“That’s so sad. I forgot kids died during the ‘quake.”
“This one’s a bit happier.” I pointed at another grave, then winced at my words. “I mean, it’s happier because this man went down when the town sank into the sea, but he was spat back up onto land and lived the rest of his life here.”
Nemi stopped in front of it and reached for my hand. “Was he a pirate?”
“I don’t have the answer to that one, baby.”
“So long as he was happy, like us.”
I silently agreed with her, unable to find the words over the lump in my throat. Kids' minds are amazing places, but a child who’s loved unconditionally by the people around her… there are no words for the beauty their love gives you in return.
And that night, as we sat outside eating dinner, we heard the faint sound of the town’s bell ringing under the water, where it’d been since 1692.
We’d agreed to meet my parents in Ocho Rios on day eight. I’d hired a house for Heidi and me to stay at in Discovery Bay, preferring not to go the tourist route. My parents were taking Nemi to stay at a hotel, where she’d be able to have a blast.
It was everything I could have hoped for, spending time alone, just the two of us. I still took Heidi to see some touristy places, but if you go to a country and only see those, you’re cutting yourself off from ninety-nine percent of its full beauty. And Jamaica had a lot of that to offer.
We even squeezed a two day trip to see the Goldeneye Estate, where Ian Fleming had written the James Bond novels. Nemi was now a fan of the movies, so seeing the beautiful place really excited her. Added onto it was when we drove back to Port Royal, her new favorite place in the world, and we told her the road we were on, the Norman Manley Highway, was the one Sean Connery had driven down in Dr. No. I’d never thought a three-and-a-half-year-old would be so enamored with a series written for adults, but she really did have the soul of a thirty-year-old.
It was just what we all needed, and I came home with memories I hoped I’d never forget.
Jarrod had found his peace first with music, and then he’d had a career narrating audiobooks before he’d met Katy. Now he had it all, and I’d once been envious of him for that.
It wasn’t until now that I realized I had the peace and full life he had, too. Whereas he’d found his through different means to me, I’d found mine initially through Klein’s and making people happy with the food, watching them celebrate milestones and pivotal moments.
That all paled in comparison to what Heidi and Nemi brought into my life. I had the unconditional love of my family and vice versa my whole life, but now I felt that love toward two people who were now mine.
All of the highs and the lows, the everyday moments people took for granted, the ones you knew you’d remember until you took your last breath… All of them made their way inside me, cementing both females to me for the rest of my life.
I was never sure what the future held, I was too much of a realist for that, but I knew a life with them would only bring more of that, and I couldn’t wait.
We also planned our next vacation, this time to South Africa, to see where Heidi had spent some of her childhood in Centurion, Gauteng Province.
Life was an adventure, especially when you traveled through it with two females who made your world spin.
And it didn’t hurt that both Heidi and Nemi got to try some of our favorite foods in the country they came from. It made for a few uncomfortable moments for Heidi, but that didn’t stop her from going back for more. Tastee Patties really were that good, and Island Grill served the kind of food I hoped we’d achieve one day, except theirs was more of a fast food service.
Just in case, I began carrying around Heidi’s medication in my pocket as well as antacids. If there was a problem and I could help fix for her, I’d do it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Bond
Two weeks later…
“I’ll be back tonight,” I promised Nemi, giving her a tight squeeze and laughing when she made a groaning noise.
This was our typical goodbye now, and I loved it, even when she wrapped her arms around my neck and choked me in retaliation for doing it first.
“Why can’t we come with you?”
“Because I have to go to this meeting, so I won’t be around to spend any time with you. Plus, you’ve got school, your mom’s got work to do, and I might not be back in time to feed the fish, Nemo, Bumper, and Hooch. You look after them better than Mom does.”