Glorious Sunset Read online

  “It’s easy.” Violet waved her hand. She pulled off a highway exit on the south side of Columbus and took a long road into an area of trees, bushes, and various patches of bare dirt. She found the biggest patch of dirt and pulled in.

  Taka’s eyes sparkled, but caution made him wary. “I am not certain I should do something like this.”

  Violet looked over at him. She saw the look in his eyes and interpreted, “You may not be certain you should do it, but you certainly want to do it, don’t you?”

  Suddenly, every fiber in his being was hyped. Yes, he wanted to do it! He didn’t understand the machine, but he did want to try it. “And you can teach me?” he asked.

  “Of course. Now, get out and let’s switch places.” She turned off the motor, unlatched her seat belt, opened the door, and hopped out of the driver’s seat, seemingly in one movement. Taka paused only a moment, then did the same, passing her around the back of the car and earning a wink and a slap on the behind.

  “Get a move on, genie!” she called.

  He blinked in surprise. He’d never in all his years been slapped on the behind by a woman. It wasn’t that bad a feeling. Shrugging, he moved on to climb into the driver’s seat and belted up again, shutting the door. His hands stroked the wheel anxiously. “I do not know that this is a good idea,” he said.

  “You said that,” Violet said, noting his caressing of the wheel was directly contradictory to his words.

  “But you did not hear me.”

  “No, I heard you, genie. I’m just not listening to you because you’re being contrary. Just like the drivel that comes out of the mouths of most men is wrong and contradictory. You say one thing and do another. You can pretend, but I only have to look at you to see you want to drive this car. Look at you. Why don’t you kiss the wheel, already?”

  That snapped him out of his reverie and he glared at her. “I do not lie.”

  “Well, maybe you’re lying to yourself,” she said. “What, are you scared or something?”

  Taka glared at her. How could he have forgotten how Zahara liked to taunt? It was why they’d gotten into that fight as children in the first place. “There is not a task on this earth that would frighten me.”

  “Then man up and stop whining. Okay, listen, quick lesson. There’s really only a few things you need to know.” She pointed down. “Gearshift. The D is for drive, the R is for reverse, the P is for park, and the N is for neutral in case you ever have to push it somewhere without the motor being on. Those other numbers: don’t know, don’t care.” She pointed to his feet. “The gas pedal makes it go and the brake pedal makes it stop.” She pointed to the ignition and handed him the key, allowing the others to dangle. “And this is your key to a little excitement. This will start all this.” She moved her hands in a circle, denoting the car. “Any questions?”

  Taka’s mind was in a whirl but she could almost see him mentally calculating all she’d told him. “That is all I need to know?”

  “Well, for right now, anyway. I mean, there are rules for the road and all that, but that’s why we came out here in the middle of nowhere, so you can’t run anybody down. Now, ready?”

  Taka didn’t know where the excitement came from, but his nerve endings tingled much like the first time he’d ridden into battle. He slipped the key in the ignition as he’d seen her do, and turned. As before, the car burst into life, idling.

  “What now?” he asked, his hands stroking the wheel and his body slightly forward in preparation.

  Violet had a moment of hesitation, wondering if this had been a good idea after all. The temperature in the car had gone up, almost as if the big guy next to her had gone into idle as well, waiting for the precise moment to strike. But since she’d pretty much called him a wuss for not doing it, she couldn’t very well admit she was wrong now. No, she would see what happened to a giant genie with a pint of adrenalin running through his veins.

  “Foot on the brake, always start on the brake so that you can ease into speed after you shift into drive. Now, hold that button with your thumb and shift into drive.”

  He did that and then waited in suspense. “Now, what?”

  Violet shrugged. “Now, slowly let off the brake.”

  He did that.

  “And sloowwlllyyy step on the gas.”

