“But you love me, so we have that.”
“I love you, and we have that,” she said.“Rebecka and Benicio?Do I have a say in the naming of our children?”
“The first two I name,” he said with a wink, “the second two are up to you.”
“Four kids!Four kids?”
He stuck out his tongue and popped to his feet.“Alita, Angel, come we ride to the village to converse with Father Julio.We are off on a new adventure with theEmbera Choco!”
Angel threw up his arm in victory, “TheEmbera Chocorides again!”
Alita tugged at his arm.“Micah, we only have three weeks before we start class at Uni.We still need to get furniture, schedules, schoolbooks, and a vehicle.You want to plan a wedding in the middle of all of that?”
“Alita, there is an IKEA in Bogotá to get furniture.Mami would love to take you to Medellin to look for a wedding dress,” he told her.“You and I are simple.Do you want an over-the-top ceremony or a simple affair here at the house with your family and mine?”
“If we had it here, that could be lovely.My mother would love to see this house,” Alita said.“Luis, man, he would be delighted to see the craftsman's work building, and my father, would lose his mind seeing the gardens and fields.He would never stop bragging at the cantina.”
“Then we make it happen, so I can have my wedding night with you,” he said, winking at her.
“Freaky shit, huh?”
“Hell yeah,” Micah said.“It shall be, how do you say,ah si, hella fun.”
Chapter 16- Spirit
The past twenty-fourhours seemed surreal to Eduardo Delgado.He sat on the side of the bed, ready to end his night, but his spirit was restless.The emotions filling his gullet stirred like unspent dollars at his favorite marketplace.He employed deep breathing techniques to center himself and calm his brain so he could rest through the night.The week, based on his son's outburst and chosen course of action, would be for a very long five days.His wife Ryanne came from the bathroom, also prepared for bed.Seeing her husband seated on the side of the bed in his pajamas staring at the door, she shifted her focus to sit beside him.
The hand cream Ryanne used smelled of mangoes as she slid her slender fingers into his paw of a hand.The hardened calluses and seldom trimmed cuticles reminded her often of his hard labor tending the land which supported so many mouths.He never asked for the job but was bred into the position and manned the helm of a family legacy.Tonight, he was lost in his thoughts.
Ryanne used her free hand to run through the dark mass of hair, now littered with grey at the temples and sides, giving him an air of distinction.She placed a light kiss on the sun-weathered cheek and pulled him close.As tough as her husband was, she made sure when he needed comfort; she provided it through touch and reassurance in his decision making even though at times she didn’t agree with his tactics.
“Talk to me,” she said softly.
“Don't know where to start,” he replied, leaning into her embrace.“Micah said plainly he was into some nasty and freaky shit.I am really worried about what those things could be.”
“I’m sorry, what?”She said, thinking his mind was elsewhere.
