Her Indigenous Surrender

CHAPTER 6 THE DECISION

"How embarrassing! Who does she think she is? Does she know who I am?" Kitchi mutters broodingly. The emotions that settle in his gut blaze into sudden outrage—scorching hot, fierce. "Is this how she wants to play? Act as if she does not feel the connection humming between us?"

As his emotions run rampant within him, Kitchi's legs devour the distance to his deluxe bungalow as he journeys through the large property. It isn't long before he bursts inside the building, flinging his backpack in the foyer after slamming the door shut. He angrily stomps his way to the nearby open kitchen. So enraged is he that it takes him a while to recall that he came in there to satisfy his thirst.

Unable to shake off his ire at Charlene, he quickly moves from the kitchen to pace the large adjoining sitting area on the opposing side of the bungalow, hoping to make sense of things. When that proves futile, he collapses in an armchair with a frustrated sigh, ignoring the spectacular views of the landscape and mountains beyond, afforded to him by large floor-to-ceiling windows. Kitchi tries to see through his anger and analyse the day's events from an objective point of view.

He can be impersonal and objective. The irony is not lost on him, but he did try. He is usually not one to flare up in anger but something about Charlene's dismal rubbed him the wrong way.

Thinking back, Kitchi cannot deny he enjoyed the outing with the Desiré family. Being honest with himself, Kitchi admits he truly didn't know what he was expecting today but it wasn't what transpired. He thoroughly relished spending the time becoming acquainted with Charlene and her children, a rare occurrence.

Though, he had to pry out a few details from Charlene; the woman was more closely guarded than a secret intelligence agency. He still found out she was not a recording artist as he originally wondered but she was part of her schools' choirs in her childhood days. Later, he was informed by the teenagers that their mother was married to their father for ten years before becoming widowed a decade ago.

Since then, she has been focused on raising her children with marginal aid from her extended family. Though, the children complained that there was not much difference between staying with their mother and her parents. Charlene. A bona fide independent woman: one who apparently guards her independence fiercely.

"But she still did not have to treat me like that!" Kitchi vents out to the empty room.

'Treat you like what? Treat like a man she's not interested in. Hmm? When have you gotten so prideful, Kitchi? So egotistical?' his conscience grills him.

Instantly, what remained of his anger turns into ash. The idea of being so prideful, so egotistical he couldn't respect a person's wishes, didn't sit well with Kitchi. However, this has never happened to him before, and it was a blow his ego was not expecting and so he got upset. Charlene has every right to choose if she wants to go out with him or not. His feelings on the matter are irrelevant. Right?

Sighing heavily again, Kitchi gets up and heads to the master's en suite. Hoping to not only cleanse the grime he may have acquired on the return hike, but to also wash away the conflicting thoughts waging war in his mind. Maybe after the shower, he will have a better perception of why his feelings towards Charlene's rejection are so ... volatile.

Kitchi finally remembers he had not contacted his parents after he had dinner at a high-end seaside restaurant, Creole Atlantis, at the resort. His initial plan of remaining in his bungalow was squashed when he constantly found his mind wandering to his conversations with Charlene and her final rebuttal. So, tired of his own company, he went exploring the enormous four-star luxury property before settling at Creole Atlantis for a scrumptious seafood dinner.

However, whilst aimlessly walking about in crowded spaces, he suddenly remembers he has yet to brief his parents on ICCF progress as he had initially told the resort manager. Redirecting his footsteps, he briskly makes his way to his deluxe mountain view bungalow. After gently closing and locking the front door, he walks directly to the sitting area.