  Taka put his foot down gently and the car revved like a giant beast. He added a little more pressure and the car lurched into a halting drive. Then, Violet watched as his eyes widened with excitement, and his mouth opened. He yelled, “Woo hoo!” and stepped firmly onto the gas sending the car moving forward with a screech of her tires and a whirl of dust.

  “Take it easy, genie,” Violet said, belatedly wondering if this was a good idea. It didn’t matter though because they were knee-deep now with Taka moving the wheel this way and that, kicking up dust, testing the speed and the brakes, and hollering with glee with each turn and stop.

  Taka felt alive for the first time in years. The machine under him was as powerful as his horse had been, only he had complete control. It was an amazing feeling. It made his heart race and his breath short, yet he embraced it for all it was worth. It would probably be the only time he would ever get the opportunity, so he took the car through its paces, testing every aspect of its speed and maneuverability.

  Hmmm, Violet thought. I’ve created a monster. She watched the way he moved, the flush of happiness on his face, the body rigid with excitement. Good to know the stereotype about men and toys was true, but perhaps she should have started him off on a Big Wheel.

  They went in doughnuts over the hard grass, Taka laughing every second and Violet having to fight to keep the smile from her face as well. They must have been twenty minutes in, having done figure eights until Violet was almost dizzy until, finally, he straightened and stepped on the gas, headed for the tree line.

  “Hey,” Violet said nervously as they careened over bumpy grass. “Hit the brakes. Hit the brakes.” She looked over at him as he ate up more grass. “I said hit the brakes.” She looked at the forest coming up too fast. She licked her lips which suddenly were dry. “Hit the brakes. I said, hit the brakes! Hit the brakes!” She threw her arms over her face as a tree came barreling their way, sure that she’d seen her last of life, when suddenly he did just what she’d said. The car came to a sudden, loud stop about two feet from a large trunk, spitting up dirt from behind and throwing her into the comforting restraint of her seat belt. She felt the stillness, peeked at the tree which, amazingly, was not in her lap, and peeked at him through her arms, shaking. He put the car in park and turned off the ignition, smiling at her.

  “I heard you the first time,” he said, cockiness oozing out of him like toothpaste from a squeezed tube.

  Violet felt rage bubble in her and lowered her arms to yell at him. He had a sick, reckless sense of humor, scaring her that way. What kind of freak was he, anyway? To try a stunt like that. The same stunt she’d pulled on her stepfather at sixteen. Admiration made its way to the surface. This genie wasn’t so bad after all.

  “Okay. You got me, genie. Had me scared for a minute there, but you’re a fast learner.”

  “You don’t get to be king by being slow,” he said.

  “I thought you got to be king by being born. No guarantees of speed or intelligence there.”

  But he wasn’t listening. He unstrapped and opened the door, climbing out of the car with pep in his step. Violet was the one who hesitated this time.

  She got out and passed him on the backside, stunned when she felt a telltale palm whip smartly against her backside. She grabbed her behind and whirled, but the man was whistling and climbing into the passenger seat. The nerve of that genie! She smiled and got back in the car.

  “Don’t think just because you can drive you’re big stuff. There are a whole lot of rules to follow. They don’t just let anybody drive you know.” She belted and started the car. “You have to have a license to drive one of these babies.”

  “Yes, and what
are these rules then?” Taka asked.

  She pulled onto the road to take them to the highway. “Well, when you’re driving, you have to be on the right side of the road, in this country. And there are traffic lights to tell you when you can drive and when you have to stop. And you can’t just do any old speed, mister. You have to abide by the law.” They were on the highway and flew past a sign with sixty-five in bold.

  “Was that a sign for speed?” he asked.

  “Hmm?”

  “That sign you just passed.” He leaned over and looked at her speedometer. “Is that to correspond? That cannot be. You are driving much faster than sixty-five so that must have been for some other rule.”

  “What? Who’s going over sixty-five?”

  “You are. From that device it looks as if you are doing seventy.”

