After we ate we all dispersed to different parts of the house, Kayla in the kitchen, helping Ruby to wash the dishes, and Kayla's mom having tea on the sofa with Elizabeth who had just arrived fifteen minutes earlier. I decided to go sit out on the porch to try and think on everything I learned today from Kayla's parents. When I stepped out on the porch it was already occupied by Kayla's father.
"I'm sorry I didn't know that anyone else was out here." I said starting to turn and go back inside the house.
"No Antonio, please stay." Gabriel replied patting the seat on the porch swing beside him. I reluctantly walked over to him and sat down on the swing.
"If you don't mind, I would like to hear all about you. I know life has not been easy for you, but if you're anything like Al was you hadn't let the hardness of it decide your outcome either." Gabriel said staring out toward the beach.
"When you call my father by his name with such familiarity, he becomes a real person to me and not a faraway dream my mother spent sixteen years pining over. It makes me want to know more about him, to see if I am in fact just like him." I explained looking toward the beach too.
"So you really don't have any memories of him?" Gabriel asked turning toward me, his face peaceful and serene, even though his eyes were troubled.
"No, none." I replied not feeling sadness, only regret.
"Well I suppose not, you were only five when he sent you and Carmen to Cuba, before that though you and Al were inseparable. Whenever he could and it wasn't a danger to you, he took you on his rounds at the clinic. The whole staff was crazy about you, they all called you little Dr. Rodriguez." Gabriel gave a bark of laughter at the memory.
"I forgot that my mother told me that he was a doctor." I remarked, amazed that I could forget that. I had been searching for so long with a single minded determination to find Alejandra that I never really had a thought about the man I came from.
"He was not just any doctor; he was one of the best. He was one of the ones that actually cared about their patients and not the type of insurance they carried, not that insurance was much of a factor in Africa." Gabriel laughed bitterly.
"He sounds like a saint." I retorted.
"No not a saint, just a good man. Al was wise beyond his years and he had patience for us who weren't. He was even like that when we were children, always waiting for me to catch up and never feeling any less about me. I still miss him to this day." I continued to stare out on the beach letting Gabriel words soak in.
"I wish I could remember him." I spoke longing for the father I never knew.
"Amelia and I still have a lot of pictures of Al, Carmen, and you when you were a baby. Everything I could salvage from the house after the explosion that night I brought back with us to the states. Once this is all over I'll relinquish them to you."
"Gabriel I couldn't-" I started but Gabriel stopped me before I could finish.
"There all rightfully yours and Al would have wanted you to have them." Gabriel stated with finality in his voice. I was over filled with joy, the only pictures I had of my mother were in my mind, and all of our worldly possessions had been lost the night my mother was killed.
"Thank you, Dr. Nichols." I replied trying to show this man respect.
"Don't do that, I'm Gabriel to you, and hopefully even one day Uncle Gabriel. You know Amelia is your godmother, your mother and her where very close, although at first it didn't start out like that." Gabriel spoke with a grin and a far off look.
"Yeah?" I replied surprised at that information. Amelia and my mother were like night and day; my mother was in your face outspoken and unpredictable. Amelia seemed to be the perfectly reserved English lady whose hair was probably rarely ever out of place.
"You're thinking about how two people with such differences can be so close? Trust me Carmen and Amelia are not all that different, they both have that fire, that fierceness to protect the people they love." Gabriel retorted quietly.
"Is that what attracted you to Amelia?" I asked, curious of my own strong attraction to Kayla.
"No, I'd be lying if I said that it was. The first thing I saw when I first laid eyes on Amelia was her exotic beauty. I swear I'd lay awake long into the night thinking about those mysterious green eyes." Gabriel responded sighing deeply.
"So love didn't register at first?"
"Antonio, you're a man, does love register for you the first time you see a beautiful woman?" Gabriel asked with a smile.
"If you would have asked me that question two weeks ago, I would have told you no." I answered seeing a mental picture of Kayla in my mind.
"And now?"
"Everything has changed." I replied flatly.
"The connection you and my daughter share is strong." I started to protest to Gabriel's implications, but he only held his hand up to stop me.
"Don't bother to deny your involvement with her, it's written on both of your faces every time you look at each other and you would have to be a blind man not to see it. You should know that Kayla has been hurt and left damaged by someone that she loved and trusted." Gabriel explained slowly, turning in his seat to stare at me.
"I know, she told me everything." I replied quietly, thinking that my new uncle was trying to warn me away from his precious daughter.
"She did?" Gabriel questioned with surprise in his voice from my admission.
"Yeah she did."
"Kayla is not like other women Antonio. She holds nothing back; she does everything all the way in spite of fear or consequences. If she decides to love you, she will with her entire heart. With such emotion comes a responsibility to either return her feelings or let her go if you're not going to give her one hundred percent of what she has chosen to give to you. Anything in between will only end badly for the both of you." Gabriel explained.
"My feelings for Kayla are probably double of what she feels for me, but I have responsibilities right now that will not allow me to build a life with her. She knows when this is all over and we have your daughter back safe and sound that I cannot stay." I replied, my words washing over me like cold water. Gabriel stared at me a long moment before he said anything.
