In the Light of Love Read online

  “This is the orunyege, a courtship dance performed among the Banyoro-Batooro people of western Uganda. In the past, young men and women would be brought together in front of the community to choose their future mates. This ceremony was very important, especially for the boys because if they were poor dancers they risked being rejected from the girls.”

  The drums were intoxicating, the deep rhythmic beat reigning control. The dance was demanding, an exuberant showcase of talent and style. When the performers were finished, applause resounded through the air, cheers and shouts filling empty space in the stratosphere.

  Turning back to face Jericho, Talisa tried to ignore the nervous flutter that danced in her stomach. Peter grinned knowingly as he patted his friend on the back, leaning back in his own chair.

  “I am told, Talisa, that Jericho is a very good dancer. Perhaps one day you can convince him to dance for you.”

  “He’s cute, isn’t he?” Clarissa asked, her voice low as she whispered to Talisa.

  “Who’s cute?”

  The young woman gestured with her head, her gaze moving from Talisa’s face to Jericho and back again.

  Jericho stood in the exam room, changing the bandages on an old man’s legs. Ulcers had blistered the man’s flesh and he was visibly agitated by the annoyance of his predicament. Angela stood at Jericho’s side, translating the senior citizen’s complaints and the doctor’s instructions.

  A wave of warmth tickled Talisa’s stomach. Fighting not to stare, she turned her attention back to the inventory of medical supplies. “He’s nice-looking. I guess,” she said, feigning disinterest.

  Clarissa laughed at her. “You think he’s cute, too!”

  “You are trying to throw off my count.”

  “We’re actually finished,” Clarissa responded. “Everyone is ready to go,” she said, pointing to the plastic containers filled with medical supplies. She leaned to secure the lids on each.

  “Good. Why don’t you let Reverend Oloya and Peter know.”

  “Are you joining us?”

  Talisa shook her head no. “Peter is taking you, John, Barry, Tara and Adam with him. Everyone else is going with Reverend Oloya. I’m staying here to help in the clinic. I’m also going to be teaching an English class at the school. I don’t have the medical training the rest of you have so I think I’d just be in the way out in the fields. I’ll get more accomplished here.”

  Clarissa nodded. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Once these kids realize we’re here to inoculate them, we might need an extra hand to hold them down.”

  Talisa smiled. “I’ll pass. I want them to still like me when we leave here.”

  Clarissa pulled a large plastic bag from a zippered pouch in her backpack. She shook it in Talisa’s direction.

  “What’s that?”

  “Bubble gum and lollipops. Once the guys stick ’em, I plan to cheer ’em right up.”

  Talisa laughed. “Get going and remind everyone to please be careful.”

  Jericho grinned as Talisa joined them, a wide smile across her own face. Angela looked from one to the other, nodding her head. She said something to the old man in their native tongue that made him stare first at Talisa, then Jericho, before offering commentary that only Angela understood. The two laughed, the patriarch seeming to nod his approval.

  “They are laughing at us,” Jericho said, cutting his eye toward Talisa.

  “How could you tell?” she asked facetiously.

  Angela smiled. “We are laughing for you, not at you. We are just rejoicing in the wisdom of what will be.”

  Jericho pulled the rubber gloves from his hands, discarding them into the trash. “Talisa and I are just going to ignore you. Now, what’s next on our agenda, Mrs. Colleu?”

  “You are scheduled to visit the AIDS hospice this morning. Talisa will be joining you. She needs the exposure.”

  Talisa nodded slowly, taking a deep inhale of air. “I’m ready when you are, Dr. Becton, but I would like to check on Juji before we leave.”

  Jericho nodded. “Juji is at the school. I told you we wouldn’t be able to keep that one still.”

  “Is that safe?”

  The man smiled. “She’ll be fine. We’re keeping a close eye on her.”

  Angela pointed a finger toward the door, dismissing them. “You two need to get going. Drive safe, Jericho. We’ll see you later for dinner.”

