DESTINY

The following morning, sun struck the edge of Sheena’s pillow with potent brilliance. Sheena woke up by the chirps and twitters of the early risers out of the doors. A bird looked in through the window and tapped with its beak on the glass. “Sheena! Wake up!” her mother called out from below. She slid out of the bed and walked over to the window. Far below her window was her dog running around. A faint white cloud moved slowly past her window in the serene blue sky. She could have gazed out her window for hours, but she had to get dressed and ready; it was another day at the market, selling her grandmother’s goods. The heat was unbearable; women were waving their fans to keep cool. When the day was over, she would start her journey toward her secret place. It was a long walk, and she loved every minute of it despite the heat. For weeks, this continued until one day, among her friends, the trees, and the singing tunes of birds, she saw a tall young figure in the pool, swimming. He was white with short-cut blond hair. She stopped, and she quickly hid herself behind a plant which had big broad leaves and stared at the figure in the water. “Who is he?” she asked herself. As she stepped back a little, not noticing that there was a large chunk of rock, she stumbled over and fell backward, toward a large bush which made a sound. Jonathan, hearing a slight noise behind him, turned his head to see who or what it was. “Who’s there?” he shouted out. He couldn’t see anything, only plants and trees around the pool. He went back to relax himself by swimming in the water. Then he heard the sound again. This time, he looked around. Something ran quickly away, and he stared. It was a woman, a young woman. Sheena was afraid that she turned and ran away, but one of her sandals came off her feet. She did not go back to get it; she was so afraid that she hurried all the way home. From a far distance, Coretta saw her running so fast toward her. “Sheena, why are you running?” asked Coretta laughing. “You’re running as if a wild pig is after you.” Sheena stopped and walked slowly over to her. “Err . . . ,” she mumbled. At first, Sheena did not know what to say, and then she began to think clearly so as not to worry her. She looked at her. “Nothing . . . I just felt worried about Grandma. I wanted to come home as quickly as possible.” “Her heart attack wasn’t a bad one, child. Trust me, she’ll be all right. She’s resting easily now. I’ll go with your father to the hospital and see when she’ll be able to come home.” Her mother hugged her, and they both walked toward the house, leaving the rest of the family outside. In the meantime, back at the pool, Jonathan decided to leave. After dressing himself, he slung his jacket over his shoulder, moving silently among the leaves and dry twigs lying on the ground near some bushes where he heard the noise. A dry twig snapped; he spotted something. He bent down and found there, behind a clump of bushes on his left where the girl evidently had been hiding, a sandal. He picked it up and looked at it; he took it with him and placed it in his jeep, parked at the edge of the woods. He climbed in and made his way home. After some time, Sheena’s grandmother was feeling better and was able to return to the market. During their long walks together from the outdoor market downtown to their house, Sheena could see from a far distance a tall white figure approaching. As they were getting closer, she realized it was the young man whom she saw in the pool. Her heart began to beat so fast because she was afraid if the young man saw her that day. Gradually, as they both were getting closer, Sheena’s heart was beating faster and faster with fear. She lowered her head to avoid looking at him. As they crossed each other’s path, she could not help herself having a quick glimpse of him. Sheena’s grandmother, Datilda, stopped the young man who was passing by and asked if he wanted to buy something from her. As he answered, he could not help himself not to stare at the young woman. He was immediately struck by her beauty. His heart pounded and felt himself grow hot. She was in fact one of the most beautiful young women he had ever seen, with silk skin shining in the sun; her eyes were big and black; her shoulders were slim; her lips were much to be desired; and her hair was long, silk deep black like her eyes. At first, Jonathan did not know who they were in reality, but even if he had known, it would not have been important. Datilda presented herself to the young man, knowing who he was. “And this is my granddaughter, Sheena Becker, and I am her grandmother, Datilda Shawn.” To cover his nervousness, he coughed then murmured, “Pleased to meet you. I’m American.” A delicious smell was suddenly shifting in the air—freshly baked bread and bun. He inhaled then sniffed. “What’s that smell?” he asked as he looked down. “I can see that you have some things in your basket that smells delicious.” It was the scent of fresh baked buns loaded with cinnamon. Sheena smiled at him. “Yes,” responded Datilda. “I sell homemade things. I have bun and bread that I baked this morning. It’s still warm. Would you like a piece?” she asked. She pretended as if she did not know who he was. “And you?” Datilda asked. “What do you do?” “I’m from Seattle,” said Jonathan. “My family owns one of the biggest companies in America and here on the island,” continued Jonathan. “I haven’t had homemade things for a long time. Yes, please,” he said. “The last time I did, was when I was a child.” He helped himself to a warm piece of bun and thanked her. “Well, you should both be getting on your way. It’s getting late.” Jonathan continued, “It was nice talking to you.” “Me too,” said Datilda. “Take care of yourself now, you hear.” waving her hand with a smile. As they left each other’s path, Datilda turned to Sheena saying, “He’s a nice young man.” Sheena turned around to look at him while he was walking away toward his jeep. As Jonathan reached his jeep, he tried not to glance into his rearview mirror, searching for a final glimpse of her before she disappeared from sight, for he had never seen anyone quite so beautiful. It was evening with the sun down and food just finished eaten. The family decided to go outside on to the terrace to tell stories. The air was cool and refreshing followed by the noise of field crickets and mosquitoes. This was Sheena’s favourite kind of evenings, an evening of dreams and hopes. (Everyone needed hopes . . . everyone needed dreams. What does a man have if not his dreams?) In the background, Datilda would always talk about the good old days when she was young, what she used to do, and her husband . . . the sounds of laughter and familiar songs. While Sheena glared at all the shining stars in the sky, admiring the most beautiful scenery that God had created, she felt as if she was in paradise, the cool gentle breeze blowing against her skin slightly, the sound of nature singing, and the perfume of flowers flowing in the breeze. In the background, you could hear Sheena’s grandmother singing happily.