Glorious Sunset (4 page)

“Please tell me I will not have to go through my introduction again,” he growled.

Violet smiled, raising her hands in mock terror at his visage, not at all disturbed by his countenance. Now that she knew he was, perhaps, a genie of some sort, she knew she was safe. Genies couldn't harm people, could they? She decided that they couldn't and straightened her back with her newfound confidence. She began to pace.

“Okay, just tell me the rules.” She smiled as a thought came to her. “Brenda is going to throw up with jealousy.”

“I think I will take some juice of the b . . . some of that coffee first. I know you merely forgot to offer it.”

“I didn't forget anything. I don't care about the stupid coffee. Tell me the rules!”

He crossed the room, opened some cupboards until he found a mug, poured himself a cup, and drank it down cautiously, seeming to relish the taste. Violet took that opportunity to look him over. Big. Tall. His clothes were nondescript, just a pair of gray pants, a moss-colored shirt, and a long, gray overcoat. Nothing special. His face was harsh, too harsh to be handsome. And she could barely see his eyes under his scowl. But his lips, they had potential. They were full and curved and might actually be attractive if he smiled, she thought.

“Ah, so long since I've enjoyed simple pleasures such as this,” he said.

Violet pulled her thoughts away from him, tapped her foot, and frowned. “Come on! Stop playing with me!”

He gave her an indulgent look over his coffee cup. “There was a time when the chase was as much fun as the acquisition, but you modern folk have lost the concept of delayed gratification. You cannot wait five seconds for your reward. You're like children reaching for glittery things. Impatient. Impudent. Try waiting hundreds of years.” Her expression told him his lecture was lost on her. “Fine, the rules are simple. You have three wishes available to you. They must be concrete wishes, nothing like world peace and that sort. You are allowed to alter your own life, not that of others. Choose your wishes carefully because once they are chosen you cannot change them. I will remain with you until you make your final wish. Once it is granted, I will go back into my stone and you must take me out of your home and deposit me where I can do good for another. You have three days, at best. Do you understand?”

Violet nodded and then moved into the kitchen to give him a bear hug. Taka stiffened in surprise, taken off guard, but he did not move away.

“You came at the most perfect time possible,” Violet told him. “I didn't believe things like this could happen. It's a miracle.”

“Miracle?” he repeated, seemingly uncomfortable with the notion. “Be careful, little woman. Even miracles can have a price.”

“You'll help me though, right? You'll give me some advice? Maybe tell me what wishes have the best success rate?”

“I am not a statistician.”

“Okay, okay, let me think. We've got a lot of work to do. What is your advice?”

“My advice is to be careful what you wish for. And loosen me from your grip. It is not proper for a young woman to clutch a man so who is not her betrothed, even if the mud on your face is a strong deterrent of attraction. And for the sake of all that is great, clothe yourself, woman; even now I can feel your female assets through the cloth of that pathetic covering.”

Violet released him to give him a wink and a smile. “You come out of that thing cranky
and
horny. Don't worry, genie, I understand.”

“My name is—”

“I know, King Taka. But ‘genie' is much easier to say. And I'm Violet. Remember that; we're going to spend a lot of time together in the next few days.”

“Days? I appreciate your desire to award me some freedom, but it doesn't take long to grant a wish.”

“At least not the first one.” It had taken her about half a second to decide on what was most important. Security was key; and if she couldn't get the emotional kind, she would settle for the financial kind. “I want money. All I could ever need or want. That's my first wish.”

“How original.”

“So, now what do I do?”

“About what?”

“Did you get my first wish down? Do you need a pad and pencil or something? Do you have it?”

“Is there something about my demeanor that leads you to believe I am daft? The wish has been granted. Now give me two more and I can get out of here and move on to someone more gracious.”

“It's granted? You're sure?” His angry silence was her response. “How do I know? I don't feel richer. Should I call the bank?”

“Do what you like but know that it sometimes takes time for that particular wish. It reveals itself in its own time. Things must be arranged. The stars must realign. The forces must make all sorts of shifts you know nothing about—”

“But it's granted?” she interrupted him and looked at him expectantly. His face hardened with irritation but he gave a curt nod. “Good. I'm going to get dressed. I better see that money soon or you're going to have heck to pay, genie. Now, help yourself to coffee, but we're going to breakfast so you might want to go light.”

