Lois took her bag behind the nearest rock. She slipped into the two pieces of her bathing suit and returned the old cotton shirt to her upper body, reasoning that her lower body would be under the water most of the time.
Armed with shampoo, she walked towards the water's edge.
"Look at this, Maman," Diddi called. He dived under the water and a second later, his legs wobbled through the surface.
Lois glanced to Kent. He wasn't watching Diddi; he was looking at her.
Her face. He seemed to realise he was staring and snapped his eyes away.
"Kent?" she said, wondering if she should have worn the shorts, too.
His eyes came back to her. "I … I really like your hair loose," he said.
"But it's …" Lois patted it down. "… it's a mess."
"I like it," he said.
"Thanks."
Diddi's legs crashed into the water, and his head appeared. "Did you see that, Maman?" he said. "Kent taught me. I'm the only kid in the whole Bangala who can do an underwater handstand."
"I saw it," Lois said. "And I was very impressed."
"I'm going to teach the other kids," Diddi said. "And they're all going to want to be Kent's friend. But he was my friend first."
Part 21
Lois didn't hurry the task of washing her hair. She slowly massaged her scalp with Sylva's henna and coconut shampoo, enjoying the waft of assorted aromas and the sensation of her hair being free.
Kent had said he liked it.
She had never mastered the tight, head-hugging braids that were the norm for Bangala women, so until she returned to the village, her options were a pony-tail or letting it hang around her shoulders.
She might leave it loose for a while.
When her hair was clean, rinsed, and combed out, she deposited the shampoo on the bank and swam over to where Kent and Diddi were embroiled in a game that involved a lot of raucous laughter and sufficient splashing to have done justice to a tidal wave.
They stopped as she approached, both eyeing her, both grinning like a pair of five-year-old boys, both sparkling with rivulets of water. "You seem to be having fun," she commented.
"Want to join in our game, Maman?" Diddi said. "Kent is trying to tie my ankles together with a banana leaf, but he can't even catch me."
Kent smiled as he lifted a rather dilapidated strip of leaf from the water. The touch of bashfulness adorning both his smile and his gesture set Lois's heartstrings quivering.
"No, thanks, Diddi," she said. "Your game requires more energy than I have right now. I'm going over to the deeper part for some gentle swimming."
"Want me to come with you?" Kent asked casually.
"Can I do cannonballs from the rock?" Diddi asked.
"Yes, Diddi," Lois said, grinning at his boundless energy. "Do you mind if I borrow Kent for a while?"
"Are you going to talk again?" Diddi asked.
Lois smiled at her son's tone. "Maybe."
"You sure have a lot to talk about."
Kent flicked a mini wave at Diddi. "When your maman and I have finished swimming, I'll come and do cannonballs with you," he promised.
"OK," Diddi agreed. He chopped at the water so it splashed up Kent's chest, offered a cheeky grin as a parting gesture, and scurried towards the bank. Kent sank into the water and glided towards Lois.
"Thanks for playing with Diddi," Lois said as they moved leisurely through the stretch of deeper water. "He loves being with you."
"Thanks for trusting me with him," Kent said.
She almost replied with the standard, "You're welcome," but the seriousness of his tone stifled her reply. As they moved through the water together, his words resonated through her mind.
Kent didn't expect to be trusted.
He appreciated it, but he didn't take it for granted; he seemed surprised by it.
Was he typical of everyone in the busy, disconnected world that Lois had left? Had she become so used to the easy familiarity of the Bangala that Kent's reserve seemed quaintly out of step?
Or was it a part of the man? A personality trait that sprang from the core of his being?
He seemed remarkably willing to trust others - particularly considering his experiences with Lana - but he didn't presume that trust would be returned.
Lois glanced sideways. What had caused him to expect others to have misgivings about him? There was no obvious reason. He was a young, good-looking man with a gentle and caring nature. Sure, not everyone was going to trust him at first sight, but this seemed to go deeper. As if he believed that as people came to know him, they would find reasons to doubt him.
