Fragments of Faith

r breath and ran with Chizzy through the rwa

station. "I have to stret

held her side. "I have a sti

e, especially if you want to dat

aking date with Ismail to the last detail, including his snotty remarks

y jumped back and forth over an exercise

" Chizzy dragged Aminat up

e car, and he stopped sud

lways thinking up new reasons for his sudden withdrawal. Any

o a multileve

om a high bar, and Aminat settled for the medium

pulled herself up halfway ten times. "He kisses were so hot,

bout. Guys can't ke

issing." Aminat was grasping at s

." Chizzy jumped down without doing a chin-

heless, a shiver sparked fireworks over Aminat's shoulders at the thought of Ismail in bed. "I imagine he'd

shoulders. "I'm dating a church guy

all team? How

am. "All professionals, tall, ripped and buff, handsome too.

d missed a step. "How com

Come to the match Saturday night

d and her hair hanging. Ismail had his hang-ups, but he was sincere. Taking

s, and speak of the devil; Ismail pulled off

s ear, "I'll call you later. Remember, Saturday

t and shorts. Her fingers tingled, and a collection of dazed butterflies quivered in he

p because I'm bothering you. I want

ked after Chizzy, but she'd alre

side. "I'm going beach camping this weekend. W

ut the camping in the tent part. "I m

mail took her hand and kissed it. "I found a private

ing, she withdrew her hand. "Wait. You don't call or

our number, and I ca

just whine? Ugh. Better stop acting

lympics last night. I wish you could have been there. Japheth took the gold in freest

up bench. "It's okay, yo

lapped a hand around her sho

companionship. Safe and slightly disappointing,

m the setting sun. "Sur

ou'll go cam

unky, attractive guy had to be a boyfriend. Besides, she could brag to Chizzy

and voila, there was a box of chocolates at he

u're around. I'm glad w

s signature. She caressed

desk. "I volunteer to set you up with the hottest g

e, Aminat opened the

d a senator's son. Black haired, brown-eyed, six-foot-three. We met him at a charity

s. Aminat popped a white chocolate truffle i

he's finally open to dating again. I told him yo

into a crinkly square. "I

n." Chizzy picked out a chocolate

y joined the church to find a lolita wife, someone who'd look nice at the social events he had to preside over or had been in

d of wrapping paper at her. "You'll never get lai

urch boys." Aminat opened a patient's cha

hirts into the bag, and put on the bikini and a handkerchief top to cover. Workout pants or shorts? Her legs were still pretty pale. She wore the workout pants and threw sunscreen into the bag. This time she'd wear her

d a male friend since high school when holding hands was enough, and guys we

at exactly nine o'clock.

bag from her. "What

ness. She locked her apartment and followed him down the s

He unlocked his car and

you haven't e

nk friends s

on his waist. "But I

touched the side of her face,

ever. The opposite of Medusa the cursed Greek maiden, he tu

gently and opened her mouth and licked. A moan rolled from his throat as he pressed her closer. She wrapped her arms tighter and h

atch her breath

ing. We bett

round to the driver's side. Nothing wrong, ko n

n the radio. It played Twe Twe

he twirled her h

nic route. It winds around

around better than I do. Ho

have a job the first month, so I traveled around and

.. I'l

y, but once they climbed up a steep hill full of hairpin turns, the sun was entirely blocked by t

f the valley below. The road curved past the rustic town of Heipang and hooked a sharp right towards Bokkos road. Thankfull

ndows?" Aminat aske

urnoff, and several ca

e pointed at the flash of col

al or daredevil. I don'

ould have taken the turns even faster to impress or scare her. She shook off the ima

rown in, and the road descended toward the farming community of Bokkos. Ismail stopped at the solo gas station to fil

nnocently. She twisted the cap off the sod

ack flies and millipedes are. I know a dune

ched her arms. "Did you

k reeds on the right and a hillside full of shrubbery and rock formations on the left. Interesting how different the vegetati

at stepped out. "I

rom the crowd." He hefted a backpack

a good track record when it came to men. But then again, the men she'd dated before were all flashy types who drove sportscars and had

nded rickety steps to a sandy lakeside littered with rocks. Several rumble-tumble shelters made wi

a jumble of thick branches that grew horizontally and curve

ht her to an enchanted shrine and half expected priests or p

k on a branch. "This is

s it w

e they're too sad to stand up. Come on." He helped h

her. She listened to her heart beat and savored the s

ces of two lost lovers, an Lengenen and a Chinplang from opposing tribes,

ee creaked in the wind, and she wasn't sure if she imagined it, but a faint, low

it?" he

hope our story will be happier.

ious

else, Hausa, Fulani,

rubbed his chin. "Bet y

it ob

nsed. "My birth father is

cool. Did you use

He died last year and left me m

" She squee

you're wondering

e. I want to know e

e for the Nigerian track and field team, and my father was a substitute for the

s roma

d have been a nice memory. But o

der he overcompensated by a

eted again. Being an alternate in the

ut your

even played for foreign clubs. But he wasn't about to

wing lump in her throa

tepfather kept joking a

Aminat said. "My dad sometimes calls my mom

like the 'Bastard' word here. I wish I knew wh

hadn't been born, I wouldn't be

what most girls want from me. They can close th

he pushed away. "Are you sa

mmered. "You did ag

at ethnicity you are, and you're de

ver seem to fit in with an

ferent, wondering why his father had rejected

wonderful man, caring and considerate, like this morning when we were driving. You didn'

do you

t." She kissed his cheek. "I care a lot about you even

e put his arms around her.

Ghostly voices blew through the mass of branches, whispe