The direct continuation of Lost and Found
By Atonia Walpole
(Picture creations also by Atonia)
Part 1 – To Africa
Jacky had been at the Chateau La Siroque for about twenty-four hours. He’d flown with Rose and his Uncle Max and had been grateful for their company when they arrived. He knew his mother would be emotional but hadn’t counted on just how bad it was going to be.
Toni met the car in the drive and grabbed him, not waiting for him to speak. No words were necessary. They both cried and arm and arm went back into the house.
Rose had been grateful that Jacky was with them, too. It put off what she knew was coming from her mother regarding her relations with Maxi.
Max was just glad to be home and after a brief hug and kiss with Toni he left her with her son and went up to take a shower and change clothes. He was exhausted mentally and physically.
Jacky was up early. Leaving the rest of the house asleep, he wandered down to the vineyard. A mist hung over the valley and he walked down the path toward the lake. He was glad he’d mended fences with his mother. As he came up to the lake his cell phone rang. It was his father.
“Everything okay over there?” Terry asked.
“Yes, sir. Mum and I talked half the night.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that, Jacky. I’m, um, thinking about sending you to Africa if you think you’re up for it. A good friend of mine has a daughter who needs an escort home. She evidently ran into some trouble in Djibouti and is now in Eritrea. Her mother is, um, worried, to say the least. I thought about you and unless you’ve got something else lined up, you’re still on the payroll.”
Jacky was quiet for a moment considering what his father was asking. “What am I, an escort service now? You paying me by the hour?”
Terry grinned, “Depends on the client…whether you’re worth it or not. If you say yes, I’ll get the visas and papers you’ll need to get into the country. You’ll need to get to London, Jacky.”
Jacky looked around at the lake and back over the vineyards. “I don’t have anything else lined up, Dad. When do I need to be there?”
“Yesterday would have been good but as we were both crossing the Atlantic, I only found out about an hour ago.”
“A daughter, huh? How old is she…not some kid, I hope?”
“She’s twenty-four. Repack your bag and let me know. I’ll have you met at Heathrow.”
“Okay. See ya.” Jacky folded his phone. Africa? Well, even if it was just to escort some girl home it was going to get him out of the office…until he could find something else to do. He turned back toward the house. Uncle Max should have a flight schedule out of Marseilles.
Just before five o’clock he walked into SI. With a wink to the receptionist he made his way back to his father’s office. Brian was in there standing by Terry’s desk.
Brian looked him over and gave him a wink and a smile. “That’s all he’ll need, Terry. There are only three flights a week. We got him on the next one in, and he’ll have to cool his heels there for a couple of days.”
Terry looked up. “Afternoon?”
“Hi.” Jacky found a chair and sat down, stretching his legs out, wondering why he always had to wait in this office, wait for acknowledgement.
“Oakie dokie, Brian. Thanks. Are you ready to go?” He looked at Jacky while Brian closed the door.
“What…now?”
“You’ve got three hours, time for a bite to eat and a beer to wash it down.”
“I’m leaving tonight?”
“Is that a problem?” Terry stood up and slipped his jacket on.
“No.” Jacky got up, too. This was awfully quick.
“Come on. I’ll buy you dinner and fill you in. Here, take this and have a gander. Your papers are in there, too, so don’t lose anything.”
Settled in Terry’s favorite pub with a pint and a plate full of food, Jacky asked the first question. “You said this was a friend’s daughter?”
“Yes, my friend’s name is Amy Roberts. You’ve never met her. I’ve known her for about six years now. Her daughter is a photographer and took leave from her job to go off and photograph the aftermath of another disaster in Africa. She tells me she got a call from someone in Asmara saying they had her daughter there. It’s all in the documentation you have. They won’t release her on her own because she came up through Djibouti and they’re not speaking to that country right now. Amy hasn’t talked to her in two weeks and so she has no idea what condition she might be in. According to the official in Asmara her party had been attacked, her companions killed in Somalia. She was escorted through Djibouti to the border; a border guard took her to Asmara. All you have to do is fly in and get her and fly out.”
“Was Brian talking about the flights in and out of Asmara, only three a week?”
“Yes, he was. You’re booked on a flight tonight. The next one out is in three days. Make sure you’re on it with the girl. I know you’re travel savvy, Jacky, but you’ve got an American passport. It took some doing to get a visa for you. American’s are not popular in Eritrea so keep your head down and your mouth shut.” Terry regarded his son. He knew he was a man at twenty-three but he could still see that little boy in him. It worried him a little, sending him off on this mission, but he knew Jacky ached for something. Maybe this would appease him for a little while and for a little while he’d still have him.
Jacky put his knife and fork down and opened the folder. Pamela Roberts, a nice big eight by ten photo. “This is the daughter?”
“Um, yes. I’ve never met her. She lives in London when she’s home, according to Amy. I think she calls her Pammy. That was taken in Somalia. Last known picture of her was e-mailed to her mother.”
“Is this, um, a SI job or…?”
“No, it’s private but I’m using SI’s resources,. My prerogative,” he smiled.
“Is this part of your ‘other life’, the one I’m not a part of?”
“I’ve kept my private life separate from my family. I had my own reasons for that.”
“I wonder sometimes if I even know you. I go off to the House of Four Seasons and find out you’re a movie character come to life, so I digest that. So you’ve had women in your life. What’s the big deal? I wouldn’t expect you to live like a monk.”
“I didn’t want to complicate your life anymore than it already was, Jacky.”
“Whatever.” Jacky took a drink from his glass. “You’ve been going with a woman for six years and are not sure what her daughter is called? You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
“Yeah, I do. You need to read over the information in that folder, take her picture with you and the papers you need for travel. Let me have the rest back. You don’t want to be caught with anything.”
“Caught?”
“You’re not going to Virginia. You’ll be searched. Just keep your cool, keep your head. You’ll be there to pick up Pammy and get her home…that’s all.”
Jacky looked at him a moment and sat back in the seat, quickly reading over the papers. Most of it his father had already told him. “Okay.” He handed the folder back to him and put the papers and photo in his camera bag.
Terry liked that about Jacky. He had a photographic mind. He would have made a good field agent but he’d promised his mother many years ago. He checked his watch. “Should be getting you to the airport.”
“Yeah, I’ll take the train.”
“I’ll drive ya. You need to pick up your kit?”
“Yeah, probably just backpack it.”
They went to Jacky’s flat and Terry walked around his son’s place. It was neat and clean, a few photos on the table tops, nice enlarged ones on the wall he’d taken in Greece and had framed. A young man’s domain, music and video gadgets, huge TV, a guitar in the corner, violin on top of a bookcase, comfortable leather sofa, worn trainers under the table, a lot of books piled around. He turned. Jacky had changed into clean jeans, T shirt and a hoodie. He had his backpack on his shoulder and his camera bag, stooped to pick up his hat, one that Terry had given him a long time ago, bought in Australia.
