by Beth Kean
***
The visit to town had eaten most of the afternoon, and Peter returned to the village with a strange feeling of relief. He had bought a holiday, a few days away from the pressure of the well project, not that there was a great deal of pressure, just a pressing sense of obligation to get the job started and finished as quickly as possible. He had created delay, and began to count days. Today is Wednesday, he reminded himself as he began a mental countdown, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday... four clear days, a break where I concentrate only on Esther, the well can begin again next Monday, I'm sure that it won't take more than a couple of days to find a willing landowner, then I can call in the drilling team, they should be here for another three or four days, then the testing and instruction... I can probably stretch this stay for another three weeks.
And after that? The question begged an answer. Wait and see, he decided, he had a growing confidence that the relationship would progress to the next level, hopefully over the next few days, but I'm not going to be counting any chickens. Fate brought me to this place, fate caused us to meet, so let fate decide where we go from here.
***
And let fate guide us now, he decided as meaty sausages dripped sizzling fat onto the glowing coals. Esther sat at his side, close yet not touching, proximity without intimacy. So many times Peter had wanted to reach out and touch her, to hold her hand or stroke her cheek, yet he had controlled himself. The short dusk had faded to blackness, Esther had lit a pair of candles that attracted dozens of small moths, Peter sipped whisky and cola, Esther opted for the powerful and spicy Stoney, a brew of ginger that burned the tongue.
“It smells good,” she sighed, “I would never think of doing something like this... being on my own means that I don't bother much, I just boil matoke or posho, sometimes I have a change and eat pumpkin or greens. This is so different.”
“I like to cook,” he replied and turned the goat with a fork, “But I do understand what you mean, I've been alone forever, and I agree, sometimes I just can't raise the enthusiasm to make a special effort. But this is very different, I haven't felt this good in years.”
“Really?” she asked softly, “Why?”
Time to get this out in the open he thought as he took another sip. “Maybe it has something to do with the company!” Peter maintained an even expression as he looked her in the eye, he wanted her to understand that his statement was serious, he didn't want to make a joke out of a heartfelt admission.
“I make you feel good?” He saw the need in her eyes, her expression, for once, easy to read.
“Yes Esther,” he replied quietly, “And it's very confusing for me. This is only my third day here, the third day that I have know you... but you have affected me, I believe that I care for you very much.”
“I care about you too Peter,” she replied, “And I know that it has only been three days... but I knew the first second that I saw you, I just wasn't sure how you felt.”
“You know now!” he smiled and reached for her hand, their fingers entwined and he saw her smile develop. “I thought that you would think that I'm crazy, falling for you so quickly!”
“I don't think that time is important when something is right, seconds, days, years, everyone is different, some take a long time to realise, some know instantly.”
Peter squeezed her fingers gently and felt her lean into him, closing the gap officially, the proximity replaced by intimacy. “Esther, may I kiss you?” he asked, his voice little more than a husky whisper.
“I thought you would never ask.” she replied, a hint of pain and sadness in her voice, “Please kiss me Peter, I've been waiting for this moment for all of my life.”
Epilogue
Peter spent over a month in the village, Esther at his side every second. By day they oversaw the drilling team as they sunk a borehole deep into the earth, by night they explored their growing love, the blanket barrier torn down, their mattresses drawn together.
Chief Joshua swore revenge as the well grew ever deeper, the site, a corner of Esther's family land. “She is the only person that I can trust completely,” Peter had joked as he dismissed Joshua's objections. “And this location makes more sense, here I can keep a close eye on the flow, because this is where I'm going to build our house.”
“I would never ask you to leave your home,” he had told her as they lay together, “But I don't want to live without you... so we have a small problem.”
“Why is it a problem?” she had replied, “It's actually very simple... live with me here, when we are married the land will be ours, not mine!”
“Married?” he chuckled, “Was I drunk, I don't remember proposing?”
“You didn't propose,” she giggled, “But I just did.”
“Well I guess it's settled then.” he laughed, before pulling her into his arms.
***
Peter and Esther were married six months later, and their son arrived only five months after that. Half of their time the couple lived in their new home in northern Uganda, the remaining time they split between Manchester and Kampala. Peter had put his degree to better use and his newly formed and highly regarded consultancy company allowed him to work from home... where he could be always close to his young wife.
Esther never forgot to give thanks to the Lord. “He gave me Peter,” she told herself every day, “He kept his promise.”
The well, against all odds, flowed powerfully, and all around the desert bloomed, crops grew in abundance, the village prospered... and everyone understood that the single saving factor had been,
Esther's Well.
A message from the author.
Dear reader. Thank you for downloading this short story.
If you have enjoyed this tale of love in darkest Africa, please take a moment to rate my book and perhaps write a short review, independent authors rely heavily on your kind words... and of course, those elusive 5 Stars!
Thank you... and happy reading.
Beth.
From the same author.
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Degradation
Shoot Me
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April Awakens
Sophistication
Plain Jayne
Kandie Kaine
Taming Tori
Mombasa Heat
Milk Me
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