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Episode 9

THE THREE OF THEM ended up in an almost deserted restaurant, sitting, with three coffees, at a little table in the back.
Fola hadn’t opened her mouth since they’d left the marketplace, afraid that if she said anything it would be the wrong thing, because all she could think about was the excruciating pain she could see Umar was in, and that wherever Zara was, whatever was happening, she had to be absolutely terrified.

Swallowing hard, she wondered yet again how she could conceivably have let something so horrendous happen. It went without saying that if there was any way in the world she could undo what she’d done, she would.

But there wasn’t. The only thing she could do now was try to help. Yet she was growing more and more afraid that Umar had changed his mind, and that he wasn’t going to confide in them afterall. And if he didn’t…

She began willing Kunle to think of something to say that would make Umar start talking. Unfortunately, though, he was a lot better when it came to talking about himself than getting other people to talk about themselves. Just as she was starting to feel a sense of desperation, Umar cleared his throat.
Her gaze flashed to him.

“All right, here is the deal,” he said, “Someone took Zara as a way of getting revenge against me.”
Fola exhaled slowly. His voice was still on the shaky side, but he sounded a whole lot more together than he had fifteen minutes ago.
“Revenge for what?” Kunle asked.
Umar shook his head. “I don’t know. Not exactly.”
“But more or less?” she prompted when he paused.
He didn’t so much as glance her way, making her feel even worse, which she wouldn’t have believed was possible.
“I have several ideas,” he finally continued. “That’s the problem. There are any number of people who…”
He paused once more, then looked across the table at Kunle and said, “I’d better start at the beginning.

“I’m a lawyer. And I went straight from law school to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Due to my intelligence, they had me in the courtoom within weeks. And I turned out to be a very good prosecutor.
“That meant I got assigned higher and tougher cases, until I was prosecuting the “Danladi brothers”, the ones who were very well connected, they almost never got caught. Only I managed to ensure that a fair number of them were.”
“You’re talking organized crime,” Kunle said.
“For the most part. I made a lot of enemies that smart people wouldn’t want to make. Enemies who swore revenge.”
“but you told yourself those sorts of threats were watery,” Kunle said.
“Exactly. Basically, I laughed them off. I was pretty cocky in those days. Young and invisible. I figured nobody was actually going to hurt Umar Bello.
“And no one did. Not directly. But…”
Fola waited, telling herself she wouldn’t say a word this time.
Then, after the silence had stretched for so long that she felt certain he was never going to complete his sentence, she heard herself whisper, “But?”
Umar stared at the table for an eternity before he said, “But they killed my wife.”

*******************************************************
UMAR HAD BEEN FORCED to recount the story so often that he’d pared it down to the basics. That way, it didn’t hurt as much in the telling. Today, however, he knew it would hurt like hell. Having to talk about what happened always brought back the horror of it. And this time…
With Zara gone he was at a level of reality he’d prayed he’d never reach.
There wasn’t the slightest doubt in his mind that the same man who’d murdered his wife now had his daughter. And if Zara ended up dead it would kill him, as well.
But she wasn’t going to end up dead. She just couldn’t.

Not taking his gaze from the table, he made himself begin.
“It happened a little more than three years ago,” he said.
“My wife’s name was Havilah, and we both worked in Abuja.
“We had irregular hours, which meant we needed two cars. And the day it happened…
“Havilah was leaving early. I was supposed to drop Zara off at school. So the two of us were still in the house when Havilah left.
“Zara was slow over breakfast. I was trying to get her to hurry up. And then…”
He had to pause. This was the hardest part.
“There was an explosion,” he went on at last. “I rushed to the front of the house and…it was Havilah’s car. Someone had planted a bomb in it.”
“Oh, Lord,”Fola murmured.
“I thought, well, the only reason that made any sense…It had to be related to one of the cases I’d prosecuted. And at first I figured they had a mistake, that he’d mistaken Havilah’s car for mine. “Then a few days later after her funeral, I got an anonymous letter explaining what he was up to.
“He said that just killing me wouldn’t be good enough. That he hoped I lived to be a hundred, because he intended to make the rest of my life a living hell.
“Murdering Havilah was only the beginning, he said. From then on, terrible things were going to happen to anyone I ever loved.”
“Oh, Lord,” Fola murmured again. But why on earth hadn’t he told her this before?
She’d assumed he was overprotective, when in reality…

