by Nia Arthurs
“Hey,” I replied, as though I was completely in control of my emotions when it came to him, “Want to go on a spy mission with me?”
Archie’s warm chuckle was all the confirmation I needed.
“I’m in.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I kept waiting for things to get awkward between me and Archie. I expected it when he showed up at my door later that night looking all fine and Mission Impossible-ish in a black hoodie, black cargo pants and black baseball hat. I anticipated it when he gave me a hug and told me that it was good to see me. I was almost kind of disappointed by the lack of tension. Maybe it’s the debater in me that prompts me to crave conflict. Archie, however, had no such inclinations and behaved as though we had never taken a hiatus from each other. Soon, I could not help but respond in kind, relishing the ease and playful banter that we’d built over the past few months. That lightheartedness lasted for all of five minutes.
“What do you mean we’re going to George Street?” Archie barked as he stood in front of the door, barring my exit.
I stopped abruptly and glared at him. Since he was so much taller than me the effect was cut short by the crick in my neck. I huffed, “I already explained this to you. My classmate lives there and I have to go check on her.”
“I know that.” He said slowly as though I was dimwitted, “But you forgot to mention that this classmate lives in the heart of a gang war zone.”
I moved a curl behind my ear and tried to stay calm. I checked my watch, “It’s barely 6:30, even if there is a war, most people wait until later in the night to start shooting bullets.”
“Vegan, that’s a dangerous part of the city. I don’t think you should go.”
Placing my hands on my hips, I took a few steps backward so that he could really benefit from the effect of my stink eye. “Archie Hamilton, I know that you are not ordering me to do anything. I am not a child.”
He folded his arms and cemented his stance stubbornly, “I’m not ordering you about. I’m just strongly suggesting that we leave this for another day, when the sun is shining and it’s not so unsafe.”
I was about to argue but closed my mouth and said sweetly instead, “Okay.”
“Okay?”
I nodded, “Sure. Thanks for the advice. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
I ushered him out of the living room and through the door. “So,” he planted his feet just outside my threshold and asked, “You’ll leave this errand until tomorrow?”
“I’ll definitely think about going at another time. Thanks again. Bye Archie,” I swung the door shut on his confused face and then rushed to my bedroom. I grabbed my black backpack, a map of Belize City, a flashlight, and my walking shoes. I changed out of my black flip flops, slipped on some socks, and then put on my tennis shoes. I slipped my cell into my back pocket and ensured that I had enough small change on the off chance that a Landivar bus was circling through this part of the city. Satisfied that I had all I needed, I turned off my apartment light and slinked down the hall. As I looked back, I noticed a wrinkled brown face ducking back into her apartment.
Mrs. Bethel.
I still hadn’t come around to introducing myself to my elusive neighbor. I put that on the Have-To-Do List for tomorrow and commenced slipping my way down the stairs. The landing was dark, as it usually was after seven o’clock. I passed by the narrow entrance and noticed a shadow moving in the darkness. Before I could scream or react, the shadow reached out and grabbed me around the torso, covering my mouth with a large hand. I wriggled but could not get free. Feeling the panic overtake me, I did the only thing I could. I gathered enough space between my mouth and my attacker’s palm and bit down hard.
“Ouch!” The voice behind the shadow cried out and my eyes opened in surprise. I recognized that voice.
“Archie?”
My body went lax and I sagged against the wall at my back as he stepped into the dim light cast from the street light around the corner.
“Lawd, Susan.” He favored the hand that I’d bitten, pressing me against the wall with his torso so that I couldn’t move, “Yuh bite like wan crazy woman.”
Note to self: Archie spoke very distinctive Creole when upset.
Funny, I’d never noticed it before. It was kind of sexy.
“Sorry about that.” I said, nervously glancing at his palm. “But what are you doing here?”
He stepped back and released me from my wall imprisonment, “I know you, Vegan. I figured you’d try to get to George Street on your own. You didn’t even wait ten minutes to check if I was gone. And if I had been someone else with not so good intentions, I could have really harmed you.”
I frowned, “Well, it wasn’t.” I glanced at his silver eyes, “Does this mean that you’re helping me?”
“Do I have a choice?” Archie growled, “You’re impetuous enough to go by yourself.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” I grinned.
Archie shook his head slowly and flicked his left hand out, “Maybe I shouldn’t worry all that much about you. You’re bite is definitely worse than your bark.”
I laughed, “Have I mentioned that I’m sorry about that?”
He finally smiled at me and for a moment, all was right with the world. Leading me to his car, Archie opened my door and then rounded the hood to climb in.
“Can you drive?” I pointed to his hand.
He nodded, “Your bite was a killer but it’s not toxic. I can handle.”
Archie started the car and then backed out of the apartment parking lot. “By the way, how did you expect to get to George Street alone? Buses stop running near there before eight o’clock.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I confessed, “I would have walked there if I had to.”
“So what’s the big deal with this classmate of yours, Vegan? Is she worth walking into gunfire?”
I loosely explained the terms of Persia’s scholarship and my involvement as her unofficial tutor to him, although we’d only had one study session so far.
