Page 38 of Royal Pain
“Oh, Zan! It’s charming. Beautiful! Are we staying here?”
“Yes. For the night. This land and house are the ghosts of the history of Africa. When the British were here they confiscated this land for their own from people who were not aware they were being swindled. It’s fertile ground for planting and it leads to the Aragi River. Prime land. It represents the strength of our people because now it belongs to Africans again.”
“Fascinating.”
“That’s the home they lived in. It’s been bought by the government, refurbished and we are planning to have a museum here. The land is tended and revitalized. But for tonight it’s ours alone to enjoy.”
“I love it!”
“It’s private. That’s what I wanted most. No hotel suite could compare.”
Chudda brings the car to a stop in front of the stairs that lead to the front door.
“Come on, let’s go explore.”
Getting out, she takes in the surroundings and smiles her approval. She lifts her nose.
“There’s a beautiful scent in the air. What is that?”
“That’s the Cape Chestnut tree. They’re all over the place here. I don’t think you have it in the States.”
Hand in hand we climb the six wide wooden stairs while Baas gets the luggage. I’m aware Chudda is scoping his surroundings, getting the lay of the place. I turn and give instructions.
“After you bring in her things, text my mother. Tell her we will be there tomorrow early afternoon.”
A nod is the response.
I take the key from my pocket and swing the door open. She passes through.
“Oh! How beautiful! I’m in love with this room!”
I knew this would impress her. Not every woman would be impressed with the simplicity of a home that’s greatest feature is its view to the outdoors. But Belinda gets it.Good girl.Wait till she hears the insect calls that come out of the darkness tonight. I often lay in bed at night and listen to their music.
Africa makes for great imaginations. Just outside of the edge of light, if you listen, there’s a cacophony of sounds.
When I was a boy I’d imagine unseen beasts with fiery red eyes, crouching in the dark. The night was a great sea of black water. As I grew up my perception changed. Now the call of the lion, or the conversations of the monkeys, are nothing but gifts. And the inky blackness my cocoon.
I take her hands and bring her to my arms, holding tightly. Just two lovers content to be together.
* * *
This bed isn’t as comfortable as mine. Whatever. The fact Belinda is next to me makes up for it. We’re tangled up in the sheets content to stay exactly where we are. The morning has laid bars of gold across Belinda’s back and highlights the curve of her ass. As if to make sure I haven’t overlooked the treasure in the room. I have not.
“I could live in this moment. Just admit to the gods it’s never going to get any better than this,” I say, kissing the top of her head.
She sighs. “Me too,” she says, looking up at me. “I feel so happy when I’m with you. It’s like you turned on the lights in my life.” Her brows lift. “Is that too much?”
“It’s not nearly enough.”
My lips find hers, like a magnet pulls metal toward itself. She’s a force of nature, like electricity and gravity. I guess it’s why she doesn’t have to be even touching to pull me in. But when she is, like now, my only impulse is to be closer.
The kisses are soft and deep and full of unspoken words. The feel of my skin against hers creating some kind of unfamiliar sensation. There’s something new to our lovemaking. Now it’s not just passion and lust as our bedfellows, but meaning. There’s an intangible element. It’s what I sensed in the distance that first time. Now I know. It’s love set to physicality, making this act, this moment, something rare.
Every cliché becomes fact in this bed. I’m melting into her. It’s not just physical but spiritual. I didn’t know that fucking is just the introduction. Lovemaking is the novel.
* * *
I watch Baas and Chudda board the jet. They’re checking it out before I get on. Even though Belinda and I sit on the hard plastic chairs at the small private terminal, my mind is still back in that bed. It wasn’t a two-hour fuckfest. We only had a half hour before having to leave for the airfield. But the experience was condensed only in time.