“I’m ready,” he said but didn’t move.
Terry looked at him a minute and went over and hugged him. “I know you don’t like that but what the fuck.”
Jacky blushed a little. “I don’t mind it.” He didn’t mind his father hugging him now. Somewhere along the road the past few days he found he wanted it.
“Okay, lock up and let’s get out of here.” Terry went to the door and opened it.
Terry handed him a wad of cash. “Credit cards where you’re going are nonexistent. Change it as you need to at a bank. Good luck, Jacky. Call me when you have the package. Oh, and if you run into any trouble, SI doesn’t know you, so call me direct at this number.” Terry handed him a number on a card. “Put it in your cell phone and tear up the card.”
Jacky left him at the security check point and walked to his gate. It was a mission and not a mission, something in between. That was cool.
Part 2 – Delays and Decisions
The plane landed in Asmara and Jacky was taken to a secure area and questioned. Interrogated was more like it, he thought, but after he mentioned the name of the official who called Pamela’s mother he was put in a car and driven to the government building.
He was kept waiting for some time so he pulled his hat over his eyes and went to sleep. It was a nudge to his feet that woke him and he sat up, pushed his hat back and looked up.
“You mentioned my name. Come with me.” Jacky picked up his backpack and camera case that had been thoroughly searched and his film taken at the airport.
“Terrence John Maximillian Thorne,” the official read from his visa and his passport, which he hoped would be returned.
“Yes, sir, that’s me. I’m called Jacky.”
The official made a great show of going over his papers and looked through his passport. Jacky waited.
“You are an American but you live in England. Is that correct.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What is your business in our country?”
“I’ve come to escort Pamela Roberts home.”
“Oh, yes, Miss Roberts. She has been our guest. Perhaps you are a relative?”
“No, I’m not a relative.”
“A lover?”
“No.”
“Then why have you come?”
“Her mother requested that I come.”
“Your passport says you have recently been in America, from there to France and to England. You travel quite extensively. What do you do, Mr. Thorne?”
“Um, I’m a photographer, freelance.”
“Ah, that is your connection. Miss Roberts is also a photographer for her mother’s magazine. You are not employed there?”
“No, I freelance.”
“You see I must ask these questions and verify what you say is true. You are an odd fish, are you not?”
“I suppose so.” What?
“At present we do not have good relations with your country. I am surprised you were allowed to travel here. It is discouraged by your government. How do you think you got here, Mr. Thorne?”
“If you’re talking about America, I don’t live there. I haven’t since I was a baby. I live in England and in France.”
“France…you don’t live there very often, do you?” He was still flipping through Jacky’s passport.
“Not for awhile. My mother lives there.”
“Why have you not obtained British citizenship?”
Jacky sighed, “I don’t know. It never came up before.”
It was an hour before the official stepped out of the room. Jacky was fully expecting to be hauled off to some jail hole to await execution as a spy. Instead a tea tray was brought in with many apologies for the lateness of the refreshment.
“Tomorrow you will meet with Miss Roberts and we will turn her over to you.”
“Tomorrow? We have a plane to catch tomorrow.”
“I must apologize again. There are no planes tomorrow.”
“Three flights a week. I’m booked on that flight.”
“There are no flights tomorrow.”
“Okay, what are my options?”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Cairo.”
“Ah, Cairo. You would need to go into the Sudan. I cannot help you there. At Port Sudan there is an international airport but you must get there.” He fingered his cup.
“How much…to get there?”
“You would not think of trying the bribe?”
“No, I’m asking passenger fare on whatever kind of transport there is available.” Jacky was beginning to feel the heat, sweat trickling down his back. He was trying to keep his cool and stay out of trouble. He didn’t doubt for a minute the man in front of him could have him shot.
Suddenly the man became all business. “Unfortunately the train is a very unreliable transport. There is a bus for Kassala. It leaves every morning at 0700. From there you can get a train to Port Sudan. It is a long journey but it is safe.”
“Kassala is in Sudan, right?”
“Yes. I am sorry but that is the best I can do.”
“The planes, when will they be flying again?”
“That I do not know. We had one shot at this morning and that is why they are not flying. I am very sorry for your problems, Mr. Thorne. I can do nothing.”
“There’s no other way out? What about the sea?”
“Then you would put yourself at the mercy of pirates. They ply these waters.”
“What about private transport? Could I hire a car?”
“If you have money you can do most anything, Mr. Thorne.”
Jacky took a breath. “Then I want to hire a car and set off now.”
“Why the hurry?”
“Her mother is worried.”
The official looked at him and smiled a little. “You are young, Mr. Thorne. Tomorrow morning there will be a car for you at the hotel. You may have Miss Roberts tonight, eh? Heh, heh, yes, tonight!” He laughed again.
Jacky didn’t see the humor.
The official left again for a while and came back. Jacky followed him to another building and a door was opened to a small room. Sitting in a chair with her back pack on the floor was Pamela Roberts.
The photograph didn’t do her justice. Disheveled and dirty as she was, she was a knock out. Scandinavian heritage somewhere, pale blonde hair caught back in a long braid, crystal blue eyes that looked up at him through a fringe of dark lashes.
“G’Day. I’m Jacky Thorne. I’ve come to escort you home.”
A flicker in her eyes and she stood up in her dusty khaki and extended her hand. “Pam Roberts. I’m awfully glad to see you.”
The official escorted them to the door; a car and driver took them to the hotel, the best in the city. Pam stuck right beside Jacky when he went to sign in. “I don’t trust anyone. Get one room. We need to stay together.”
He looked down at her, handed over some bills and got one key. “You’re sure about that?” Jacky picked up both backpacks.
“Yeah, I’m sure. We need to talk.”
Jacky unlocked the door and stepped back for her to enter. She went straight to the bathroom. He dumped the packs on the bed, went over and opened a window. The room was stiflingly hot. No air conditioning. He removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. He’d slept in fits and starts for the last 24 hours and the bed looked good. But she wanted talk. He waited and finally heard the bath going; she was taking a bath. He sat on the end of the bed for a minute and fell backwards.
Jacky woke with a start. It was dark in the room he had somehow managed to get himself on the bed in his sleep. When he turned over it was to face a pair of female legs, long and fine. He looked up to see where they began. It was covered with a shirt, one of his he noticed. He sat up on the bed and had a look at her. Wow.
