She barely dared
to say the words she hoped for herself. Would David be there? If he knew her
name was drawn at vespers, he barely would have had enough time to cross the
tombolo in the evening low tide to wait for her. If he was there, they would
stay through the night and return to Prima the next morning as a married couple
according to island tradition. Hope for love. She breathed it out, the salt
tang biting her throat as she continued on the tombolo.
The deep orange
and gold that had filled the morning sky faded to blue as Gemena reached the
end of the tombolo and stepped onto Speranza. She could see the glint of red
among the green leaves of the beatta trees, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
She would return home with a full basket to support her family.
The shelter
stood at the edge of the grove, and it looked sturdy and well-kept. She walked
over and dropped her basket in the sand, shuffling her feet until she found the
rope handle to the shelter’s hidden supplies. She brushed off the sand with her
feet and pulled up the thick-woven reed door to reveal neatly stacked bottles
of water and sealed containers of food. Relieved, she pulled out her own bottle
and drank the last of the water she had brought with her.
Shielding her
eyes again, she looked around. Speranza was small enough that she could see the
entire island from here. There was no sign of…her heart sank and she dropped
her hands. But as she turned back to her basket, she heard a rustle in the
beatta grove. There were no animals on Speranza. Looking up with surprise,
Gemena saw David walk out of the trees with a full basket of beatta fruit. His
smile lit his face, and she felt hers do the same. Weak with relief, she waited
for him to reach her side. He held out the basket and laid it at her feet.
David stood in
front of her and cupped her face in his rough palms. He kissed her tenderly,
then hugged her tightly. She clung to him, dizzy with happiness, desire, and new
hope for their future. He leaned down and picked up her empty basket. “Let’s go
fill this together, shall we?”
Unable to speak,
Gemena nodded happily and took his free hand as they walked into the beatta
grove to begin their life together.
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