  “Anyway, as I was saying. If you were of this earth and all, driving would be an honor and a privilege but since you’re only a guest, well, you don’t need to worry your pretty little head about these things. I’ve been doing this for years. I’m an expert.”

  She whipped in front of a car on her left, gained speed and did the same to a car on the right, then gained more speed and shot off to the right on an exit. “See, you can’t do that if you don’t know what you’re doing,” she said. Sure, she’d been showing off a little. But somebody had to show genie just because he knew his way around a gearshift he wasn’t all that.

  “Well then,” Taka said, amusement coloring his words. “I’m honored to have learned by the master.” He settled comfortably in his seat. “By the way, master, that sign would imply the speed on this road is thirty-fi—”

  “Look, here we are!” Violet said, parking at her next destination.

  “And where would here be?”

  “Eastland Mall. It’s like a giant building with stores and restaurants and stuff. I was thinking we could go get some lunch and maybe shop a little.” Okay, she was taking advantage of the fact that he had no idea how much normal men hated to shop with women, but this was her one day off and it never hurt to have a male perspective.

  Taka grimaced as he remembered how much he hated to wait around when Zahara was being fitted for the thousand pieces of jewelry, clothing, and accessories to make up a single outfit, not to mention the endless conversations on whether to braid her hair to the left or to the right. He always loved the outcome but the process was worse than reeds under the fingernails.

  “You cannot make me go inside,” he declared, adopting his most fierce expression to her apparent delight. She smiled at him as if he were a child and it infuriated him more. “Woman, I did not leave my stone to be tortured by you. I may have to grant your wishes but I will not do this. I. Will. Not.”

  Chapter 8

  Taka grumbled as he tried to wedge his massive body in a delicate chair outside the fitting room in the ladies’ clothing store, the newspaper in his hands his only relief. At least he could see the date and read a little bit of what was going on in the world while Violet tried on clothes. He was so absorbed he only felt an occasional bump as people passed.

  For her part, after the hundredth time of peeking out of the fitting room to see women intentionally stray too close to her genie, and other women sauntering into the communal area to “accidentally” award him a glimpse of scandalous lingerie, Violet lost her pleasant mood.

  By the time one woman made her third trip out of her little private cubby area in her thong underwear, Violet could no longer contain herself and poked her head over the top.

  “Sweetie, if I had a body like yours I wouldn’t be prancing in front of anybody. You need to keep your narrow little behind in your room before I have to come out there. He’s with me.”

  The woman looked highly insulted, but dragged her butt into her cubby like Violet suggested, rightly interpreting the violence in Violet’s tone. Violet had honed her skills of intimidation to an art form and they came in handy for times such as this. After all, she had to protect her genie. Sure, he was big and all, but he was an innocent to this time; he had no idea how aggressive women of today could be. And he was not spending her precious three days knocking boots with some skinny-behind hoochie. Not if she had anything to say about it.

  Taka was too busy reading the disturbing stories in the newspaper to notice Violet’s protection. Some things never changed. All the murders and crime; people were still betraying each other. And if it wasn’t a violent crime, it was a financial one. He thought back to his loss of Jaha. On his first jaunt from his stone after the massacre of his people the legend of Jaha was still alive. He’d learned that many countries in Africa had fallen to tribal warfare and transatlantic slavery, the likes of which no one had ever seen. It upset him to think that even Africans participated in this trade against their own.

  He even felt some regret that he hadn’t remained to rebuild his kingdom. By his next appearance, this time in Asia, he’d discovered Jaha was no longer spoken of. Only mystics and time travelers remembered Jaha; any living evidence had died out. By the next jaunt, history books never even mentioned the ancient kingdom of Jaha. It was as if his country and people had never existed.

  “Ready to go?” Violet stood before him, clothing draped over her arm.

  “Thank the heavens,” he could not contain. A short while later they were back at Violet’s apartment and Taka was looking forward to finally spending quality time with her. “Thanks for carrying the bags for me,” Violet said, leading the way in. “Oh, and don’t forget yours for being such a good sport!” She took all the bags but one. “That will look great on you!”