He carefully got off the bed and headed for the bathroom, stopped and looked around. Clothes were draped over everything. She’d done her laundry. His backpack was open on the floor, not that he minded. It had been rifled through all over the world. Glancing back at the bed he smiled a little. She only wanted a shirt.
He took a bath himself, came out with a towel around his waist, found some boxers and a tee shirt. She hadn’t moved on the bed. He picked up her backpack, limp now and empty except for a note book and a few items in the bottom. It was ripped and torn with a few holes in the sides. He looked at the holes carefully. Could be bullet holes he thought and looked at her again. She had been through some bad shit.
He wandered around the hotel room, found a bottle of water and checked the cap. It was sealed. He drank the water, looking out the window at nothing past the lights from the hotel. Darkest place he’d ever seen. A sound from the bed and he turned. She was awake, pulling his shirt down over her body to cover herself.
“Better now?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry, your name again?”
“Jacky Thorne. You’re wearing my shirt.”
She looked down. “Um, yes, well, all my things were filthy. I had a wash.”
“I see you did. How are you?”
“Good…a little hungry. What time is it?”
Jacky looked at his watch from the light in the bathroom. “Just after seven. It’s been a long day. Mine stared about 36 hours ago.”
“Where have you come from?”
“London.”
“Thorne. Any relation to Terry Thorne?”
“Yeah, do you know him?”
“No, my mother does. Did he send you?”
“Yes. He’s my father.”
“I thought so. You look like him. I’ve seen a photo in my mother’s flat.”
“What happened to you?”
She looked down, pleating the shirt with her fingers. “I was in Somalia taking photos and we heard there was going to be raid on the village, so we got out and were headed for the border with Djibouti. There was a helicopter that fired on us. We were in a van. My, um, friends were killed and then the van caught fire and the driver stopped and got out and ran. We weren’t far from the border so I got in the driver’s seat and took off.”
“With it on fire?”
“Yes. I got scared and stopped again and grabbed my things and ran for the border. They shot at me, the border guards. So I just sat down on the road. I didn’t care any more, you know. The driver of the van ran up to me and said for me to go onto the border, that I could get through because I was English. So I took a chance and ran toward them. The van driver was shot. I didn’t even stop, just kept running, thinking I was going to be next. They took me and interrogated me, took my camera and all my film…all my work.”
Jacky didn’t know when he’d moved to the bed and sat beside her with his arm around her while she told her story hesitatingly between sobs.
“I had been working with a crew. They were Jordanian. There were five of us. I was the only one to make it out alive.”
“What the bloody hell were you doing there in the first place?”
“Taking photos…I was going to do a book.”
“You’re one lucky Sheila.”
“My name is Pam.”
“I know. That’s just an Aussie expression.”
“What are you?”
“I don’t know. I was born in America, my mother is an American, my father is…Australian and I was brought up in England and France.”
“I couldn’t place your accent. I’m sorry about all this, sorry you had to come.”
“No problem for me. I wasn’t doing anything. You’ve had a hell of an experience. Um, you said you were hungry?” He moved his arm from her shoulders.
“Yes, my clothes should be about dry. Maybe we could ask downstairs where to eat.”
Jacky got off the bed, pulled a pair of jeans from his backpack and slipped them on. He turned his head slightly to see her pull on her panties. He took a breath and then turned around. “Wear my shirt. It looks good on you.”
“Hope you don’t mind. I didn’t have anything else.”
“No, not at all.”
An eating establishment connected to the hotel provided a meal. They sat on low cushions and ate with their hands, something spicy with rice and yogurt.
“I don’t want to think what this might be.” Jacky dipped the meat in the yogurt.
“It’s food. I’ve eaten some strange things while I’ve been here. When are we leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning. There aren't any flights. All planes have been grounded because of gunfire. So we’ve got a car coming in the morning to take us to the border with Sudan, from there a bus to Kassala and from there a train to Port Sudan. We can get a flight to Cairo from there. Why did you say earlier that you didn’t trust anyone?”
“How much did you have to pay to get out?”
“Nothing. I’ll have to pay for the car hire.”
“I had some money, cash… a good bit. It was taken in Djibouti. That’s how I got to Eritrea. I didn’t have any for the border guards there so they brought me to Asmara. I was held in the compound you found me in except in a different area.”
“They were going to ransom you?”
“I don’t know. They never said.”
Jacky thought about what the official said about money, how you could do most anything. He had a decision to make…whether to trust the official and the car coming for them in the morning or not. Now that they knew this girl was important enough to send an escort…and what about himself? He knew they suspected he was more than a photographer. His instinct told him to find some transportation tonight on his own and get the hell out of town before dawn. But what if he was wrong and put them both in danger? He distractedly took a piece of the meat and put it in his mouth. “Holy shite!”
She laughed, “You forgot the yogurt.”
Jacky was licking yogurt off his fingers. “I’m not sure I trust that car the government guy is sending. What do you think?”
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t trust anybody.”
Jacky looked around the eating room, only two other guests, both men. Who could he trust to find him a vehicle that would take them to the border? “Do you speak the language here?”
“Some Arabic but you know it’s different wherever you go, different dialects.”
‘Yeah, I know. I got French and Spanish and Russian but no Middle Eastern dialects at all. Let’s, um, finish up here and walk out. Maybe we’ll find something.”
What they found was a battered-looking Rover tucked in beside a ramshackle-looking building on the outskirts of the main square. Jacky walked up to the door and knocked.
A woman answered the door, barely opening it. Pam asked her about the Rover and after a few tries she got an answer. “It belonged to her husband. She speaks a little English, Jacky. Her husband was English.”
“Do you want to sell the vehicle?”
“Just offer her a sum,” Pam suggested.
Jacky looked at Pam and pulled out a few bills. “For the Rover? Does it run?”
The woman looked at the money, English money she could take to the bank. Her dark eyes looked at Jacky. He added another bill and she took the money and closed the door.
“Oh, nice!” Jacky said. The door opened again and she held the keys out then shut the door quickly.
“Okay, we’ve got wheels. No idea if they roll or not.” Jacky went to the vehicle and began clearing it off.
Part 3-Fire in the Desert
Jacky got the Rover going and drove it back to the hotel. They went upstairs and packed up, taking all the bottles of water they could find even from the lobby.
“There’s not much fuel but hopefully it will get us to a petrol station.”
Dawn found them forty miles from the border at a petrol station, waiting for it to open. The Rover had coughed and sputtered its way in. Jacky shared the bag of peanuts he’d gotten on the plane with her.
“How far is Kassala from the border?” she asked, taking a drink of water.
“About 200 Km, I think.” He pulled off his hat. “I was just thinking…I don’t have a visa for Sudan.”
“I didn’t have one for Djibouti or Eritrea either.”
