“You’re almost a man. I’ve got to keep tabs on you. Got a girlfriend?”
His nephew laughed. His other nieces and nephews greeted him and one of them carried his bag to his old room.
It was a couple of hours before he could escape. It still wasn’t too late to call Senetra.
They talked an hour on the phone.
He thought his dad was in bed, but when Alex went to the kitchen for a drink of water, his father was sitting at the table.
“Can’t sleep?” Alex leaned against the counter.
“Just happy all my family is home, that’s all. Don’t want to miss a minute of it.”
Alex smiled.
“You were on the phone for a while.”
Alex took a swallow of water. “I met this lady in Alaska. She’s great.”
“You like her a lot?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m glad,” his father said. “Are you going to see Jessica while you’re here?”
“If our paths cross,” he said. “I’m not going to search her out.”
“Hard not to as she attends the same church.”
“Yeah. Regina sent you something.”
“Is that your new friend’s name?” his father asked.
Alex nodded.
“What did she send me?”
“Back in a sec.” Alex retrieved the framed photo from his room and gave it to his father.
“Hey. This is from the tournament you told me about?”
Alex nodded. A couple of his brothers came into the room and looked at the picture.
“You’ve become quite the fisherman,” his older brother, Samuel, said.
“Still amateur, but it’s fun.”
His dad went to bed.
“Most of us are leaving in a few days,” one of his brothers said. “Wish you came earlier.”
Alex shrugged.
He knew his brothers wanted to talk about his decision, but their wives came in and the discussion was shelved for another time.
Alex attended church with the rest of his family. As his father was a deacon, he said a few words before the church about his joy at having all his children home, especially Alex, who was working for an oil company in Alaska. Alex could have done without the attention.
The pastor asked Alex to say a few words and Alex expressed how much he’d enjoyed the service and seeing so many familiar faces.
After the service, he couldn’t get out of the door before he was waylaid again and again and commended for what he’d done for his father. And then Jessica and her husband approached. They’d all attended the same schools.
“Welcome home, man,” Jessica’s husband, Josh, said. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see you,” Alex responded with a smile, and shook Josh’s hand before he kissed Jessica lightly on the cheek. She wasn’t showing yet.
“Congratulations are in order. I’m really happy for you.” And surprisingly, Alex meant it. He’d expected to feel regret, jealousy, loss. But he felt none of those things. He could see they were happy together although Josh seemed a little possessive. “When is the baby due?”
“October,” Jessica responded.
The pastor called to Josh and he left them.
Jessica seemed nervous. “Are you really all right?”
Alex nodded.
“I just…I hate that you’re out there all alone in a place where you can’t date.”
“I can date,” Alex said. “And I do. It’s a long-distance relationship, but it works.”
“What does she do there?” Jessica asked.
“She’s a high school teacher.”
“And she’s black?”
Alex nodded and chuckled. “One of only a handful in town.”
“So, what happens when you leave?” Jessica asked. “Will she come back here with you?”
“We’ll figure that out when it happens. Right now I fly out to visit her every chance I get.”
“I’m glad things are working out well with you. You’re looking good.”
“I’m glad you’re happy, Jessica.”
His brother Samuel signaled him. “It was nice seeing you again. Have a happy Easter,” Alex said, and joined his brother.
Alex spoke to a few more parishioners on his way to the car.
“That must have been tough,” Sam said.
“It wasn’t.”
“So you’re over her?”
“Completely.” And it was true. Alex couldn’t wait to get back to Senetra.
It was late Sunday night, after Alex’s father and the younger kids had gone to bed and the older ones were either outside horsing around or watching TV, that the brothers and sisters closed the door to the kitchen and sat at the country kitchen table to talk. Alex geared up for the confrontation as his older brother took the lead.
“It’s not that we don’t appreciate what you did, Alex, and we’re not ganging up on you. It’s just that it should have been a family decision,” one of his brothers said.
“What we really want to say is thank you,” Samuel said. “Dad told us selling the land was his decision. He wouldn’t let you stop him. Working in Alaska was a selfless thing you did for Dad and we appreciate it.”
“But—” his other brother started, the contentious one.
“We would have sat around this table arguing for hours, maybe even days with Daddy in the hospital not knowing how this was going to turn out,” his older sister said.
“I’m just sorry you lost Jessica,” his younger sister said.
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
“But you loved each other.”
“I thought I did, but I found someone better for me.”
“We haven’t seen you for two years. Just don’t let that happen again. Because we missed you,” his older sister said.
“Alaska isn’t that far away that you can’t make it back for Christmas or Thanksgiving,” his younger sister said.
“I hear you loud and clear,” Alex retorted. “I missed you, too.”
“You all know damn well you would have argued to kingdom come. Since when have we agreed on anything? We could have visited him,” the brother next to him muttered.
“Just like always, Johnny-come-lately. We’d already solved this thing.”