If she’d known why he actually worried so much about Zara, she wouldn’t have taken her eyes off the little girl for a second. She had, though. Regardless of what she’d known or not known, it was her fault Zara was gone. And every time that fact pounded itself against the inside of her head she wanted to cry.
“The note didn’t give the police any leads?” Kunle was asking.
“No, not really. I mean, the most obvious people were the ones who’d openly threatened me with revenge. So they interviewed all of them. As well as their associates. But the authorities couldn’t find hard evidence pointing at anyone.
“And when it became clear the case would probably remain unsolved, I had to decide what I was going to do. How I was going to keep Zara safe.
“I considered creating a new identity for myself, but if a major crime figure is serious about tracking somebody down it really isn’t very hard.
“So rather than give up my profession and cut myself entirely off from my family and friends, I opted for a low profile and an ultracareful lifestyle, and hoped the guy would eventually decide that killing Havilah had been enough.
“I left my job in Abuja, took a lecturing position at Lagos Law School and University of Lagos. I relocated to Lagos,” he added, remembering that Kunle didn’t know some of the things about him, Fola did.

“It wasn’t a hard move to make?” Kunle said.
“Well, getting the job wasn’t hard. I’d been an assistant lecturer all through university, so I’d had exposure to working with students. Plus, I had great real-life experience and good references.
“At any rate, I moved to Lagos and hired a bodyguard for Zara.”
“Lillian?” Fola asked.
“Yes. As far as Zara knows, Lillian is just the woman who helps look after her. I figured I would wait until she was older to explain, but…”
Fola knew why his words had trailed off. He was terrified that now Zara might not get older.
That made her want to cry, too.

Next episode on Friday...

http://lolaville.com/2016/02/29/finding-zara-episode-9/

agrovick:
Woza! We get to read new episodes.
BTW, did you bail out on me?

Lol
I didn't

Episode 8

Telling herself the girl couldn’t have gone far, Fola tried to ignore the shiver of uneasiness she felt and said, “She’s taken off. I’d better find her.”

“I’ll help.”Kunle volunteered. “Describe her. "

“She’s nine. Cute. With long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. And she is wearing a red T-shirt and denim shorts.”

“Shouldn’t be hard to sport.” Kunle said.

Fola sincerely hoped he was right, but Zara could have darted away to a hundred different places. They headed over to the bench and looked carefully in all directions. When neither of them spotted the girl, Fola felt a twinge of panic. And she never panicked. She stepped up onto the bench, but even from that vantage point she couldn’t see Zara.

“She’s nowhere,” she said, hearing that the panic had crept into her voice.

“All right. Don’t worry. “ Kunle said. “She has to be around somewhere. So we should head in opposite directions, and if I find her…”

“No, she will know better than to talk to a strange man. You’d only frighten her.”

“Then we will stick together. Which way do you think she would have gone?”

“I’m not sure. We came from that direction, so she’d probably head where we hadn’t been yet. Unless…she was looking at a bear in a window back there and ___”

She stopped midsentence and swore under her breath when her phone started ringing. Then she began to pray it wasn’t Umar calling. But this was about when he said he would call, so who else was it likely to be? She dug the phone out of her purse and answered it.

“Fola, it’s Umar.”

She silently swore again, vaguely aware that she wouldn’t have been sure it was him if he hadn’t told her. He hadn’t sounded quite like himself.

“Fola, is Zara with you?”

“Well…yes, of course.”

“She’s right there? You can see her?”

“Ah..not exactly. I mean, I could see her a minute ago, but..”

“Oh, God,” he whispered.

“Umar, we are in the marketplace. And she wandered off like you warned me she might that’s all. She…”

“No! Fola, someone’s got her! He just phoned and told me!”

“What?” she whispered.

“Someone has her!”

Every thought in her head vaporized into a white hot surge of horror. Then the panic was back, not a mere twinge this time, but so strong it threatened to swamp her. She couldn’t let it. She had to deal with this.

“Umar, listen,” she said as calmly as she could. “Zara’s been gone no time at all. Really. Not long enough for them to even have gotten out of the building. “

Oh, Lord, she prayed that was true.

“And there are always police officers around here, so…”

“No! No police.”

“What? But that…”

“No police! It would be the worst move you could make. This isn’t a straightforward…Fola, it’s complicated and there’s no time to explain now. But if I involve the police the guy would kill her.”