Was there something significant that he had kept hidden? Why didn't he want her to know how he had come to be unconscious at the bottom of a corkwood tree in the middle of Africa?
Was she right to trust him with Diddi?
Had her years with the Bangala blunted her maternal instincts to protect her son? Would she have liked and trusted Kent with such confidence if she'd met him in Metropolis?
They reached the shallow water, and as they turned, Kent's eyes rested on her, lingering like the touch of a lover, and the barbs of uncertainty melted away. She was sure about Kent. She didn't know everything about him, but those gaps didn't threaten her deep-seated certainty that he would never harm anyone.
Except perhaps himself.
He seemed extraordinarily hard on himself.
Perhaps losing two sets of parents in the first decade of his life had contributed to his feeling of detachment.
Perhaps it wasn't just Lana's cruel duplicity that had damaged him. Perhaps her betrayal had re-opened wounds that had never properly healed.
That insight birthed an idea, and Lois acted on it immediately. "Kent?"
His head turned. "Yes, Lois?"
"I would like a cup of tea."
After a couple of heartbeats, his smile spilled through his surprise. "Is that your way of telling me you'd like us to go back to the quarantine area?"
"No," she said. "It's my way of asking if you'd mind staying with Diddi while I slip back to get a pot, drinking water, and tea."
"Isn't it too far?" Kent said. "We walked for over an hour to get here."
"We turned around at the berries," Lois said. "We're not too far from the village. And there's a short cut through the denser part of the rainforest."
"Is it safe? Would you like me to go?"
"It's perfectly safe," Lois said. "I don't have the same innate knowledge of the land that the Bangala people have, but I know the surrounds of the village well enough that I should be back right about the time you and Diddi have the fire ready to boil water."
"Does Diddi know how to make a fire?" Kent asked.
"Yep. Romaric taught him. There's a piece of flint in my bag. I don't let him light a fire by himself. Would you mind staying with him?"
"No. Of course not."
"Thanks," Lois said. Raising her voice, she called, "Diddi?"
He waved from the top of the rock. "Yes, Maman?"
"I'm going back to get tea and water."
"OK, Maman. Do you want Kent and me to make a fire?"
"Yes, please." Lois reached the shallow water and stood up. "You can do a few cannonballs with Kent first, but don't forget about the fire."
"Would you bring cocoa for me, please?" Diddi asked. "And more cookies?"
A warm drink around a fire sounded like the perfect way to end their outing. "Good idea, Diddi."
Her son grinned. "Great. Come on, Kent. Let's do some cannonballs while Maman gets changed. I bet I can make a bigger splash than you." He leapt off the rock, wound himself into a tight ball, and crashed into the water.
"I think you've just been challenged," Lois said as she and Kent emerged from the water.
Diddi skipped through the shallows and up onto the sandy bank. "Can you do a bigger splash than that, Kent?"
"Easily," Kent replied with a wide grin and a covert wink to Lois.
"Come on," Diddi said, tugging at Kent's wrist. "I want to see your bestest cannonball."
They climbed to the top of the rock, and Lois went to her pile of clothes. As she bent down to pick up her bag, she glanced up and discovered that Kent was looking at her.
The steadfast set of his face made her think he'd seen right through her efforts to appear casual ... that he suspected her plan wasn't about tea, but about showing that she trusted him with her son.
His hand lifted in a small wave, but it was the memory of his air of wonderment that Lois carried with her as she set out into the rainforest.
~|^|~
After multiple rounds of climb, jump, splash, evaluate, critique, and begin again, Clark reminded Diddi that his maman was expecting a fire when she returned.
"If we don't have the fire blazing, she probably won't share any cookies with us," Diddi said, his dark eyes sparkling with fun.
"We wouldn't deserve any," Clark said dryly.
Diddi giggled at that. "I'll get the flint from Maman's bag," he said. "You look for dry leaves and thin sticks."