“I’m just stating the truth whether you want to hear it or not.”
“Just tell me you didn’t sacrifice a lifetime of happiness when you lost Jessica,” his older sister said.
“It’s exactly what I’m telling you,” he said.
“So, will we get to meet this new woman?”
“Who said there was a new one?” Alex said. “Like I tell you all my business.”
Everyone glared at him until he relented.
“You might have to come to Alaska to meet her. She won’t come here.”
“Why not?”
Alex shrugged. “She has her reasons.”
“Now, you didn’t fall for some weirdo, did you?” his older sister asked.
One of his brothers punched him in the side. “We’ve got a family of weirdos. Don’t have to go all the way to Alaska for that.”
“But your home is still here,” Samuel said.
Alex was ready to put down roots. Homer was a nice community. He didn’t think for a moment Senetra would come back here.
“We’ll see,” Alex said but wouldn’t commit.
“My wife’s been bugging me about an Alaskan cruise for years,” Samuel said finally. “Flying there will be even better.”
Chapter 10
After Alex went to his room, he called Senetra. It was twelve in Wisconsin, but only nine in Homer.
“How did your trip go?” she asked, but sounded a little subdued.
“Better than I thought. I’m leaving early tomorrow morning.” He lowered his voice. “I’m looking forward to seeing you.”
“Me, too.”
“You want to see you?” Alex joked, but wondered what was going on.
“You, silly.”
Pressure left Alex’s chest.
“How long can you stay?”
“I’m leaving Thursday morning. I’ll be with you until Sunday.”
“I’ll see if I can plan something for the weekend,” she said.
After they hung up, Alex considered asking his cousin what was going on with Timothy, but decided not to. Eventually, when Senetra began to trust him, he was hoping she’d tell her story. Until then, he wouldn’t mention Timothy.
“How was your trip home?” she asked when Alex arrived Friday afternoon.
“It was great. Made up with the siblings. Had a great time with the nieces and nephews. A couple of my brothers are coming here to meet you this summer.”
Apprehension invaded her good mood. Meeting his family meant pictures and she couldn’t let anyone take pictures of her. His family would think it strange if she refused to take them, but it was a small world and she’d been careful so far.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Senetra hedged. “It’s not cheap coming here. We’ve only been dating a little while.”
“I want my family to meet you and I know you won’t go to Wisconsin. Or will you?”
Senetra bit down on her lip as her gaze skimmed him. “I’m not ready to meet them.”
A moment of silence preceded his “Then they’ll meet me in Anchorage. They don’t know where you are, only that I’ve met you.”
Senetra felt a little better, but not much. Still, she wasn’t going to let her doubts spoil their time together. Their relationship might not even last the summer.
Senetra had suggested they take a walk.
“You’re quiet,” Alex said. The park was quiet, also.
“I’m gathering my thoughts.”
“I sensed something was wrong the last time I spoke with you. What is it?”
“Alex, I care a lot about you, but I shouldn’t have started a relationship with you.”
Startled, Alex stopped and stared at her. “Where did this come from?”
“I can’t give you details so don’t ask me. But someone is searching for me. If he finds me, he’ll kill me, and if you’re here, he could very well kill you, too.” She stared at him with anguish. “I can’t take the chance of that happening.”
“I thought we had a relationship. That means both of us discuss things and make decisions based on facts.” Alex was beginning to see the problem his brothers and sisters had with him two years ago. He’d thought he was in the right the last couple of years; he hadn’t seen the situation from their point of view. “I couldn’t live with something happening to you because of me. So let’s discuss it,” Alex said.
Senetra shook her head. “It’s not like that. If you aren’t involved with me, my ex wouldn’t come after you.”
“Do you really expect me to give up our relationship because he might come after you?”
“There’s no might about it. I’m hiding because of him.”
“Obviously you chose this location for a reason. So that means more than likely he won’t come here.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t be found. He’s found me before.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Several months.”
“So obviously you’ve done a damn good job of hiding out.”
Frustrated, Senetra said, “Don’t you understand? I can never go home. You can’t have a picture of me on your bedside table. I can’t visit your family. There’s so much involved here. And I should have told you all this in the beginning.”
“I’m in Alaska, too, and if we take this relationship further, then I can continue to work where I am, or I can teach here.”
“That’s no way to live. I hate having to live this way, hate that I can’t even call my mother. If she’s sick, I won’t know. If she needs me, I’m not there. It was just the two of us. And—”
“Senetra…” He pulled her to him. “Baby, don’t distress yourself this way.”
But Senetra pushed away. “If you wanted to travel, I couldn’t go with you. I’d have to spend my life right here.”
“That’s not your fault.”
“That doesn’t matter. It’s a fact of my life. The price I have to pay for marrying the wrong man. But it shouldn’t be yours.”
