The Commitment(21)

I sighed and switched my cell into my other hand. "Thanks for calling me, Lara. And thanks once again for introducing me to Drake. If you hadn't, I wonder where I’d be."

"Probably working your way through a second or third Dominant by now, trying to find one you click with. I had a feeling about you and Drake from the start."

I heard rustling of papers and knew that my conversation with Lara had come to a close.

"Sorry," she said, her voice soft. "But I have to prepare for a case. Call me if you need anything while you're away. I'm always here for you and Drake."

"Thanks, Lara. I really appreciate everything you've done for me. For Drake."

The call ended and I sat staring at the phone for a moment, thinking about Sunita and the potential harm she could still do to Drake, if she was vindictive. I had to hope that she found her own happiness and wouldn't want to show those videos to anyone.

With that thought in my mind, a sense of unease settled over me, despite being happy about life in general, especially my life with Drake. Dawn was still a problem, and despite everything Lara said about Sunita, she was still a threat to Drake.





CHAPTER SIX





The next few days passed quickly while Drake and I finished sorting through things we wanted shipped to Nairobi, and put some of the remaining items from my apartment in storage. While Drake was busy wrapping things up at the hospital and foundation, I was finishing paperwork for my leave of absence.

On the last Thursday before we were scheduled to leave, I dropped by Columbia on my way to my father's and checked in with the Graduate Registrar's office to sign forms. Then, I met with Professor Conrad, my advisor, and we chatted about Africa and how I was going to spend the time seeing the other side of the continent from what I saw while volunteering.

An older man with a balding head and long grey hair, he was the department's senior professor. He really liked my writing on Africa, and on Mangaize, so I was afraid I'd disappoint him because I was going there without any plans to write about the political situation.

He didn't seem to mind.

"Go on safari," he said, his face bright. "The kind with cameras, of course. You'll see amazing wildlife in Kenya. It's really exciting."

"I can't wait," I said. "I hope my time there will be completely different from the first time I was there."

"Don't do anything but enjoy yourself. Think of nothing academic, don't worry about your coursework. You had a rough time after Niger."

"I did."

"Soak up the landscapes and people," he said, patting my hand. "Columbia will always be here. Remember, no refugee camps, no death and no war."

I nodded and took in a deep breath. "Sounds like heaven."



I walked most of the way to my fathers, enjoying the exercise and the crisp January air. Snow had fallen and the carpet of white seemed to muffle the street noises as I walked along Central Park. I thought about the song Drake played that night on 8th Avenue about the two old men sitting on park benches like bookends. That was the night I'd really fallen for Drake. Before, I'd been infatuated, but that night it was as if he let me see inside of him and I knew his heart was good. I knew he could love, if he let himself. He had so much emotion all tightly controlled and compartmentalized. Since we'd been together, he appeared to be letting those emotions seep into all the different parts.

I smiled to myself and breathed in deeply. I'd miss Manhattan, but I looked forward to seeing a real night sky when I went on safari. I expected Nairobi had as much light pollution as Manhattan so it wouldn't be until I went outside of the city that I'd see the magnificent night skies I remembered from when I was in Africa before.

By the time I got to the apartment on Park Avenue, I was a bit chilled and was glad to be inside the warmth. After I hung up my coat and removed my snowy boots, I searched the apartment for my father. He was in his office, as usual, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose, a cordless phone to his ear. His iMac screen showed an open video conference window and the face of several people in small boxes. He was in the middle of a videoconference. I covered my mouth and ducked out, but he didn't care.

"There you are, sweetie. Come give your old man a kiss," he said, apparently indifferent to what those on the call would think of his daughter barging in on their meeting.

"Sorry, Daddy," I said and obeyed, kissing his cheek. I smiled at the screen and then ducked out of the view of the webcam. "I'll leave you to your call."

He smiled at me and turned back to the screen.

I tiptoed out and went to the kitchen to fix a cup of hot tea. I was feeling a bit under the weather from the Malarone, the anti-malaria med I was taking, a bit achy and cold. A nice cup of tea would do me wonders. After the kettle boiled, I poured the water over the loose tea leaves and waited for the tea to steep. As I did, I glanced out the kitchen window at the streets below the apartment.