Finally the station operator arrived and filled his tanks and sold him two extras which he stowed in the back. He paid for the fuel and asked, “How far to the border?”
“It is forty- one Km but you cannot cross. The border is closed.”
“What do you mean it’s closed? We have to cross.”
“I’m sorry but Sudan has closed the border with Eritrea.” He held up his hands
Jacky walked back to the Rover and got inside. “Fucking border is closed!”
“Jacky, we’re trapped!”
“No, no we’re not done yet.” He knew what he should do, call his father. Maybe he could pull some strings, he had contacts. He called the number.
“Yeah, Jacky.”
“Dad, um, run into a bit of a problem. The planes are grounded here due to gunfire. I didn’t trust the government official and to make a long story short, I’ve got Pam and I’ve bought a Rover to drive us out of the country. I’m about forty km from the border and just heard that the border is closed."
“What border would that be Jacky?”
“Sudanese. I’m headed for Kassala.”
Terry quickly brought up a map on his computer. “You don’t have the papers to get across the border.”
“If we stay here, papers aren’t gonna matter.”
“I don’t have an operative in that area. Give me a minute here.”
“The fuck you don’t! What do you think I am?”
Terry grinned. “How’s Pam?”
“She’s fine. We think they might have had in mind to hold her for money, maybe me, too, now. That’s why I declined the offer of the government’s car this morning.”
“Good thinking. I got a memo today about that area. Looks like Eritrea might be supplying arms to Somalia. Yes, and Sudan is not the only country to close its borders. I’m trying right now. Brian, get me something on this now…to get you across the border. A friend of a friend in Khartoum. Just sit tight for awhile, take in the sights and head for the border, not too close. I’ll call you back.”
“Thanks.”
“Dad is trying to get us across the border, so we’re going in that direction.” Jacky started the motor and got back on the road.
“Jacky, what does your father do?”
“Have you ever heard of Security International? Well, he’s just the best damn kidnap and ransom guy in the business. He owns the company. It’s what he does for a living, negotiates and rescues kidnap victims. Not just anybody but people who are insured for it. I’d say your mother hooked up with the right guy.”
Pam smiled, “I’d say she did.”
Twenty miles from the border he pulled off the road and found some shelter among a rock formation and a little vegetation. The sun was high in the sky, now totally blue forever without a cloud in sight. He leaned on the rock. It was still cool from the night.
“Jacky, what do you do when you aren’t escorting?”
“I’m not sure I do anything. I take pictures.”
“Do you really? Who for?”
“Myself. Some I’ve sold and had published.”
“Where? What kind of pictures do you take?”
“Buildings, people, beaches. I spent some time in Greece and Sicily. Then I went to Italy. That was last year.”
“You just travel around taking pictures?”
“I sound wasted, don’t I?”
“No, that’s what I do, but I’m told where to go. You don’t work for anybody?”
“I freelance right now. I’m employed by SI. Not that I do anything there but it makes my Dad think I’m doing something worthwhile.”
“My mother nearly had a heart attack when I told her I was going to Africa. She thinks it’s fine for me to go to tourist spots and photograph but if I want to go somewhere on my own….”
“You didn’t exactly pick a safe place. Somalia…bloody pirate haven.”
“I admit it was horrible but I took some pictures that…well, they’ll never see the light of day so it doesn’t matter what I did except get my crew killed. They were good people. A couple of them I worked with in Jordan. I’ve got that to carry around with me for the rest of my life.”
“Sorry about your friends, Pam. I know it must be tough for you.”
“Yes.” She looked off toward the road. There was no traffic, nothing. “We’re all alone out here.”
Jacky reset his hat and followed her gaze. His eyes moved back to her. She still had on his shirt tied up around her waist, sleeves rolled up and khaki shorts to her knees, blue socks doubled over and desert boots. She was sitting at the base of the rock a little to his right.
“Are you, um, seeing anyone special?”
She looked up at him. “No…not anymore.”
“One of the Jordanians?”
“One of them.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. My mother didn’t know.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“I trust you.” Pam did trust him but then she had no choice out here. He was easy to be with and that was something.
Jacky swallowed. She might not if she knew what he was thinking.
“Your parents are divorced. Where’s your mother?”
“They’re not really divorced but they haven’t lived together since I was two. She’s in France in Provence. Where’s your father?”
“Scotland. Mine are divorced. I was eight at the time. Did you stay with your father?”
“No, I was divided up, a month with him and a month with Mum, until I went away to school then it was the holidays divided up until Dad began coming to France with me and staying for awhile.”
“I lived with my mother but spent holidays with my father. We have a lot in common, don’t we?”
“Yeah, I guess we do.” Jacky looked at his watch, becoming a little concerned. It was past twelve now.
Twenty minutes later his phone rang.
“Jacky, I’ve got somebody coming from Khartoum to the border but it will be tomorrow before he can get there. Where are you?”
“In Bumfuck Eritrea.”
“Are you on the road?”
“No, I found the only rock formation in Eritrea and pulled up behind it. We’re about fifty meters from the road and about 20 km from the border.”
“Do you feel safe there?”
“Haven’t seen anything alive since we pulled off, no traffic on the road at all. What are you saying? Stay here all day and night?”
“According to my sources, there’s nothing between where you are and the border. How are you fixed for camping?”
“We’re not. We’ve got water and some biscuits from the hotel.”
“I know it’s going to be a pretty miserable night for you but unless you want to go back to Asmara.…”
“No, I’m not going back. Okay, are you going to call me when your man gets there?”
“I’ll call ya. Make the best you can of it, Jacky.”
“Yeah, thanks, Dad.”
“We’re stuck?”
“Until he calls tomorrow. He said there’s nothing between here and the border. We could go back but.…”
“No, I’d rather be out here than at the hotel wondering when they were coming.”
“Yeah, me, too. Guess we’d better make camp.” Jacky put out his cigarette in the sand and went around to the other side of the rocks.
They removed the fuel cans from the back of the rover and Jacky got inside. Digging around he found a tarp and brought it out. “Make a little shade with this to get us through the day. Tonight I can make a tent out of it.”
“We could sleep in the back. I’m not sure I want to sleep in the sand. There are things that crawl at night.”
“Tight quarters. That won’t bother you?”
She looked at him. “No.”
They cleaned the sand from the back of the Rover as best they could and made a place to sleep. They shared the biscuits and a bottle of water, rationing it now. Pam made sure he ate and drank the same as he did, not letting him give over to her as he tried to do. The afternoon was spent talking and telling stories about their travels. She had a deck of cards and they played cards until the light was gone.