Alex pulled her to him again and rubbed his hand over her back. “You’re stressing out over nothing. I’m not making light of your feelings, but this feels right to me. This relationship. You and me. I…You’re special, and I’m not letting that go because of your fear. Because your ex might show up. I don’t frighten easily.”
Senetra pushed back. “He almost killed me. It’s not about being brave. Domestic violence can happen to both men and women.”
“Nobody should have to put up with that crap.”
She looked at him, trying to get him to understand. “It’s…I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”
“Calm down, Regina. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. These people, this community protects you. He’s not going to be able to waltz in here and have his way with you. Don’t destroy what we have because of something that might happen. You just can’t live that way. Because it could just as easily not happen.”
“It’s the only way I can live,” she said. “As long as the laws don’t really protect people who are abused, I have to live in a prison my ex made for me.”
“Then we’ll live in it together. Sharing your life has to be better than going it alone. Don’t give up on us.”
Senetra blew out a long breath. “You make it so hard.”
“I want to make it impossible.”
“I can’t promise you more than what we already have. You know that.”
“I’m not asking for more.”
She moaned, her face pressed against his chest. He rubbed her back.
He wanted to take her inside her apartment and make love to her until her fears faded away. But he couldn’t have her thinking that all he wanted was sex. And their discussion was too serious to take lightly.
He couldn’t believe it, but he was actually falling in love with her. And he couldn’t tell her. It was the last thing she’d want to hear right now.
He tilted her chin, bent and pressed his lips to hers.
“I’ve been alone for two years. Since we’ve been together, I don’t feel so alone anymore,” he said quietly. “People need people. You can live your life without me and I can live mine without you, but the joy I feel with you wouldn’t be there. It’s the special moments that we share that make it all worthwhile,” he said. “We’ll find a way to make things work, Regina. Even if my family has to come here to see you.”
Senetra’s lips trembled as she held back tears when Alex kissed her again. “Oh, Alex, why couldn’t I have met you before my ex came into my life? Why couldn’t I see beneath his charming exterior?”
“You saw what he wanted you to see. And maybe we wouldn’t have appreciated each other this much if we’d met at any other time. Things happen for a reason. If my father hadn’t taken ill, I wouldn’t have been here and I wouldn’t have met you. If your ex hadn’t been abusive, you wouldn’t be here right now. We met up at the right time and at the right place for all the right reasons. It’s fate,” he said. “I believe that.”
“Alex—”
“We’ll take this one day, one week at a time. And we’ll make it work. And we won’t waste our time with what-ifs. Because we can’t predict the future. No sense in trying.”
Alex wanted to tell Senetra that he knew about her, and he knew her ex, but she wasn’t ready to hear that. Maybe later on she’d trust him enough that he could tell her.
“So what are we doing tonight?”
“My friend is exhibiting her paintings in the gallery. I promised her I’d go.”
“Good thing I brought my suit with me.”
Actually, four artists exhibited at the show. People from miles away attended.
Two amateurs exhibited, but the stars were one worl
d-renowned painter and a very popular Inuit carver.
Rarely did Senetra get an opportunity to pull out formal wear, but tonight she wore the plain, long, black dress that had hung in her closet for months.
Alex whistled when he saw her. The pearls her mother had given her for college graduation lay cool against her neck. They were a perfect complement to the dress.
Alex looked great in his black suit. She smoothed the perfectly placed lapels as an excuse to touch him.
“You’re handsome.” She stood on tiptoes to kiss him. His warm, strong arms came around her.
“You look fantastic,” he said, and the light in his eyes assured her he meant every word. “If we don’t leave, we won’t leave,” he said, nuzzling her neck.
They went out into the chilled night.
At the gallery, waiters carried around small trays of assorted hors d’oeuvres and champagne flutes filled nearly to the brim. Senetra took one that was only half-filled. She felt comfortable enough to drink a little. Alex knew her past. She wasn’t going to drink enough to lose control.
They walked around to view and discuss the various pieces.
Senetra introduced Alex to her friend and they discussed her work before the curator whisked her away to introduce her to a prospective buyer.
“Do you see anything you like?” Alex asked.
“I like a lot of them.”
He steered her to an obscure wall to view a well-lit painting by one of the up-and-coming artists. “This would fit over your fireplace.”
How could a painting display opposing emotions? It was peaceful, yet energetic in some ways. Senetra studied the painting closely. It was a seascape, but not one that you’d see reproduced a million times. It was a unique creation of Kachemak Bay, but not with boats in the background, rather a bear and a dolphin frolicking. The water seemed peaceful in some places and roiling in others. She could have looked at it all evening.
“I love it,” Senetra said.
“Then I’ll get it for you.”
He was saving for his future and Senetra wanted to decline, but by the look on his face, giving the gift to her pleased him.
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.” She watched as the curator put a Sold sign on the painting. She’d have it hung as soon as the show was over.
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