Glorious Sunset

by Ava Bleu

  “My, your word choice is all wrong! Your friend died in 1600 AD. His spirit was restless, searching for answers, almost as stubborn as you. But he found those answers in this last life. He found peace and when the body that held his warrior’s spirit died this time, his soul finally passed into our Father’s Kingdom to be embraced by the rest of the Jahanian people. They all wait, you see. They wait for their king and queen to return. One way or the other your spirits have ended their journey; this is the final incarnation for you both. Do you see, my son?”

  Yes, finally he saw. What had his Ani said yesterday? The Almighty wanted Taka to bring Violet back to him and now he understood that if Taka could not make things right no one else could. Violet’s spirit had been back many times and this was her last chance. When all was said and done, if they didn’t make their way back to each other, Taka would surely get to the underworld first to cool off a prickly seat with his behind in order to offer it to her when she followed: a final gift for his beloved wife. No, he couldn’t allow that to happen.

  “Today is an important day for you, Taka, and I find I’m in a strange position.”

  Taka was alarmed as his friend’s eyes grew wet. “Aniweto, what is it, my friend?”

  A gentle smile from a gentle soul. “Before you were born our Father told me about a young man who would grow up to be a strong and valiant king. But, as with everything wonderful He has ever created on this earth, evil was going to try to destroy this young, proud man by taking everything he loved. So our Father sent me to help prepare the man. He gave me substance so I could be seen, heard, and felt by my ward.

  “That is how it came about that when you were born I whispered into your tiny ear and told you it was safe to open your eyes. When you began to eat I took your food in my hand and showed you how to chew. When you faltered on new legs I held my arms to you so you wouldn’t be afraid to walk. When your father died in battle I held you as you cried. When you married Zahara I stood beside you, overjoyed with the love that woman planted in your heart and soul. I was as close to a real father as I ever had the fortune to be. And, inevitably, when that horrible day came when everyone you loved was beset upon by evil I anticipated the overwhelming grief. I even anticipated the anger. But it was my job to make sure you knew you were not alone. I failed you. You felt as if our Father had abandoned you and nothing could have been further from the truth. We were with you every step but still you felt hopeless. I asked our Father’s forgiveness long ago. I ask yours, now.”

  Taka’s jaw tensed as he fought the tears that threatened to fall. “I . . . I have nothing to forgive, Ani. You were my friend. I’ve always known you were there for me. I treated you like I treated Zahara. Because I knew I had your love I knew I could cause you pain. I was hurting and I wanted you to hurt. I wanted Him to hurt. In my arrogance and narcissism I thought I was favored by our Father and blessings were due me. It never occurred to me that I might have been blessed for any other reason. Ani, it is I who ask you for forgiveness. You have been more than a friend to me. And no matter what happens tomorrow, I thank you. And I love you, my dear friend.”

  Tears fell down Ani’s cheeks but he smiled nonetheless. “And I love you. No matter how the story of Taka Olufemi ends, know that I will love you for eternity. Go in peace, my son.”

  Ani disappeared and for a moment Taka was still. No one had to tell him he had just said good-bye to his friend forever. He felt the loss already, as if a warm blanket that had always lain across his shoulders was slowly peeled away. Ani couldn’t help him anymore. His guardian’s job was done and Taka had to make his own way from here on and the enormity of his task set in.

  How could he do it? How could he save them both? More importantly, how could he save Violet? He would gladly go to the inferno if it would spare her the trip. But he’d used every tactic he knew. He had nothing left.

  The sudden knock on the front door drew his eyes but he remained frozen. He had little time left and no plan. And suddenly something as simple as a knock on the door frightened him.

  Violet ran back in from the bedroom, tossed him an intimate look of annoyance—he should have answered the door—and then opened it herself. Jerome stepped inside and Taka’s heart shriveled.

  “Hi, baby!” Violet said, tossing her arms around his neck. But something wasn’t right. Taka noticed the stiffness of the man’s body and the box by his feet that Violet was too taken with enthusiasm to spy. Finally Violet pulled away to look into the face of the man.

