Oliver grimaced. "That's the problem with gratitude; it gets translated into all kinds of things and you feel as if you owe people. You are young; you should get the chance to live your life without any obligations to anyone."
"But I promised him," Ashaki whispered. "I promised I'd be around when he got back."
"I know," Oliver said morosely, "but the thing is, the more I think about it, the more I think you got a raw deal. You are not really free, are you? You just got released from a promise to one man and then here you are married to another one, while promised to the next one. It sounds exhausting when you think about it."
Ashaki nodded. "I guess but, Oliver, I know who I..." She swallowed.
"Don't say it," Oliver shrugged. "Don't..."
Ashaki subsided in the settee and they sat and watched the television, both of them caught up in their own whirling thoughts.
****
"You are smiling to yourself," Ashaki said to Oliver. They had just exited the customs area at the airport and were heading to the arrival lounge.
"I am home." Oliver grinned. "I have a tendency to do that when I am home."
"It is something more than that," Ashaki said, pulling her overweight suitcases along. She had three to his one.
Oliver glanced at her. "You have an uncanny knack to clue into my emotions, you know that?"
"I do?" She grinned. "So why don't I know why you are smiling?"
"I am smiling because I am going to see my brother." Oliver grinned. "I grew up thinking I was an only child but I found Reuben and now I hear I have a couple more brothers and a sister."
"How is that possible?" Ashaki asked, widening her eyes.
Oliver shrugged. "It is a long story."
They sat down in the lounge. Their flight arrived earlier than expected and they cleared customs fairly quickly. Reuben was expecting them at four, it was now three-thirty. They had a half hour to wait. He could tell Ashaki about his unexpected siblings.
"My mother lied to me for years about who my father was." Oliver inhaled. "She would hate that I am telling you this."
"So tell me," Ashaki said gleefully. "Please, pretty please."
"You have got to get on better with my mom." Oliver looked at her sternly. "She is a very nice lady, if she is not feeling ruffled."
Ashaki made a face. "I believe you."
Oliver chuckled. "Anyway, my father turned out to be a man who had a wandering eye and was quite unfaithful, so they split. She tried her best to clean him out of her history. Unfortunately, I wanted to know him. So I started looking for him as soon as I heard who he was."
"How old were you?" Ashaki asked.
"Eighteen. And an only child who always dreamt of having a brother or a sister. So I found out my father's name. I heard he lived in a place called Treasure Beach. I had no idea where it was but I packed a weekend bag and I headed there. My mother was distraught at the time. She didn't want me to know the Scarletts. She thought that they must all be as bad as my father.
"She tried a long, long, long crying jag, and emotional blackmail and the works.
Anyway, I persevered. I got on a bus. I reached a township called Junction and then took a taxi to Treasure Beach. As soon as I alighted the taxi, I saw a young guy. He was fixing a tire on his car and I asked him if he knew a Peter Scarlett.
"And he asked why.
"I told him I was his son.
"And he stood still for a while and then said, ‘So am I.’
"That guy was Reuben Scarlett, my brother. We shook hands and then hugged. Just like that I had a brother."
"So where is your father?" Ashaki asked.
"I have no clue." Oliver sighed. "He has a history of running away from relationships and not staying in one place too long. Such a pity though; he has such a loving family. I'd love to meet him one day."
"Hey Oliver!" A tall guy waved to him from across the airport lounge.
"That's Reuben!" Oliver grinned.
"Theres a guy beside him," Ashaki said. "That's another brother?"
"No." Oliver smiled. "He's my cousin, Yuri."
"You have a very good-looking family." Ashaki glanced at Oliver. "But you look the best of them all."
Oliver chuckled. "Loyalty. I like that."
****
His family had multiplied, Oliver realized after looking around at the gathering at Yuri's house. Reuben and Yuri were married. His cousin Troy had a son, along with his daughter, Dahlia.
His newest brother Kane, who preferred to be called Slater, was married too and his wife Amoy was Zack's sister.