It took a while to get situated in the back of the Rover. They took clothes out of their backpacks to provide a little padding. When the sun went down so did the temperature. Jacky had the tarp folded over them but it was body heat that kept them warm. At first he put his arm around her, drawing her up against him spoon fashion. The warmth seemed to be settling around his groin right where her bum fit against him.
“We’ll never be here again, Jacky.” She turned fitting her body against his.
“You know…you can’t do this to me,” he said softly.
“But if I want to…if I need you to….”
“Then it’s on you.” He kissed her softly at first and drew back. He felt her hands in his hair and she pulled him to her lips again. It was total darkness. The moon was up there somewhere but its light hadn’t penetrated the Rover behind the rock. It was all by feel and touch and taste that they found each other.
She held him tightly inside her until he thought he was going to burst before he began to move slowly, learning her body, trying to give her what she needed. He felt the fire in his veins like he’d never felt it before and he went with it. It took him over. She was part of him. The air seemed electric around them, sparking off the inside of the Rover. This was his element passed on to him from his father…fire. He’d never used it, never experienced it before until Pam. He lay spent on top of her, trying to gather himself and understand what had just happened.
“Jacky, Jacky, Jacky…where have you been?” she murmured against his neck.
“I don’t know…looking for you,” he whispered.
Part 4 – To Kassala
Dawn found them huddled together under the tarp. Jacky’s arm was asleep underneath her head. He felt the spiky tingles running up to his shoulder. He touched her face lightly. Rule number one: do not become emotionally involved with the client…fuck that. He’d made her his last night. He knew it and felt it…she belonged to him. Now what was he going to do about it?
Pam came alive in the warmth of his arms against his body. She nuzzled his neck, finding his skin, sucked lightly. He shifted and found her lips. They made love again, this time slowly, softly and sweetly. She could feel his healing powers, healing the pain and suffering she’d been through…Jacky Thorne.
Later they were up loading up the back of the Rover, sharing what food they had left and a bottle of water.
“Should we move closer to the border?” she asked.
“I don’t think so. What if something goes wrong? I don’t want to be sitting out there waiting for trouble. We’ll wait for the call. Pam…are you okay with this…with what happened between us?”
“Yes. I’m not sure what it was. I think I’ve been broadsided. I wasn’t expecting anything like you. You’re pretty powerful, you know?”
“So are you.” He buttoned up his shirt and walked around to the other side of the rock facing the road. They had to get out of there today…without water or food. His phone began chirruping.
“Jacky, everything all right?”
“Yeah, Dad. We’re, um, fine. What’s the verdict?”
“He’s nearly there, about ten km away. He’d got papers to get you into Sudan. That’s the reason it took so long and he had to come from Khartoum. That’s six hundred km from Kassala. He’s prepared to escort you into Kassala. What are your plans after that?”
“There’s a train to Port Sudan. I thought we’d take that and get a flight to Cairo.”
“Jacky, if you go to Khartoum British Airways flies out daily. I understand the train is not that reliable, doesn’t keep to schedules. It’s your call.”
“Okay…600 km to Khartoum from Kassala. We may spend the night in Kassala. We need to, uh, get a good meal and clean up…rest a bit. Right now we’re out of water and food so.…”
“Good idea, Jacky. Hey, I’m impressed and I wouldn’t say that unless I meant it. How is Pamela holding up?”
“She’s a trouper. She’s been through hell and back but she’s with me now. She’s okay.”
Terry stared at his desk top. He caught the meaning of that and sighed, “Jacky…be careful there.”
“…I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I guess we’d better get on the road.”
“Call me when you get settled in Kassala or if you run into another jam.”
“I will and thanks, Dad. I mean that, too, for sending me here and for your help.”
Jacky pocketed his phone and ran around the rock. “We’re go.”
Pam smiled, “Good. I’m about to get attached to this little rock here.”
Jacky grinned and closed the back of the Rover.
He approached the border slowly. Gates were down and there were four guards he could see with weapons drawn. Looking across the flat he could see guards lined up on the other side with two different vehicles beyond. He figured about 30-40 meters between the two sides. If he read it right the Eritrean guards didn’t want to comply with the request.
“Pam…stay in the vehicle.” Jacky stopped about ten feet away and got out. Holding his hands up to show he had no weapons, he walked slowly up to the guards.
“What’s the problem?” he asked in English and then in French.
“You go back. No cross.”
“Yes, I will cross.”
A guard came out of the guard shack smiling slightly. Jacky figured he was the boss and he turned to him.
“What’s the problem? We need to get to Sudan? I’m not interested in your politics. I just want to get my friend home. That’s all I want.”
“I’m very sorry but you will not cross. You are a guest of our country. Turn around and go back to Asmara.”
“Sorry, I can’t do that. I have a lady to escort home.”
“You will not cross here today.” He looked toward his guards.
Jacky had a split second and he took it, grabbing the man’s handgun from his holster and pointing it at his head. He held it with two hands, safety off and ready to fire. He’d never shot a man but he thought he might be able do it. He’d been on a couple of his dad’s training missions. “Open the gates.”
There was some movement behind him and he moved sideways never taking his eyes off the guard in front of him. “Tell them to drop their weapons and open the gates.”
“You will not shoot me.”
“I will.”
The guard saw something in his eyes and called out in his language to the guards. Out of the corner of his eye Jacky saw them drop their weapons.
“Now open the gates.” Jacky heard the Rover start…oh fuck, she wouldn’t…no...no! “Open the fucking gates!” Jacky grabbed the man roughly and pushed him toward the guard house.
Just as the gates started to open one of the guards reached down for his weapon. Pam watched him, hesitated a moment, and drove the Rover straight into him. There was nothing for Jacky to do but shoot the guard in the guard house, one shot at close range. He jumped from the guard house and ran for the Rover, jumping on the side as Pam drove through the gates. They were being fired at now by the remaining two guards. Jacky was working his way to the window on the passenger side when he felt the hot piercing impact of the bullet in his left shoulder. He nearly lost his hold on the roof rack of the Rover. Feet first he scrambled into the vehicle. Pam was near hysterical but she floored the gas pedal, not stopping until they were at least twenty meters inside the Sudan border. She fell across the steering wheel, weeping. Jacky reached for her, noticing the blood running down his arm and all over his hand. His arm hurt like a son-of-bitch.
“Pam, it’s all right we made it, luv. We made it.”
There were men running toward their vehicle and Jacky saw them, opened his door and staggered out. There was much fast talking in Arabic and they were pulling him away from the vehicle.
“No…no! Pam! Pam, get out!” he screamed.
Pam raised her head and her door was jerked opened. She was pulled out of the vehicle and half dragged away.
A moment later it exploded. Bullets had pierced the gas tanks and the vehicle had actually been on fire when she stopped.
