Four
One year later . . .
St Kitts, West Indies
Ahasuerus
"Is everybody ready?"
"Yeah!"
"I said, is everybody ready?"
"Yeah!" the crowd yelled even louder.
"All right then, here we go!"
Ahasuerus Qin shifted the twenty-passenger open-air shuttle bus into gear and pulled out of the parking lot, waving to another shuttle driver as he began the three-hour tour route. Ahasuerus loved his job and had started Ahasuerus of St. Kitts Tours a year and a half ago. After attending law school and running his own practice in the States for two years, he never expected to be back in the place of his birth running his own tour business, but the Lord had had other plans for him. The cut in pay was significant, but with the decreased stress level, he could not be happier with his career choice. Plus, it was a beautiful summer, as always!
As Ahasuerus drove, one of the slightly-inebriated female tourists seated directly behind him started making suggestive comments, flirting shamelessly. Shaking his head slightly, Ahasuerus forced himself to smile and politely sidestepped her comments. He was used to this sort of thing happening and had learned to carefully mask his expressions.
At thirty-five years old, standing at six-foot-two, with handsome Asian features–black wavy hair hanging past his collar, warm hazel eyes, and a lean, tanned, muscular physique–Ahasuerus was a very handsome man, and no matter where he went, he was noticed. Even the tropical island shirts he wore daily could not downplay his features. Many times, he was offered money by forward female tourists for 'private tours.' In his past life, he would have fulfilled a few of those fantasies, but he was no longer that man.
For many years, Ahasuerus lived in a way that would have made his mother and father ashamed, but a month after he moved back to St. Kitts, he gave his life to God, undergoing a life-altering transformation. Gone were the days of drinking and immorality. And truthfully, he had only lost himself in that life as a way to forget just how lonely he'd always felt.
After taking a few minutes to point out more things of interest, Ahasuerus looked in the rearview mirror, letting his gaze move two rows back. To her.
Ahasuerus had watched the beautiful woman from afar for over six months now, but this was the first time she had ever been on his tour bus. He'd learned from a friend that she had moved to St. Kitts from the mainland. She opened a martial arts school and was an excellent teacher. His friend's son was currently taking lessons from her. Ahasuerus had finally asked her name.
Hadassah Kingston.
Ahasuerus had almost laughed out loud at the irony. They were both named after the royal couple in the book of Esther. What were the odds?
He continued to glance in the mirror, wondering about her, about her life and what brought her to St. Kitts. He noticed her look had changed within the time she'd been on the island, her thick, shoulder-length auburn hair now in dozens of braids accented by a few small silver and gold braid cuffs. Her brown skin shimmered in the afternoon sun. She was a beautiful woman, and though he could see vulnerability in her gaze as she took in the passing sights, he could tell that behind those gorgeous brown eyes stood a will of iron–there must have been for her to have made such a move. He longed to know her, but the two had only ever greeted each other in passing. Now she was on his tour bus.
Ahasuerus knew he could not let the opportunity pass to speak with her formally.
~~~~~
Hadassah
I discreetly watched the handsome tour bus driver. After half a year of saying hello in passing whenever I walked through the main tourist section, this morning I'd felt a strong prompting to take his tour. I had come to know the island well, but listening to Ahasuerus's animated details of all the places of interests was amusing. I loved his sense of humor, and watching him interact with the tourists was a treat indeed. Now that I knew his name, I was even more drawn to him. For me, there were no coincidences and I knew the Lord led me there today–to that very moment–for a reason.
At one point, I managed to meet his eyes in the rearview mirror, warmed by the way he stared back before returning his attention to the road. Then he gifted me with a sensuous smile and I felt my face warm. He was just as aware of me as I was of him. This knowledge made it hard to keep my eyes off him.
When we finally returned to the main pickup area, he thanked us for taking the tour, bidding everyone goodbye as they exited the bus. I was the last to get off. He was waiting for me.
"Hello," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Ahasuerus. Your name is Hadassah, right?"
Surprised, I shook his hand. "How do you know my name?"
He smiled. "I asked." When I continued to stare at him quietly, he added, "A friend's son is in your class." He was still holding my hand.
"Ah," I said.
"I've wanted to meet you for a long time."
"Same here."
For a moment, we just stood there looking at one another. Despite my current situation, I was so inexperienced when it came to men, I didn't know what else to say. Then I reminded myself of one glaring fact Ahasuerus had no knowledge of.
I was engaged to be married.
My wedding was in a little over two weeks, but I had become a miserable bride-to-be. I was about to tie myself to a man I cared for but really did not love, simply because he offered me financial security. Not a good reason, I knew. When I moved to St. Kitt's a year ago, I never expected any of this to happen.
While looking at some silver island jewelry at a souvenir stall one day, I met Nathan Harris, a doctor with a successful practice in St. Kitts. Nathan was a charming man and I had been quickly taken with him. He did and said all the right things and was always very kind to me.
We spent so much time together that before long, Nathan asked me to marry him. I knew neither of us were really in love, but we got along well, and with him as my husband, I would never want for anything. I reasoned that in time, we could grow to love each other.
Then I had locked eyes with Ahasuerus Qin and my whole world shifted.
Now that we had formally met, I didn't know where things could possibly go from there.
"Can I walk with you for a bit?" he asked. "Maybe even treat you to a cool drink?"
Not a good idea, my mind answered, but my heart prompted me to respond, "Yes."
We walked over to one of the open-air restaurants. Picking a table with a perfect view of the ocean, he ordered a couple of non-alcoholic strawberry coladas and a seafood appetizer.
I told myself that this was just a friendly visit, that we were only getting to know each other as friends, but it was just an excuse. I loved talking with Ahasuerus. He told me he was an only child and had been born to Japanese parents who moved the family to St. Kitts when he was four. Both English and Japanese were spoken in their home, his parents never wanting him to forget his traditional native roots.
He shared many details of his past with me and I shared mine, and I was amazed at how well we grew to know each other with this one conversation.
When conversation between us wound down, I found myself watching him, warmed by the way he was watching me. His exotic hazel eyes, beautiful smile and warm personality drew me in more and more by the second, and my emotions were literally on a runaway freight train.
But I needed to put on the brakes.
"I need to tell you something," I finally said and rushed on breathlessly. "I'm engaged."
Ahasuerus's smile faded and I wanted to sink beneath the table. Why hadn't I told him before I agreed to walk with him? Why did I even agree to have a drink with him? What I had done was beyond unfair and I just wanted to kick myself for leading him on. But something inside me just could not help it. I waited for him to finally say something. When he did, it wasn't what I had expected to hear.
"Tell me about him."
"He's a doctor who moved here from the mainland and set up a practice. He's good to me–treats me well." I really couldn't think of much else to say, and I had no idea what prompted that way of thinking in me. Nathan really had been the first man to show any interest in me since moving to St. Kitts. I'd been lonely and had made very few friends–they were more acquaintances than friends really. I'd kept to myself a lot, at least until Nathan.
"Do you love him?" he asked me. His eyes were earnest and imploring.
I couldn't lie to him. I didn't want to. "No."
"When is the wedding?"
"A little over two weeks." My stomach knotted up just thinking about it. It had sounded like a good idea before, but . . . not now.
A soft smile curved his lips. "Then I still have a chance.