“We can break our fast right here.”

“‘Break fast,' how charming. No, I've already made plans to meet my friend Brenda. She's going to freak!”

Violet happily scurried into the bedroom to prepare for a day that had suddenly become ripe with opportunity. She'd start with scrubbing off the mask and then making herself up to look as wonderful as she felt.

“You did not tell me, Aniweto, how tiring it would be,” Taka said to the air around him as he sat on the sofa, broken and tired. The Almighty had gotten rid of the flowers. The woman with the light green mud on her face was still getting dressed and he was still waiting like a manservant. Oh, how he had fallen.

“How many centuries has it been since I walked the earth as a man?” he asked. “How many years before His anger subsides? Often I wonder if it would have not been better had I ended it all those years ago. I was a fool to believe He would ever allow me the prize I sought. My grief and desperation made me vulnerable to His proposition. That stone, created as a gift with such love, has become something I loathe. I look at it and see all I dreamed for and all I have lost.”

So many years ago and it felt like yesterday. He'd been willing to take his own life, been angry enough to say things he never would have dreamed. And all these years later he knew he'd been had.

“He will never allow me the one thing I asked. Is He so petty that He must have the last word, must use His might and power to keep me under His thumb? Foolish question considering my current situation. He's even taken you from me, Aniweto. He could not even allow me your comfort. Or perhaps you are of the same cloth; perhaps you choose allegiance to Him over me? No matter. Do what you must; you will never break me, nor shall He. For eternity I will grant wishes if only to spite you both further.”

His words were angry and sullen, much like his emotion. Often he spoke in this manner, hoping to provoke his only confidant into conversation. Somehow, that conversation was what he missed most of all, even though with his words he cursed the very friend with whom he so wished to converse. But there was no answer. Instead, the woman came in from the back room.
Wonderful.
He saw the humor in it, really. He'd been so demanding before; now he came across a person even more so. The Great One had a sense of humor.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Taka looked up, prepared to offer a barbed, sarcastic response when his face went still, his eyes wide. His heart began beating the rhythm of a herd of wild horses as the impossible impossibly stood before him. Only seconds before he'd cursed Ani for not giving him this end. Now, he realized, the agreement had not been in vain after all, for standing before him was his wife. Zahara. After all these years and thousands of miles, he had finally paid penance enough; he had finally satisfied the Almighty enough to release him from pain and bring him his heart once again.

He rose slowly, trembling, his eyes roving her face, searching every corner. In his darkest moments he had wondered if he would remember his love's face if ever he saw it again. He had begun to doubt his memory but, now he knew, he could never forget this beauty. He could never have passed her on the street and not known her. Her face struck a chord in his heart and in his soul that he would know for eternity. He longed to reach out and stroke the velvet skin. He wondered if it would feel the same. He wondered if it would blush with fire under his fingers as it had before.

Almost as if she could feel his thoughts she touched her skin. “What's wrong? You look sick. Why are you staring at me? Do I have something on my face?”

He changed a thousand times in that moment. He felt himself softening toward her, her presence melting his tension, smoothing the rough edges like only Zahara could.

“Forgive me,” he spoke slowly, his lips slightly parted with breathlessness as he suddenly felt as shy as a child. “It is just that . . . your beauty, it has stunned me. Being confined in my prison, rarely do I get to see such . . . exquisite loveliness.”

Violet's eyes widened. “Well, thank you. That's a very nice thing to say. But you still don't look well. Can I get you something? Water? More coffee?”

His lips curved minutely. He had all he'd ever wanted right before him. “No. I am fine, now.”

“Good. Let's go, we're running late.” She turned, digging through her purse for keys.

He snapped to attention. “Where are we going?”

“A nice little restaurant, you'll like it. Look, I'm thinking if we spend some time together you can give me better advice about my last two wishes. And I can introduce you to my friends.”

Inner calm fled like the wind. How silly of him to forget the terms of his challenge. She didn't remember him. She only knew him as the genie there to grant her wishes and she'd already used one. She didn't remember their story and he wasn't allowed to tell her. His only hope was to somehow slow the clock, give her spirit time to remember how she loved him, her body the closeness to remember how it burned for him. They needed time and privacy for the lovemaking, not interruptions from the world.