Jacky was brought into the guard shack and his shirt cut away. They were dabbing at his shoulder and put a tight bandage around his arm. His eyes never left Pam, sitting on the ground with two men around her. She’d been given a bottle of water. Her head rested on her knees.
A man came into the guard house, looked at Jacky, spoke to the guards and they helped him up, taking him to one of the vehicles parked behind the guard house. “Pam!” he yelled and she lifted her head and started to get up. Her legs wouldn’t hold her. She was carried to the other vehicle and they set off, speeding toward Kassala.
Jacky was taken to the hospital for foreign visitors. Pam was left there with him and the man who had escorted her apologized but he must get back to Khartoum. Pam sat in the waiting room in a daze and sipped on the tepid bottle of water. A doctor in scrubs came out to her and handed her a manila envelope with Jacky’s things, his wallet and his phone, his watch, loose money he’d had in his pockets. She looked up at the doctor who smiled, “You are Pam?”
“Yes…Jacky?”
“He is about to go into surgery. I’m his surgeon. I was educated in your country. Do not worry. I will do my best for him.” He smiled again and left her with the envelope. She looked inside and then lay it in her lap. There were papers to fill out and she so to the best of her ability, looking in his passport for his address then handed them back to the man who patiently waited at her side.
Fatigue threatened to overtake her. All she wanted to do was sleep…sleep but the chirruping of the phone in the envelope brought her back and she answered it.
“Hello.”
“…Who is this?”
“Pamela Roberts. Who is this?”
“Terry Thorne. Where’s Jacky?”
“He’s, um, in surgery. He was shot in the shoulder.” Tears ran down her face and dripped onto the folder.
“Where are you, Pamela?”
“In Kassala, at hospital.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No…they shot him…” She was losing it.
“He’ll be fine, Pamela. Is anyone with you?”
“No…no.” She wiped her eyes.
“Pamela, when you see Jacky tell him I’m on my way. I’m coming. Hold yourself together, luv. Be strong.”
“I am. Hurry!”
Terry’s hand hovered over his phone. He had two women to call. He called Amy first…her daughter. She might want.…
“Amy, I’ve just talked to Pamela.” He told her what had happened. “I’m getting the next flight out to Khartoum. I didn’t know if you would want to come.”
“Yes, yes, I need to be there with her. Oh, my God, Terry!”
“I’d like to say the worst is over and they’re safe but until I’m there.…”
“I’m going with you. I’m going home now to pack. Can you pick me up?”
“Yes, I’ll, uh, call you back when I have a flight...for us.”
He walked out of his office and found Brian, told him what he wanted and that he wanted it now. Back to his desk he called Toni.
“Hi, luv.” She knew Jacky had gone to Africa to escort a girl home.
“Terry, what’s up?”
“Um, Jacky’s had a bit of a problem. He’s been injured, shot actually, but in the shoulder, nothing life threatening. He’s in Kassala at hospital and I’m going to him. I just wanted you to know.”
“Jacky…shot! Oh, God, Terry, what in hell did you send him to?”
“I know. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I’ll get him home, luv. I’ll keep you posted. He’ll be okay.”
“Terry, you be careful if they’re shooting people there. I love you and love Jacky for me when you see him.”
“I love you, too, and I will. I’ll call you, luv.”
Pack…Terry ran a hand through his hair and looked over toward the closet in his office. He kept a kit bag ready to go. All he needed was a flight. He looked up. Brian was back.
“Thought you might want a briefing before you take off. We’ve got a little problem with Eritrea. I just got a call from the foreign office; their ambassador is on his way to Whitehall.”
Part 5 – In Kassala
He moved slightly and his head turned on the pillow, something cool and damp on his forehead. His eyes fluttered and opened. “Pam?”
“I’m here, Jacky.”
“Wha?”
“It’s over. The bullet is out. You’re going to be fine."
It came flooding back to him along with full consciousness. “I fucked it up.”
“No, you got us out…you did. We’ll be okay. Your father’s coming.”
“Oh, no!” He turned his head away.
“He’s coming for you, Jacky. He’ll take us home.”
“I failed…the one thing he ever gave me to do.”
“You did not fail! If you hadn’t got shot we’d be on our way to Khartoum. You, Jacky, are my hero. You saved my life.”
He turned back. “I think you saved mine. You are something else, Pam.”
“We make a good team, you and I. So you’ve got to get better.”
“You, have you eaten got a place to stay yet?”
“They fed me here while I waited. I’m afraid I fainted in the waiting room. But I’m okay now…food helped. I don’t have a place to stay yet. The doctor who treated you said you needed to stay here for about five days. I haven’t left the hospital.”
“He was English, the doctor. I remember talking to him.”
“He was educated in England.”
“Ask him where you can get a room in a decent hotel. I’ve got money. I don’t know where it is.”
“I have all your things from your pockets.”
“Get a room and get yourself whatever you need…clothes…everything. We lost it all.”
“I’ll take care of it.” She put her hand on his face and then bent over and softly kissed his lips. “You rest now. I’ll go see what I can do about a room and maybe get a bath. I’ll be back.”
He held her hand on his face for a moment. “I haven’t known you that long but I want.…”
“Shh, don’t say it yet.” She kissed him again, picked up the envelope and left the room.
Jacky closed his eyes and tasted her on his lips. His dad was coming. That’s all he needed right now. Why did he have to come? A few days, he’d be fine be up, getting them out of Kassala. There was no need…he’d fucked up…that’s why he was coming.
He didn’t want anyone else in his world right now except Pam and what they’d discovered with each other. She wouldn’t let him say it out loud, but she knew and he could say it to himself…he loved her. He thought back once when Claire was at the farm and they’d talked after having sex about how you would know when you met the right one, the one that would be your soul mate, your lifelong love. He didn’t have an answer then but he knew now. Had his father felt that way with his mother? Maybe he had. He’d told him at the House of Four Seasons, when was it, last week, this week…a passion that would never die. Poor Claire…saving her heart until it was convenient. It wasn’t convenient for Jacky right now. He was still trying to figure out who he was and where he was going but he knew wherever it was it would include Pam. He drifted off to sleep with that thought.
Pam set off from the hospital with the name of a hotel, a good place to eat and the best places in the market to find what she and Jacky needed. She checked into the hotel providing Jacky’s passport as identification, as long as a man’s name was used hers didn’t seem to matter. Just as well, her passport went up in flames. She took a long, soaking bath and washed her hair. She washed out her clothes, a tank top, shorts and Jacky’s shirt, scrubbing the blood from the sleeve where he’d touched her. She had to stop several times but she got it done. She put her clothes on still damp and went out to the marketplace. There was a stall that sold western pants. She bought two pair of khaki slacks for Jacky and one pair for herself. Men’s pants but did it matter? Farther down she found a long multi-colored skirt, tops and other items of clothing, hand woven belts and beads, things she really didn’t need but liked. Hair brushes, clips to hold her hair back. She found herself a pair of sandals. Western tee shirts, she picked up several of them for both her and Jacky. Loaded, she went back to the hotel and changed into the skirt and one of the tee shirts. She brushed her hair out, braided it down her back and tied the woven belt around her waist.
