Dear Red

Nineteen

I shot her a quizzical look. "Where?"

"Here." I heard his voice in the hall outside a moment before he pushed open the door fully.

Rachel was blocking him slightly. She glanced back at him. "I told you I would call her for you," she said. There was a bit of anger in her tone.

He took her chin affectionately and smiled at her. "And I told you I wanted to surprise her myself," he said in an amused voice.

Indeed I was a bit shocked that Lawrence had made the journey upcountry and was at our hotel. The broom went slack in my grip. Lawrence side stepped Rachel and came toward me.

"Hello Tina," he said and he eyed me from head to toe.

"Hi. What's up?" I greeted.

"Now that's no way to greet me, sweet heart. Come here," he said and drawing me to him, he enveloped me in a tight hug.

"I missed you," he whispered in my ear and pulled away.

I stood back too. "What are you doing here?" I asked encompassing the dining room with a wave of my hand.

"I need to talk to you. But definitely not here," he said taking a quick look at the dining room.

"Are you guys going up to our room?" Rachel asked holding up our room key.

"I'm in the middle of-" I started to explain but Law smoothly cut me off. He took the broom from my grasp and dropped it to the ground. He glanced in Ken's general direction for a split second and said, "He'll finish this." He used his self assured, arrogant, commanding tone of voice that surely got things done. I glanced at Ken as Law put his arm round my waist to lead me out. Ken was eating, his body posture relaxed and his face blank but his eyes were narrowed and watchful.

I walked out with Lawrence's arm around my waist. We paused in the hall way.

"Are we going up?" I asked him.

Rachel was waiting with the key. Lawrence shook his head. "There's an alcove verandah at the back of the hotel where we can sit and talk."

I nodded and waved to Rachel before following him to the back. There was a table and three chairs on the verandah overlooking a small lawn where table cloths were hang. I sat down and he took a seat too.

I sighed deeply. It was coming to 11 a.m and I had last eaten the previous day at 8 p.m.

"How are you?" he asked as he set down two phones on the table.

"I am ravenous. I skipped breakfast."

"I know," he said and signaled a waiter who had just stepped out onto the verandah. The waiter came with a laden tray and set it down on the table in front of Lawrence.

I glanced at the tray which bore a pot of African tea, sandwiches, sausages, samosas and fruit. When everything was set, Lawrence got out his wallet, picked out a few crisp bills and handed them to the waiter. "Write me the receipt," he said and the waiter left.

Lawrence pushed the tray toward me and said in a firm voice, "Eat."

"It's your food."

He smiled. "I'm buying for you breakfast, Tina. Eat it. Every last bite."

"I need no further invitation," I said as I picked up a sausage and bit into it. My salivary glands sang with delight as I chewed slowly. "Thank you, Lawrence." He nodded.