  There was no denying the beauty of Uganda. It ran deeper than the lush, fertile shores of Lake Victoria, the dusty desert of the northeast lands, or the mountains of the western borders. The magnitude of Uganda’s beauty coursed deeper than the bloodlines of its people, gleaming its intensity out of its children’s eyes.

  As they made the drive back toward Kampala, Jericho and Talisa sat in quiet contemplation. Conversation was sparse as both sat absorbing the picturesque views, inhaling the aromas of the landscape, and reveling in the comfort of just being at each other’s side.

  Jericho broke the silence. “I don’t think we should consider this our first date. I was hoping for something a little more romantic myself.”

  The comment was unexpected, coming with a quiet conviction that made Talisa smile. Jericho watched her out of the corner of his eyes, his gaze shifting back and forth between her and the road.

  He continued. “I really can be very romantic,” he said, his low voice dropping even lower.

  Talisa could feel the inflection of his words filtering through her bloodstream, causing her to quiver in her seat. “Is that so?” she responded, trying not to choke on the sudden rise of desire that swept over her.

  Jericho nodded. “I like to give it my best shot. And, I haven’t had too many complaints over the years.”

  “But you’ve had complaints?” Talisa asked, a slight smirk gracing her face.

  Jericho shrugged, tossing her a wry smile. “Only two. First time was in third grade. Vivian Kelly had some issues with the bullfrog I gave her for her birthday. Then again last month. I didn’t pay enough attention to my auction date. My mind was on the woman who didn’t win. The woman I really wanted to be with. My date wasn’t happy. Go figure.”

  Talisa laughed out loud. “Maybe we shouldn’t count those. Seems like you were at a disadvantage.”

  “See, I knew you’d understand.”

  Talisa took advantage of the moment to ask a question that had crossed her mind countless times since the evening of the auction. “Was that woman a friend of yours?”

  Jericho pursed his lips, reflecting on his answer before responding. “We were friends once. We grew up together, then started dating in college. We were engaged to be married, but broke it off. Things didn’t work out.”

  Not at all what she’d expected or had hoped to hear, the statement came like a harsh right cross to her abdomen. Talisa struggled not to let Jericho see her obvious discomfort, turning to focus her attention out the window. The gesture failed.

  “I’m sorry,” Jericho said, turning to stare directly at her. The vehicle they were riding in slowed, dropping well below the speed limit.

  Talisa shook her head. “No, don’t be. I asked the question. You only answered it. I don’t know why it bothered me.”

  A pregnant pause filled the space between them.

  “No, I take that back,” Talisa said suddenly. “I do know why that bothered me. It hasn’t been that long since you ended an engagement. You were going to marry this woman and it seems that she’s still very interested in that idea. I don’t want to be a rebound relationship while you’re trying to figure out what you want.”

  Jericho sighed, blowing warm breath past his lips.

  “Shannon and I are finished. I don’t have any feelings for her. You can trust that. Whatever develops between you and I will be something we both want for the right reasons. I’m not trying to get over Shannon. I’ve been over Shannon for a long time.”

  “But clearly she has feelings for you. Twenty thousand dollars’ worth of feelings, to be exact.”
/>   Jericho pulled off the road, bringing the car to a complete stop before shifting the gear into Park. He twisted his body to face her, pulling her hands between his. “Talisa, I know we don’t know each other very well, but I think you and I made a great connection back in the States. Whatever it is you want to call it, we both felt it. Now, tell me if I’m wrong, but I think you and I are still feeling it.”

  Talisa’s head bobbed up and down slowly as she nodded her agreement. Jericho paused as his gaze fell to the views outside the car window before returning to Talisa’s face. His eyes flickered about trying to capture each detail to memory, the exact shade of her brown complexion, the arch of her eyebrows, down to the curve of her nose and how her ears lay against the side of her head. His gaze rested on the fullness of her mouth and the tiniest of tongues that peeked through every so often to moisten her lips.