Now she was ready to go back and see Jacky. He was sitting up in the bed eating when she came in all smiles.
“Wow, look at you! Turn around. You look great.”
“I’m afraid I went overboard but they had such neat handmade items like this belt. How are you?”
“Feeling a lot better now. Do you want the rest of this?”
“No, you eat it. I had a kabob at the market and I brought you some dates.” She brought the wrapped package from the string bag she had on her shoulder.
“Be careful about eating things from the marketplace.” He took the dates and bit into one.
“You forget, I’ve been over here for awhile. Does it hurt?”
“Not too bad. They gave me something for pain. I can’t get over how great you look.”
“Amazing what a bath will do and a change of clothes. I found a charger for your phone and I left it plugged in. I don’t know if it will work or not but the man at the market said it would.”
“Is it dead?”
“Yes.”
“Guess we won’t know when to expect Dad. If he didn’t come I thought we’d take a bus to Khartoum and get a flight out there. They say the bus is more reliable than the trains.”
“How will your Dad get here?”
“No idea…depends on who he knows. Knowing him, he could helicopter in. You know one time when I was a baby and we were in France, he parachuted in. Yeah, RAF dropped him right over the chateau.”
“Sounds like he’s led an exciting life.”
“Yeah, I guess he has. Not all of it has been good. He’s been in some scrapes like this before. He was once presented to the Queen.”
“You admire him, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do but I wish he’d let me fight my own battles. I could have got us out of here in a few days.”
She sat on the side of the bed. “I know you could have but your job now is to get well, heal quickly.”
He grinned, “For you…I will.”
Thirty-two hours later Terry Thorne walked into the hospital with Amy Roberts. They’d flown by helicopter from Khartoum, direct from the flight on BA. It was by chance as Terry went up to the desk that Pam walked into the hospital to see Jacky. She stopped cold…her mother.
“Pam!” Amy turned and saw her and ran, embracing her, crying, running her hands over her daughter.
“Mumma, what are you doing here?”
“I came for you, dear. How are you?”
“I’m okay.” Her eyes went past her mother to the man standing behind her.
Terry was glad to see her, see that she was indeed all right and he wanted to talk to her before he saw Jacky. “Hi, Terry Thorne.” She shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I was just going to see Jacky.”
“Could you spare me a minute first?”
“Of course.” She looked at her mother and followed him over to the seating area. Her mother came, too, and sat on the other side of her.
“I’d like for you to tell me everything since you left Somalia.”
Pam took a breath. “Oh…okay.” She told him about the attack in Somalia, the border in Djibouti and being bused to Eritrea and taken to Asmara. About Jacky…everything except what happened in the night at the rock. “I didn’t even know he’d been shot until we were on the way to Kassala. They put him in a different vehicle. But they’ve been very nice here and he’s getting good care.”
Amy’s mother was in tears, hearing of her daughter’s narrow escapes. Terry was impressed with the calm self possessed way she’d told the story. “You’re a very brave young woman,” he smiled. “Well, if you’ll give me a minute with him before you go in.”
“He’s in the third room on the right, just down the hall.” She turned to her mother with a little smile. “I’m fine, Mumma.”
Jacky’s head fell back on the pillow. Part of him was glad to see his father and part of him wasn’t.
“Hiya, Dad.”
“Jacky…how’s the shoulder?”
“Sore. So what brings you out here…holiday?”
Terry grinned, “No, I just wanted to see what kind of an arsehole I created twenty-three years ago. I’m proud of you, son. I couldn’t have done better myself.”
Jacky looked at him to see if he was spoofing. “Really?”
“Really. I’m sorry you got shot but according to Pam you handled yourself well.”
“You’ve talked to her?”
“She’s down the hall with her mother.”
“Her mother? This is the, um, Amy?”
“Yes.”
“Do I get to meet her?”
“If you want to.”
“I want to. I want to meet Pam’s mother.”
“Your Pam, and I am assuming she is, is a very interesting young lady, very brave and self-possessed.”
“Yes, she is on all accounts. Why did you come?”
Terry sat on the bed. “I came because you’re my son and I love you. I put you in harm’s way and I wanted to make sure you were all right. I wanted to see for myself.”
Jacky looked into his eyes. “I thought you were coming because I fucked it up, didn’t complete the mission.”
“I just told you why I came. Nothing else applies. I’ve got a helicopter to take you to Khartoum. When you’re able to fly home.…”
“You’re not taking me back?”
“Do I need to?”
“No. I can get myself home.”
“I’ll take you with me, Jacky.”
“No, I’d rather do it myself.”
Terry got off the bed. “Okay, but I’ll get you to Khartoum. You’ll be safer there. Do you know you’ve created an international incident? Oh, yes,” he grinned, “I’ve the ambassador to see in Khartoum. I couldn’t be prouder of you. I’ll send the women in,” he smiled and walked out the door.
Jacky grinned and shook his head.
Part 6 – Moving On – Khartoum and Beyond
Amy Roberts walked into Jacky’s room with her daughter. Pam came to the bed and kissed him, establishing her place immediately. She turned to her mother. “Mumma, this is Jacky Thorne.”
Amy looked at the young man in the bed. He was his father twenty years ago, not quite the same coloring but in looks. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Jacky, and to thank you for looking after my daughter. You did a very brave thing.”
Jacky could see where Pam got her looks. Her mother was tall and slender, blonde medium-length hair and blue eyes like her daughter. This was his father’s secret lover. “Pleased to meet you, too, Mrs. Roberts.”
“How are you? Are they taking good care of you here?”
“Excellent care. I’m on the mend.” He glanced at Pam and felt her hand in his.
Amy noticed the familiarity, too, and smiled a little. She supposed it was inevitable. “I understand we are to fly to Khartoum in the morning.”
“Are we? Good. One step closer to getting out of Africa.”
“I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time.”
“Yeah…Dad…he, um, for some reason wanted to keep you a secret.”
“It’s out now. I hope we’ll be friends.”
“I do, too, because I’m kinda taken with your daughter.”
“I can see that,” she smiled and looked at Pam.
Terry came in. “I’ve arranged for your release in the morning, Jacky. The good doctor wants to see you one more time and has recommended someone in Khartoum for you to see. I think we’ll be in Khartoum for a couple of days anyway. You may be ready to fly home when we are.”