“What?” she said again. This was so ghastly she almost couldn’t believe it was happening.

“Don’t say anything to anyone.”Umar was telling her. “Understand?”

“Yes, but…”

“Just start looking for her. Don’t do anything else. I will be there as soon as I can. Twenty minutes. Tell me where to meet you in twenty minutes. Someplace I can find easily.”

Forcing herself to think outside the box of fear surrounding her, she said, “the front door of the smallest building. The one with the grasshopper weather vane on top, and I’ll have her by then, Umar.” He clicked off without another word, leaving her feeling sick and frantic. What if she didn’t have Zara by then? What if they never saw her again?

“Okay, fill me in.”Kunle demanded.

Don’t say anything to anyone, Umar had said. But how could she not tell Kunle when he’d already heard her side of the conversation? And when he could help? She took a deep breath and exhaled. It had almost zero calming effect, but she managed to say, “Someone has taken Zara.”

“What?”

“In that few minutes I wasn’t watching her. While I was getting the ice cream and talking to you. Then he called her father’s phone and said he had her. Kunle, we’ve got to find her.”

“Do you have a gun?”

“Well, it’s back in Garki.”

“Well, I do, so we will stick together. Let’s go.”

As they started off, half running, scanning the crowd, Kunle fished a phone from his pocket.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the police.”

“No! You can’t.”

“Fola, don’t be ridiculous.”’

“I’m not! He said…”

She took another deep breath, hoping to regain more self-control. “Zara’s father told me not to bring the police into this,” she explained,still moving fast and trying to see everything and everyone around them. “The guy said he would kill her if he did.”

“Look, Fola, abductors always say that. But the sooner the police are in on it the more likely they will find her.”

“No!” she said so sharply that people turned toward them as they hurried past.

“This isn’t…Kunle, I don’t know exactly what is going on. There was staff Zara’s father didn’t take time to tell me. But we can’t do anything except search for her until he arrives. That much I got. Loud and clear.” Kunle obviously didn’t think that was a good plan, but he stuck his phone back into his pocket and they continued on, her terror growing with each passing moment.

“How did this guy know the father’s number?” Kunle said after a few seconds.

She glanced at him. She was so upset she hadn’t even wondered about that. But ofcourse, she wasn’t a secret agent.

“Did the girl tell him?” he asked. “Or did whoever grab her already have it, in which case this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. It would mean she was targeted.”

“I don’t know.”Fola said, both her heart and her head pounding. All she knew was that either way, it was her fault that Zara was gone. And that she’d never be able to live with herself if Umar didn’t get his daughter back safely.

*******************************************************

UMAR TOSSED a handful of bills through the open divided, then bolted from the taxi and took off running for the building’s entrance. The traffic had been torturously slow, barely crawling by the time they’d reached the market place. But during the entire trip he’d clung to the hope that Fola had found Zara, despite being virtually certain she’d have called him if she had. The slim hope vanished when he spotted Zara standing outside the front door. Alone.

His heart sank to the pit of his stomach and his entire body turned to ice. His worst fear was now reality. He could no longer even try to deny it. Fola started toward him, her face a portrait of fear and remorse. But what good was regret after the fact? And how could she possibly have let this happen?

“ I’m so sorry,” she murmured as she reached him. “I know that can’t be any consolation at all, but…

“Oh, Umar, if you pulled a gun and shot me dead, I wouldn’t blame you. I think I’d even welcome it.”

He said nothing. He couldn’t let himself respond to that when, deep down at gut level, the prospect of murdering her was far from repugnant.

Had he really spent an entire week unable to think straight because of this woman? That seemed totally unbelievable when, at the moment, merely looking at her was like twisting a knife into his heart. He’d trusted her with the most important person in his life, and now Zara was…

Which made trusting Fola the worst thing he could have done. And as painful as it was to admit, that made what had happened his fault as well as hers. If he’d left Zara at home with his neighbor, the way he should have…Or if he’d told Fola that his daughter might be in danger and why…

All he’d been trying to do was spare both of them a tough conversation. It had been a terrible mistake, though. Now he just had to pray it didn’t prove a deadly one.

“Umar?” she said.

He forced himself to look at her again, but before she had time to say anything more, a man appeared at her side and she focused on him. When he shook his head, she pressed her lips together for a second, and then said, “Umar, this is Kunle Adeshakin. He was still in there searching for Zara, but…

“He’s a friend,” she continued just as Umar was going to ask how this Adeshakin even knew about Zara.

