Broken Together (36 page)

She
linked arms with me. “Yes. Jase introduced us.”

Jase
shook Rafael’s hand. “Happy birthday, old man.”

I
wondered how much younger Jase could possibly be when Rafael was only
thirty-three.

Eva
tugged me toward the bar. “I’ve been dying to try their sangria. I heard they
make it with champagne.” She ordered seven glasses for our table when she
learned they didn’t offer it in a pitcher or carafe.

I
ordered a Sprite for Kadyn.

The
bartender scooped a handful of berries, a crushed mint leaf, a cinnamon stick,
and ice into each glass. He poured Sprite, vodka, brandy, r
osé
wine, cranberry juice, and grenadine on top of the ice before topping
everything off with champagne.

I
shook my head, thoroughly impressed. “That’s got to be the most elaborate
sangria I’ve ever seen.” We were sampling the fruit laden concoction when
Rafael joined us. I handed him a glass. “You have to try this.”

He
brushed a kiss against my temple before trying the drink. “Sangria.” He hummed
appreciatively.

I
barked out a laugh. “Sangria… on crack.”

We
carried the drinks back to our table, where our friends were just getting
settled into their seats. I sat between Rafael and Kadyn. Eva joined Benjamim
and Mariana on the opposite side of the table. Chief D’Souza sat at the head of
the table, and Jase sat opposite him.

A
waitress stopped by with menus. She explained how to use the small push button
console to request additional service before fading into the crowd.

“Check
this out.” Kadyn slid his menu in front of me.

“It’s
printed in English.” I smiled. “Most restaurants in Lisbon print their menus in
a variety of languages.”

He
tapped on the section listing their pizza.

I
read the first few items and gasped.

Kadyn
laughed.

“Check
this out.” I elbowed Rafael.

He
read the menu and laughed. “Well, that certainly seems fitting.”

Eva
eyed us curiously.

“Look
at the pizza,” I told her. “They’re named hell, desire, seduction…” I read the rest
of the list to myself.

Benjamim
peered at his menu. “Anyone want to join me in hell?” Hell was a thin crust
pizza with three types of sausage, a variety of peppers, and a spicy sauce.

“Hell
sounds good,” Chief D’Souza agreed, “but I want to try one of their gourmet
burgers first.”

“How
funny,” I mused. “Everything on this menu can be considered a guilty pleasure.”

I
don’t know whether to order pizza or pasta,” Eva complained. “Everything sounds
so tempting.”

We
chose a variety of appetizers, pushed the button on the console, and placed our
orders.

Chief
D’Souza raised his glass. “I’d like to propose a toast. Mariana and I have long
considered Rafael our son. We are so proud of the man he has become. So, here’s
to a remarkable young man, whose good deeds now span two continents.”

There
were murmurs of agreement all around. We tapped our glasses and drank to
Rafael.

He
leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Thank you.”

I
pressed an envelope into his hand. “You haven’t opened your present yet.”

He
eyed the envelope uncertainly.

“Open
it,” I encouraged. Everyone else was busy talking.

He
read the card before opening the certificate I’d tucked inside. “You arranged
for me to race an Indy car?”

The
table suddenly quieted.

My
cheeks heated. “Yes. I’ve arranged for you and two of your friends to race Indy
cars at the Richmond International Raceway. They offer some instruction before
setting you loose on the track.”

A
boyish grin played on his face. “I love it.”

“I
figured, what with the Porsche, the Enzo, and the Vyrus,” I teased.

He
eyed Kadyn and Jase. “I don’t suppose either of you would want to join me?”

Jase
choked on his drink. “No way am I passing that up.”

“I
don’t know,” Kadyn waffled. “That could prove embarrassing for you.”

Rafael
laughed. “I’m going to make you eat those words, right after you eat my dust on
that racetrack.”