  “Did you hear? I got the Bickman account!”

  “Oh yeah, I heard. I heard a whole lot of stuff. Spent all night thinking about ‘stuff’ and getting stuff together.” He pulled farther away from Violet, pointedly creating distance. He then pulled the box inside to drop loudly on the floor. “I heard you been holed up here with this guy.” He gestured at Taka. “And he ain’t even family. That true?”

  Violet’s face froze while she went into damage control mode. When she unfroze her eyes were wide and innocent. “I don’t know who told you that, but that’s a blatant lie. I told you, Taka’s my cousin.”

  “Yeah, well Brenda says he ain’t.”

  “Why were you talking to Brenda? You know better than to believe what she says; she’s just pissed because I took the account from her.”

  “That right? ’Cause she says you been lying to me. Me.”

  Violet inspected the look on Jerome’s face. He gave her a look like the idea was so close to sacrilegious it hurt him to think it was true. As if lying to him were a sin along the lines of destroying the holy grail. Pleaasse! Violet almost wanted to burst his bubble and remind him he wasn’t all that but that would be defeating the purpose.

  “Now, Jerome.” She put her hands on her hips. “Why would I lie to you? You’re going to be my husband. You and I are the ones in this relationship; she doesn’t have a thing to do with it. And when we get married—”

  “Oh, and she says you planning on making me sign a prenuptial agreement to keep me away from your money. How about that?”

  “Prenup?” She twisted her face and put her hands up in the air in an “I don’t know what you’re talking about” expression, all the while thinking, prenup might not be a bad idea. Two days ago it didn’t matter but today she was wealthy. She might have to slip the page in with some other papers so he wouldn’t realize what he was signing, but it could be done.

  “Look, baby. I don’t know what that skank has been saying to you but she’s a liar. She’s just upset because of the contract and now she wants to get back at me, that’s all. I mean, it’s just amazing to see how far desperation will make some women go.”

  “So you ain’t trying to keep no money away from me? I mean, I been supporting you, encouraging you and all that. It’d be whack if you tried to cut me out when all my effort paid off.”

  “Of course not, honey. What’s mine is yours.”

  “I don’t know,” he said, doubtfully. His eyes swung up to Taka who was watching the whole scene with a sour face. “What about him?” He gestured with a nod in his direction. “Brenda said you two got something going.”

  “That’s a lie,” Violet said emphatically.

  “He really your cousin?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Jerome looked at Violet’s face, inspecting it closely. He seemed to relax a little, seemed to be believing her. She almost wanted to smile but she would have to save that for later. Later she would smile, laugh, and do her own victory dance over Brenda’s dead, size-negative-two carcass.

  “So, y’all ain’t got nothing going up in here? ’Cause, you wouldn’t let me have none the other night. What was that about if it wasn’t about him?”

  Violet felt a flash of embarrassment. “You don’t have to tell our romantic business, Jerome, it’s embarrassing.”

  “I’m just saying, I didn’t get none. I want to make sure it ain’t ’cause of some other guy up in here.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you? He’s my cou
sin. This is all completely innocent and Brenda is a vindictive witch.”

  He looked at her longer, trying to gauge her honesty in her eyes.

  From where he stood, Taka watched as well. He had to admit, she was good. He would believe her too, if he didn’t know her so well. As Jerome would know her if he spent half a second trying to get to know her. Taka hung his head in frustration and Jerome caught the movement.

  “Hey,” the man said, looking at Taka, then at Violet. Finally he focused on Taka’s tormented eyes. “You tell me. She telling the truth?”

  Violet’s comfort visibly fled. “I told you the truth, Jerome.”

  “I asked him,” Jerome said, staring him down. “You all honorable and crap like that. You her cousin or what?”