  His heart was racing at rapid speed, his conscience urging him to share everything. The initial flirtation between them was clearly something more and Jericho was suddenly hungry for it, wanting to claim it as his and his alone as he wrapped himself in the magnitude of it. From what he saw as she stared back at him, Jericho was certain Talisa was feeling the same way.

  “This isn’t easy for me,” he said, his voice coming low. “But I need for you to know everything.” As he spoke, the story of him and Shannon, and the history they shared, clouded the air between them. When he finished, he studied Talisa’s expression, wary of her reaction. He so wanted her to believe and understand him, that desperation fell like rain from his eyes.

  Talisa pulled her hand from beneath his, pressing her palm to the side of Jericho’s face. She wiped away the tears from his cheek and said nothing, falling back against the car’s seat as silence wafted between them. Unnerved by her silence, Jericho shifted the car back into Drive and pulled back onto the main road to resume their trip. Talisa stared out the passenger window, still not saying a word. The silence suddenly felt like a knife through Jericho’s heart, his own anxiety twisting the handle.

  “Please, Talisa, say something,” he finally implored. “Anything, please.”

  “You’re right. I don’t think we should consider this a first date.”

  Jericho tossed her a cautious smile. “Does that mean you’ll give me a chance?”

  “It means I don’t like bullfrogs and I do want to find out just how romantic you can be.”

  “I promise I’ll never give you anything slimy, green and bug-eyed for your birthday.”

  “Thank you.” Talisa hesitated a quick minute before continuing. “Jericho, I’m sorry you had to go through that. I can’t begin to imagine why a woman would do that to a man but I know that there are women who have, no matter how wrong they knew it was. And you’re right, we don’t know each other well. I don’t know anything about you, but I know enough to believe that you could never violate any woman that way. And I know that there is something happening between us. Something special, and I want to know what that is.”

  With one hand on the steering wheel, Jericho reached the other across the center console to hold Talisa’s, entwining his fingers between hers. Talisa could feel her heart skip a quick beat at the sensation of his touch.

  When Jericho pulled into the parking area of the Hospice center, both he and Talisa had settled into a comfortable space with one another. The quiet between them exuded an intoxicating warmth. Gone were the tense waves of nervous energy, the unsettled feelings between new couples fighting to put their best faces forward. Theirs was a shared aura of newly placed confidence, an innate understanding that whatever was developing between them was as close to perfect as they could get.

  As she stepped out of the vehicle, taking in her surroundings, Talisa sensed a sudden change in the atmosphere. She could feel an air of tension spread through Jericho’s body and subsequently hers.

  “What’s wrong, Jericho?”

  “Have you ever been through an AIDS home before?”

  Talisa shook her head. “No.”

  Jericho reached for the black medical bag in the back seat, leaning back against the car after closing the door. “Just like in the United States, some care facilities are better than others. This is one of the best in Uganda, but you’ll see that they are just as underfunded, and understaffed, as the rest of them.

  “You need to understand that this won’t be easy, Talisa. The patients here are dying and that’s a hard thing for some people to deal with, especially when you know so much more could be done if we could just get them the drugs and medication they need. The best the doctors are able to do here is keep their patients comfortable. They draw their strength from us, so you will need to be as strong as you can. Sometimes that’s not so easy to do. Being in the medical profession I’ve seen a lot, but I have to be honest with you, this place has been one of the hardest experiences of my life.”

  Talisa nodded. “I may need some help from a higher source.” She reached for Jericho’s hand. “Will you pray with me?”

  Jericho nodded, then closed his eyes as he bowed his head, his chin coming to rest against his chest. The lilt of Talisa’s voice was a gentle breeze against his heart as she whispered a prayer skyward, asking God for guidance and strength to do whatever would be required of them.

  As Jericho guided her through the doors of the hospital, he marveled at how easily the litany had come to her, noting that he could barely remember the last time he had offered up a prayer so readily.

  The sun was just minutes from setting when Jericho parked the car back in front of the clinic’s door. The duo had been silent for most of the return drive. His only acknowledgment of her tears had been to wipe them gently with his fingers. Jericho had understood her need to cry, remembering his own tears just weeks before.