“Okay…cool.” He watched his father and Amy. Nothing from his father...Mr. Cool, or was he afraid?
“Well, Pam has recommended a restaurant. Amy?”
“Yes, would you like to come along, Pammy?”
“No, Mumma. I’ll stay with Jacky.”
At least he touched her when they left, hand in the middle of her back. Jacky turned to Pam. “What do you think of them?”
“I think your father is almost as handsome as you. I like him, too. He’s very personable.”
“I mean as a couple?”
“I know Mumma is in love with him. You can tell by the way she talks about him. I’ve just met him and I.…”
“He needs to chill out. He’s too uptight, so afraid he’s going to show some kind of emotion, like he might break in two if he did. He’s not like that with Mum. I remember them together.”
“But you were a baby, two years old.”
“No, all my life he’s loved my mother. He still does.”
“Then there’s no hope for Mumma.”
“I don’t know. I’ve only known about her for a short time. Six years he’s been seeing her and I never had a clue.”
“Terry, your son is adorable.”
“I wouldn’t quite describe him like that. He hasn’t been adorable since he was out of diapers.”
“But he is. I think he’s in love with my daughter.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not for me. She’s twenty-four. I think she knows her own head.”
Terry opened the door to the street. “Jacky’s had his problems but I think he’s trying now to come to terms with himself.”
“Why have we never met before?”
“I think I’ve explained that some time ago.”
“Not to my satisfaction. I care a lot for you, Terry, and I think you must have some feelings for me or you wouldn’t still be around. Or is it that I’ve become a habit, a convenient habit like an old bathrobe you can throw on for comfort?”
Terry stopped in the street and looked at her. “You’re not my bathrobe. I care a lot about you, too.”
“I think we need to define that word.”
“Here in the street?”
“Wherever you wish. I’ve gone along with our relationship, if you’d call it that, because if I didn’t …if I asked for more, I was afraid I would lose you. I did once and it was horrible. I need you in my life.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “I need you in mine, too. Let’s go back to the hotel and talk.”
“No.” She turned away from him. “No, because we’ll end up in the bed and nothing will be said.”
Terry looked off to the side. “What is it you want me to say?”
“Tell me what ‘care’ means to you?”
“Are you asking me if I love you?”
“Yes, because I love you.”
“Don’t love me, Amy.” He moved a couple of steps away.
“Why…why can’t I love you?”
“It won’t work. I’ve only loved one woman in my life. She’s still here inside of me. It wouldn’t be fair to you. I can’t give you what you need from me.”
“Terry, I’ll take what I can get. I know I sound desperate, a woman my age. I don’t care anymore. I feel like I reach out to touch you and there’s a glass wall there. I can see you and hear you but you won’t let me touch you. What did she do to you that you can’t be loved by anybody else?”
He couldn’t answer her. What could he say, that Toni loved him, that his soul was still entwined with hers, that they would never truly be apart. There wasn’t enough left of him for anybody else. That he spent his passion on Toni and now only wanted a companion, someone to hold him when he needed it. It wasn’t fair to Amy. It was Connie all over…willing to take second place just to have Max. He wouldn’t allow that.
“I’m going back to the hotel.” She turned and walked across the street.
Suddenly the sound of the traffic, horns blasting, laughter, high pitched voices drowned him. He became aware of the heat pounding on his head, standing on the side of the road. He looked back toward the hospital. He wanted…he wanted to talk to Toni.
Back in the hospital he found a quiet corner in an empty room and sat down on a bench and called her.
“Toni…sorry about the time.”
“That’s okay. Where are you?”
“In Kassala, at hospital actually. Jacky’s fine. We’re going to take him to Khartoum tomorrow.”
She could hear it in his voice. “What’s wrong, Terry?”
“I need to see you…”
“Terry?”
“I can’t…,” he sighed. “It’s hard to talk about this on the phone.”
“You can talk to me about anything on the phone. I’m sorry I’m not there with you. What?”
“I’ve been seeing a woman for about six years. We broke up for awhile but…it's…I never meant for it to get this far. She’s, um…she says she loves me. I’ve never professed anything to her. I care about her a lot. It’s not fair to her.”
“Do you love her?”
“I don’t know…I know what love is, Toni.”
“I know you do. Darling, if you’ve got a chance with someone, a chance to love and be loved…take it. You don’t know how I’ve worried about you, with no one to love you, to hold you…when I couldn’t. You don’t want to be alone, Terry. It’s not good.”
“I don’t want to create another Connie. You know how it was with her. She always knew where Max’s heart was.”
“I know she did and I felt for her but she was willing to settle for that to have him. She was happy with him. Don’t throw it away, Terry, if you have a chance for something in your life…something you need.”
“She’s here in Kassala. I brought her with me because it’s her daughter that Jacky came to rescue. Toni, Jacky and Pam, that’s the daughter, are together. He’s made her his. She’s a great girl. I was impressed.”
“Jacky…oh, my God! Hard to believe, isn’t it, that he’s old enough. Well, so it’s her mother. Six years is a long time, Terry. You must know how you feel about her. Let it happen…let somebody love you. I do.”
“That reminds me of a song, let somebody love you before it’s too late.”
“Desperado by the Eagles. It’s true, Terry. You’re not putting all this on me are you? Spoiled you for anyone else…don’t do that to me…and leave yourself standing alone.”
“Toni, there will never be anyone like you. I could never love anyone the way I love you, but you’re right. I don’t want to be alone the rest of my life.”
“Love her differently then…but love, Terry.”
“I’m sorry I woke you. I love you and thanks for helping me out here. I think I just needed to hear it from you.”
“You are so sweet. Go make it happen for you. You must know, of course, that Max is awake now.”
Terry grinned, “Tell him to have a go for me. G’night, luv.”
“Good night, love.”
Terry went outside and lit a cigarette, looked up the street toward the hotel and crossed over.
Amy was in the bathroom holding a cold cloth to her eyes. She never cried pretty. Some people could get away with it. Oh dear, she held her head back with the cool cloth and went to wet it again and jumped. Terry was standing in the doorway to the bathroom. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Do you remember a song by the Eagles, how you had better let somebody love you before it’s too late?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I’m not whole but what there is of me…Amy, I do love you. If you can take what I am and love it….” She was in his arms, holding him tightly.
“I’ll take anything you can give me.” She had his face in her hands and kissed him.
“Then…take me.” He kissed her deeply and they moved to the bed, shedding clothes along the way. For once he let himself go with her, held nothing back…and made her his. It had been a long, long time since he’d felt the fire in his veins, let it consume him and the woman he was with. It wasn’t too late…he still had it.
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