  Violet turned to look at Taka and he returned the stare. Her eyes screamed for him to back her up. Her face was panicked. He did not want to make things difficult for her. Jerome was her choice, apparently. Jerome was what she wanted, so who was he to meddle in that? She had proven time and again that she was bound and determined to destroy herself, and His Father had told him it was not his place to sway her. So he could leave here today, satisfied that he had done all he could. He could go away finally putting to rest the idea that he was her savior. All he had to do was back her up.

  He looked at her large, brown, pleading eyes. He looked at Jerome’s beady, stupid ones. He asked himself what he could live with. He couldn’t decide for her, but he could decide for himself. It wasn’t a question, really. He’d been many things in his life, but he’d never been a liar.

  “I am no blood relation to Violet,” he said firmly but softly. The simple statement went off like a gun in the silent room. It might as well have been a gunshot the way Jerome began flailing his arms, yelling, and screaming about what a tramp Violet was and how trifling she was and how she was no good and wasn’t worth anything and never would be. Violet was busy trying to avoid the flailing and get her arms around his neck at the same time to convince him otherwise. Taka was wishing he could be anywhere else so as not to have to see this.

  “You a liar!” Jerome yelled, pushing her away. “You calling Brenda a skank; you a skank!”

  “No, no, it’s not like that, Jerome, really! Nothing’s going on between us. Nothing could, I love you!”

  “You a liar!” He finally tired of her trying to touch him and moved forward, pushing her away. She fell back onto her behind and Taka sprang forward to push as well, only this time and with the amount of force, Jerome’s back slammed against the door with a loud bang. Taka’s adrenalin surged with his anger and when Jerome attempted to right himself, he slammed him again into the door.

  “Don’t ever lay your hands on her!” Taka yelled.

  “Screw you, man!” Jerome yelled back, coming at Taka with his fists. Taka reached back to gain some foundation behind a punch he would land on Jerome’s jaw, a punch a long time coming, when he felt Violet’s hand on his arm. She had scrambled up and nearly catapulted onto his back trying to stop the fist and the inevitable punch. Taka twisted and looked at her, despair in his voice.

  “Why would you stop me? He pushed you to the ground!”

  “Leave us alone to fix this!”

  Jerome had shaken himself free by then, and managed to place an arm’s length from himself and Taka. He shook himself off and opened the front door. “Ain’t nothing to fix, Violet. It’s over.”

  “No. Don’t say that,” Violet said, feverish thoughts running through her head. She didn’t know what was worse, the scene that had just happened or the thought that everything was slipping through her fingers. “We can make this better, baby. We can fix this.”

  Jerome shook his head, trying to hide embarrassment and humiliation. He pointed to Taka. “You crazy,” and then to Violet, “and you a ho. See ya!” Then he turned and walked out, posturing all the way and slamming the door behind.

  Violet stood stock still for a moment, her face a mask of shock. She blinked in confusion, looking lost and dazed. Taka looked at her and was surprised to see sobering pain. No, she had not loved Jerome, but she had invested in him. And apparently that investment had just gone cold.

  She looked at Taka, her face hardening into a mask. “You did this.”

  He wanted to take credit because he knew breaking up with Jerome was the best thing for her but he would give anything to remove the wounded look from her eyes. Yet another scar on her already scarred soul. “I did nothing.”

  “You never liked him but he was going to be my husband. All you had to do was back me up, that’s all you had to do. That’s . . .” She stopped suddenly and staggered over to pull open a drawer and Taka watched while she pulled out a paper bag, her color going high and perspiration popping on her forehead.

  “What is the matter? What is wrong with your breathing?”

  “Your fault,” she gasped, putting the bag to her face and breathing in and out, crazily. “You betrayed”—in and out—“me!”

  “I could not lie.”

  In and out like a bellows. “You ruined”—in and out—“everything!”

  “I ruined nothing.”

  She took some more deep breaths and finally pulled the bag away, sighing in a normal breath again. When she looked at him her face was flushed and her eyes raw. “My final wish . . . You were supposed to give me that one last thing.”

