He nodded, caressed her knuckles with his thumb. “It doesn’t get easier, in case you’re wondering. You just get used to it.”
Every day, Kristi found another reason to respect and admire him. She thought about what he’d just said—and unexpectedly found herself smiling.
“What is it?”
“If it hadn’t been for the bad parts, those days with you would have been the greatest adventure of my life. I want to hold onto the good memories and not let the bad stuff steal them away.”
“You got it.”
They laughed together while they ate, talking about quicksand and Kristi whispering when the lion walked by and the frantic drive across the railway bridge.
“Do you think that conductor has recovered?” Kristi asked.
“Oh, hell, no. He’s still telling anyone who will listen about the crazy tourists he almost killed.” Malik feigned a Yoruba accent. “I waved to them to go faster, but they did not. Praise the Lord, I missed them by a meter. Touristwahala!”
Kristi laughed. “You should have seen your face when you saw that train.”
Malik smiled, then grew serious. “What I’ll never forget is the look in your eyes when you realized I had come for you.”
“I was beyond all hope—and then you were there. After so long, you were there.”
Malik got quiet for a moment, then stood and knelt before her, taking something from his pocket.
It was a ring made of string, a little bow tied on top.
Kristi stared, tears filling her eyes.
“You said you want strings, Kristi. I want them, too. I want all of the strings, starting with this one.”
“Malik.” Tears ran down Kristi’s face as she held out her hand and watched him slide the bit of string onto her ring finger. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Hold on.” He reached into the pocket of his sports jacket. “I think I’ve got something better here.”
He drew out a box, opened it.
There against the dark blue velvet sat a sparkling pear-shaped diamond, surrounded by a halo of tiny diamonds, all set in white gold.
“Kristi, will you marry me and have a lifetime of adventures with me?”
Kristi stared, astonished. “Oh, God. It’s beautiful.”
She looked up, the intensity in his brown eyes making her breath catch. “Yes. Yes! I would love to marry you. I love you so much.”
As he slid the ring onto her finger, the restaurant broke into applause.
* * *
Malik walkedup the sidewalk toward his parents’ front door, Kristi beside him, each of them pulling a suitcase. “If you feel like my old man is cross-examining you, don’t take it personally. He’s just like that. He used to do that to my friends all the time.”
“Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine.”
Malik hoped so.
They had flown to San Francisco last week to share the good news with Kristi’s parents and her brother. The Changs were much more reserved than his family, but they had made him feel welcome. Her father’s words of thanks to Malik had put to rest any fears he and Kristi might have had about race being an issue for him.
“Thank you for bringing my daughter home,” he’d said. “Now, I will have a son who is an American military hero. I am proud.”
Kristi smoothed her hands down her ochre-colored sweater and her black and white plaid ankle pants. “I hope I wore the right thing.”