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My breath caught. I don't know… do I? Do I have the courage to talk to Dom? Suddenly I didn't feel as strong as I did a few days ago.
"Umm… sure? If you'd like to."
"Yeah," he said with a killer smile. "I'd really like to."
We paid for the fruit and left the store.
"Want to come to my place?" he asked. "I could pick up some fish on the way home and make you some supper later."
I smiled awkwardly. "If you want me to hang with you that long." I said.
"Let's just say that I'm hoping you want to hang with me that long."
I shrugged. "Let's go for it and see how it goes."
It was clear that we were both a little unsteady in what we wanted. Maybe not what we wanted, but afraid of how to get there. What words to say in between to what I hoped meant we could be together again.
We walked toward the harbor, where he stopped at a fishmonger to pick up the fresh catch of the day.
"Do you like cod?" he asked.
"Love cod."
He also picked up some wine, dark chocolate and some vegetables. It looked like it was going to be quite the feast.
We went up to his condo. I loved his place. It was decadent yet classy. Dom's minimalist style was not too minimalist that you felt you were intruding. He was a comfy minimalist.
He opened his deck doors wide to let in the breeze from the water. I walked out to see the activity in the water. The boats, the people doing their work or just going for a walk. Dom came out after a few minutes, carrying a glass of water with a slice of lemon. Of course, he just had slices of lemons hanging around.
"Thank you," I said, grateful for the water after all my walking.
"You're welcome," he said. "Come, have a seat." He gestured to his seating area. You could still see all the activity from the cushioned chairs, so I sat down to rest my feet and enjoy the view.
"Do you feel like talking about your trip?" I asked. "I can imagine that you've probably already told the boys about it, so if you don't want to talk more, that's okay. It just sounds like it would have been an incredible trip."
He regaled me with the stories from his trip. An hour passed very easily as he topped up my drink and offered me some snacks.
"Honestly, Dom, that's an amazing trip. I'm so proud of you." I meant it.
"It was another life-changing mission… for me. That's what surprises me every time and I don't know why it's still surprising. Giving to others just ends up giving back to me tenfold or more."
Suddenly, it was like he remembered something.
"Hold on! I need to show you something." He got up and went inside. I wondered what it was and realized that the late afternoon sun had encroached and I didn't even notice. Dom had my full attention.
He came back, holding a small sculpture.
"Remember that exhibit on Somalia you took me to?" he asked.
"How could I forget? You loved it."
"I did. And do you remember that sculpture we saw there by Dr. Mohamed Talib?"
My eyes widened. "This isn't it, is it? It's a lot smaller than the one at the museum."
"I met him, Calla. I actually met Dr. Talib. He came to me on the last day, when everything was done and gifted this prototype to me. It was unbelievable, all the coincidences I had on this trip."
"Wow, Dom. Amazing."