And then there was the fact that he had not been out of his stone for—judging by the stiffness in his joints—many years, maybe decades. He didn't know the time or the ways of the people. How he would handle himself in public? He didn't want to make a fool of himself before Zahara, not after she'd known him as her strong and capable king. Embarrassment rushed through his body and he supplied the only excuse that came to mind.

“It is not wise to tell people who I am. They tend to react in unpredictable ways. It complicates things. It would be better that you and I stay here. Together. Alone.”

“No, no. I have to tell Brenda. And your timing couldn't have been better. She's been getting on my nerves a lot lately; it's time to show her that she isn't the only one with good luck. And breakfast is a standing appointment. She would think something was wrong if I didn't come.”

“Violet . . . that is your name?” He had barely registered it before. “I would not suggest it. We will stay here. Together. Alone.”

“Look, genie, don't you have to do what I say? I'm not entirely up on my fairy tales, but I don't recall reading about any genies who argue. Am I right?”

Taka stiffened. Violet persisted. “Am I right?”

“You are correct.”

“Then let me decide what is best for my life. I asked you for advice, not for your two cents. Are you coming?”

She didn't bother to wait for his answer but opened the door and walked out fully expecting him to follow. Taka swallowed his surprise and his pride and followed her as she grumbled something about a missing paper and he grumbled something in the way of a prayer.

The restaurant was small and chic, a perfect place for entrepreneurs and important people to network. Violet and Brenda tried to meet there at least twice a week. Violet spotted her sitting at a table and pointed her out to Taka. She led the way to the small table and Brenda's eyes zeroed in on the newcomer immediately.

“Brenda, I'd like you to meet my cousin Taka,” Violet lied easily.

Brenda looked him up and down appreciatively. “Well, hel
lo,
Taka.”

He tried to turn a grimace into a smile and held Violet's chair for her as she sat.

Brenda took in the action, more interested in the man than his manners. “You didn't tell me you'd be bringing a guest. What's the occasion?”

“Well, you know, it's rare that I get family in for a visit so I thought I'd introduce him around.”

Brenda turned to Taka, resting her chin on one hand. “How long will you be here?”

“Three days,” Violet and Taka said simultaneously.

“Oh, how nice. So, is Taka an African name?”

“Yes, it is,” Taka confirmed, proudly.

“What part of Africa?”

“Jaha,” he said.

“I can't say I've ever heard of Jaha. Where is that?”

Violet was getting annoyed. Couldn't Brenda see that the man was special? Sitting there asking stupid questions. Who gave a crap where he came from? He was a genie! She wanted to scream it to the world but caution stayed her for the moment. She satisfied herself by snapping, “For God's sake, Brenda, can you let up off the man?”

“I'm just asking a question.”

Taka addressed Brenda's question. “Jaha is on the west coast of Africa.”

“Really? I'll have to look that up.”

“Jaha has been the leader in trade and commerce in the region for centuries,” he continued, happy to talk about his country. Happy to remember his people and their accomplishments. “People from miles around come to Jaha because they know we trade in quality merchandise. Our government is a model for other countries. Our architecture and art cannot be rivaled.”

“That's interesting, considering I've never heard of the place.” Brenda smiled at him blindingly, then asked, “So how are you related to Violet?”

Taka blinked at the sudden subject change. She had not been interested in his village at all, he realized. She had been placating him. He felt a streak of hurt and embarrassment and looked to Violet but she had pulled out a plastic thing with a mirror and was checking her image. As if her visage was more important than common courtesy. As if his words on her homeland and kingdom were insignificant.

Violet was looking in her compact mirror to see if she glowed. Pregnant women glowed, she heard. Surely a newly rich woman, recently blessed with three wishes, would glow as well. She noted her eyes were especially attractive and bright this morning. And her lips looked positively wealthy!

Taka said to Brenda, vindictively, “I am not related to Violet by blood; she is lying to you.”

Violet caught the last part of the sentence and snapped her mirror shut. “Hey!” For a moment she was annoyed. But, she remembered, she'd wanted to tell the truth all along anyway so the genie had given her the perfect opening. She had to tell Brenda the truth now. Brenda would be so jealous she would crap green for a week!

“Okay, okay, I give. Taka is not my cousin.” Violet's expectant smile invited Brenda to probe.

“Well, who is he?”

Violet twisted her neck coyly, enjoying this game.

“Please tell me. You're killing me!” Brenda declared, dramatically.