His cousin Terri was married to their lawyer, Zack. This he knew from his call earlier in the year but it would take him more than a few hours to hear all their stories and to meet up with the individual couples and integrate himself once more into his rapidly changing family.
He said as much out loud. "I was just gone for two years! You guys expand fast."
Lisa, his sister—he still had problems formulating that in his head--was the first to answer.
"Imagine what this is like for me. One day I had no family and was kicked out on the streets and the next I have more family than I can process."
Nate chimed in. "I had no idea she was a relative of yours, buddy. At least you and I skipped the 'you can't date my sister’ routine."
The rest of the clan laughed. They were all lounging around in Yuri's large, tastefully decorated living room.
"But he is one to talk," Reuben said. "You went to Africa and came back with a wife."
Oliver had not gotten around to telling them that Ashaki was just a temporary wife.
He cleared his throat. "We have not been together for long. She needed to leave her village and marriage was a solution."
He didn't mention that Ashaki had almost strong-armed him into it with her tearful insistence that she would die, or David's plan to marry her himself as soon as he was free.
"Ahh." Terri was the first one to speak after the silence. "So you rescued her?" She glanced at Ashaki. "Sorry to refer to you as if you are not here. So he rescued you?"
"Yes." Ashaki nodded. "I was supposed to marry the chief of the village. I would have been his fourth wife."
"I have a picture of the chief," Nate piped in. "I am so sorry for you, Ashaki."
Ashaki looked at Nate and smiled and Lisa drew closer to her man. The girl was even prettier in person than pictures.
"Interesting." Zack looked at Oliver as if they hadn't told him the whole story already. Oliver hoped that Zack didn't bring up the David angle because he knew his opinionated family would be on the topic for hours to come.
Instead, he changed the topic from him and Ashaki. "So, how is the search for Peter Scarlett?"
A collective sigh met that question.
"Your father is either Houdini or dead," Troy said, looking up from where he was entertaining Malik, Yuri's son.
"I hope he is not dead," Reuben said somberly. "I really want to tell him off."
"I could care less if he's found," Slater muttered. "Maybe he is better off not being around."
"I'd like to see him at least once," Lisa said, "to satisfy my curiosity. I don't know what I would say to him though."
"And you, Oliver, what do you think?" Ashaki asked. She was really interested in his response.
"I don't know." Oliver shrugged. "Ten years ago I badly wanted to meet him, but now, to be honest, it's not a pressing matter. But I must say it gives me a sense of satisfaction to meet my new brother and sister. I might have the same feeling when I see him."
Zack nodded. "Well, the good news for you is that there may be a lead on his whereabouts. He was in touch with Ricardo Mills in the past two years or so."
"Ricardo Mills?" Oliver widened his eyes. "The obnoxious guy that Terri hates? Yuri's friend from the pit of hell?"
Terri chuckled. "You remembered that rant? That was like eight years ago!"
"Oh yes." Oliver chuckled, "I remember feeling very concerned for your soul'
s salvation when you were spewing your venom about him."
Everybody chuckled.
Zack was the first to speak. "Who wants to give Oliver the potted version of Ricardo Mills?"
"I do," Lisa said drolly. "After all, Ricky is my friend and cousin, so I can give the most sympathetic version."
Marla snorted. "By all means, go ahead because God knows my version would not be."
That was cause for laughter again, but this time uncomfortable.
Lisa cleared her throat. "Well, Ricky was a little evil back in the days and did some crazy things to this family."
"Crazy!" Chelsea muttered. "When you come by, Oliver, I will give you an earful. We are living close to Mount Faith now. So bring Ashaki and we'll have a party."
Oliver nodded. "Looking forward to it."
"He's changed now, guys, please remember. His mother, Francine, my aunt, decided to fix him. She heard that electroshock therapy worked to correct certain behaviors and she arranged it. Ricky has changed. However, one of the side effects is memory loss. The doctors said it would be temporary.
