The Only One He Wants

“I’ll make her a braid, Uncle Mike. A beautiful long braid!” Gabrielle teased and the girl giggled.

“Yeah, Uncle Mike.” she repeated and Michael clapped.

“I can’t wait to see your braid,” he said as Gabrielle combed the girl’s hair with her hand. The locals were chatting among themselves, paying no attention to the three of them. Gabrielle wondered where the girl’s parents were, but dismissed the thought, concentrating on Melodie’s hair.

While the girl’s silky brown locks were between her fingers, she felt warmth enveloping her heart. Memories of her daughter Alesha suddenly came to the surface of her mind. She was back in her cozy apartment, the very young Alesha sitting on the sofa. She had just returned from school and Gabrielle had been asking her how her day had gone. For hours they had spoken about the cute boys in her class, the evil Math teacher that had made her write on the board during the whole class as well as the essay they’d had to write for Mother’s Day. Then Alesha had pulled out a box from her backpack and handed it to her mother. With trembling fingers, Gabrielle had opened it to find a necklace with a pendant in the form of a heart and two pictures of the two of them placed in it. She still kept it safely hidden in her jewelry box.

Gabrielle didn’t know why, but the whole atmosphere there now gave her the most wonderful feelings and memories. One by one, she tied all strands together and Melodie got her desired braid. The girl was ecstatic running around and showing it to everyone. No one there questioned her and Michael’s presence, though. They accepted them at the celebration with a wholehearted welcome.

“You’re a real professional. Maybe you should become a hairdresser’s.” Mike told her, handing her a plate and taking one for himself. They were sitting at one of the tables now, surrounded by joyful faces.

“No. Thanks to Alesha I know a thing or two about hair, but that’s it. Besides, you know how good I am at sales. No one will come to my salon,” she replied, a shadow passing across her face. Losing her job was a wound that took time to heal.

“Hey… Don’t say that. You’re perfect at sales. It’s me who’s the worst at leaving messages.”

She smiled at that and kissed Michael on the cheek. Now was not the time to speak of those things. Especially since they’d left them in the past.

“You’re not from here, are you?” A young man, no more than twenty, asked them.

“Is it that obvious?” Mike chuckled, chewing a piece of cucumber.

“Actually, yes. Where do you live?” he added, and just when Mike opened his mouth to reply, Gabrielle answered.

“We live everywhere now. Wherever God takes us.” She threw a look at Michael who winked at her. She was truly ready to travel the world and she wanted him to know that. There was nothing for her in New York if he wasn’t there. Even Alesha had her small family.

“That’s interesting,” the boy said before a fast song began playing in the background and everyone ran around the fire again.

Only this time, Michael and Gabrielle were among them. Like grasshoppers, they jumped to the rhythm of the song, letting the singer’s loud voice deafen them. Left and right, they followed the locals’ dance moves as much as they could. By the look on their faces, they were doing a fine job. All guests clapped, trapping them in a circle of excited dancers.

Like he was born there, Michael grabbed Gabrielle’s waist and brought her closer to him. He began swaying with her, letting her rest her head on his chest as the music calmed down and turned into a ballad. Slowly, all the locals found a partner and in a second, the clearing looked like a ballroom with couples embracing and moving to the rhythm.

Gabrielle and Michael’s hands linked, while their bodies danced an imitation of waltz and their minds wandered far away from the place. To cloud nine and back. To the world of love and back.

“Are you cold?” Mike leaned down and asked.

“Hug me. Very tightly,” Gabrielle said, feeling his long arms capturing her in his safe embrace. Like a small bird finding sanctuary in a man’s palm. Yes. She needed him that much.

“I’ll always hold you like this. Always keep you next to me. Okay?” he told her softly. The conversation of the others around them was now barely audible above the wind.

“I love you, Mikey. I love you a lot, my love.”

“I love you more,” he said smiling into her hair and she smiled back.

They swayed like two branches until they were among the last people remaining in the clearing. Then they quietly retreated into the woods. Gabrielle’s feet were killing her and by the time they got to the beach, she could barely walk. Luckily, Michael supported her on the way to their bungalow until they both collapsed on the bed like two sacks of potatoes.

“What a night…” she sighed, staring at the shadows on the ceiling.

“It went better than I’d planned. Sometimes you can’t predict destiny’s ways,” he said, crouching before her and taking her feet in his hands.

He gently rubbed them, massaging every toe. Gabrielle was eternally grateful for that small pleasure. Oh, how much she needed it at the moment.

“Thank you. It’s better now,” she told him, urging him to lie next to her. She had her red dress on and she didn’t intend to take it off. She was too tired for that. Instead, she crawled toward her fiancé and buried her head in the hollow of his shoulder. “Perfect,” she said to herself, feeling Michael’s chest lifting in silent laughter.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms almost immediately. Maybe it was because of the calm night or their funny adventure, but Gabrielle slept like a baby. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a relaxing sleep. Freed of all the stress at work, the constant worry and loneliness, she let go off everything. Allowing Michael to guard her like a small child, she handed him her dreams, her future. And she would never regret it, she was sure of that. He was definitely worthy of her trust.

The next week passed in a whir of happiness, long walks by the sea, fun nights at the bungalow and shopping. They had met the joyful locals for one more unforgettable night, dancing again to their songs and eating all of their delicious meals. Their holiday at Mauritius had ended in the blink of an eye. But luckily it was only the beginning of their adventure. They had boarded a plane and had flown to Ghana. She had always wanted to see Africa and now Michael was making her wishes come true. She loved him even more for that.

The limo had taken them from the airport to their hotel, which was taller than her building and they had settled in a room on the tenth floor. Both exhaustion and jet lag got the better of them, so they threw themselves on the bed and lay motionless for a moment. Gabrielle stared at the ceiling, contemplating where she was and what she was doing. By the looks of him, Michael was doing the same.

“I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but my grandma is from here. Africa, I mean,” Michael said after a while.

“Really? That’s so interesting,” she smiled, stroking his hand.

“Yeah. She was actually pretty famous in her village. Skilled with herbs and charms as she was. At night, she would creep out of her cottage and go summon ghosts in the forest. My mom said that she succeeded once and the village was haunted for months,” he laughed and Gabrielle joined him.

Not long after, sleep reached them and they finally gave in to it.