“She’s a good student.” I concluded, “And the fact that she lives in a bad neighborhood only makes me want to help her more. Sometimes when we live in a destructive environment we use all the distractions as an excuse to never be more than our labels. Persia was brave enough to dream for more and a part of me resonates with that.”
He glanced over at me with a strange look in his eye, “You’re amazing. You know that?”
I twittered softly and ducked my head, “I’m very ordinary.” I disagreed.
“What? Susan Bevans, ordinary?” He grinned and I could see the faint crease of his dimple through the stubble, “What other woman would venture into one of the most dangerous territories in Belize just to help out a classmate? What other girl would agree to fake date a really, really hot lawyer, so that he could impress some other girl.”
I grinned, “Come to think of it, I am pretty spectacular.”
He glanced at me, his silver eyes gleaming in the moonlight and then returned his focus to driving us safely through the city streets. Belize at night was the kind of peaceful setting one would expect from a small town or village. The cars whizzed by as fewer and fewer people paced the streets. As we headed deeper into the heart of the city, I noticed the scenery changing. For one thing, there were a lot more street lamps. Dirty rundown houses plagued every square. Young men stood at the street corners in baggy pants smoking cigarettes and holding beer bottles. Archie rolled up our windows as we turned down Persia’s street and came to a stop in front of a ramshackle two story house made of wood. The structure looked like it would blow over with the next breeze.
Archie’s gaze moved cautiously over the perimeter. “Let’s go.” He said, his eyes glued to a few punks hanging out underneath a tall house.
I put a hand on his arm and brought his attention to me, “Actually, I’d like to go in alone.”
His jaw worked and I could clearly tell that he was going to nix the idea. “Susan, I’m
coming in with you.”
“Give me fifteen minutes, Archie. If I’m not back by then, you can storm the place.” I pleaded.
“You have ten and you bet I will.”
I smiled gratefully and scooted out of the car. I walked up the stairs to the door and knocked.
“Hello, Persia? It’s Susan, from the university!”
I heard a baby crying and a shuffling of feet before the wooden door swung open and Persia stepped out. The gorgeous Indian girl had dark circles underneath her eyes and her hair was tangled and messy. An adorably fat baby with mahogany skin stared at me with doe eyes.
“What do you want?” She said aggressively and I admit, I was a bit taken aback by that approach.
“I-I came to check on you. You’ve been missing class lately…”
The baby began to cry again and she bounced him up and down to calm him.
“You shouldn’t have come here.” She turned away and began to lock the door. I put my foot in the space before it could close fully and stepped in. According to my clock, I had eight more minutes.
I changed the subject, hoping to distract her from my blatant trespassing. “He’s so cute,” I stretched my arm out toward the weeping child. He quieted and tucked his head into the crook of Persia’s neck, “are you babysitting him or something?”
“He’s my son.” Persia stated defiantly.
I froze. Whoa, Monica had failed to inform me of that little detail.
Quickly trying to cover my surprise, I smiled weakly.
“Cool. How old is he?”
“He’ll be two in a few weeks.” Shrugging her shoulders as though finally accepting the fact that I was here to stay, she led me to a threadbare couch in a cramped space that I assumed was the living room. Baby toys littered the entire length of the place and the room smelt kind of like vomit and Clorox.
“Do you live here alone?”
She nodded, “I got the house for a good price.”
I was surprised she had to pay anything to live here. This place should be condemned, especially with a young one playing around.
I sat on the edge of the cushion, fearful of a spring sticking out of the middle. Persia winced as she noticed my movement but said nothing.
“I’m glad.” I replied politely, “I – uh- Monica told me about the scholarship thing. I was hoping I could convince you to come back to school.”
Persia placed the baby on the floor and he began crawling all over the grimy carpet.
“It won’t make a difference now. I’m failing too much to be eligible anyway.”
I leaned forward, rubbing my hands together and noting that I had five more minutes, “We still have a few presentations, essays, and an exam before the semester is up. I really think that I can help you, Persia. If you’ll let me.”
“I don’t know.” She gazed at her child thoughtfully, “I’ve already missed so many moments with Joshua. I don’t want to give up anymore, especially if I only end up failing.”
I gazed compassionately at her, “Maybe Joshua is the reason you should come back and try.” I leaned over and chucked his cheek softly, “Whatever you decide, I want to help.”
Persia grunted darkly, “We don’t need your charity.”
“I’m not offering charity. I’m making a promise. Whether or not you come back to school, I’m here for you.”
I got up but before I could make my way out, the door slammed open. Archie stood in the doorway dressed in black from head to toe, his eyes searching for me. Persia jumped up and retrieved a gun from behind the couch, pointing it at my friend. With widened eyes I registered the turn of events and stepped in front of Archie as baby Joshua began to cry again.
“Wait, guys, wait!” I yelled.
Persia bent and scooped up Joshua, her gun still trained on Archie, “Get out of the way, Susan.” Persia said, her voice steely.
“No you both don’t understand,” I slowly advanced on Persia and lowered the gun, “Persia, this is my friend Archie.” I sighed when Persia’s hold on the automated weapon loosened, “Archie, this is Persia.”