“We ran into each other only seconds before I realized that Zara had disappeared. And I know you told me not to say anything to anyone, but he was standing right there when you phoned, so…

“At any rate, he helped me try to find her.”

Umar managed to string together enough coherent words to thank Adeshakin. Then he was at a loss about where to go from there.

Raking his fingers through his hair, he did his best to stop his mind from racing and get his emotions under some semblance of control. His best wasn’t much, though.

Usually, he was good in a crisis situation, but not today. For three long years, he’d lived with the knowledge that something like this could happen. He’d conjured up a thousand awful variations of exactly what evil might befall Zara, and had planned how to deal with each and every possibility. Yet now that the unspeakable had happened, a sense of helplessness had him by the throat. Helplessness so overpowering that he felt as if all the connections in his brain had been unplugged. He’d tried so hard to keep his daughter safe, but he hadn’t succeeded. As a result, she was in the hands of some monster.

“Umar?” Fola said. “Please, tell us exactly what is going on. Explain what you didn’t have time to when you called. If you fill us in, we’ll be able to help.”

Help? The last thing he wanted was her help. He wanted nothing more to do with her. Wished he’d never laid eyes on her. If he hadn’t enrolled in her stupid driving course, if he hadn’t gone along with the idea of her taking care of Zara…

Some care she’d taken.

“Oh, Lord,” she murmured. “I know you must be wishing I’d just drop off the face of the earth, but you have to let me help you get Zara back.”

“Look, Umar,” Kunle said, “I’m a special agent with the SSS. I’ve been trained in dealing with kidnappers. So…

“Well, Fola told me that whoever has Zara warned you against involving the authorities. But that’s something I think we should discuss.”

“Kunle, this isn’t-“ He stopped there. Discussion was futile, so he simply said, “There’s no point getting into details. The bottom line is I can’t involve authorities of any kind. Period.”

“Okay. I hear you. But let’s just-“

“No. I can’t handle it that way.”

Kunle eyed him for a moment, his expression unreadable.

“In that case I can’t help you,” he finally said. “Not officially. But unofficially…”

Once again, Umar tried to get his brain fully into gear. He might not want Fola’s help, but he could definitely use someone’s. Kunle Adeshakin was a total stranger, though. Plus, he was Fola’s friend. So since she’d turned out to be unreliable…

“You know,” Kunle said quietly, “I think you’re in shock. And that talking to us about this might help you pull out of it.”

Would it? He wasn’t sure. But if Kunle had been trained to deal with kidnappers, didn’t that make talking to him a good idea? Only then Fola would hang in, too.

He was starting to think in circles again, and he had to focus on what was most important. He could worry about getting rid of Fola later. Right mow, nothing in the world mattered except finding Zara. Because if he didn’t find her…

He warned himself not to go there. Negative thinking wouldn’t help. Besides, he would get her back. He just wasn’t confident he could do it alone. He wasn’t even…

No matter how badly he wanted to stay positive, in truth he wasn’t even confident he could do it with help. The old saying about two heads being better than one whispered in his ear, at the same time that Kunle was asking whether, when the kidnapper had phoned, there’d been a number on the caller ID screen. Umar shook his head “There was the caller ID blocked message,” he said, half surprised he remembered noticing that. His brain definitely wasn’t working on all six cylinders.


“So he was probably using a phone,” Kunle muttered. “I wish all the criminals in the criminals weren’t onto that trick. When they used pay phones, even if they cut the call short a trace would sometimes at least narrow the location down to a neighbourhood.

“But did your guy make any demands?”

“Uh-huh. He didn’t say much more than that he had my daughter. And that she hadn’t been harmed.”

“Thank heavens,” Fola murmured.

“That’s what he said.”

Fola made a little noise in her throat, but he didn’t look at her.

“The next time he calls, make him put Zara on the phone,” Kunle advised. “That way we will be certain she’s okay. And ask her some questions.

“He’ll probably be listening in and cut you off, but it’s worth a try. Maybe he is not so smart. And any clue about where he has her would be a starting place.”

“Right.” If his head had been working properly he’d have done all that the first time.

“He said he will get back to me in an hour or so. Tell me then what he wants me to do.”

