by Nana Prah
For once, something exasperated her that didn’t involve him. “Stick with me, and I’ll make you a bargaining queen.”
Without warning her expression changed, baffling him. It wasn’t quite pain, but more than confusion. Unable to decipher it fast enough, her face returned back to her usual neutral expression.
Adam opened the door to the visitor’s center allowing her to enter first. They had difficulty both fitting in the small, crowed room.
“I guess we weren’t the only ones who wanted to explore the falls,” Esi said.
He moved closer, touching her back with his chest. The pleasure from the contact had him lowering his head to whisper in her ear. “No, we weren’t.”
She jumped as far away from him as the throng of people would allow. The shallow rise and fall of her chest hinted she’d been just as affected as him. He smirked as he leaned in, this time holding himself a fraction away from her. “Let’s wait outside until the crowd clears.” He took her hand and led her out the door into the bright sunshine.
She scowled up at him as she yanked her hand away. “You promised. No seduction.”
“What are you talking about?” He gave her the look that always got him out of any predicament he found himself in—feigned surprise.
She hitched her thumb over her shoulder. “In there, with the touching and whispering. What was that?”
“It was crowded, and I wanted to close the door so the air conditioning wouldn’t escape. Could you have heard me over all the noise in there?”
She harrumphed. “Watch it. I’d prefer you keep up your good behavior.”
“I made a promise not to seduce you. Not once did I utter a word about not touching you. There’s a difference.” He stepped forward and glided a finger down her arm. It pleased him that she trembled at his touch. “Should I show you what seduction really feels like?”
Her eyes widened, but she remained unmoving. Having his hands on her had become addictive. He gave in to the need to slide his hand back up her arm. Moving higher, he found the back of her neck just as soft and tempting. His reward was a soft moan.
He leaned down to taste the sweetness of her tantalizing lips. Mere centimeters from his destination, the door hit him in the shoulder as it opened. He was willing to ignore it in order to merge his lips with hers, but Esi stepped back and out of the blessed trance she’d been in.
“I’m so sorry,” a woman with a heavy American accent said.
He tore his gaze away from Esi, regretting not completing the kiss. She’d be on her guard now.
He turned to the voice. A pretty woman with a stunning apologetic smile stood in front of him, but his eyes focused on the one behind her. Over twenty-five million people in the country and he’d have to run into her. Ghana needed to occupy some new territory soon because it was too damn small.
***
Esi hadn’t recovered from their near kiss when he pulled her to his side and whispered. “Please, play along.”
She didn’t know what he was up to, but the unfamiliar look of desperation in his eyes made her nod.
“Adam? Is that you?” The high-pitched screech could have made a dog howl.
He stiffened. “Vanessa Annan. It’s been a long time.”
When the woman moved forward to hug him, he let go of Esi and leaned in to the stranger. Leaving his arms dangling, no actual hug occurred from his side of the embrace. Her upper lip lifted at their brief contact until she placed herself back in control of her reactions. What right did she have to be jealous? None, but she couldn’t stop the feeling from creeping over her.
When Adam stepped back from what appeared to be an uncomfortable hug, he snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her close. What’s going on here?
“Vanessa, this is Esi Darfour.” He paused. “My fiancée.”
Esi’s head whipped up to see him beaming at her. She pasted a smile on her face as she extended her right hand towards the stranger. The woman looked more surprised than Esi felt. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Vanessa.”
Without taking her incredulous gaze off of Adam, Vanessa offered her hand. The slim female, who could rival Tyra Banks by way of height and gorgeousness, seemed to snap out of whatever daze she’d been in and clasped Esi’s hand.
“It’s great to meet you, too.”
The clearing of her throat brought the light-skinned woman, who wore her thick hair in long dreadlocks, into their circle of shock. “This is my cousin, Evelyn. She’s visiting for a month from the States.”
He reached out a hand in greeting. “Welcome to Ghana.”
“Thanks.” She clasped his hand in brief shake. “It’s a beautiful country.”
She shook her hand. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
Vanessa’s eyes glittered as she spoke to Adam. “How have you been? Gosh, it has to be at least ten years since we last saw each other. Imagine meeting you at Wli of all places. My goodness.” She held her hands to her chest. Her smile was too bright for Esi to bear.
“The world is getting smaller by the minute.” Adam rubbed the small of Esi’s back with his thumb, and her knees buckled. She wrapped her arm around his waist. So I don’t fall.
Curiosity got the best of her. “How do you two know each other?”
Vanessa cringed. “We used to date.”
“It was a long time ago, sweetheart,” Adam said.
Esi glanced up at him and was startled he’d been talking to her. “Over ten years, it seems.”
“If you two are going to the falls, you could join us,” Vanessa said.
Her cousin stepped forward. “They came here as a couple, Vanessa. I’m sure they want to explore on their own.”
Esi nodded. The last thing she wanted was to spend time alone in the bush with Adam, but she would support him in this little game until they were gone.
Vanessa frowned. “You’re probably right, but I’d like to catch up some time. So much has happened. I got married.” She showed off her engagement and wedding rings.