"One thing that Ricky did before he changed was to write in a notebook all the things he would do to the Scarletts. In that book he also jotted down a cryptic statement: meet Peter Scarlett at the Spot. The date to meet at the Spot was August. A month from now. Unfortunately, Ricky cannot remember where the Spot is. He can't even remember who Peter Scarlett is."
"I have my detective on it," Zack said when Lisa finished speaking. "We are looking into places and names called the Spot, like a restaurant or something."
"Lisa and I will be leaving for New York next week for the contract I was telling you about," Nate said, "and you are going to be living next door to Ricky, so maybe you can introduce yourself. Help jog his memory about the Spot."
Oliver shrugged. "Maybe. I doubt I can be of help in that regard. I talked to Dr. Levy about joining his practice in Junction. I might take up his offer in a couple of days."
"And I'll be going to school!" Ashaki said gleefully. And once more the conversation shifted.
This time it was about Ashaki and school and then the Congo. They talked way up into the night.
By the time Reuben dropped Oliver and Ashaki at their new place in Treasure Beach, Oliver was feeling almost dead on his feet. On his way to the master bedroom, he did acknowledge briefly the picture of Ashaki that Nate took when he visited the village last year. It was hung in the hallway along with other African scenery.
At the back of his mind the niggling thought that he was fortunate to marry her despite his reluctance kept swimming in his tired brain but he closed his eyes and blotted it out.
Chapter Seven
Treasure Beach was paradise, Ashaki concluded when she woke up in the morning to the sound of sea waves and singing birds. She had no idea that the place would be so scenic. She had woken up early and found that her room had a balcony. After one glimpse of the view she was sure that here was where she wanted to stay for the rest of her life.
She stood and inhaled for the longest time and then Oliver appeared on the balcony next to her. He yawned and stretched and gave a huge appreciative smile as he looked over at the view.
"Good morning." He turned and smiled at her.
Ashaki stood frozen in place, barely able to speak. Oliver was shirtless; his track bottom hung low on his hips. She had seen him shirtless before but this time his body was glaringly obvious in the daylight. The last time she had seen him shirtless it was in the half dark at his mother's place. She wanted to run her hands over his chest just to feel it.
She lifted her hand instead and rubbed the back of her neck.
"Ashaki, you okay?" he asked frowning at her.
"Oui, bonjour." She nodded to him jerkily. "Mtazamo mzuri."
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "French and...Swahili? Let me see… good morning… is it...beautiful view?"
"Yes," Ashaki nodded. "Sorry."
She spun around to the sea view and swallowed. He was not bulky but he had a nicely defined chest with a mat of curly hair that tapered off to his belly button.
"You are acting odd." He gave her the side eye and then turned back to the view. "Fancy a swim?"
"Yes!" she said it brightly and then realized that if she was in awe of Oliver now, she would probably be frozen stiff when he was in his trunks.
"Meet you at the sea side," Oliver said, strutting to his room casually, as if he didn't realize how good-looking he was.
She nodded but he didn't see.
It took her a while to go back into hers and find one of the three bathing suits Oliver had insisted she buy. When she finally decided on the white one, Oliver was already downstairs. She heard the door open and then close.
She felt very self-conscious walking down the stairs half-naked. She had never gone out in public so scantily clad. She went back up to the room and pulled on one of her loose dresses. Oliver had called it a wrap. It covered her adequately but was very light, almost see through. But at least she was more comfortable in it than she was in just her swimwear.
And she was right to cover up too; Oliver was on the beach side talking to a light-skinned guy. The guy was the same height as he was. She stopped at the gate but Oliver beckoned for her to come forward. She did so reluctantly.
The guy beside him was looking at her intently and uncomfortably long.
She was kind of shocked to hear Oliver say with almost rude abruptness, "My wife, Ashaki Scarlett."
He had never called her Ashaki Scarlett before. And he was looking at the guy with a fierce frown.
