Consent (The Loan Shark Duet 2)

“Where…?” I look from the ring to her face.

“The police found it in the debris.”

She hung onto it. She never stopped fighting for me. Overwhelming, bigger-than-life love crashes over me. “You suspected?”

“I knew you weren’t dead. I never stopped looking.”

I fold my arms around her. I’m a drowning man, and she’s my sea. “Don’t let me go. I promise I’ll never leave you, again.”

Her lips tilt into a faint smile. “Is that a yes?”

The burdens of my past lift from my shoulders. For the first time in my life, I feel truly happy. Light. I set my kitten free, and she came back to me.

“Yes.” I smother her stomach in kisses. “Yes, fucking yes.”

“Give me your hand,” she orders.

When I hold out my left hand, she pushes the band that symbolizes our lifelong union over my ring finger, where it belongs. The fit is perfect. We’re perfect, like I always knew we’d be. She’s my life, my love, my redemption. Not my property, but my wife. Not for nine years, but forever.

Epilogue

Gabriel

The day is one of those cooler summer ones with a hint of a brewing thunderstorm on the horizon. The Johannesburg skyline with the Brixton, Ponte, and Auckland Park tower landmarks is visible from the Emmarentia hill, but it’s not the view I’m focused on. It’s the woman standing in front of the stately old building, her ruby brown hair blowing in the breeze. She’s wearing a yellow dress that accentuates the glow of her golden skin. For a moment, her eyes find mine, connecting with me and me alone, and then she’s scooped up by the mob of journalists and politicians who all want a piece of her.

I tighten my hand around Connor’s, making sure I don’t lose him in the crowd, and balance Sophia on my hip. Sophia will be nineteen months tomorrow, and we have a third on the way, although it doesn’t yet show in the gentle swell of Valentina’s belly. We decided to announce it to the world after today. Today, Valentina didn’t want anything to compete with the opening of the center for the disabled.

As much as our children, this is her baby, something she worked hard on during the past year, and even though many families and mentally challenged individuals will profit from her project, she did it for Charlie. The old hospital was turned into a nurse hostel years ago, and when government funds to maintain it ran out, the beautiful three-story building stood empty for almost two decades, the structure dilapidated and its once manicured garden overgrown with weeds. As the city’s new mayor, this was one of Valentina’s first initiatives. Yup, she came a long way.

The work she did with her company is commendable. After growing it into one of the country’s most successful businesses, she started plowing money back into the community to help people who suffer like she used to, people who come from where she does. It came as no surprise that those people came to love and revere her, selecting her onto the local municipal council and now as the Johannesburg mayor. Her connections to Barnard and other clean state officials helped, as did the anti-criminal operation she undertook in Berea. My little pet is a strong, fair, and compassionate leader. It doesn’t take a scientist to see she was born for this.

I shift the weight of the diaper bag on my shoulder, staying on the outskirts to give Valentina room to speak to the press as well as to admire her from a distance. Watching her operate, I can never get enough. I’m not the only one. She’s a people magnet. Quincy and Rhett, now married with their own families, are crowding close. They’re no longer her self-appointed bodyguards, but we remain friends, honoring our standing Saturday poker nights at Kris’ place. These days Rhett runs a successful security business while Quincy provides protection for the touring stars of rock concerts. They know me as Gregor. Nobody except for Valentina knows my secret. Kris is here, too, always supporting Valentina in her official and non-official ventures. Her practice in Orange Grove became a benchmark in the industry with such a phenomenal growth that she opened five franchises throughout the city, as well as the biggest animal rescue center in the country. She’s also the sponsor of a full bursary for underprivileged veterinary students.

A series of flashes go off as my wife poses for the cameras with the newly appointed president of the Association for the Mentally Disabled. Charlie beams at his sister’s side. He comes to the center every day to work as a mail sorting clerk, and the work does him good. He loves dividing the letters into neat destination bundles. The center provides employment opportunities, ranging from filling envelopes to preparing promotional flyers, as well as support and guidance for the members and their families. People like Charlie can find a sense of belonging and purpose here, as well as government sponsored treatment.