  “It was not my wish to give. My Father, our Father—”

  “Isn’t that convenient; whenever things go wrong you blame Him. But I blame you. I blame you!” She stalked over to him and used her two arms to push him, just as she had been pushed, but he didn’t budge. She pushed him again, frustration making her try harder when it was obvious she could make no headway against him. “Why couldn’t you just leave me be? Why’d you have to ruin my life?”

  Taka felt his heart tear and break even as her anger washed over him. “You do not love him. You only wanted to play with him.”

  “So what? You think I haven’t been played with a thousand times? It was my turn, don’t you understand? It was my turn to have the upper hand!”

  “That is what it would have been?” he snapped. “The upper hand? Living with a man you did not love? That would make you powerful?”

  “I asked you to make him love me.”

  “That power is beyond me, and, I am certain, beyond all that is holy.”

  “I hate you. And I’m sick and tired of you lecturing about love. You don’t know what love is. Your love is dead just like you are! Just like your people and your kingdom and the wife you claim to love so much!”

  She said the words and knew they were cruel; and even saw them hit home as his eyes flashed with pain, but she didn’t care. She wouldn’t soften to him after he’d ruined her dreams. It was time someone said it.

  “Shall I show you what love is?” Taka asked. “Would you like to see real love? Would you like to see what is important?”

  “Yes! You know so much, show me your dead love!”

  Taka looked up to the ceiling, his body tense with the gravity of what could be his final prayer. “One last time, Father. Please, I beg you, take us home one last time!”

  Violet gasped as Taka grasped her around the waist and pulled her close. Around them the air swirled madly. She looked around her kitchen but it was fast fading into gray, the floor dropping from beneath them as they twirled up, still entwined, to the ceiling, an extra-wide plume of smoke that hovered in her small apartment before shooting into the stone that fell off the table with the force of their spirits catapulting inside.

  Chapter 24

  Violet’s eyes were pressed closed and she held him tightly until finally, she felt something under her feet. She opened her eyes into Taka’s chest and blinked several times before noticing that he no longer wore the nondescript clothes and coat he’d worn previously, but seeing instead dark blue silk. She stepped away slightly and found his entire dress was different. There were vibrant silks wrapped over him from head to toe, with his chest
partially bare. He wore chains of gold and silver. He even wore a gold head dressing on his regal head. Where before he’d been dressed as a man, now he was dressed as a . . . king. Her eyes widened, looking him up and down. “What is this?” she asked, trembling.

  “This is my home. This is my source of love. This is the environment that gave me my strength. And look.” He turned her around gently and she saw she was in a large room with pillars beyond which opened up to the outdoors, resplendent with green trees and pastures. But he was facing her to a tall piece of glass and as she approached she thought she was looking at a painting behind a frame. She saw the colors of the silks and the delicate draping of the fabric before she saw the full image, but as she stepped closer she saw she was looking into a mirror and the woman in magnificent dress with the headdress on her head was she.

  “This is the Great Hall at Jaha. And these are my people.” He clapped his hands together as he’d done in his time, half expecting silence to follow. But his Father was kind. At the sound of his clap, people began to spill into the hall, rushing to greet him. People he knew! As Taka stood there, friends, and family came in a rush, some walking and some running in their haste to get to him, happy to see him after such a long spell. Taka laughed out loud, in the booming laugh that had been stilled for so long, as tears streamed over his cheeks and down his face. He looked upon the people who had filled the happiest days of his life. Were they spirits or apparitions? No matter. When his father ran in and his mother came shortly after, tears in her eyes, and cupped his cheeks in her hands, he didn’t care if she was an apparition. He held her and cried with her and smiled at her gentle words. Cried as he had not cried since he was a child held in her sweet arms.

  Someone started playing music with the introduction of a loud drumbeat that vibrated the hall and sounded out for miles around. A cheer went up as people began to dance. More people rushed in with food, so much food it seemed beyond belief. And fruits of the most exotic nature. Wines, baked foods, potatoes and yams and lentils, coconuts and mangos, dates and figs: platters upon platters of food.