"You are like your father, in all the ways that matter. Al would be proud of the man you have become." Gabriel said with a nod of his head.
"I just told you that I'm going to break your daughter's heart and you tell me I'm a good man?" I asked with a humorless laugh.
"No, what you told me is that you are going to break your own heart, in order to continue to search for something that has eluded you for so many years, something that you only continue to search for out of obligation. You're willing to dismiss your own happiness and put your life on hold in order to put right some of the wrongs you think you have caused all those years ago when you lost your family. That is a noble thing and so typical Al." Gabriel said smiling at me.
"So typical Kayla." I replied, realizing that Kayla had done the same exact thing when she decided to go look for her sister.
"Yes," Gabriel said as he returned his gaze to the beach. We sat in silence until another black limo pulled up in front of the house, the very same one that dropped off Kayla's family. We watched as the door to the limo opened and Big John get out he then turned and held the door open for Amanda and Jessica. They made quite the pair strutting down the walkway to the house arm in arm. We stood up watching them approach; when all three was on the steps of the porch Big John reached forward to shake Gabriel's hand.
"It's good to see you Dr. Nichols." Big John greeted a big smile on his face.
"You to John, thanks for keeping her safe." Gabriel replied referring to Kayla.
"I was just back up; you know Kayla did her thang." Big John said shaking his head almost as if he was trying to shake off Gabriel's gratitude.
"You got that right." Jessica added loudly.
"Big John please, introduce us to your friends." Gabriel said politely staring at Jessica and Amanda.
"Hi, I'm Jessica Taylor and this here is Amanda Powell, and you are?" Jessica asked taking control of the introductions.
"I'm Gabriel Nichols, Kayla's father." Gabriel replied smiling at the pretty red head.
"That is some girl you got there, Gabriel. She brought down an entire island by herself without even breaking a sweat." Jessica spoke plainly.
"Really?" Gabriel questioned, surprise barely even entering his expression.
"Yep, seen it for myself, and would have had to or I wouldn't have believed it." Jessica responded smoothing down the pretty pink and blue sundress she was wearing.
"I guess kids really do surpass their parents." Gabriel said keeping a straight face.
"Don't feel bad Gabriel, I have years of experience in neutralizing hostile situations, but I tell you that daughter of yours, skills exceed my own. Speaking of your daughter, where is she I want to say goodbye. The Bureau has sent a plane for Amanda and me; we will be flying back to Washington as soon as we leave here." Jessica said without even taking a breath. Man that woman could talk, what a turn off.
"I left her in the kitchen with our housekeeper." Gabriel replied.
"Alright, I'll just go find her then, come on Amanda." Jessica ordered pulling Amanda by her arm almost causing the girl to trip.
"It was nice meeting you Gabriel." Amanda threw over her shoulder as she headed through the screen door of the house.
"She was something." Gabriel retorted shaking his head with a smile.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I was just putting away the last dish when I heard a loud southern accent coming from the living room.
"Well hello, you must be Kayla's mother, I just met your husband out there on the porch." I heard Jessica say.
"Who is that?" Ruby asked with a frown.
"Jessica Taylor, she's an agent with the FBI." I replied distractedly. "Come on I'll introduce you." As I was walking in my mother was introducing herself.
"Your correct dear, I am Nikayla's mother. My name is Amelia." My mother responded with a look of interest.
"You're English." Jessica said stating the obvious.
"Really, and I thought I had a cold." My mother said teasing Jessica.
"Jessica, did you guys sleep okay?" I asked, trying to distract Jessica from my mother's very dry sense of humor.
"Honey I slept like the dead." Jessica replied with a grin.
"You've already met my mother and Elizabeth, this is Ruby. Ruby this is Jessica and Amanda, they both had a big hand in helping me to find Miah." I explained still feeling euphoric over now knowing my sister's where about.
"No, she has that all wrong. If it weren't for Kayla we never would have made it off of that island alive." Jessica raved to the room.
"What are you guys doing up so early? I thought you were going to sleep at least until this afternoon." I questioned with a frown.
"I was able to get in touch with the bureau early this morning and clue them in on what happened on the island in the last twenty four hours, with that and the confirmation that Roberto held Amanda captive for five years the bureau was able to get a warrant to search the island. A plane is waiting to take us back to D.C. where Amanda will be able to reunite with her parents after so many years." Jessica finished with a smile of someone who has seen her happily ever after and liked the look of it. I hope my own would be as joyous.
"So I guess this is good bye then." I said quietly.
"For now, but I have a feeling you and I paths will cross again someday." Jessica replied, beaming brighter than her red hair.
"Amanda, remember that you are who you are and you know that better than those who try to make you be something that you aren't." I whispered into Amanda's ear as I leaned over to give her a hug. After I hugged Jessica as well they headed for the door and were gone after one final wave.
"I'm afraid that I must take my leave also, I have a conference call that I must take at ten this morning, but maybe we could all have dinner tonight in the hotel's restaurant." Elizabeth said rising from her seat on the sofa.