Esi didn’t want to be impressed, but what female wouldn’t be? She’d never seen such a huge diamond up close. The way it sparkled caused her to squint as the light reflected off of it told her it had to be a real. No fake baubles for this beautiful Amazon.
Adam’s body melded into her side as he relaxed. “Congratulations, Vanessa. I’m happy for you.” His facial expression belied his words. She’d always known him to have a smile on his face yet now he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She had never seen him react to a female like he did Vanessa. While the woman had been nothing but open, he seemed to hate her.
Vanessa stepped forward and placed a hand on Adam’s free arm. Esi restrained herself from reaching over to swipe it away. “I’ve changed a lot in the past ten years. I’m better now. I’m sorry for what I put you through.” The woman sounded contrite, but Adam looked disbelieving. Esi tried to school her own features so she didn’t reveal her fascination with the situation. She couldn’t wait to share the details with Ora.
“Let’s go, Vanessa.” Evelyn’s voice came out sharp as she tugged at her cousin’s arm as if to rush her out of the awkward situation. “We’re going to the falls and then heading out to the monkey sanctuary in Tafi-Atoma.” Her voice softened as she butchered the name of the town, but no one corrected her pronunciation. “I can’t come all the way to Ghana and not see monkeys.”
“We hope you have a great time.” Esi felt like Adam’s girlfriend, talking on his behalf.
“It was nice running into you. I hope you’ll find it in your heart one day to forgive me. Nice to meet you Esi. You must be one special woman to have captured his heart,” Vanessa said.
Esi couldn’t be sure if it was her imagination, but the woman sounded wistful. Esi patted Adam’s chest. He grabbed her hand and held it in place. Her voice came out a little breathless when she said, “Thank you, Vanessa. Take care of yourself.”
She pinched his side. His words were devoid of emotion w
hen he said, “Take care of yourself, Vanessa. I’m glad you got help and are better.”
The two women waved and walked away. Vanessa glanced over her shoulder one more time then continued on down the path.
Esi extracted herself from his grasp. “What was that all about?”
He reached for the door handle. “Let’s get inside. The place has cleared out.”
“Wait a minute. You made me lie to two strangers, and you aren’t going to explain why?”
“I’ll explain everything on the way to the falls.”
She had no choice but to believe he’d reveal the mystery of Vanessa as she followed him into the building.
Chapter Ten
The silence wouldn’t last for long. Esi wasn’t the sort of woman to let things go. Adam wished he could lie his way out of it. If their roles were reversed, after hearing the story he’d tell her, she had it coming. He claimed total responsibility for the mess with Vanessa.
Ten minutes into the forty-five minute walk along the trail encompassed by forest, she spoke the dreaded words. “Are you ready to talk, Quarshie?”
“Yes, sweetheart.” He kept his gaze on the interminable length of dirt path.
She glowered. “We’re no longer play acting. Don’t call me sweetheart.”
He blinked and shook his head. He’d called her sweetheart? “Would you rather I call you…darling? Sugarplum? Pumpkin? How about…baby? Baby sounds good to me. I’d prefer sweetheart, though. It’s kind of an oxymoron.” Esi was so easy to rile up, he couldn’t resist.
“You’re hilarious. I’d rather you call me Sister Darfour.” She focused her attention back on the trail as they came across a small wooden bridge over a bubbling stream.
He chuckled. “Not going to happen. I don’t use the title when we’re in the hospital. There’s no way I’ll use it when we aren’t.”
“Tell me about Vanessa.” She dragged out each word, as if giving instructions to a small child.
He ignored the command. “Why did you refuse a tour guide to come with us?”
She sighed. “They gave us an option. It’s a straight, uncomplicated path. It’s not like we’re going to get lost forever in the bush. Besides, would you have told me anything about what happened back there if we’d had an audience?”
There was no denying her logic. He allowed silence to hang between them as they hiked. She paused when a bright blue and black butterfly crossed their path. Would the gentle nature of the cool, sunlight devoid path distract her from the debacle they’d encountered at the visitor’s center? Please, just let it go woman.
She turned, raising both eyebrows up at him. So much for her attention being sidetracked.
A few meters after her silent warning, he let the truth flow. “I met her just after graduating from medical school.” He picked up a stone and threw it into the dense copse of trees. “During medical school, I dated this woman. Her name was Lynette, and I fell hard. I was ready to propose marriage. I had the ring and everything. But then I found out she’d been using me.”
When he didn’t continue, she prompted in a soft voice, “How?”
“Everyone knew we were dating, so no one suspected her of being a prostitute.” He ignored her gasp. “That’s how she worked her way through medical school. Even though the tuition was free, her family couldn’t afford the other fees. They tended to add up. And she liked to keep up the façade of coming from and having money. I didn’t find out until one of my friends told me.”
She clucked her tongue while shaking her head.
“I punched him in the face.” He rubbed his jaw remembering the reflexive punch his friend had returned.
Her gaze caught his. “What happened next?”
“When I confronted Lynette, she confessed to all of it. I had never hated anyone so much in my life.”
