The Promise of Rain. Rula Sinara
“Well, don’t think,” she said. She drew a file from a lower cabinet and plopped it next to him. He flipped open the cover. Their inventory and expenses. “I keep a printed list, just in case. And before you go off on the cost of paper, it’s only because power and internet can be unreliable here and the computer is rather old. I do send data and records to Miller, but I don’t want to risk losing any of it, so I keep a hard copy, as well.”
“How’s the generator working?” Dr. Miller had given him the rundown on the camp’s setup.
Anna smiled and the memories of when she used to beam at him hit Jack hard. This one came with a shake of her head.
“Wow. You really are investigating. Guess that’s what you’re good at. The generator works fine. Most of the time. Again, nothing comes with a one hundred percent guarantee, does it?”
He tore off his sterile gloves and scrubbed at his jaw. “Guess not, Anna.”
There certainly hadn’t been any guarantee that she’d come back from her postgraduate internship. Only he hadn’t realized that at the time. Not until the brief email she’d sent telling him that she’d made plans to stay in Kenya for at least another year or two. A short email. No call. No sound of her voice so he could decipher the true reasons behind her words. To figure out whether he’d permanently destroyed their friendship. A part of him had wondered if she’d met someone else.
She’d always been a romantic. She’d gone on and on in anticipation of her trip to Africa, and how she felt like Elsa Martinelli in Hatari!. He’d wondered who, if anyone, had become her John Wayne. Somehow, their roles seemed reversed. Besides, Jack had given up thinking that he’d ever be enough for her.
He knew when to let go. When to stop caring. Until now. Now she had a little girl with her. His little girl. He could forgive Anna for not wanting him; that was her right. But not for this. Not for keeping Pippa from him.
He slapped the folder shut on the papers he was pretending to read.
“So, when do I get to spend time with my daughter?” My daughter. The words sounded so foreign to him.
“I was thinking after dinner. Everyone at camp eats the meal together. You’ll see her before then, of course, but after that you, Pippa and I can go for a walk or ride...and we can talk to her.”
“What time is dinner?”
Anna actually laughed. And he loved it, as much as the mischievous way she looked at him. Boy, was he in trouble.
“It’s a small place, Jack. Trust me, you’ll know when dinner is. Put an actual time on it and it’ll get jinxed into being several hours late.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s how time works here. Stick around long enough and you’ll see what I mean.” Anna’s face fell as soon as the words left her mouth. He’d stick around long enough, all right.
Long enough to get the necessary paperwork cleared so that he could take Pippa home.
CHAPTER FOUR
ANNA COULDN’T EAT. Not with the way her belly tightened every time Jack glanced at her and Pippa. Pippa wasn’t doing any better at finishing her food. Anna tried every trick, conscious of him watching, but Pippa was too busy playing peekaboo with the stranger. She’d duck her face under the table, then slowly peer over the top at him. Every other time, he’d wink and Pippa would giggle. And every giggle would ripple through Anna like a wave that would drag her little girl farther and farther out to sea. Closer and closer to America...and Jack.
Haki watched their interaction intently. “Stop it, Pippa,” he said, finally.
“Why should I?”
The little boy came around Anna and whispered into Pippa’s ear, then ran back to his spot on the bench. Pippa frowned.
“Haki said I’m talking to stwangers, Mama.” Haki blushed and dropped his head into his hands. So much for secrets. “I’m not. You let him eat with us so he’s not a stwanger. Right?”
“He is,” Haki mumbled.
“He’s not and I didn’t say any words.” Pippa puffed her cheeks at him, convinced she’d won the argument. Jack raised a brow, waiting for Anna’s reply.
“Well, Dr. Harper is a stranger to both of you because you haven’t actually met him before, but he’s really a friend. He’s going to be here a couple of days for work, so don’t get in his way, but if he’s free, it’s okay to talk to him.”
Haki dug into his food without a word. Pippa lit up.
“Hi,” she said to Jack.
“Hi there.” He turned away from a conversation on border patrols that several of the keepers were having with Kamau, and propped his elbows on the table, giving Pippa his full attention. “It doesn’t look like you’ve eaten much there.”
She shrugged.
“I bet if you listened to your mom and ate your food, she might let you go for a ride before the sun goes down.”
“Is that true, Mama?”
“I suppose so,” Anna said. Pippa put a spoonful in her mouth. All mothers loved seeing their kids eat, but the fact that Jack had accomplished, in one sentence, what she’d been trying to do for the past half hour was a bit annoying. “Just finish quickly so you can wash up and get your jammies on before we go.” Jammies were nothing but a clean T-shirt and shorts around here.
When Pippa was a colicky baby, Anna used to get one of the men to drive them slowly around camp, close enough for safety during the night. It was the only way she’d fall asleep and it still worked whenever she wasn’t feeling well. Anna wasn’t sure if their talk with her would rev her up for the night or give her plenty to dream about. Jammies were a safe bet either way, and making her get ready for bed before leaving bought Anna a little more time. If only minutes.
Minutes that made “Africa time” seem like cheetah speed.
After washing up, Niara walked the children out to the Jeep, where Jack waited for Anna and Pippa. Anna needed a few minutes to freshen up. She looked in the small mirror hanging by a nail near her bed, and cringed. Bad enough she looked like someone who’d been hacking through thickets all day, she didn’t even want to imagine what she smelled like after working with the elephants. But there wasn’t time for a bath and it didn’t matter. This wasn’t a date. It was the stark opposite. The beginning of the end. She let her hair down, then quickly decided it looked too obvious. She might leave it down for the wedding she’d be attending in a few days, but not for Jack. She pulled it back into a ponytail and started out, only to be intercepted by Haki. For such a composed little boy, he looked as if a dam was about to break.
“Hey, Haki. What’s up?” she asked, kneeling down.
“Auntie Anna, is he taking her away forever?”
“What? Oh, Dr. Harper? Gosh, what would make you think that?”
“I heard you and Mama talking during naptime. If he’s her father, he’ll take her away. Won’t he?”
He’d overheard? Anna closed her eyes. Jack wanted to take Pippa away, but not tonight. Not ever, if Anna could help it. That’s all she could give right now.
“No, Haki. We’re just going for a ride and I’ll be there the whole time. I promise when you wake up you’ll find Pippa in her bed. Just like always. Okay?”
Haki swiped away one betraying tear and nodded.
“Walk me out?”
He nodded again and took her hand. Anna held it tightly, her heart breaking for him. For all their battles of wits, Anna knew the two children were close. But this was the first time she realized just how much Pippa’s friendship meant to the little boy who