“I just don't know if I should,” Violet teased.

Taka's eyes furrowed farther under his brow the angrier he became. The games, the silliness, when there were so many more important things to talk about!

“By all that is holy,” he snapped, “will the two of you stop this madness? What she is dying to tell you, Brenda . . . May I call you Brenda?”

Brenda tossed a seductive glance his way. “Absolutely.”

“What she is dying to tell you is that—”

“Let me do it! Goodness, you are such a spoil sport.” Violet showed pinched lips to Taka and then turned to Brenda, smiling. “Taka is a genie.”

“What?” Brenda's tone went flat as the suspicion she was being had ratcheted up.

“If you are going to tell her the story at least be accurate,” he said back, his face equally pinched. “I am not a genie. I am a king.”

“Not anymore, you aren't.”

“Once a king is a king he is a king for eternity,” he said sternly.

“Whatever. Look, will you let me do this? She doesn't know from kings. Look at her; do you think she knows anything about royalty? Brenda, honey,” Violet leaned toward her friend and spoke to her as to a child. “Remember those stories we used to read as kids about the genies in the lamps and such? That's what Taka is, only he wasn't in a lamp. He was in a brooch I found in the dirt at Bicentennial Park.”

“I object to that characterization,” Taka steamed. “You make it seem as if I were rolling around in the dust like a sow. I'll have you know that brooch is a one-of-a-kind piece made by the master jeweler of mother Africa, an exquisite piece of art.”

“He's granting me three wishes, and I've already placed my first one. Can you believe it?” She leaned back in her chair, a satisfied look on her face. A waiter was walking by and she snapped her fingers at him. “Hey, you! Mimosa. Yesterday!” She smoothed her hair and looked at the other two as the waiter scowled at her. “I've only come here twice a week for the last four years. You'd think they'd know what I want by now.”

Taka watched the exchange with disgust. A queen did not treat her subjects like that. Zahara had never treated the servants in that fashion.

Violet felt Brenda's eyes scrutinizing her.

“So what you're saying is,” Brenda said, “you picked up a piece of jewelry and rubbed it and this man popped out. And he is staying at your place with you for three days. And he is granting you three wishes. Is that what you're saying?”

The waiter handed Violet the mimosa and she snapped it up immediately without a thank-you. He turned and walked away with an attitude, which she caught. She shouted at him, “And lose that attitude when you come back or you can pull your tip out of my rear end!” She took a sip and smiled at Brenda. “That's right. Couldn't you just scratch my eyes out with jealousy? I mean, isn't this incredible?”

Brenda was still for a moment and then her face hardened. “Is this your way of getting back at me for putting you on the spot the other day? Because if you really don't want to be my maid of honor . . .”

“I couldn't care less about your wedding. No offense. I'm telling you the truth.”

“That this man here is a genie?”

“Right!”

“So, you're telling me, he is not your distant cousin?”

“I don't have any distant cousins.”

Brenda's face hardened further. “I hope you're getting a good laugh out of insulting me, Violet. I don't mind a practical joke, but this is going too far. Does Jerome know you are running around with a strange man?”

Jerome. Funny, Violet hadn't thought about her boyfriend all morning. But it was great she could always count on Brenda to keep track of the men in her life.

“Hey, look, I didn't believe it either, until he filled my place with flowers and disappeared into thin air. I mean, one minute he was standing in my apartment, the next minute he was floating in the air like smoke.”

“Good Lord, Violet, don't tell me you and this guy are getting it on. What about Jerome? If he finds out you're cheating on him . . .”

“Listen to me, Brenda, Taka and I aren't sleeping together. He's a genie, I told you!”

“I don't know whether to be pissed or worried. You've really been working too hard lately. Cheating on Jerome won't get him to appreciate you more, you know.”

Violet wanted to scream with exasperation. “No, I don't know a whole lot about cheating, Brenda, but since you're the expert, why don't you tell me how it works?”

“When are you going to stop throwing that up in my face?”

“Throwing it in
your
face? You're the one who announced to the whole party that not only did you take my man, but you were marrying him and asking me to stand up for you at the wedding. Now, that takes nerve.”

“Are you upset about that, Violet? Why didn't you say something? You are my best friend, but I can't let you treat Jerome this way. I love him like a brother.”

Violet mumbled under her breath, “You would love him like a two dollar ho if I left you alone with him for five seconds.”