She hopped backwards with as scream as a frog leaped across their path.
The intensity of the moment faded as he laughed. “Afraid of a little frog?”
She stalked forward with her gaze focused on the ground, obviously in search of more hopping creatures. “I didn’t want to step on it.”
His reprieve didn’t last for long as she disturbed the sound of the singing birds with, “What did you do?”
In the rage and pain that had overtaken him, he’d done the one thing he knew would keep him sane. He let her go. “She became dead to me.”
Esi stopped walking, and he turned to look at her. “You don’t sound like you hate her now.”
“What’s that saying? Time and tide heal all wounds.”
She snorted. “In this instance, I think you might be a better person than I could ever hope to be.” Another meandering stream crossed their path. A few steps across a flattened log got them to the other side.
“I learned a major lesson from Lynette, and that’s why I was able to forgive her.”
“Let me guess. ‘Women are nothing but trifling creatures who are out for themselves, so you may as well look out for your own interest and use them or else they’ll use you.’ Am I right?”
“No. I don’t use women. I keep telling you. We have a consensual sexual relationship and then go our own way.”
“So after this one woman,” she shredded an imaginary object with her hands, “tore your heart apart, you couldn’t trust any of us?”
He’d never be able to make her understand, so he wouldn’t even try. “What I learned from Lynette was that I will never fall in love so hard I want to get married.” Marriage was for men who lived with blinders on, not seeing the true nature of their woman. He’d never be able to trust someone enough to attempt to live with her for the rest of his life.
“Have you been in love since Lynette?”
He nodded.
Esi’s mouth dropped and her eyes widened, making him chuckle.
“A couple of times.”
“What happened to these women?” She rotated her wrists over so the palms faced upward.
“I couldn’t allow myself to want them too much so I ended it.”
“But what if one of them had been ‘the one.’” She lowered her voice as she pointed up a single finger as if she revered the concept.
“What the hell are you talking about? ‘The one’ what? There is no ‘the one.’ People, women in particular, have a way of coming into your life and screwing you over if you aren’t careful.” He stalked ahead leaving her to follow or not. He could do without her incessant questions anyway.
“I don’t believe in ‘the one’ as a soul mate, but I do believe in true love.” Her words came out breathy as she trotted behind him.
He rounded on her. “What is so true about love?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it as they glared at each other.
His shoulders rose as a sigh escaped him. He didn’t talk about his past because it made him bitter. Lying to her would’ve been a better option. You couldn’t have done it, his conscience chided.
She broke eye contact first, scurrying around him, and leading them up the inclining path. The cooling air didn’t help the tension between them. A signpost informed them they were on the correct path to the falls.
Picking up a fallen tree branch, she broke it and tossed the pieces to the side of the trail as she fell into step with him. “So what does Vanessa have to do with any of this?”
Adam was hoping she would’ve forgotten about Vanessa. He’d already told her a lot about his romantic past. He might as well finish the story. Her tenacity would make her hound him until she heard it. He had no fear of her spreading his personal life throughout the hospital. After observing her for the past few months, he’d noticed she wasn’t into gossiping. When the other midwives were engaged in the activity, she would leave and find work to do.
He trusted her and it scared him. He should pull away from her, but didn’t want to. It was as if she’d enchanted him.
“After Lynette, I had no faith in women and no need for relationships. I was young and free. All of
the things you accuse me of being now, was what I was back then. Wild. I would use women and toss them to the side without any regard for how they felt. I’m not proud to admit this, but student nurses were my favorite. They were willing and easy.”
She frowned.
His jaw clenched as he wondered if any doctor had ever taken advantage of her. Pushing the thought to the side he continued. “Vanessa happens to be one of the student nurses I used.” At Esi’s look of surprise, he felt the need to expound. “Back then I was heartbroken. I know I treated those women like tissues. They thought they may be getting a doctor for a husband when I knew it would never be the case. All of that changed after her.”
“What happened?”
He could hear the shushing sound of the waterfall. “It’s not much farther to the falls now.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “What happened with Vanessa?”
“I slept with her a few times. As soon as she started saying she loved me, I called it off. She didn’t accept it. She would call my cell all the time telling me how much she missed and loved me. I had to change my number. That didn’t stop her from harassing me at work. Whenever I turned around, she’d be in my face. She would stand outside of my apartment and wait for me.”
“So your actions had consequences.” Her words didn’t possess the censure he’d expected.
“Yes, they did. Her harassment went on for weeks.”
“How did you handle it?”
“Not well. I yelled at her in the workplace.”
She stopped mid-stride, shaking her head.
“I know. I know. It was a bad move. It pushed her to her breaking point, and she lost it. The next thing I knew, she’d called my family members threatening to kill them if I didn’t marry her.”
She turned with hands on her hips. “What?”
“That’s what I said.”
“So then what happened?” She ambled forward taking care to step over a tree root sticking up in the middle of the trail.
“She met up with my sister one day and threatened her. To this day, I have no idea how she learned where she attended senior secondary school. I couldn’t have her harassing my innocent little sister. She was fifteen at the time.”