*
* * * *

I
squinted against the early morning sun. I couldn’t believe I forgot my
sunglasses. The temperature in Sierra Leone was in the low eighties. There was a
decent breeze and a teensy amount of humidity. Still, goosebumps pricked my
skin because our driver had his air-conditioning cranked all the way up.

The
truck in front of us veered right. “Absolutely not,” Rafael growled. I couldn’t
gauge his expression because he was wearing mirrored lenses, but he appeared to
be referring to the rusted ferry docked at the end of the street. The
dilapidated vessel was listing to one side.

Rafael
acquired his disagreeable mood at the airport when we were bum rushed by
prospective attendants hoping to earn a tip. He caught three complete strangers
sifting their fingers through my hair while he was momentarily distracted by all
the men attempting to assist us. When our driver, Momka, stumbled across us, he
shooed the other men away. After the hair petting fiasco, all four men walked
in a tight formation around me with Momka leading the way. Sadly, this drew
even more attention.

I
eyed the crowded vessel and the long line of vehicles idling in front of us. “The
ferry takes one hour. The road is much longer.”

“Dee
road between dee airport and Freetown is treacherous and requires six hours,” Momka
confirmed. His voice held a melodic lilt. He carefully articulated each word,
but his “th” sounded more like a “d,” and his “r’s” were barely audible.

“That
ferry doesn’t look safe,” Jase countered. “Maybe we should rent a speed boat.”

“A
water taxi will be more to your liking,” Momka replied. “Dee speedboats will
make you wet.”

“What
will we do about Momka’s vehicle?” I persisted.

“Please,
do not worry about me. I can drive you to dee water taxi and take dee ferry to
Aberdeen. Dee hotel can send a shuttle to retrieve you from dee boat station if
you do not wish to wait for me. Dee water taxi is dee safest way to travel,”
Momka assured me.

“Thank
you, Momka. Please allow me to compensate you for the inconvenience.” Rafael
handed Momka fifty thousand Leones.

Momka
eased the vehicle out of line. “My cousin operates a water taxi at dee udder
end of dee terminal. I promise he will take good care of you. Dee water taxi
requires only a dirty minute journey.” He eyed the branches swaying on a nearby
tree. “It may be a bumpy ride, but he will offer you a fair price.”

Rafael
and I exchanged glances. I presumed “dirty” meant “thirty” with Momka’s accent.

“I
will call dee Radisson to ensure a shuttle is waiting for you in Aberdeen.” Momka
handed each of us his business card. “I should arrive at dee hotel in two
hours. You may call me at any time. Your colleagues have ensured my
availability for dee entire week.” He put a lot of effort into pronouncing his
“h’s” but not his “r’s.” For some reason, that made me smile.

Momka’s
cousin was very accommodating. He loaded our luggage onto the bright yellow
water taxi before helping us step onto the boat. Rafael paid extra so we
wouldn’t have to share the taxi with anyone else. I’d been looking forward to
observing local customs and listening to the dialect, but I wasn’t about to
argue after what had transpired at the airport.

“Kadyn
and I are going to purchase SIM cards and the other items you requested after we’re
checked in at the hotel. Do you mind if we ask Momka to drive?” Jase had to
yell in order to be heard over the boat.

“That’s
fine,” Rafael replied. “We’re going to sleep for a couple of hours. We’ll eat
at the hotel restaurant around noon. You’re welcome to join us. We’re touring
the university at two o’clock with Cory, Sammi, and Shae. Brogan and Aidan are
going with us, so you two can stay at the hotel and get some sleep.”

Jase
nodded.

Kadyn
didn’t look tired. He looked excited.

I
burrowed beneath Rafael’s arm. I was having a difficult time keeping my eyes
open. None of us slept last night. Instead, I briefed Kadyn and Rafael on
Sierra Leone. We reviewed the training manual so they could identify areas
where they could help. The first chess match began shortly after Kari served
breakfast. The guys were talking so much smack, sleep proved futile after that.

