Kay David - Obsession

His voice turned expansive. “Sarah’s been givin’ us hell this week. She’s definitely in the terrible twos and goin’ on to the intolerable threes. She tried to paint a picture for my mother, which would have been okay, but she used Sparky for a brush and a wall for the canvas. Took Nana three days to get the place repainted, and the damned dog still has a pink tail. Can’t even take him huntin’.”

“And Jake?”

“He had soccer tryouts this week. Did great. Loves the academy, but I guess you know all ’bout that.”

Her son had had his first day of school in September, and the Sunday before he’d gone had been one of the hardest calls for Emma to get through. He’d been so excited. She’d had to hide her tears.

“How did his math test go?”

“He got an A.” Todd paused, then, “He still likes his reading best, though. His teacher called me Monday and said she’d had to fuss at him for readin’ in class and not payin’ attention. Seems like he always has his nose in a book-just like you used to.”

Emma couldn’t reply. Her throat had closed. For just one heartbeat, she let the pure feeling of misery engulf her, then she fought it. She wouldn’t give Todd the satisfaction of knowing how deeply his words ripped into her. “That’s good to hear,” she said thickly. “I’m glad he’s enjoying his schoolwork. He doesn’t always tell me much about it.”

“Yeah, well…” Todd said. “You take care now, and the children will be talkin’ to you tomorrow.”

She stayed on the bed for another few seconds with the phone still in her hand and the line buzzing in her ear. She hoped the connection was still there. The wasted long-distance time would cost Todd at least some of his precious dollars and the adorable Miss Threadgill-she had to be adorable, of course-some future earnings, as well.

Finally, after a few more minutes, there was nothing else for Emma to do but get up and go on. That was how she existed, day by day, hour by hour. She put her past behind her and continued, the feel of her children’s bodies when she hugged them, the sweet smell of their skin and the touch of their lips against her cheek only a memory. She hung up the phone, rose to her feet and slipped on her shoes, then walked woodenly toward the hallway and started down the stairs.

RAUL OPENED the door of his black SUV, helped Emma climb in, then closed the door behind her. She’d greeted him at her front door, purse and jacket in hand, ready to go. He’d hoped for an invitation to step inside, but she hadn’t offered one.

Quiet and somber, she obviously had something on her mind, and like always, he assumed the worst. William Kelman. Had the man already approached her? Raul wanted to ask, but she wasn’t likely to tell him the truth at this point. She didn’t know him well enough. Yet. Whatever was bothering her, she seemed determined to put it behind her as soon as they reached the road leading out of town.

“Do you know this highway?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I haven’t been here long enough to know any of them.”

“Then you’re in for a treat. This isn’t like anything you’ve seen in the States.”

Before long, he understood what she meant. It was Saturday evening, and the route was packed-mainly buses filled to the top with people and animals, but a few cars and motorbikes puttered along, too. The shoulders of the roadway told the real story, though. Every hundred yards or so, there were animals hobbled and staked out, mainly cattle, but some goats, as well. Fences were too expensive, Emma explained, so the farmers kept their livestock where everyone could see. This marked their property lines and kept the well-tended animals in hand.

The huts on the side of the road didn’t share the cattle’s apparent prosperity. Made of mud bricks and thatched roofs, most of the houses had no electricity or running water, and there were very few vehicles in sight. One or two had carts tied up in front, but for those at the very bottom, even a cart was unaffordable. Raul had to stop the SUV at one point to allow a man, pulling a pig on a rope, to trudge across the road.

The farther out of town they drove, the less populated the area became. Bamboo plants began to replace the simple dwellings, and everywhere he looked, Raul saw green, in particular orange and lemon trees, their fruit-laden limbs bent to the ground. Even the air had a junglelike smell. They were going up, he realized, gaining elevation as they left the valley behind.

“It’s a beautiful country, isn’t it?”

Emma’s voice sounded almost wistful. He glanced at her. “It is nice,” he agreed, “but not the kind of place I would expect to meet someone like you.”

“Why not?” Her voice held surprise.

“For one thing, you’re too smart,” he said bluntly, “and for another thing, you’re too ambitious.”

“How do you know I’m either of those things?”

“Easy. You wouldn’t be at the level you are in the bank if you weren’t ambitious, and if you weren’t smart…you wouldn’t be that ambitious.”

He continued speaking when she didn’t seem to know how to reply. “So explain how you got here,” he said, softening his voice. “There must be a story there, right?”

She stiffened visibly, her fingers tightening on the armrest. “You really don’t want to hear it,” she answered.

“It doesn’t take much to entertain me. Go ahead.”

She sat quietly for a few minutes and he wondered how much she would tell him. “I came here from New Orleans,” she said finally, “after a nasty divorce.”

“It must have been pretty bad to make you come this far.”

“It was.”

He waited for more, but none came. He decided to push her. “Do you have any kids?”

“No,” she lied, looking out the window away from him. “No children.”

Her deception surprised him, even though he should have expected it. “Just as well,” he said lightly. “Less to worry about, right?”

She turned to face him. Her skin glowed in the filtered light of the jungle around them. “So you have no children?”

He shook his head, putting aside the dreams he’d had before as if they’d meant nothing. “No. No kids, no ex-wife, no ex-anything. I’m free as they come.”

“You sound as if you like it that way.”

He slowed to avoid a goat crossing the road.

“It’s all I’ve ever known. I guess I must.”

They said nothing more until he saw the club’s sign ahead. Slowing the truck, he pulled into the drive and eased over a grassy area that served as a parking lot. Expensive vehicles filled the space, all of them new and shiny. In a country where few could afford their own transportation, the excess stood out.

Automatically Raul began to search the grounds with his eyes, even before he and Emma reached the club’s door. He saw no sign of Kelman, but there was plenty else to see. Under the trees, to the right of the doorway, was a huge cage, at least twenty feet high and fifty feet long. All Raul could see in it were blurs of frantic movement. Emma explained as she saw his puzzlement.

“That’s where the monkeys live. The owner of the club loves animals. Everywhere you go, you’ll see something, so watch out.” She raised her eyebrows in a mock warning and smiled. “Especially for the parrots. They like to swoop in and take a bite off your plate when you aren’t looking.”

Again he had the thought that she looked different when she smiled. Younger, more carefree. The contrast of this to her eyes, where a deep sadness stayed, made her even more intriguing.

Raul shut down the part of his brain that responded to her pull. “Thanks for the tip. I’ll be careful.”