“We should go with Zinzi,” I say to Tully. “We can’t wait for him and risk putting the entire trip off schedule.”
He nods, grabs our bags, and follows Zinzi back toward the train.
“Look. Is that his car?” Zinzi points at the road. “Is that your father, Mrs. Hartfield?”
A limo driver opens the car door and Major Thomas steps out.
“That’s him.” I squeeze Tully’s arm.
“We’ll be on our way,” Zinzi says sharply. “We won’t be able to wait for you in Maggotty. Please get there quickly. We only have one more stop before we reach that village.”
“Okay,” I say to Zinzi as my father joins us. “I thought you weren’t going to make it.”
“You shouldn’t have worried.” He smiles.
He greets Tully, and I introduce him to Zinzi Green. He shakes her hand before she hurries to reboard the train. I notice he shows no reaction to her familiar last name.
“Sir,” she addresses my father, “our next stop is Maggotty. We’ll travel by mule from there and upon arrival, must leave promptly to reach Accompong before dark.”
“No need to explain, Miss Green. I understand. We’ll join you in Maggotty before your scheduled departure. We won’t be late.”
Moments later, we find ourselves in the back seat of the limo: Major Thomas is seated behind the driver, I am in the middle, and Tully is by the window. My father offers Tully a cigarette, which he thankfully refuses. I just want him to get straight to whatever he has to say.
“Regarding the note that Clifford wrote, he liked jotting down messages. He enjoyed surprises.” My father has always viewed Clifford differently from the way I did, as if he knew another version of my childhood friend and later husband.
“Father. Please just tell us about the note,” I urge him. “What did Clifford mean?”
“We know what he meant,” Tully adds roughly.
“What Clifford meant was to stir up trouble,” Major Thomas responds, mirroring Tully’s tone.
“Trouble for whom?” Tully questions.
The car speeds along the dirt road, bumping over rocks and ditches.
“You think the note has something to do with you and Vivian Jean, don’t you, Tobias?” the major states soberly. “Do not worry. It’s not about you and Vivian Jean.”
Tully grips the seat in front of him as if he needs help to keep upright. “You are going to tell us the truth, right?”
My father adjusts his position to face Tully and me. “It’s about Maxi and me. Clifford found out about us.”
My throat goes dry. “You and Maxi had an affair?”
“No, not an affair,” he says, his gaze steady and unwavering. “Maxi and I have been in love since I met her.”
I look out the window, watching the jungle fade into the distance. All I see is a blurry landscape as a strange pressure builds in my chest and throat.
“Vivi, I didn’t mean to—”
“Shut up!” I yell. “Shut your damn mouth.”
Maggotty, St. Elizabeth Parish
Maggotty is a bustling town with a train station, a market, shopping carts, and small shops. Additionally, there’s a corral that emits a foul odor, spreading over the city like rancid butter. The station is not small; it’s sturdy, made of stone, and features a steeple and a bell. It reminds me of the churches in Chicago on Wabash or State Street, except without the red brick or wood siding.
The load bearers adjust the crates, suitcases, and bags they carry as my father’s car stops near the mules lined up across from the train station. Tully and I exit his limousine, but I don’t look back as the automobile drives away. I walk over to the group and join them in gazing at the animals.
“No one mentioned mules.” Othella is upset, frightened, or both. “Do you remember Zinzi mentioning these animals?”