Baby Joshua quieted and Archie’s war face melted into an expression of sheepish embarrassment.
“I’m sorry for the entrance,” Archie awkwardly closed the door and stepped forward. “I told her to be back in ten minutes.”
I smiled through clenched teeth and politely berated him. “Why didn’t you call me?” I asked in a low voice.
“I did,” he defended, “You weren’t answering.”
I fished my phone from my pocket and peered at the screen. Six missed calls, all from Archie.
“Oh,”
Persia bounced Joshua higher on her hip, “Nice going, Bevans. Your boyfriend is hot.”
“He’s not my boyfriend!” I called to her retreating back as she ventured into another room. She returned without the baby.
“Okay, here’s the deal,” Persia came to stand in front of the both of us, “I’ll deal with school until the mid-terms. If my grade isn’t up by then, I’ll officially drop out and look for a full-time job so I can provide for me and Joshua.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I nodded astutely.
“Yeah, whatever. Now get out of here. It was a really stupid idea to storm George Street like this.”
“I tried to tell her,” Archie quipped but I cut his comment off with a dark look.
“Listen to your boyfriend next time, Bevans,” Persia remarked as she led us to the door.
“He’s not my-” I began to protest.
“Whatever you say.” Persia grinned and then locked the door behind us. I trailed after Archie as we bounced down the steps.
“Did you have to storm in there like the freaking police?” I accused him. He opened the door for me and slammed it shut, quickly turning to his own side and getting in.
“I wouldn’t have done that if you’d answered your stinkin’ phone!”
“You could have been killed,” I berated him, recalling that dreadful moment when Persia held a gun aimed at Archie’s heart.
He blew out a breath, “Maybe, maybe not. I was out of my mind with worry. I can’t say that I was exactly thinking clearly.”
I huffed, “It was only a woman and a baby in there.”
“How was I supposed to know that? What if I’d let you walk right into a crack house or some kind of human trafficking ring. I would never forgive myself.”
“Hey,” I abandoned my anger and saw things from Archie’s perspective for the first time, “I’m sorry I worried you.”
He sighed, “It's okay, Vegan.
“And thank you for coming with me. Knowing that you were there made me feel safe.”
“You’re welcome,” he smiled weakly.
Giving in to the urge, I leaned over the center console and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
“What was that for?” he asked, seeming pleased.
I shrugged, “For being you.”
The tips of his ears got red and I chuckled lightly. Archie was willingly to brave guns for me. He was willing to die for me. What kind of love was that?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Hey,” Mia greeted me when I waltzed in to work on Friday afternoon.
“Hi,” I answered back, stepping behind the counter to straighten the jewelry on display.
“How are you spending the long weekend?” She questioned, checking something on a list before her.
Apparently Belize celebrated a ton more holidays than I was used to and Monday was one such day.
“I’m not sure.” I replied.
Mia followed me as I ran the cloth over the display near the mannequin. She selected an outfit on a whim and we dressed the life-sized doll up together. “Well, Mel and I were talking yesterday and we thought it would be fun to go to San Pedro for the weekend.”
“Really?” I squealed. I’d read about La Isla Bonita and had always wanted to go, but with school and work plus the hassle and expense of booking a boat and a hotel I’d squashed th
e idea.
“When would we leave?” I asked her.
“I’m closing the store early tomorrow so we can be out of here by three o’clock. We can get there by four and settle into the beach house. We’d leave on Monday afternoon. Are you in?”
“Heck yeah!” I rang out excitedly.
Mia laughed at my exuberance. “Great. I hope you don’t mind, but Mia’s inviting Archie to go too.”
“Why would I mind?” I questioned her.
“Don’t think we haven’t noticed that you two aren’t talking to each other. Again. You’d think that this was pre-school all over the way you guys are friends one day and enemies the next.”
“We’re not enemies,” I assured her, “We just took a break from being friends.”
Mia sent me a weird look and then shrugged.
“Okay then…” She said slowly. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get back to work.”
She helped me to put the mannequin in an upright position and then shuffled off to the back room, probably answering the call of her creative spirit. I stood guard behind the cash register and helped customers as they came in and out. The day passed quickly and I raced home, aching for Saturday to come so that I could finally visit the famous beaches of San Pedro.
The green waves reached upward and then sank back to the depths as the boat cut through the water like a knife. Sea gulls flew overhead landing in the mangroves on the coast of Belize City. Their calls filled the air with music and battled the noises of the motor engine for auditory prominence. I sat beside Archie who was dressed for the beach in a white tank top and black beach shorts. Was it just me or did Archie get hotter every day? His hair was being carelessly tousled by the wind and his silver eyes were shaded behind dark sunglasses. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a surfer magazine. In fact everyone in this party had substantial magazine cover points. From Mia in a short, white lace cover-up to Melody’s button front, striped beach dress to Peyton and Spencer’s black and white trunks and blue T-shirts. I’d chosen a bit of practicality with blue shorts and a grey and white tank top. Everyone rocked their flip flops for this occasion.