  “I do not know why you bought clothing for me. I cannot take it with me. I told you, I have no control over my dress. That is determined by the same power that keeps me from feeling hunger or fatigue while I am inside. I am clothed in the dress of the time when I emerge from my stone.”

  “I know, I know. But while you’re out here you might as well have something nice. Besides, you’ll need it tonight.”

  “Why?” he asked, on guard. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, did I forget to mention? Dinner. With Jerome and Brenda and Gary.”

  “Absolutely not. No. Absolutely no.”

  “Why? How long’s it been since you had a good meal? You scarfed down breakfast and lunch was just a quick bite. And you look like neither meal could sustain you, anyway.”

  “You push your luck, woman. It is bad enough you are lying about who I am.”

  “But you’ll get to meet everybody. Wouldn’t you like to meet Jerome? I’m sure you two will hit it off right away.”

  “Who is this Jerome person?”

  “You know, my boyfriend.”

  Taka fell quiet. The “boy” friend. An odd development in the relations between men and women over the centuries: “friends” who held no requirement of commitment yet functioned as if they deserved the rights that should only come with such commitment. Not every relationship between men and women in his time had been a marital one, but at least they’d never been so cavalier.

  He’d conveniently forgotten talk of the man at breakfast as the “boy” friend was rightly insignificant in the larger scheme of things. Perhaps this morning news of her being with a man had not bothered him because he disliked Violet so. After spending the day in gentle companionship with her, he had no desire to see her with another man. He was just coming to know her himself.

  He’d never had to see Zahara being wooed by another man. As king, once he’d expressed interest in her no one else had dared approach her. Fortunately, she had been as happy with the match as he. He’d never had to worry about wanting a woman who did not want him back. In other kingdoms, the desires of the woman meant little one way or another, but he had wanted Zahara to be as excited to be with him as he was with her. He’d plied her and her parents with gifts and, finally, one day summoned her to ask her if she would consider becoming his wife. It had caused a minor scandal and he’d taken plenty of ribbing for it from neighboring kings.
But it had won Zahara’s love and respect, which was worth the loss of face.

  He spent the next hour stewing over his predicament while Violet dressed. He would have to get rid of this Jerome man, somehow. Certainly he was no worthy suitor or he would have made himself known sometime during the day. No flowers, no gifts, no jewels, gifted farm animals, or communication; she might as well be alone as attentive as this man was. Attentive or not, Zahara was his. He’d traveled hundreds of years and thousands of miles to find her again and no living man would keep her from him.

  When Violet emerged from the bedroom in a dress of emerald that stopped at her knees and showed very nearly every curve of her splendid body, Taka tightened with tension. Her skin practically gleamed against the brilliant color. The dress not only made her skin glow, it cupped her bosom enticingly and held it up and out like an offering of sweet fruits on a platter to an honored guest; they were smooth and round, moist with the scent of . . . was that shea butter? Shea butter was only for him! Imagining this “boy” friend sampling his shea butter–coated breasts made his stomach turn with bile.

  “Genie, what’s wrong? I can feel that cold draft from here.” Violet breezed through the room, noting his stiffness as she passed him to pour herself a glass of water. What does he have to be tense about? she thought. Another free meal. And more time out of his rock. You would think he’d be thanking her.

  “This time and the ways of your world are foreign to me,” he grumbled. “I will stay in tonight.”

  Violet turned to look at him, arms crossed. Boy, he really did look uncomfortable. She could barely see his eyes his face was so stiff in its frown. She almost gave in and allowed him to stay home. But, frankly, she kind of liked his company. He exuded a strength and confidence that were very attractive. He was like a male version of herself. His presence was akin to having her very own bodyguard. And she was mildly amused at the way his eyes seemed to be drawn to her body and then would look away quickly as if trying to avoid her.