Taka's head had gone back and forth between the two but now he couldn't stop himself from interjecting. “What kind of madness is this? What games do the two of you play? I thought you were friends but you speak like enemies.”

“Who asked you?” Violet snapped.

Brenda leaned toward her. “Violet, if you're still bothered by what happened I will understand if you decline. But don't ruin a perfectly good relationship with Jerome because you're mad at me. Look, just explain to him that Taka was there when he wasn't and maybe he'll understand how lonely you've been feeling.”

Violet felt herself growing hot with anger. “Yes, that is exactly the line Gary used on me.”

“And get rid of this man; he'll only cause you problems.”

“Oh no, he isn't going anywhere. And you're not going to say a word to Jerome. As far as he's concerned, Taka is my cousin. I'm really disappointed I couldn't share this with you, Brenda. I was hoping you'd be happy for my good luck. I guess it's too much to believe you'd be happy for my good news.”

“I guess so.”

Taka had grown an appetite after being out of his stone for several hours but in the short time between sitting and now, it was almost gone.

“I have no patience for this,” he declared. “If I do not leave right now my brain will surely explode into a thousand pieces. I will be outside when the two of you are finished with your feminine games.”

“Oh, no, he didn't,” Brenda started. The two women watched as he got up and left the restaurant, cutting an impressive image despite his annoying demeanor.

Brenda leaned to Violet. “Okay, what gives? Who is that man? And don't give me that cousin crap.”

“I told you. He's a genie. He showed up in my apartment this morning.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, that's right. I wouldn't have believed it either but I saw him appear and disappear right in front of my eyes.”

“Amazing.”

“You don't believe me. You always were close-minded. It doesn't matter though because he is granting me three wishes and you bet your butt I'm taking advantage of them.”

Brenda picked up her cup of coffee and sipped it stiffly. “I had no idea,” she said.

“No idea what?”

“That you were still so bitter over the fact that Gary and I are a couple. This little effort to snatch the limelight is not going to work.”

“This is not a ploy, Brenda.”

“Whatever. Look, if you don't want to be straight with me, that's fine. I just hope you have a better story for Jerome.”

“Keep your mouth shut to Jerome or I'll filet you like sushi.”

“Don't worry, I'll play along with your game. I just hope for your sake it doesn't all blow up in your face. So where did you really find him?”

Outside, Taka took a deep breath. He looked around and marveled as he always did how life had gone on without him. The world was so different from the one he had grown up in. Technology and conveniences had changed. He'd grown as well, in fits and starts, learning of the new worlds only in the brief moments he was released. He had long since stopped being surprised by the new things. But now, more than ever, they left him feeling sad.

He felt energy pop in his ears; awareness opened the air around him, and his attention sharpened. Could it be? His friend suddenly sitting on the bench next to him told him it was so.

Aniweto. Despite the centuries passed Ani still looked the same he had the day of the massacre. The same he had when Taka was twelve, five, and at his earliest memory. Taka had never cared that he was the only one who could see Ani. Before long, the legend of young Prince Taka, blessed of all the Jaha kings for his ability to speak to the Almighty through the angels, was weaving its way through the countryside. Ani, always humble, had told Taka countless times he was merely a messenger. Taka had not cared what he called himself; all he knew was that Ani held him in his arms as a babe, held his hand as a child with a man's burden, held his dreams as a man when he'd married the love of his life. Ani had been good to him then. Things were different now.

“It appears the unlikely has finally happened,” his friend said with his gentle voice.

“So you speak to me now, do you?” Taka groused, still hurt at 400 years of abandonment from his only friend. “You are no longer stewing in angry silence, then, Ani?”

“Watch yourself, son. I love you, always, but you did a great wrong to our Father. You disappointed me. You behaved not like the man I know you to be, but like the child so certain he is favored that he has fear of nothing and respect for no one. I raised you better, as did your parents. We are waiting, still, for your repentance.”

Taka laughed. “Repentance? For what? For daring to stand up to Him?”

“You have no legs to stand to Him, Taka. Have you not learned that yet or does your pride still fool you into thinking you are on equal ground as those on high? Even the Almighty, Himself?”

It was a trap and he knew it! The Almighty was surely waiting for him to compare himself in order to zap him into Hades with a bolt of lightning. He might end up there but it wouldn't be due to Ani's word games.