“Miraculously improved,” she stated with a wink.
I couldn’t stop the smile blasting across my face, not that I wanted to. “What a relief,” I sighed, sagging back onto the sofa.
“I’m so grateful,” she said, her eyes glassing over.
“Me too,” I told her, patting her weathered hand relaxed on the armrest. “I’m incredibly grateful,” I said quietly, but the phrase meant so much more than it implied.
Over the next few days, life returned to normal at Masego, our inventory was restocked, children gained energy and classes resumed. Ian and I didn’t get to sleep for two days, but we did get back into some sort of routine and that made it easier to stay rested. We would check daily for footprints encompassing the fresh water source and the small wooded area near the property where Ian taught me how to handle a gun. We were lucky in that we found nothing. We were more certain every day that whoever had come previously was just passing through.
Ian and I flirted quietly every opportunity we got, careful not to bring any attention to ourselves, and it was effortless. I discovered over those few days that my heart felt fuller and I was falling in love with him.
Every time I approached a door, he would speed ahead and make sure he was there to open it for me. Every time I made the slightest mention I was hot, he was there with shade. If I was cold, his arms circled around me. If I was tired, he was there for me to lean on. He was sweet and attentive yet didn’t overwhelm me. He was subtle.
He once told me how strong he found me and how he thought I could do anything, how the only reason he helped me was because he wanted to, because he was purely selfish, he said. It was incredibly flattering. He proved it constantly by letting me decide when and where I needed him. I was learning the language and it got easier every day.
“It’s Saturday!” Karina yelled over the din of chattering children at breakfast one morning and they all cheered in response.
“They’re adorable,” I told Ian and he laughed.
“And I’ve got a special surprise for you!” she told them.
“What’s this?” Ian asked me, nudging his shoulder with mine.
I shook my head. “I’ve no idea.”
“It’s getting warm again!” Cheering. “So we’re going swimming at our favorite spot.” Louder cheering.
Ian clapped his hands once and rubbed them together. His brow raised slightly and he leaned into me. “Price, get your suit.”
And that’s all he said before skipping out and heading toward our huts.
Kids started eating quickly and taking their bowls to Kate before running off to their rooms to get whatever swimming gear they had. I wondered what they had before a thought occurred to me. I’d only brought a bikini, never thinking I’d actually use it. I knew this wouldn’t fly with Karina because Ugandan girls weren’t even allowed to wear pants let alone expose their stomachs. I couldn’t imagine Karina would approve.
I stood up and made my way to her. “I don’t think I can swim, K.”
“What! Why?”
“I didn’t actually bring a decent suit.”
“Oh, well, do you have a t-shirt? Shorts?” I nodded. “You can wear those over whatever suit you did bring. The kids will think nothing of it since you wear jeans every day anyway.”
“If you think so,” I told her and made my way to my half of the hut.
I could hear Ian scrambling around in his room and I smiled. I changed into my suit and felt practically naked. It wasn’t considered outrageous back home. It wasn’t a string, just a standard bikini, but it was definitely not Ugandan appropriate.
I considered myself in the mirror for a moment. I’d lost any remotely fleshy part of my body to the hard work Masego had put me through. My fingers ran down my stomach and across each raised muscle. My parents had graciously paid Raul, my personal trainer, tens of thousands of dollars to try to get me to look like this because I was determined to have it, but he could never accomplish it, not like that anyway. I wanted to burst out laughing thinking how all I’d needed to do was volunteer at an orphanage in Uganda to earn it and now I didn’t even care that it existed. Suddenly, my caring about what I looked like was trumped by the health of little kids instead. Irony, I suppose.
I let my hair fall free for once and smiled secretly to myself at how it would drive Ian crazy. I pulled a band around my wrist for later, tossed on a tank and a pair of cut-off denim shorts that cost three hundred dollars back home. I remembered thinking how I’d gotten such a great deal on them, which made me roll my eyes at myself. I forwent the boots for once and put on my old running shoes, the ones I’d brought with no intention of bringing back because they were “last season.” I grabbed a drawstring bag and put a t-shirt to swim in, a bottle of sunblock, and my small radio. I tore open a new package of new batteries for it, agreeing with myself that this occasion warranted it. This was a time for celebration. P.S. I’m going to throw an absolutely mind-blowing fact your way. I’m not kidding, either. The country of Uganda is obsessed with Celine Dion. They dedicate entire days to broadcasting her music. They love her that much. Five words. My. Heart. Will. Go. On. Yeah.
I heard a soft knock at the door and opened it to Ian. I got to see his legs for the first time since I’d met him and couldn’t believe a man’s calves could be that developed. I stood gape mouthed like a buffoon staring at them.
When I finally caught myself, my gaze raised to Ian’s face and I was shocked to find he was equally as engrossed as I was. My laugh startled him and he shook his head.
His mouth worked a bit and he swallowed. “You-you ready?”
“Yes,” I told him.
Karina took Charles’ truck and we took the jeep and filled them both with the smaller children. The older kids would walk the quarter mile to the swimming hole with Katie and Charles. Mandisa moved to sit on my lap immediately, and I let her, kissing the top of her head as Ian started the engine.