"I'll have to check with Gabriel, but the offer sounds great." My mother responded also rising to see Elizabeth to the door. Once Elizabeth was gone my mother turned to me.
"Nikayla can I please see you in the bedroom." I gave Ruby a, what is this about look and she only shrugged.
I followed my mother down the hall to the bedroom that I and Antonio were occupying. The bed hadn't been made yet so I quickly straightened the sheets and comforters out so that we could sit down and talk. Once I had the bed made to my satisfaction I sat down and indicated for her to do so as well.
"What's up mom?" I asked guardedly.
"So is it true, that you have in fact found Jamiah?" My mother asked looking almost as if she was holding her breath.
"Yes it's true, she's alive mom." I said with a smile, happy that I was able to confirm my mother's question about Miah. The breath that mom had been holding was released slowly.
"Thank God, your father tells me that she was abducted and then sold to a man that now lives in Paris."
"Yes, she was sold to an older man by the name of Amir Al-Esayi. The man is unable to have children to pass his immense fortune on to, so he has taken to believing in legends that he believes will help to conquer the impossible." I explained tucking my feet beneath me.
"Legends, what do you mean?" Mom asked with a frown creasing her forehead as she tried to process what I was telling her.
"There's this legend that the Queen of Sheba will be reincarnated into a dark skin female with green eyes from African descent. Legend has it that she will give her husband's many sons and that their sons will be rulers and kings of the earth." My mother was quiet for a moment staring off into space.
"Walking the earth again, in search of her heart." I heard my mother murmur.
"I guess that the legend of the Heart of Africa goes hand in hand with the one of the Queen of Sheba being reincarnated." I agreed watching my mother.
"We have to get her back Nikayla. Legends have a way of bringing out the worst of the people who believe in them, and if you say that this man cannot have children and Jamiah has been with him for almost seven months now without conceiving..." My mother trailed off leaving me to fill in the blanks.
"I see your point." I muttered thinking of all the scenarios that might occur when Miah failed to conceive his son.
"Have you seen her?" My mother questioned eyeing me with interest.
"Yes, I saw a picture of her on Interpol." I replied trying to remember if I had already told her this.
"No, I meant have you had another vision of her." My mother asked again this time making the question sound more cryptic.
"Mom, that is ridiculous." I retorted with a nervous laugh.
"You said that you had a vision of Miah on a boat naked watching a man shredding the dress she had been wearing, throwing the remnants of that dress into the ocean. All I want to know is if you have had another vision of her."
"No, I haven't." I responded, not bothering to tell her about the weird premonitions I have been having or about the man with silver eyes that only I could see. No it's probably better if I keep that to myself. My mother watched me through narrowed eyes with suspicion for a moment, and then decided to let the subject drop only to change it to one that made me feel even more uncomfortable.
"So or you and Antonio having it off?" My mother asked matter of factly. My mother was one of those mothers that weren't in the least uncomfortable in making inquiries about her children's sex life.
"Mom, I am definitely not answering that." I replied, feeling myself go red in the face.
"What, that is a perfectly legitimate question."
"No it's not." I protested vehemently.
"Well please let me rephrase it then, are you and Antonio a couple?" My mother asked raising her left eyebrow. This question upset me even more because I had no answer for it.
"I don't know." I replied softly.
"You haven't defined your relationship yet." My mother stated reading my expression.
"It's complicated."
"I am willing to bet that it is not as complicated as the two of you or making it out to be." My mother said with a shake of the head.
"I should know, when your father and I first met we created complicated." I smiled because I always loved to hear stories about when my mother and father first fell in love. Although I would never admit it to anyone I still had fantasies about finding the kind of love my mother and father had for each other.
"Mom you and dad make it look so easy, complicated is not what comes to my mind when I think of you too."
"Ugh, you're right you should be thinking more along the lines of a train wreck." My mother replied flippantly.
"Mom!" I exclaimed shocked that she would say such a thing.
"Close your mouth dear, it looks most unattractive." My mother said reaching out to place her finger under my chin and push up.
"The fact is these last several months have not only been hard on your father and I but on our marriage as well, we were divided for quite some time and that has seemed to have damaged us." Ruby had tried to tell me that mom and dad was not in a good place but I didn't want to listen. I wasn't ready to deal with the life and the people I left behind; I didn't want anything to split my focus from finding my sister. I just turned everything off in me that yearned for home not giving much of a thought to what my actions of deciding to stay and look for my sister would do to my already grieving family. What choice did I have though?
"Mom, you guys just hit a little turbulence, after we get Miah back everything will be fine. I know normal is going to be elusive for a while but maybe in time we will obtain it with prayers and our faith in God." I said taking her hand. My mother gave me her I'm not going to cry smile and then pulled me into her arms.
"You've always been a bloody optimist, your right about one thing though, with God all things or possible." My mother replied giving me a little squeeze. "How did everything get so bungled?" Mom asked.
I didn't answer because I was still wondering the same thing myself.