Glancing at his watch, he saw that an hour or so had become less than half an hour or so.

“Do?” Kunle repeated. “You mean you don’t think he’s just after ransom money?”

“No. That won’t be it.”

When Kunle eyed him curiously, he said, “Trust me. It won’t be money he’s after. But until he calls again…”

“While you’re waiting,” Kunle said, “you could take Fola’s suggestion and fill us in. Unless we know what’s going on, we’ll have a hard time coming up with any good ideas.”

Okay. Shock or no shock, he had to stop vacillating. Which way was he going to jump?

He rapidly considered the question, then said, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Let’s find somewhere quiet to talk.”

To be continued on Monday

Episode 7

The thought lingered, repeating itself in his head. Did he really have to tell Fola the whole story? He had just automatically been assuming he did, but could be he had simply grown so accustomed to...


Ever since his wife’s death, he had made sure that everyone who took on any responsibility for Zara knew the situation. Maybe, though, with Fola, he could make an exception.


Hell, he couldn’t have asked for anyone better than an RMI instructor to look after his daughter. So would it be enough to merely make her understand that she had to keep a close watch over Zara?


He could say Zara had a bad habit of wandering off or something, and…


Feeling that familiar, gnawing worry, he reminded himself that nothing at all had happened in the past three years. Which might mean the threat had been an empty one. From the very beginning.


He had always known that was a possibility. In fact, at the time the police had told him it was a good one.


And even though he had never taken a chance on that being the case, he realized the older Zara got, the less he had be able to monitor her. Sooner or later, he’d have to begin easing up. So maybe this was the time and place to start.


As unsettling as he found the prospect, he knew that the odds against something going wrong, within the space of any specific few hours had to be astronomical. And filling Fola in wouldn’t stop him from worrying.


He didn’t imagine anything would do that. He’d be worrying for years yet. But when it came to the other…


Considering things again, he arrived at the same conclusion. Both logic and the odds that everything would be just fine today. Whether he confided in Fola or not.


And if by some remote chance anything did happen, she’d likely deal with it better than he could. Or than Zara’s nanny could, regardless of the fact that she was a trained bodyguard.


That had been a primary requirement when he had hired her. He’d wanted far more than a mere nanny. But given Fola’s extensive training at RMI, the nanny would qualify as an amateur in comparison, so…


Just as he made his decision, Fola said, “I think I want the next exit.”


“Right.”


He flicked on the turn indicator and changed lanes.
Then, Fola said, “Do you know exactly what time you will be free? What time we should arrange to meet?”


“Well, I’m the opening speaker. And I know they’re expecting me to stay through the morning break. But I should be able to escape after that.

“So why don’t I call you then. I’m guessing it will be around ten-thirty. Eleven at the latest.”


“Okay. You have my number?”


“Yes I do.” They’d exchanged phone numbers yesterday, after deciding that Fola would come along.


“Then we’re all set.”


“And after this morning,” Zara said, “you will be spending the rest of the weekend with me and Fola, right, Daddy?”


“With Fola and me.”


“Fola and me,” she repeated. “And you won’t make us wait around while you do something on your laptop, right?”


“You brought a computer along?” Fola said.


He shrugged, feeling a little geekish. “I always take it when I travel. I’m an early riser. And sometimes…


“But, no,” he said, focusing on Zara again. “To answer your question, I won’t make either of you wait around. We will spend every minute just enjoying ourselves.”


“Sounds good,” Fola said.

Good. Yes, in one way it sounded incredibly good.


But in another way, the prospect of spending the best part of two days with Fola Ivy scared him half to death. Given the rate at which his willpower had been fading, by the end of the weekend it might be gone completely. And then where would he be?


*************************************************


INITIALLY, FOLA had hardly taken her eyes off Zara. Afterall, the impression Umar had given was that if she so much as blinked the girl might vanish.


But Zara must have left her tendency to wander away back home in Lagos, because she had not made the slightest attempt to head off on her own. In fact, she had been clinging to Fola’s hand ever since they left the hotel.


Of course, they were having a great time together, which could explain why she was content to stay close.


“Look!” she said, tugging on Fola’s arm.


“Look at what?”


“That bear wearing the policeman’s uniform.” Zara gestured in the direction of a teddy sitting behind a window they were passing. “Isn’t he beautiful?”


“He sure is. Do you want to go in and see what else they have?”


“No, that’s okay.”


