Wash

“Right, it can’t be experienced in some fancy resort or from the safety of a Jeep.”

“Definitely.”

“Ashly…” Jake said.

“Yes?” I said over the chorus of zillions of nocturnal insects buzzing and humming in the air.

“There’s a question I’ve been dying to ask you.”

“Do I still load my burger with tons of mustard? Yes.”

He laughed.

I smirked in the darkness. “Do you still drown your eggs in ketchup?”

“Yep,” he said, his tone serious, “but that wasn’t the question.”

“Just trying to keep the situation light.”

“Do you think you’ll ever really want to get married again?” he asked.

“Can’t we just talk about condiments?”

“Come on, Ashly.”

“We had such a good day. Why ruin it with all this? Like I said, the past is the past.”

“I just need to know.”

I let out a sigh. “Sure, someday. I didn’t before because…well, it didn’t exactly turn out like I hoped the first time around. If anyone proposed to me again and I accepted, I’d just go to the justice of the peace. Inviting all those people to my wedding and then being stood up like that is something I can’t go through again.” I gazed in his direction, even though I couldn’t see anything in the darkness. “I never bothered to ask. Are you married…or have you even been married?”

“Like I told you before, I made a stupid mistake with you, and I regret it every day. No woman has ever been able to fill the void. So no. I’m not married, and I don’t plan to be. Without you, I don’t see the point.”

“So there’s nobody special to share all that money with?”

“No, nobody. My last serious relationship ended a year ago.”

“Well, I hope you don’t think just because we’re both single and have a past together…” I paused. “Just know I’m not available, Jake—not to you. I never will be again.”

“You’re still bitter.”

“What do you expect? Damn straight I’m bitter. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.”

“I didn’t mean to stir all this up, Ashly. I’m sorry. I just want to say I’m glad we’re friends…and that I really enjoy being out here with you, even if you are still angry with me and hardly speak to me without being cold and distant.”

“I’m not sure what you expect from me, Jake. All things considered, it’s taking everything in me for me to be civil with you.”

“You’re still as beautiful as I remember.”

I was growing sick of his flattery, which wasn’t really getting him anywhere but deeper down on my shit list. “Goodnight, Jake,” I said, then turned over in a huff.

“Goodnight, Ashly.”

And with that, I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep.

It was little use to try and get some rest, for as beautiful as Africa was during the day, it was very noisy at night. The tent flapped all night and kept waking me up. And then those nocturnal birds Anto told me about were super loud with their distinctive and characteristic calls. Anto had called them Fiery-necked Night Jars.

Then the hairs on my neck stood straight up when a lion’s roar echoed in the night. It started out with a few deep, long roars. I listened intently as the roars ended up turning into a series of shorter ones, and for thirty minutes, lions prowled outside our tents. When I managed the courage to look outside, I saw the shadows of at least ten animals.