lot of volunteering at the women’s clinic in Atlanta and the hospital so I have some experience around medical personnel and procedures. Typically, I deal mostly with teens and young mothers, teaching parenting courses, safe sex, that kind of thing.”
Jericho nodded. “Your responsibilities here won’t be as glamorous. A good deal of what we need to do is grunge work. I’m trying to get as many children immunized as we ca
n but we’re limited in staff and our drug supply is exceptionally low. I’m hoping we’ll be better stocked by next week and with the help of your group we can spread out to some of the villages. I think your skills will come in handy and we’ll need your help with AIDS awareness. It’s a definite problem here and education is sparse.
“Peter and Angela also need extra hands repairing some of the structures here at the orphanage. Some of these buildings were just slapped together with paper and glue and they’re starting to fall apart. Every warm body that can help get something done is appreciated.”
Talisa smiled, her head bobbing up and down. “We are eager to pitch in wherever you need us. Most of the students have limited building experience. We work with Habitat for Humanity every year. And, if there isn’t someone who can show us how to do something we’re more than willing to give it our best effort.”
Jericho smiled back. His gaze shifted around the room, his sudden awareness of a rise in his body temperature causing him some discomfort. When his eyes fell back on Talisa, her gaze had fallen to the floor, her hands twisting nervously in her lap.
He cleared his throat. “I…um…just want to apologize again for last night. I didn’t intend to make you feel uncomfortable when I hugged you.”
Talisa blushed. “You didn’t. Don’t give it a second thought. We hugged each other. It really was nothing,” she said, trying to make light of the incident. As she reflected back on the moment she kicked herself for the little white lie that had slipped past her lips. His arms around her had been much more than nothing. She had wanted him to hold her, had walked willingly into his embrace, her head dropping easily against his chest as they lost themselves in the moment. The warmth of Jericho’s body pressed tightly against hers had definitely been something. Something exceptional. Something special. Something she’d been yearning for without even realizing it. As she met his stare again, her lips parted ever so slightly, her breath coming in a quick gasp, she sensed that he had thought so as well. Then she worried that her own imagination was getting the better of her, control being lost to the heat raging in the body parts that made her female.
Jericho came to his feet, the emotion filtering through his body unnerving. The look she gave him mirrored his own, desire painted in the warm coloration of her face, wanting spilling from her eyes like water from a faucet. He so wanted to give in to the waves of emotion flooding between them. Shaking the sensation from his head, he heaved a deep sigh, imagining her giving him a resounding slap to his face were she to read the erotic thoughts that had just crossed his mind.
“Well,” Jericho said, struggling to contain the anxiety in his voice. “Why don’t we go get started. I’m sure we won’t have any problems working together.”
Talisa nodded, brushing her damp palms against her cotton shorts. “I’m sure we won’t,” she concluded as she followed him out of the room.
The morning had sped by and before Talisa knew it the sun was starting to set over the horizon. She and the students had quickly settled in, finding more things that needed to be done than any of them could have imagined. The lengthy to-do list ran the spectrum from assisting with medical care in the clinic, doing minor repairs to the cottages, helping with English lessons for the children, to planting a garden in the rich soil that bordered the edge of the orphanage property.
Talisa stretched the length of her body. The day had been long and she was weary from the never-ending activity that had consumed her since she’d left the doctor’s office that morning. As she unpacked the last box of books onto the shelves in the storage room, she couldn’t help but think about the man. Thoughts of him had consumed most of her day, fiction and fantasy flickering through her mind like snapshots in a slide show. So deep in thought, she barely noticed the woman who stood in the entrance watching her.
Angela’s warm voice startled her out of her daydream. “Jericho will be like a spoiled child if you miss dinner with us tonight.”
Jumping to attention, Talisa clasped a hand over her heart. “Angela, you scared me,” she said, chuckling lightly.
The two women stood smiling at each other as Angela nodded. “My apology. I came to tell you it is time for supper. We are having a welcome meal tonight to thank you and the others for volunteering. Jericho has been like the big cats pacing the floor for you to arrive.”
Talisa blushed. “He’s been very helpful.”
Angela laughed. “He is a good man, our doctor. And he has eyes only for you.”
Talisa could feel the color flushing her cheeks. Her eyes skipped around the room fighting not to stop on Angela’s intense gaze. Angela was amused by her nervousness and said so.