The
water taxi drew closer to Aberdeen. The city center was far more developed than
I’d anticipated. I eyed the trees struggling to survive among the odd
conglomeration of buildings. They seemed to fare better along the hillsides. If
I squinted, I could make out the shanty towns on the outskirts of town.

We
docked at the boat station a few minutes later. Momka’s cousin assisted us with
the luggage before attempting to carry me off the boat. I thought he was
offering me his hand, but he wrapped his arm around me instead.

“What
are you doing?” Rafael demanded. He grasped the man’s arm while tugging me
closer.

Momka’s
cousin looked confused. “I am carrying dee lady off dee boat.”

Rafael
seemed agitated so I forced a soothing tone. “I’m fine. I don’t need any help.”

He
tried reasoning with Rafael. “I assure you, dis is customary. I do not want any
passengers falling in dee river, least of all dis lady. She will get hurt.” He
eyed my heels accusingly.

I
glanced at the dramatically tailored wrap dress and the three inch heels I’d so
carefully selected. Did I look incompetent?

“I’ll
help her off the boat,” Rafael responded.

“Dee
wind is blowing, and dee waves are rough.” Momka’s cousin scowled.

While
they argued, I climbed onto the pier using my own two feet. Well… Kadyn
assisted me.

The
hotel shuttle was idling at the boat station, as promised. We loaded our
luggage onto the shuttle and climbed aboard. A motorcycle carrying five
passengers crept by, just before we turned onto the main road. A tiny white car
veered in front of us. The occupants had stacked so many baskets on top of the
car, they’d nearly doubled its height. As if that weren’t impressive enough,
three gangly kids sat perched on top of the baskets, holding on for dear life.

Our
driver dodged a number of potholes. There were so many, he eventually gave up.
The streets were crowded and narrow. Most were in need of repair. We were
caught in stop and go traffic, which I found odd because there weren’t any
traffic lights. Driving appeared to be a lawless endeavor for the most part.
There were no sidewalks, so pedestrians were walking in the street. If an
individual drifted anywhere near our vehicle, our driver would lay on the horn.
He really liked honking his horn.

Jase
tapped Rafael on the shoulder. He was sitting in the third row. “Vehicles must
have the right of way here. Have you noticed? Our driver speeds up every time a
passenger crosses in front of him.” Jase wasn’t kidding. People were quite
literally running for their lives.

I
studied the pedestrians. The men seemed to prefer button down shirts, khaki
shorts, loose cotton pants, or jeans. Most of the women were wearing long
dresses or skirts with geometric designs. Most of the women tied scarves around
their hair. No wonder the men were petting my hair. They probably thought I was
flashing them. I added hair scarves to my shopping list, although I questioned
how that might look with silk blouses and pencil skirts.

I
tucked the shopping list back inside my purse before peering out the window
again. Nearly every woman was carrying something on her head. Many were balancing
three or four packages without using their hands. It was as if the packages had
been cemented onto their heads. Not a single woman lost her bundle when our
driver tried to mow her down. He laughed as if it were all in good fun.

The
driver and I were about to have a serious falling out, but he came to an abrupt
stop in front of our hotel. I gaped at the stunning hotel… the palm trees… the tropical
flowers… and the pristine beach. This was a marked improvement over our accommodations
in Simferopol.

“Welcome
to dee Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel,” our driver announced cheerfully.

The
doorman intervened when we tried to collect our luggage. “Please. Dee bellmen
will retrieve your dings.”

My
heels clicked across the marble lobby. I stopped to speak with the concierge
while Rafael and Jase checked in at the reception desk. Kadyn joined me. “You
have a beautiful hotel. Is there a story behind the name?”

A
bright white smile flashed against his ebony skin. “Yes. Names are very
important in Sierra Leone. Dee Radisson Hotel was named after dee Queen of
Senehun, Mammy Yoko, who helped bring peace to dee Lpaa Mende region. To dis
day, dee Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel draws peacekeepers from all over dee
world.”