They met a short time later on a flat stretch of hard sand. "Here looks good," Clark said.
"Yep." Diddi squatted and began weaving their collection of twigs and leaves into a loose pile.
Clark knelt beside him. "Do you know how to get back to the village, Diddi?"
"Of course. There are two ways. Along the trail and the short cut."
"The short cut leaves the trail?"
"There are too many trees for a trail."
"Your maman said she was going to take the short cut."
"The trail follows the river," Diddi said, pointing to his left. He swung his arm almost ninety degrees. "The village is that way."
"Is it dangerous? Could your maman get lost?"
Diddi shrugged. "If she gets lost, Romaric will find her. If she falls over and gets hurted, he'll carry her back to the village."
Clark added some spindly sticks to the top of the pile. "Romaric seems like a nice person."
"He teached me lots of things. And he makes a new ball every time the old one pops. And he hunts really well. Maman loves quail. When he gets one, he pulls all the feathers off and gives it to Gislane to cook for Maman and me." He picked up the flint. "Do you think it'll catch?"
"Yep," Clark replied.
Diddi struck the flint and directed the sparks into the pile. On the third try, a few of the leaves caught, and the boy dropped his head to the sand and blew a gentle breeze through the fire. When the flames began licking at the twigs, he sat back on his heels and grinned with satisfaction.
"Well done, Diddi," Clark said.
The boy nodded. His grin faded. His eyes became serious.
Clark carefully added a larger twig to the fire. "Everything OK?" he asked.
"It's been a great day," Diddi said wistfully.
"Are you sad it's nearly over?"
"Not really. Maybe we can come out again another day."
"I'd like that, Diddi. I like being with you and your maman."
Diddi folded his legs and sat on the sand, watching the fire begin to feed on the dry timber.
Clark sat across from him and said nothing. Despite being curious about so many aspects of Lois's life - the village, Romaric, Matymbou, how much involvement the chief had in her family - he didn't think it was right to try to glean information from a child.
Not when Lois had shown such incredible trust in leaving them together.
The fire was burning merrily when Diddi suddenly spoke. "Kent?"
"Yes, Diddi?"
"Do you think Maman is fat?"
"Ah …" Clark poked at the fire to give himself a moment to compose an answer. "No," he said. "Not at all."
"That's what I thought," Diddi said dismally.
"You want her to be fat?" Clark asked, wondering if Bangala women were more rounded than Lois.
"Rolle's really fat. Maman says there's a baby inside her. Zephyrin says his maman - who is Gislane - can't get a baby inside her because she's not married. But Maman is married to Matymbou, so she can get a baby."
"You want your maman to have a baby?" Clark asked.
Diddi screwed up his nose. "I think so. It would be fun to have someone else to play with."
"Babies start very small and grow very slowly," Clark said. "It would be a long time before he or she could play with you."
Diddi's dark eyes jumped. "How do you know?" he asked. "Did you have a baby? Back in your old tribe?"
"No."
"Maman said that after Rolle's baby gets borned, I can go and see it."
"That will be nice."
Diddi reached over for a small branch and added it to the fire. "Want to do more cannonballs?" he said, his enthusiasm gushing back. "We have time before Maman gets back."
"OK," Clark said, rising from the sand. "But we have to remember to keep checking the fire." He grinned. "Your maman wants that cup of tea."
Diddi grinned, too, and they climbed onto the rock together. "I'll go first," he said.
"OK."
But he didn't jump. Instead, he said, "Maybe it doesn't matter if Maman never has a baby. I can play with you, Kent. You're better than a baby."
He leapt from the rock, crashing into the water below.
Clark watched him, too stunned to move as a wave of yearning crashed over him.
He wanted more.
He'd thought there could be nothing better than the day they'd shared.
But a baby. A baby that came from him and Lois. That would be the culmination of every one of his dreams.
He knew it wasn't possible.
He and Lana had tried to achieve a pregnancy every month of their marriage. Eventually, it had only happened when she had slept with another man.