Fola glanced at her watch, thinking Zara might be getting tired at the market. It was almost ten thirty, though. And since Umar had figured he would be free then, or shortly after, it didn’t make any sense to start for anywhere else until he called.


“I don’t suppose you like ice cream, do you?” she said.


“I love it!”


“You do? Really?” she teased.


“Yes!”


“But I’m sure your daddy doesn’t allow you to have it in the morning, does he?”


“Yes he does. It doesn’t matter.”


“Are you sure?”


As Zara nodded enthusiastically, she said, “Okay, then let me guess. Your favorite flavor is…”


“Chocolate.”


“I was just about to say I’m sure you are the chocolate type. And it’s such a coincidence, because they have some of the best chocolate ice cream in the world at a little stall down this way. So I think we should get some. Sound like a good idea to you?”


Zara happily nodded again and they started off.


When they neared the stall, they could see people were packed in three’s waiting their turns.


“Looks as if I’m not the only one who knows how great this place is,” she said.


“Fola?”


“Yes?”


“Is it okay if I just wait here? I don’t like it when there is so many people.”


“Well, maybe we should come back later then. It is not usually this busy.”


When she nodded, Zara said, “And he might want to meet us somewhere else. Then we won’t be able to come back. But, look” She pointed at an empty bench. “I can sit right here, where you can see me. And I won’t move, I promise.”


“Not even an inch?”


“No. I’m a good girl. I promise.”


“Well…”


Suddenly, the absurdity of her hesitation struck her. It was high noon, more or less, in the middle of a tourist haven. What on earth did she imagine would happen to Zara when she was ten feet away and in plain sight?


Lord, it hadn’t occurred to her until this minute that Umar’s overprotectiveness might be contagious.


“Okay,” she said. “You stay right there and I’ll be back in no time.”


She joined the crowd at the stall, keeping one eye on Zara, not because she was being overprotective, but just in case the child hadn’t left her tendency to wander off back in Lagos.


“What can I get you?” the kid behind the counter finally asked her.


“Two chocolate cups, please.”


Glancing at Zara once more, she gave the girl a thumbs up.


As she did, a familiar voice said, “Fola!”


She’d barely turned around toward Kunle Adeshakin before he wrapped his arms around her in a big hug.


“Your cups, ma’am,” the kid behind the counter said when Kunle released her.


“Right.” She dug out money and paid him.


“What are you doing in Benin?” Kunle asked as she reached for the ice cream.


She looked at him, thinking he didn’t seem quite as attractive as he used to. But that was silly. His appearance hadn’t changed a bit. He was still the tall, and fair type who didn’t at all fit the image of an SSS agent able to blend right in with any crowd.


“And why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” he demanded when she didn’t answer his first question.


“Oh, it was one of those last minute things,” she said, not really certain whether she was glad to see him. Or that he had seen her, would be a more accurate way of putting it.


Since she’d met Umar, her sense that she and Kunle weren’t on their way into a serious relationship had pretty well evolved into a feeling of certainty.


Not that she was an expert when it came to the man-woman thing. Her own mother would be the first to attest to that.


But surely, if Kunle was Mr. Right or even Mr. Right-for-the-Moment, the merest glimpse of Umar shouldn’t make her heartbeat accelerate the way it did.


However, she’d just as soon avoid hurting Kunle’s feelings. And telling him that she was in town with another man, even if she explained the circumstances…


Attempting to sidetrack him, she said, “But what are you doing in Benin? You are supposed to be in Garki.”


“Hey, even agents are allowed to go on a vacation. And there are nice spots here. You changed the subject, though. How come you are in Benin?”


Rats. She should have known he wouldn’t forget about his question. SSS trained their people better than that.


“Actually, I’m baby-sitting,” she said. “A friend is speaking at a conference here, and he suddenly needed someone to come along and watch his little girl while he was tied up.”


“A friend?”


The appraising look Kunle gave her made her wonder if he was more fond of her than she’d realized. But since that wasn’t something she wanted to get into, she simply turned toward the bench, saying, “His daughter’s name is Zara and she’s sitting just over there.”


Only she wasn’t. She was nowhere in sight.

To be continued on Friday...

http://lolaville.com/2016/02/24/finding-zara-episode-7/

Hey folks,

I'm sorry I abandoned this story. Been suffering from Writer's Block

Anyway, I'm back now and I promise not to disappoint.