She held out her hand and the guy took it. "You are exquisite." He held her hand too long. "My name is Ricardo Mills. You can call me Ricky."
Ashaki nodded. "Nice to meet you, Ricky."
"That accent," Ricky murmured. "I think I am in love."
"Don't be." Oliver almost snarled.
"With the accent." Ricky laughed. "I love it. You are what, French? Definitely a model?"
"African," Ashaki murmured. "No, not a model."
"I already knew that; there is a picture of you in our hotel lobby. It was taken by Nate. You two must have dinner with us one night." Ricky dragged his eyes from Ashaki and looked at Oliver. "I feel as if I already know Ashaki here...and her village."
Oliver sighed. "I don't know..."
"Come on," Ricky urged. "My mother would love to meet you both, and since you are Lisa's brother, you should know that she's family. We want to be neighborly."
Ricky glanced at Ashaki again and Oliver tensed up. Ashaki was standing close enough to him to feel his muscles clench and unclench.
"Well, fine," Oliver said in an ungracious tone. She had never heard him like that before.
Ricky grinned as if he found Oliver's disgruntlement amusing. "Would next Wednesday be okay?"
"Yes," Oliver muttered.
"You have a glorious looking wife, Oliver Scarlett," Ricky said throwing her a smile before he headed up the beach.
He turned back. "Take care of her!"
"He seems nice," Ashaki said while Oliver angrily peeled off his track bottom and dropped it on the sand.
"He was blatantly flirting." Oliver grumbled. "He has no regard for propriety; a man introduces you to his wife, you keep your polite distance. You don't call her exquisite and glorious and stare at her legs as if you are a dog in heat."
She tried to follow him as he casually took off his shirt, peeling her dress over her head and throwing it in the sand.
Then she realized he was standing still and looking up and down her body. "This summer is going to be the test of my will, the test of friendship, the undoing of my manhood."
He headed to the sea after that cryptic statement but she could literally feel the heat from his look. It seemed as if she was not the only one doing the admiration. The knowledge actually made her smile. And maybe she swung her hips a bit too much as she walked toward the shoreline.
****
Being Oliver Scarlett's wife was
going to be eventful, Ashaki realized.
Breakfast was a touch and go situation. Oliver had many meetings in the town with Dr. Levy, who had such a busy practice that after their initial meeting Oliver ended up helping with some of the patients.
For church they were definitely not alone. Oliver decided to go to his brother's church and they spent all day there.
That first week they had her teaching them "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know" in Swahili.
And Oliver was recruited into Reuben's choir.
They had lunch with his relatives in Pedro, and everyone treated her like she was his wife for real and Oliver did nothing to discourage that thought. She followed his lead, even laughing at some of the newlywed sex jokes one of his giant redheaded cousins insisted on telling.
But the situation had her confused. When they were alone he was obviously keeping his distance. He wasn't quite cold but he wasn't as warm to her as he was in New York. They didn't even hold hands or touch beyond the casual or accidental.
Week one in her new confusing married life went by without a hitch. She may have watched too much local television but it was a good way to know what was going on in the country and she spent a few days surfing the Internet after Oliver showed her what to do.
Everything was on the Internet.
Week two could probably be dubbed an uneventful week in her marriage but eventful with Oliver's family. She spent some time with Oliver's Aunt Daisy and Uncle Lloyd and was taught by Aunt Daisy how to cook cassava bammy from scratch.
She took home six small bammies and Oliver devoured them with the steamed fish. After he ate it he smiled at her like the Oliver of old and told her about his day and the fact that Dr. Levy's daughter was joining the practice too. She made a mental note to prepare the meal for him often.
"Her name is Nellie Levy," Oliver said, wiping his mouth on the napkin. "Have you applied for the next semester yet? Remember, you can do it online."
Oliver helped her with the online application to the College of Science at the Mount Faith University.
Scarlett Bride (The Scarletts Page 6