“You are as silly as he is. You and Jericho are meant to be. It is written in the stars for you. I can see it. Come, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
Following behind the woman, Talisa couldn’t find any words to respond to Angela’s pronouncement. There was a part of her that wanted to wave off the prediction as nothing but wishful thinking on Angela’s part. But there was a much larger part of her that wanted to believe that the woman might have known what she was talking about.
As they crossed the courtyard the tap-tap of the Acholi drum sounded through the evening air. A large fire burned in a pit and the small community was gathered around it. The savory aroma of marinated meat filled the air as chicken sat soaking in a broth of olive oil, wine, spices and pineapple juice. Talisa smiled as she noted the Wesley students holding hands with the children, the youngest tots negotiating for space on someone’s lap. Everyone was laughing and smiling as the music played, toddlers danced, children sang and the warmth of a traditional tune resounded in the air.
Talisa stopped in her tracks, overcome by a wave of emotion that she had no explanation for. It was a happiness that was so intense, so encompassing that it seemed to choke the breath from her. Her expression was painted with the brilliance of it and as she stood staring from one face to another, Jericho felt himself being consumed by the sheer beauty of it.
He had watched her as she followed behind Angela, his friend’s long strides quickly leaving Talisa behind. And then she’d stopped, her gaze racing from one corner of the gathering to the other, her eyes wide with wonder. Reverence had washed over her expression, dancing in the lines of a slow smile that had quickly overflowed with joy across her exquisite face.
As he stood watching, her eyes suddenly locked with his, holding him captive in his seat. They stood staring and it was as if time stopped, the hands of the clock adjusting itself to register a moment of absolute perfection. Peter’s voice suddenly pulled him from the moment, fighting for his attention.
“There is our guest. Talisa, come sit here,” Peter called, gesturing for the woman to take the seat across from Jericho.
As she made her way to the low table and took a seat, Jericho clasped his hands in his lap, wiping at the perspiration that had dampened his palms. He nodded in greeting, his voice lost deep in the nervous tension in his midsection. Talisa smiled sweetly, fighting not to stare at him, then turned to observe the children who were performing up on the stage.
Six of them stood side by side, the oldest no more than twelve years old. To the accompaniment of drums, a xylophone and a fiddle, they danced and sang, performing a traditional dance. Talisa listened intently as Peter explained the historical and social origins of each number. With his elbows on the table, his chin resting in his palms, Jericho leaned toward her, every so often asking a question of his friend.
Talisa watched in awe as two of the teenagers performed a soft dance number, the easy movements engaging their lithe frames. The beauty of the tempo was subtle at first, rising to an impassioned intensity that was eerily captivating. She suddenly sensed Peter and Angela watching her closely and she turned to see why it was they stared. Jericho, who had been equally immersed, was suddenly pulled from the moment.
Angela smiled as she began to tell them a story about the dance being playing out on stage. “There is old fol
klore about the history of our people. In the beginning of time when the earth was bare and darkness filled the sky, the great Creator came forward to bless the land. He washed rivers of blue water from one end to the other and made the land fertile for the plant life and animals to grow. Uganda was as the Garden of Eden in the Christian Bible. The first black man was placed on one edge of the country and the first woman on the other. They existed alone searching for what was missing, knowing that there was something special that awaited them at the end of their journey.”
Angela paused to stare at the couple up on the stage, limbs entwined in the fluid motion of the dance. Her eyes widened as she continued. “One day a hint of light flickered in the dark sky and both were drawn to the beauty of it. They walked for days, eager to reach its center, watching as it grew larger, beginning to fill the whole of the sky. The day came when the light was shining brightly from one corner of the world to the other, no darkness found anywhere and beneath that light the man and the woman found each other. It was the light of love that drew them to each other and washed down over them. It was beneath this light that their children and grandchildren were conceived. That light was their strength and it magnified the beauty of what was meant to be between them.” Angela stopped, settling back against her seat, her stare focused back on the stage as the dance came to an end.
Peter nodded his head slowly, looking from Talisa to Jericho. “The old people say that only a special few are touched by this light because it is the will of the Creator that brings them to it. It just is and nothing and no one can keep them from finding each other beneath it.”
Across the table the couple locked eyes, falling into the moment. Talisa felt as if she had fallen waist deep into the blue gaze that seemed to own her, calling her possessively. Neither could find the words to respond to their hosts, marveling at the significance of their story.
As the show wound down, Peter clapped his hands excitedly. “You two will enjoy this last one also,” he said, grinning from Jericho to Talisa and back again.
In the Light of Love Page 8