Clark could pretend he was Kent. He could pretend he was human. He could pretend he had been born on earth to normal parents.
But no amount of pretence was going to make it possible for him to conceive a child with Lois.
He'd accepted that. Other than the brief few weeks when he'd thought a miracle had happened, he'd accepted that he would never be a father.
But it still stung.
Even more now that he had met Lois.
Should he tell her?
What? And when? And how?
Did she want another child?
Was that one of her hopes for the future?
"Come on, Kent!" Diddi called from the water below. "See if you can make such a big splash that I get knocked off my feet."
Clark took a deep breath and leapt off the rock.
~|^|~
"Should your maman be back by now?" Clark asked Diddi, looking to the sky to try to estimate how much time had passed since Lois had left.
"No."
Diddi didn't look concerned at all, but Clark had been listening for her approach for more than ten minutes. "Are you sure, Diddi?"
"She has to ask Tsumbu to get cocoa and cookies from Gislane. He has to find Gislane. She has to get the cookies."
Lois had told him that time moved slowly for the Bangala, but as each minute passed, Clark's regret escalated at having so glibly agreed to her suggestion that she venture through the jungle alone. "I'm going to get dry and change into my clothes, Diddi," he said.
"Can I keep swimming?"
Clark glanced up to the distant rock. He would be able to watch Diddi in the water while changing behind the rock. "OK. But be careful."
Diddi nodded.
Clark left the water and took his pants and a towel behind the rock. Once there, he closed his eyes and concentrated his hearing. The jungle sounds flooded into his mind - the breeze through the leaves, the rustle at ground level, the chirp of birds.
But no sound of human footsteps.
His heart tightened another notch.
Where was Lois?
Had something happened to her?
How long should he wait before insisting he and Diddi return to the quarantine area? If they left, should they go via the trail or take the short cut?
Should he look for Lois? Or should he get Diddi back safely and alert Romaric that Lois was missing?
"Maman!"
Clark's head jolted up. Diddi was in the water, waving to Lois as she emerged from the trees.
Clark quickly pulled on his pants and tried to subdue all outward signs of his apprehension as he moved out from behind the rock. "You're back," he said.
Lois gave him a smile of greeting. "Yep. With tea and cookies."
"Is everything all right?" Clark asked, unable to quash all anxiety from his question.
"Everything's fine," she said. She straightened from putting the water pot on the ground and took a few steps towards him, searching his face. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah," Clark replied.
She reached him and put her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry," she said. "I should have been more specific about how long it would take to get to the village and back."
"You did tell me that time moves slowly around here."
Her fingers squeezed his arm. "I didn't think. I'm sorry."
Clark forced himself to smile. It was so good to be with her again. To feel her touch on his arm. To see her smile. To hear her voice. To know she was safe. "Did you get the tea and cookies?" he asked, hoping his cheeriness would camouflage his relief.
"Yes," she said, although her hand didn't leave his arm. "And cocoa for Diddi."
"He's still climbing that rock and jumping into the water," Clark said. "I can't believe how much energy he has."
"Tell me about it," Lois said. "I just want to sit down and drink tea."
That sounded fine to Clark.
"With you," she added.
That sounded even better.
~|^|~
They drank the steaming tea as the sun slid behind the trees and the air began to bristle with the chill of the night. When Diddi had devoured his hot cocoa and three cookies, he asked if he could go along the bank in search of shells and rocks.
"Put on your shirt," Lois said. "And stay in sight."
"Yes, Maman." Diddi shot Kent a wry smile. "I guess you want to stay here?"
"Yeah, I do," Kent replied. "Sorry."
"It's OK," Diddi said, resigned to his fate.
"I'd like to see your rocks and shells when you get back," Kent said.
"OK," Diddi said, brightening. He swooped low to pick up his shirt from Lois's bag and set off with a parting grin.
