CHAPTER 18 - EXPLANATION TIME
Even though I'd only known Zane for five days, it felt like I'd known him forever. So, that's part of why it shocked me how scared he was. I'd never seen him that scared. Never. He always seemed so in control, and so sure of himself. I never knew he could be so scared that he would almost cry like that. But hey, everybody gets surprised some times.
He didn't speak the whole way there.
When we finally got to his Dad's hut, he stopped. I waited, but he didn't seem to want to move.
"Come on," I whispered, walking over to the hut. "Hello?" I called inside.
The curtain was pulled aside and there stood Brian Taylor.
He had a look of confusion on his face, and I couldn't blame him. His son had left, angry and bitter, only to return the next day. Anyone would be confused at that.
"Zane," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "What are you doing here?"
Zane looked at me.
"Go on," I told him firmly.
He looked back at his Father. "Hi, Dad."
The two watched eachother for a moment, neither speaking. Finally, Brian broke the silence. "Uh - would you like to come in?"
"Oh, yeah," Zane said, stepping inside, "thanks."
"No problem." He glanced at me. "Payson, how are you?"
"Fine," I told him. "Great, actually. Is Dinda home?"
Brian smiled. "Oh, yeah, just through that doorway. In the back."
I nodded and left Zane with his Father again. I could only hope that it wouldn't turn into a screaming match - again. They had to talk, privately. I could give them that. Besides, Dinda and I had gotten along wonderfully last time.
I found Dinda in the back, tending to what looked like a vegetable garden.
"Hi," I said as I made my way over to her.
She stood up and turned around, a basket of odd-looking vegetables in her hand. She smiled when she saw me. "Hello," she said. "I did not expect you. I would have put tea on."
I smiled. "It was sort of a last minute decision," I told her.
"Would you like to help?" Dinda asked, pointing to her small garden.
"Yeah," I said, walking over to it and bending down. "I'd love to. My Mom had a vegetable garden back home. I'd help her with it sometimes. I use to anyways. Not so much anymore."
Dinda smiled. "I am picking them for dinner. You can not refuse my invatation this time. I insist; you must stay."
I put a small, green vegetable that looked kind of like a tomato in her basket. "Again," I said, "it's really up to Zane."
"Last time you said that, you did not stay," she pointed out.
I laughed. "That's true."
Dinda told me what the African dish was, but I couldn't remember what it was called.
The four of us sat around the small table in the kitchen, eating, laughing, having fun. It was the first time I'd seen a smile on Zane - a real smile, not a fake one - in a couple days. Brian was smiling too.
"So," Zane finally said, after dinner was over. "The real reason we've come here."
He reached into his pocket and took out the picture, folded in half. He glanced at it, smiled, and laid it on the table in front of Brian.