Episode 6
Umar and Fola picked Zara up so early that they were only half-awake, and intitally all three of them were subdued.

“Fola and me are going to have two beds in our room, right?” she continued after pausing for breath.

“Fola and I,” Umar said automatically. “But, right.”

“And our room is going to be next to yours?”

“That’s the plan.”

And hotel rooms next to each other often had an adjoining door.

The moment that thought snuck into his head he ordered it back out. Fola would be in the next woom with his daughter. Besides, things hadn’t changed overnight. There was still no way he was going to let himself get involved with a woman. Yet even while he was reminding himself of that, his gaze strayed across the car to Fola, and he couldn’t help thinking she looked even more gorgeous than usual.

She was turned half around so she could see Zara, and the morning sunlight was catching strands of her pale hair, transforming them into spun gold. “And when we get to Benin, the very first thing we are going to do is check into the hotel?” Zara said.

“Uh-huh. I specified an early-morning check-in, he told her, starting to wonder if he had only dreamed that she had made him repeat all the details at least thre times last night. “Then you go to the conference and Fola and I go see stuff, right?”

“You’ve got it.” Fola agreed.

“And what else can we do? Besides what you already told me about?”

“Oh,” said Fola, “there’s just way too much for us to choose from. There’s the aquarium. And Chinatown.”

“Hey, I will only be tied up for part of the morning,” Umar teased. “You don’t really figure you can cover all those things, do you? Half of them won’t even be open when you get going.”

Fola smiled, making his heart thud against his ribs.

“Well,” she said, “I just want her to know what all our options are.”

When he nodded and turned his attention back to the road, she began telling Zara about hhow many great restaurants there were in Benin. And his daughter, whose interest in food rarely extended beyond peanut butter and icecream, seemed utterly fascinated by every word Fola spoke.

Or maybe she was just utterly fascinated by Fola.

He’d never seen her take to anyone this way before. Fola was all she’d talked about the entire way home from RMI yesterday. And she had not very subtly pointed out that since Fola hadn’t had any plans for the weekend, she probably didn’t have a boyfriend. Hoping Zara wouldn’t be too disappointed when this didn’t develop into anything more than a one-shot deal, he turned back into their conversation.

“And the hot dogs we’ll get at the game tonight,” Fola was saying “are going to be the best you have ever eaten.”

“I’ve never been to a real live football game before.” Zara said. Except for kids ones.”

“Oh, you will love it.”

“Honest?”

“Uh-huh.”

Zara giggled.

“Sorry,” she said, “I get carried away now and then. My father didn’t have any sons, just me, so he made sure I became a serious sports fan.”

He shrugged, told her that you never knew when sports trivia might come in handy, then began to reflect, yet again, that he was probably crazy to have gone along with Zara’s idea that the three of them make this trip. Or maybe that should be undoubtedly crazy.

If his attraction to Fola was only physical…

Well, if things were that simple he had hardly be concerned. It would just mean that he’d recovered enough from his wife’s death to be seriously noticing other women.

Things weren’t that simple, though, There was more to what he felt toward Fola than the merely physical. A lot more. For starters…

But, no. He wasn’t going to let himself dwell on the subject, because the fact there was more made him damn uneasy.

After all, those other feelings had developed awfully rapidly, and given the way they kept getting stronger, voluntarily spending more time with her sure didn’t qualify as one of the smartest things he’d ever done.

But what choice had he had once she’d said she was free for the weekend? Especially when Zara was so taken with her?

And now… now Fola and Amy would be on their own together.

He’d been avoiding thinking about that part, but he he’d have to have a talk with Fola before he headed for the conference. And he wasn’t going to enjoy it.

He hated explaining what had happened. It forced him to relieve the horror, which even after so long always left him in a down mood. And it also made the person he was telling uncomfortable.

There’d been an uneasy expression, a break in eye contact, followed by a few mumbled, sympathetic words that never made him feel even marginally better.

It was the same each time, and he certainly wasn’t looking forward to playing the scene with Fola. Especially not right before he had to stand up in front of a room full of lawyers, plant a smile on his face and try to be both informative and entertaining.

And it would put a damper on her day, as well. She wouldn’t enjoy herself half as much when…

For a few seconds, he tried to ignore the thought wriggling up from the bottom of his brain. Then he gave in and began to consider it.

Did he really have to tell her?