"You're a natural with him," Lois told Kent. She checked his face. Seeing his slight smile as his gaze followed Diddi, she continued. "The more I see you together, the more I appreciate how devastating it must have been for you to think you were going to be a father, only to …"
"I always hoped to be a father," Kent said. "I was ecstatic when Lana told me she was pregnant."
His loss draped around him like a heavy cloak, making Lois long to take him into her arms and disperse his sadness with her love. "I'm sorry it turned out the way it did."
Kent's eyebrows rose to a soft arch, and his mouth hinted at an impending smile. "Are you?" he asked. "Really?"
"I'm sorry you got hurt," Lois said. "I will always be sorry you suffered so much."
"But?" His eyes seemed to be twinkling.
"But I will never be sorry that you came to Bangala land."
"I can't imagine why," he said with casual nonchalance.
Kent was teasing her! Lois chuckled delightedly, torn between responding with banter and making a solemn statement from her heart. "It's because, now that I've met you, I can't imagine my life without you," she said.
She expected he would probe further, seeking clarification, but he fell quiet, his eyes resting on the distant figure of Diddi as sombreness replaced the light-heartedness. "Lois?"
"Yes?"
He didn't speak, appearing to be grappling for the right words.
"Say it," Lois urged. "Whatever is bothering you, say it."
"You have lived in close proximity to Romaric for a long time. He saved your life. You respect him and like him. He is Diddi's uncle. Then you find me - and I'm nothing that Romaric is - but in just a few days …"
"Don't compare yourself with Romaric. Or any other man."
"Why not?"
"Because you're Kent. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone."
"I've always felt the need to prove myself."
His eyes rose, so full of hazy uncertainty that Lois wondered if he were only now realising truths about how he'd lived - how he'd thought about himself. "You don't have to prove yourself to me," she said.
"I guess … that's what makes this whole thing so unbelievable," Kent said. "I literally landed in your life, I was sullen and unappreciative, yet after just a couple of days, you told me you liked me. You stayed with me; you cared about me when I didn't care about anything."
"It's not what you do - not primarily," she said. "It's who you are. Right from the start, that was more important than anything else."
"And Romaric? Who is he?"
"He's a wonderful friend. But he doesn't touch my heart the way you do."
"Have you ever felt this before? With anyone?"
"No. Before I came to the Bangala, I was very cautious. I'd been hurt a few times - by Claude and others - and I'd decided that I would never again allow myself to be vulnerable to having my heart ripped out and stomped all over."
"Then you came here?"
"Yes. And I met people who live and love simply. They know that love brings the risk of loss, but they also know that a life lived without love is meaningless."
"I wanted a life that was meaningless," Kent admitted, despair and shame misting across his face.
"I know," Lois replied, inching closer to him. "And that's a natural reaction to the things you suffered. But you are too strong to live like that."
"If I hadn't met you …"
"You would have recovered. I believe you would have found a new life, new people to love."
"Not in such a short time. Not without you."
Lois put her hand on his clenched fist. "Earlier, you told Diddi you aren't sick anymore. That sounded like progress."
"I want to believe," Kent said desperately. "I want to allow myself to hope."
"But?"
"I guess I've never thought of myself as the sort of guy a woman would ..."
Lois grinned. "Fall for? Totally and uncontrollably?"
"Is that what is happening here?" he asked with endearing innocence.
She leant towards him and slid her fingertips up his arm to his shoulder. "I think you know exactly what's happening here," she said. "I have utterly failed to keep my feelings hidden."
He met her eyes, accelerating her heart. "I need your certainty," he mumbled. "I need to know … be sure …"
She laid her hand on his cheek. "I'm here for you," she vowed. "Whatever you need."
His eyelids dropped. His mouth was tantalisingly close, slightly ajar and awaiting her touch. Lois shut her eyes and succumbed to the overwhelming magnetism that had been drawing them together for days.
"MAMAN!"
Lois's head whipped around, jolted by the raw fear in her son's voice.
"The hog, Maman! Behind you!"
