Page 19 of Rio (Knight Empire #3)
RAQUEL
“I feel bad for putting you under so much pressure,” Alma says. It’s been a long day at the HQ.
I look up at her slowly, breaking focus from the document I’m reading through. “It’s my job, Alma. No need to apologize. I like the distraction. When I get into something, that’s all my mind can focus on.”
“I noticed.” She shuts down her PC and nods at my messy desk. “Work is over for today.”
I frown. “I just have to—”
“There’s a cultural food festival tonight. Lots of tasty Belizean food. Time to unwind.” I heard Vilma and Edwin, two of EcoGuardians’ employees who are helping me, talking about it earlier. “I should get back to my—”
Alma’s brow lifts, nudging higher above her reading glasses. “You can do that tomorrow. You’ve been sitting in that chair all day.”
“But the injunction—”
“Tomorrow is another day,” she says, looking like she’s not going to let me wriggle out of this. There’s no point in protesting.
“There’ll be lots of good food,” Vilma says. “Lots of tamales, conch fritters and fried jacks. Rum punch, too,” she adds, her face brightening into a smile.
“Do we have to drag you there, Raquel?” Alma says, in the voice I imagine she uses for her one of her grandchildren if they’ve been naughty.
“This will be the perfect opportunity for you to meet and relax with the people of Belize. It will show you a different side of Belize, instead of the walls of your room at the guest house or this office.”
That does it.
“Come on,” Vilma says, smiling. “You’ll love it, Raquel. You were at work before me.”
They’ve convinced me. The reason I was so early is because the AC at the guesthouse is playing up, and the room was humid when I woke up. I switch my computer off and grab my bag. “Where is it?” I ask following them out.
Alma locks up. “Not far at all. You’ll see.”
But as soon as we step outside, the aroma of food wafts in the air, and I hear reggae blasting out.
Maybe a night out is exactly what I need.
Alma tells me she’ll only come for a little while.
I’ll leave when she does, because as nice as this is, the pressure of work weighs heavily on me, and I tell her I only intend to stay for a short while.
The sidewalk is peppered with food stalls.
Fairy lights are strung up between the trees.
There are portable stages, and there’s a DJ booth.
Music blares from the speakers. Tourists and locals mingle.
Children run around, happy and excited, their cries filling the air.
But it’s the aroma of freshly made food that permeates the air and makes my mouth water.
The entire street is lively and vibrant with color.
I walk through it, breathing in the sweet, smoky and humid air, listening to the music as the slight breeze blows through my hair.
It seems that my white summer dress and sandals were the perfect outfit for today.
We walk past tables piled high with food and Alma points out the various dishes to me.
There’s stewed chicken and rice and beans, and conch fritters, which Alma says are so delicious, it would be a sin not to try them.
“Conch fritters?” I ask, because Vilma mentioned these earlier.
“Dunked in sauce, nice and chewy and so flavorsome. My granddaughter loves them.”
I go ahead and buy some when a loud bang makes me jump.
“Fireworks,” says Alma. “They’ll be going off through the evening.”
“What are they celebrating?”
“Nothing. No reason. Just good food, good music. People having fun.”
Simple pleasures.
A small group of men sit under a banyan tree playing dominoes.
Vilma points out another vendor store where the table is filled with roasted plantains and fried fish.
I still have my plate of conch fritters.
They all buy something. Vilma points to one of the tables over by the beach for us to sit down at.
“Everyone want rum punch?” Edwin asks. There’s a collective chorus of agreement. He leaves as we head towards the tables. I kick off my sandals and sit down, letting my feet sink into the sand which feels like powder between my toes.
I take a bite of my conch fritter. It’s chewy, and fishy, like a scallop, and it’s so delicious.
I pop the little nugget into my mouth, then devour the next three.
When I’ve finished, I sit back and sigh in contentment.
“Thanks for dragging me out. I would’ve gone straight to the hotel and worked some more, while sweating away. ”
“You don’t have AC?” Vilma asks.
“That’s with the AC on.”
Alma’s fork stops inches from her mouth. “Do you ever stop working?”
“Not really.”
To my surprise, she doesn’t question me further, but watches silently.
“Rum punch.” Edwin brings over a glass pitcher of rum punch and some paper cups. He pours the drink for us all.
“Isn’t this the life?” Edwin takes a swig of his rum and sinks his head back against the chair.
The sun warms my shoulders, the perfect breeze ruffles my hair.
I hear children laughing, music playing, and somewhere the rhythm of drums and the bright notes of a steel pan.
I’m tempted to get some more conch fritters.
I sip my rum. It’s smooth with a hint of spice, and it slides down my throat like liquid heat, leaving a sweet burn that lingers.
This is perfect. It’s a world away from Tovey bright pinks, reds, and golden yellows. My favorite were the blue and purple. It was magical seeing that flash of color in the water with fish darting around. Then, one day, it wasn’t there.
It didn’t happen overnight. It was gradual.
The colors fading slowly. Not more vibrant and bright oranges, reds and yellows.
They became paler, washed out, then turned bone white, like a skeleton. Their beauty wiped away.”
I glance at her somber face.
“I felt helpless. My brother felt angry. I couldn’t sit back and watch it happen and not do anything.
I wanted it all to come back, that vibrancy, that beautiful, magical flash of colors that captivated me.
That’s why I’m here. I’m not a scientist, or a lawyer.
I wish I could be like you...” She looks at me in awe, like I’m Wonder Woman, someone who’s going to save the world.
“I wish I could be a lawyer, but … it costs money and …” She shrugs.
“But I can do this, and working for EcoGuardians has taught me so much. I’m doing something good here. ”
“You are, Vilma. You are doing good, and on the ground, right here where help is needed. You have such passion, such conviction, in your voice, and EcoGuardians are lucky to have you. All of you.” She has the most gorgeous sun-kissed bronze skin, and wears her hair in a thick braid down her back.
She’s so passionate about protecting her community’s land and water, that I sometimes see a bit of me in her. .
Hearing my compliment, she fills up with happiness.
“Never forget the power you have to make a change. You don’t have to be a lawyer to do that.”
Her smile widens, like I’ve given her the biggest compliment. Being here, I feel part of something. Unlike Tovey & Roth. I love what I do, but being here, in the same office and the others, fills my soul.
“This is so nice.” I take a big sip of the rum punch and sit back in my chair.
“You like it?”
“All of it. The food, the rum, the music, this ...” I gesture with my hand, waving my paper cup around. “Having this just outside your place of work. Pure magic.”
I forget the stress. The injunction, the eco resort and unexpected shock of Rio Knight being here, in Belize, at the same time as me.
Just as the thought of him settles on me like a fading picture, I see him again.
Rather, I feel him first, as goosebumps pop up all over my skin.
He’s leaning against the trunk of a tree, dressed in a white linen shirt, sleeves rolled up at the forearms, his top buttons undone, and trousers.
He looks out of place here. Too clean. Too perfect. Too photoshopped, amidst all this joyful, colorful chaos weaving around him.
Our eyes meet. He doesn’t move, but even with the short distance between us, I can tell that something in his expression shifts. I don’t know how long he’s been watching me or if he’s just as surprised to see me, but now that our eyes are locked, time seems to stop.
I look away first. It feels like I’ve been holding my breath and I need a big, desperate intake of air to fill my lungs. I dare not look at him again, but force myself to watch Edwin play football.