Africa (Complete)

Chapter Three

In the final moments before the sun disappeared over the horizon, Kam and Cara held each other, rocking back and forth as they slow-danced on the upper deck of her father's enormous yacht. A soft rhythmic beat filled the air, providing a soundtrack to their love story. Their early-stage-relationship feelings mixed with alcohol made the vibe serene and perfect. Neither of them wanted the night to end.

Kam pulled back and kissed Cara – one of the few intimate moments they had shared together.

"I'm falling for you," Kam said, looking into her eyes.

Cara stared back and smiled. She placed her head on his chest.

When the song ended, Cara led Kam to one of the over-sized couches on the deck. In the open air, under the star-filled sky, they slipped under a cozy blanket and got more comfortable. The bright moonlight lit up their faces and reflected on the water.

"What are we?" Kam asked softly.

"We're just a mere collection of cells, mostly carbon, spinning on a rock, floating in the infinite expanse of space."

"Very funny. I'm being seriously. Is this just a summer fling to you, or... are you looking for more?"

"What do you want?" Cara put the question back on Kam.

"I've always been a really cautious person," Kam replied, "but for some reason, when I'm with you, I just want to throw caution to the wind. It's a feeling I've never felt before, and it's wonderful. I'm not even sure how to really describe it. Part of my caution come from a fear that we are moving at different speeds, which leaves me vulnerable."

"What makes you say that?" Cara asked.

"I don't know, just my intuition."

"I like you, it's just..." Cara hesitated. "My father can be really controlling. I know he wants me to be with someone who is really educated, comes from a good family, who is ambitious, who owns his own company, has high social status... that sort of thing."

"I mean, I have some of those qualities, and I'm still young, there's time to develop the other ones."

"I don't know."

"So you're saying I'm not good enough for you?"

"I didn't say that."

"So what are you saying?"

"You are good enough for me, but I'm not sure if my father will approve of you. Before you get offended, he wouldn't think anyone is good enough for me. Do you understand?"

"I don't really understand. Would you rather be with someone who you like, or who your dad likes?"

"Ideally both."

"And I'm just not that guy?"

Cara didn't answer.

"Here's another option," Kam said. "Just throwing it out there. Let's take a trip."

"A trip?" Cara asked.

"Yeah, we could go away to Europe or Asia. It would be just the two of us."

"Yeah, I don't know about that. That's probably not a good idea."

"Does your father have a birthday coming up?"

"Yeah, in August, why?"

"Why don't you book him some scuba lessons? We can all go together. You can pretend like we've never met before. All three of us can hang out, have a good time... I can work my magic."

"Work your magic? What kind of magic are you working?"

"Haven't you noticed — I'm irresistibly charming."

"I have noticed, but does it work on sixty-year-old men?"

"It works on everybody."

"You're silly."

"You're beautiful. See, I'm can't help it!" Kam laughed.

"If that's your definition of charming, I think you have some work to do."

As the night progressed, the two found themselves walking barefoot on the beach, the cold tide splashing on their ankles. Something caught Cara's eye so she bent down to pick it up.

"You find something?" Kam asked.

"It's a necklace made of seashells."

Cara removed her necklace and handed it to Kam, then slipped the shell necklace over her head.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"It suits you," Kam replied with a smile.

"It's amazing what kinds of treasure gets washed ashore. Who knows where this came from, who made it, the history. For all we know, this could be a hundred-year old necklace worn by a queen at some point, previously lost and forgotten until now."

"Or some lady bought it from a merchant for ten dollars and then left it behind," Kam said, offering another theory.

"No, of course not," Cara mused. "This is a priceless relic from a bygone era. Aristocrats and dignitaries fought wars over this treasure. And somehow, by fate, it has made its way into my life. I am its keeper now."

"You have a wild imagination," Kam laughed. "I love it."

He brushed Cara's sun-bleached hair out of her face then kissed her.

"This is the only treasure I see on the beach," Kam said.

"So cheesy!" she blurted out.

"What, I thought that was good."

"Do you ever wonder what remnants of our culture will wash up on a shore one day? Like, say a thousand years from now, some explorer finds a Starbucks cup and based on the logo assume we used to worship some serpent queen."

"I don't know, I've never thought about that."

"I think about that all the time," Cara said. "Or if you look up at the stars and think, these are the same stars people throughout the history of the world looked at. Socrates, Galileo, Einstein, Oprah... everyone shares the same view."

"Well, depending on where they are in the world, but yeah, I see your point."

"Isn't that fascinating? Oprah could be on her back porch right now, staring up at the same sky as us. It kind of makes me see the humanity in all of us. Like, we're all on this spinning rock together. We are all kind of the same, you know?"

"I definitely don't feel the same as Oprah, but I know what you mean."

"You could be. People all over the world know who you are. You are the best in the world at swimming. I bet Oprah can't even swim."

"How did we get onto Oprah?" Kam asked.

"Important people," Cara replied. "I think we got off on a tangent."

"Shall we head back?"

Walking hand-in-hand, the young couple made their way to the dock and back onto Cara's father's yacht. After getting cleaned up, they jumped into the hot tub, and opened a bottle of champagne. The night was still young.