Her Indigenous Surrender

CHAPTER 4 THE (DATE) OUTING ◇ 1

Rising early in the morning for her run, Charlene looks out her window, appreciating the gentle lapping of the waves as she stretches in bed. She then says a quick prayer of gratitude. Times like these, in the early hours of the morning, remind her of all that she should be grateful for. Jumping out of bed, she goes through her prep to get ready for her run, making sure she does not disturb her daughter, who, unlike her brothers, isn't a deep sleeper—something she inherited from Charlene.

After finishing, Charlene quietly steps out of the room and tiptoes to the boys' room to check on them. Smiling at the sight before her, she carefully walks over to Ashhur's bed. Ash is half out of the bed, his limbs carelessly spread out, with his legs tangled in the bedsheets on the floor. Detangling her son and fixing him properly on the bed, Charlene replaces the covers on Ashhur and kisses his forehead while he snuggles deeper into his pillows. She walks over to Amaziah, adjusts his sheet over his shoulders, and brushes some of his curls away from his eyes.

Neither boy wakes during the time she is in their room. Just like their father, Charlene thinks, they sleep like the dead. Sighing as she gently closes the door, she walks back to her room, picks up her running shoes, and heads outside. After making sure the door is properly locked, Charlene sits on a deck chair and puts on her shoes. She then places her key card in a pocket before zipping it up. After plugging in her earbuds, she opens her phone's music app and taps open her workout playlist.

Charlene begins her workout with stretches on the porch, occasionally using the steps. Then she is off, lightly jogging on the lit path towards the beach. She usually starts an hour before sunrise, but since she has this date—this outing thingy with Mr. Adams and her kids—she decided to get up an hour earlier. Suddenly, her heart starts racing as she recalls the show-stopping smile he sent her way last night. The way the light from the spotlight cast a glow on his raven hair, highlighting flakes of brown that looked almost gold at the tips.

Angry with where her thoughts are going, Charlene subconsciously pushes herself into a hard run, hurling down the path with such speed that she practically flies onto the beach, missing the seven steps on the boardwalk that line the property, narrowly missing the lifeguard's lookout tower when she loses her balance. Righting herself without any mishap, Charlene continues running while her conscience teases her about the attractive Mr. Kitchi Adams and his potential as a friend.

Unbeknownst to her, Mr. Kitchi Adams is having a tough time getting rid of the images haunting his mind from a rather weird dream. He is having difficulty understanding why he is even dreaming about the cinnamon beauty with twisted deep brown locks and hazel brown eyes named Charlene Desiré. He keeps seeing her in a bohemian wedding dress on the beach, walking towards him, smiling.

Just before she reaches him, they are separated by a violent windstorm. He wakes up from their screaming each other's names, but other voices howl in the winds, only to be drowned out by the wind itself. The dream keeps repeating itself every time he closes his eyes. He gives up on sleep and decides to get ready for the date.

***

Charlene manoeuvres the 1998 Ford Explorer past the small town of Fond St. Jacques. She is grateful she had the foresight to arrange for an all-wheel-drive vehicle that is large enough to hold all of them. She did so after securing a certified tour guide for the hike to En Bas Saut Falls, which in St. Lucian Creole means "beneath the falls." Fortunately for her, Mr. Adams agreed that it would be best if Charlene drove the vehicle since he wasn't accustomed to driving in St. Lucia.

He had jokingly said the roads were too narrow for him and the drivers too crazy. He feared that he would end up as roadkill. That was enough to scare the kids into vehemently insisting they preferred her driving, promptly ushering her into the driver's seat when the SUV arrived. They seemed to have forgotten she had to complete the paperwork before taking the vehicle.