“Like what?”
“Do you think you’ll ever want the best for me, too? Like real friends?”
Jana didn’t know. She’d been angry for so long. Maybe she’d been justified. Or maybe she should have let it go years ago. “Of course I want the best for you. You’re Imani’s father.”
“Yeah, I am.” He smiled.
“And I think…”She hesitated. “Idothink you’re a good man. You deserve to be happy.” She looked up at the dark night sky. There weren’t even any stars there. “Another long drive tomorrow.”
He was quiet for a few moments. “Will we be in the same vehicle?”
Jana nodded.
A slight smile snuck onto his face. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I.” Before Jana could think about it, she reached up and gave him a hug. Anil stiffened a fraction of a second before hugging her back, his strong arms tightening around her as his hand rubbed her back. It was so…comforting. Jana didn’t want to let him go.
But she did. A hug was fine. Friends hugged all the time.
***
They all woke early for yet another long drive the next day. This trip, from Lake Manyara to Tarangire National Park, would take a little less than three hours. Jana was seriously starting to hate these long, bumpy journeys in the Land Cruiser. As they loaded their luggage in again, she said a silent wish that Imani would bring less drama than she had in the last trip.
And apparently, it worked because her daughter slept soundly for the entire drive, which gave Jana the chance to look out her window at the Tanzanian countryside.
Something had definitely shifted in the last day. Maybe the change of scenery, spending time in the place that meant so much to Jana, and seeing animals like she had with her father so many years ago had worked to change Jana’s outlook. Or maybe it was checking off all those items on the “letting loose” list that had changed her. She felt…well, looser. She’d already stayed up later than ever, she’d danced, she’d worn a hot-pink bikini. She’d even sung.
Or maybe it was all Anil. He’d been pushing her since they got to Africa. Challenging her. Making her talk. But also, beinghim. Kind. Intelligent. Generous. Charming. He’d been chipping away at her defenses.
She had no idea if her new contentment would last beyond Africa. Was this her element yet? Did she want it to be?
They took their lunch break once they were close to their destination, stopping at a dusty picnic area inside Tarangire National Park. The other vehicles were on pace with them this time, so the whole party was able to eat together.
“Why are the lunches pretty much the same every day?” Shelina asked as she opened her white box. Jana knew what it would be—either a sandwich or a chapatti roll, a chicken drumstick wrapped in plastic, a hard-boiled egg, a banana, a box of mango juice, and a little packet of cookies. Whatever hotel they were leaving in the morning provided the box lunch for the day, and they seemed to have all read the same memo on what to put in it.
Jana unwrapped her chapatti roll in today’s box. “I don’t mind,” she said. The dinners and breakfasts at the hotels were all amazing and varied. It was nice to have something a little predictable, stable, and guaranteed to be tasty on their travels. Plus, when they left the Serengeti with no more cheddar-and-potato samosas, it had been such a relief to discover that Imanilovedthe box lunches. A bit of predictability in a chaotic world was comforting
Shelina snorted. “I’dprefer more variety. We’re adventurous, right, boys?” she said to her kids, who were ignoring her and eating their cookies anyway.
Jana understood the subtext here. Jana wasn’tfunenough to be adventurous. She was the boring bridesmaid. The one who liked vanilla ice cream. Jana took a bite of her chapatti.
“Hey, Kamila,” Asha said. “The next hotel is the tents one, right?”
Kamila finished chewing, then grinned. “Yep. I’m really excited about it. A friend of mine went and said it was stunning.”
“I can’t believe you’re making us sleep in tents,” Shelina said, scowling.
“They’re luxurious! We need at least one tented camp on this trip, or it’s not really a safari. Apparently, the food is phenomenal, too.”
Shelina was still scowling. Jana wasn’t worried. She’d slept in tents without running water enough times that this would be no issue. She turned to Shelina. “You don’t like the predictability of the same lunch every day, but you’d prefer to stay at another hotel just like the three we’ve stayed in?”
That shut Shelina up. Good. Jana was more than a little over the woman’s passive aggression.
“I was looking at the pictures,” Anil said. “The rooms all have spectacular views. It’ll be like when we went camping last year, right, Mini?”
Imani grinned. “Can I sleep in your tent, Daddy?”
“Oh,” Anil said. He looked at Jana. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to take her for the next few days. You’ve had her every night so far.”