  Talisa had impressed him with her composure. She’d held many a fragile hand, had wiped foreheads, assisted the nurses with baths and feedings, even clearing away a bedpan or two without being asked. Seven hours of nonstop work and there hadn’t been one word of complaint from her. He’d expected her tears when they’d been unable to resuscitate a young mother, no older than Talisa herself, who’d finally succumbed to the hateful disease. But Talisa had held them, relying on that God-given strength to help the woman’s two young children comprehend that their mother was gone. Without skipping a beat, she’d moved on to the nursery to hold and rock the infants infected with the virus, humming each a soft lullaby as they fell asleep in her arms. On the drive back, when she’d finally let go of her emotions, he’d understood better than anyone the need for her low sobs. Jericho moved to the passenger door, pulling it open to help Talisa to her feet. She had dried her eyes, the last of her angst wiped away with a tissue.

  “Are you okay?” Jericho asked as they stood side by side.

  Talisa nodded. “I will be. I’m glad you’re here with me, Jericho.”

  Talisa lifted her gaze to stare into the man’s eyes. Jericho wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her closer. He leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips. His touch was easy, a faint brushing of his flesh against hers. As Talisa’s hands pressed against his back, Jericho lightly teased her lips apart with his tongue. When Talisa opened her mouth, he pressed his tightly over it, his tongue probing deeply into the warm cavity.

  From the doorway of the clinic, Angela and Peter stood arm in arm watching. Squeezing her husband’s hand, Angela pointed skyward. Following the line of her hand, Peter stood staring at the star-filled sky that shimmered overhead, the full moon a beacon of light cascading down over the embracing couple. Angela turned to go back inside and Peter followed closely behind her.

  Chapter 12

  Herman London could hear his wife’s screams as he stepped out of his Ford pickup truck. As he made the short walk to his front door he prepared himself for the onslaught of ire waiting for him on the other side of the entrance. These episodes were too familiar, his wife’s frequent outbursts beginning to take their toll. He was battle weary, way too tired after a long da
y of work to deal with the woman’s instability.

  As he pushed his key into the lock, he could feel every nerve ending in his body tense. Mary stood screaming at the foot of the stairs as he closed the door behind him.

  “Talisa Michele London! I know you hear me. Girl, you better get your behind down here now. You hear me calling you! Talisa! Talisa!”

  “Woman, what is your problem? You know Talisa’s not home.”

  The woman snapped her head in her husband’s direction. “I know you didn’t let her go out. I told her she couldn’t go out on school nights.”

  Herman shook his head. “Mary, Talisa is in Africa for her job. Don’t you remember? Talisa done finished school.”

  Confusion washed over Mary’s face. “Africa?”

  “Yes. You remember? She went with them medical students from the church center. How long you been standing here screaming like you done lost your mind?”

  The woman bristled. “I’m not crazy, Herman London. I just forgot is all.”

  The man pushed his way past her, allowing a wide palm to fall against his wife’s broad hip as he stopped to kiss the side of her face. “Okay, Mama. Do you remember now?”

  Mary nodded, giggling as she followed him into the kitchen. “Lord, I’d forget my head if it weren’t attached to my body!” she exclaimed as she reached for the pots on top of the stove.

  The telephone ringing pulled at her attention, interrupting her thoughts and their conversation.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mrs. London. This is Leila. How are you?”

  “Hello, Leila! I’m doing just fine. How are you doing, baby?”

  “I’m well, thank you.”

  “Talisa’s not home at the moment, baby. I can tell her you called though.”

  Leila chuckled softly. “I know, Mrs. London. I told her we’d check up on you while she was gone. My mother wants to know if you’d like to go out with us Friday night. She has tickets to the Ebony Fashion Show and I thought we could all go to dinner.”

  The excitement rang in Mary’s voice. “Ohhh! That sounds like a good time. You tell Nellie I said thank you. I’d love to go.”