6.
I surfaced from the wonderful world of Dreamland at almost ten o'clock. It was not often I had the chance to sleep in and so the days it was on offer I took gladly. Mother and her friends were outside in the garden, and so I snuck out for a run along my favourite route before I was told a thousand times over how much they had enjoyed the previous evening. I made a mental note to buy something special for Chef Billy to say a huge thank you. My taste buds were still relishing the flavours of his dishes. Rylee had phoned, and I quickly called her back when I parked at the beach.
'Good morning,' I greeted her when she answered.
'Hey, finally you're up. So are you and Kai an item?'
I knew it must have bugged her the whole night.
'No, I had a thank you dinner for him at the home last night. He got treated as if he were royalty it was unbelievable; those ladies are something else.'
'Oh okay. I asked him out for dinner, but he said he had something else on. So I am glad he did, and he wasn't blowing me off.'
That was an angle I had not considered!
'Come and visit this afternoon,' she insisted as we said goodbye.
As I jogged, I couldn't stop thinking about the idea of Rylee and Kai together. I was not at all happy and even knowing I had no claim on Kai it bothered me. I told myself over and over to stop being ridiculous! Rylee was my best friend, and if they should hook up, I had to be happy for them. I stopped at the beach, sat on the little wall and watched the surfers. Not thinking for a while was peaceful.
'Hello,' Kai said sitting down on the wall next to me.
A lady and a little boy were with him.
'Hello,' I replied looking at the woman and her child.
Is he married? Crikey! Why didn't he say anything?
'This is my sister Kaia and her son Selby.'
They both smiled at me and said hello. I stifled a sigh of relief.
'Your names are almost the same!' I had to state the obvious.
'Yes, our parents went for simplicity,' Kaia chuckled.
Selby ran to the sand with his buckets and spade and immediately started digging. We spent a few minutes chatting. Selby was five, and they were from Hawaii and were visiting Kai while on holiday in South Africa. Now, at least, I finally knew where he was from originally. Kaia politely asked how I was coping with my dreadful experience and also offered to help in any way she could. Kai and Kaia were so much alike I guessed they were twins.
'Are you twins?' I had to ask.
They both laughed, and Kai told me that it was a common occurrence to get asked that question but no they were born fifteen months apart. They might as well have been twins with so little time between them. Kaia went to Selby, and while I had Kai to myself for once, I needed to satisfy my questions with answers.
'The other day, well twice now, I have seen you and your friends kneeling at the edge of the ocean. What is that about?'
'We pray before we surf and when we come back out.'
'Oh,' I said unsure of what to say next.
'You know the night you phoned me, well at the same time as the phone rang I was praying for you.'
'Why?'
'I don't know. I just landed up praying for you – for health, safety, that kind of thing.'
'This might sound weird, but during the struggle I called out to God to help me. I have no idea why because I have never known God or church things in my life. Seconds afterwards a calm came over me. I never understood it, but I was able to react more clearly, and that's when I managed to get free, granted it was with violence, but it definitely would have turned out worse.'
'God works in the most amazing ways. I only found salvation in Him when I moved here and met my friends, the ones you met on the beach the other day.'
I remained silent for a while contemplating what he had just said, this was probably the reason he was such a kind and pleasant person.
'Is your family Christian?'
'No. Kaia has been studying with me and is thinking about committing to God, but I think she is concerned about what her husband's reaction will be when she returns home and that is holding her back. My parents have no issues with my faith, and I am hoping that when I go back at the end of the year, I will be able to teach them the Gospel.'
'You're going back?'
My heart sank into the concrete wall.
'Yes, I must.'
'Oh,' I said, and the sadness spilled over in my voice.
'If I invite you to a study will you consider coming?'
'I don't know; you will have to ask and find out.'
My lips creased into a smile. Kai looked at the ocean, his mouth in a lovely smile, and slowly it faded as he turned to look at me seriously.
'Will you come to a study on Wednesday evening?'
'Yes, it sounds interesting, but I will first have to check my schedule at work, I am not sure what shift I will be on.'
'Good.'
'What made you move here?'
'After I got my degree in structural engineering I took a gap year and came out here. I fell in love with this place and stayed. But now I have to go back to my family for a while; it's been three years since I last saw them and I need to sort out my interests in the family business.'
Our conversation was cut short by the gleeful Selby calling Kai to inspect the mansion he had built in the sand. I said goodbye to them all and proceeded with my run that had taken a very different turn, one that I hadn't anticipated when starting out. As I jogged along, I thought about all we had said to each other. So he was a Christian, I still wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but I was looking forward to finding out more. The fact that he had been praying for me when I had phoned him pricked my conscience. But what had upset a beautiful day was the fact that he was leaving. When he had said that I instantly realised that I could easily have been more to him than his client or friend. There were feelings stirring within me for him that excited my heart.
When I relayed all this news (except the tickles of affection I was harbouring for Kai) to Rylee later that afternoon the only fact she was interested in was when Kai was leaving, and she would have to act fast to "nab him". She infuriated me, and I left her house earlier than planned.
***
Work in the paediatric ward had upgraded from the usual busy to the hectically insane. It seemed that every virus was doing its rounds attacking the precious little children. There were days when even double shifts were a necessity as there were simply not enough staff members to cope with the onslaught of sick kiddies. It resulted in a no-show at the Bible study. I was disappointed as I was interested in learning more. Also, it had been ages since I had been able to make a visit to the house to view the progress, and if I wasn't mistaken, there was only about a week of work left before completion. Mother dearest was so excited, she had already packed up all her belongings and was practically out of the door of the retirement home and moving into her new flat. Since I was so busy she had offered to pack up my things for me, the stuff that was in storage I still had to sort out, though.
Finally, I had a Wednesday evening free and instead of opting for the much-needed sleep my body desired I went to the Bible study. Rylee had been going (she had invited herself) every week but for reasons other than to study and I wondered if during this time she had, in fact, made an impression on Kai. Neither had ever mentioned anything to me so I was left guessing. As the crow flies, Kai's flat was not very far from my house, and it was easy to find. When I knocked on the door, Kai opened it and presented me with a fabulous warm smile. I was introduced again to his friends and to some faces I had not seen before. Rylee greeted me with an affectionate hug as always.
'So happy you made it finally, please take a seat,' Kai said offering me a comfortable armchair and then sitting next to me on the stool he had dragged from the kitchen. Rylee was completely focused on Kai and not impressed that he had selected to sit next to me. He handed me a black book, similar to the one I had often seen him reading. I looked at the title – "Bible".
Oh right, now I get it! I finally clicked. I was somewhat lost during the study but certain things that were said and read stung me. "He died for your sins," and, "In Him you can have eternal life," and, "He will carry all your burdens."
After the study while, I was enjoying a cup of coffee Kai got out of Rylee's clutches and joined me with his coffee.
'You look like you're in the middle of a storm. What's up?'
There was no way I was going to tell him that Rylee was irritating me beyond words the way she hung all over him, so I confessed my confusion rather.
'I got a little confused in the study…'
He nodded. 'I did too. What if Mitch and I came to study with you? They did this for me too, or would you prefer not to continue at all?'
'No, I want to, it is very intriguing actually. It will be a bit difficult at the retirement home so perhaps we can wait until I have moved into the house and Mother can even study with me.'
He nodded again and smiled. 'Okay, let's do that. It will be amazing; you will see.'
His face fell when Rylee appeared at his side, demanding his attention. I said goodbye to everyone and left.