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“And you?” Turd pressed Daphne.
She shrugged. “As he said, I’m not engaged to him. We’re not even a couple.” A mischievous glint suddenly appeared in her eyes. “But I might have a little crush on him.”
Caleb lit up, but his smile quickly morphed into a constipated grimace when she vice-gripped his hand again.
Convinced, or perhaps disinterested in pursuing it further, Scum shrugged and blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay, you’re all paired up. Nothing we can do about that. Come on, Denny. Let’s get out of here.”
Turd nodded. “I’m going to use the restroom. What about you?”
“Yeah—I think I’ll join you,” Scum said, then mentioned something about letting his mustache grow out as they disappeared around the corner.
Veronica immediately released my hand like it was on fire. “How did you find me?”
“It really doesn’t matter,” I said, hoping to steer us past our usual dance of accusations and defenses. “We need to call a truce, Veronica. Seriously. Enough running. If you don’t want to give us another chance, there’s nothing I can do about that, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
I was bluffing, because the last thing I wanted was to be her friend, but for the moment, at least it would keep her close by.
“Friends,” she echoed, then laughed as skepticism lacing her tone. “You and me? Yeah, I don’t see that happening.”
“Yes. We’ve known each other forever, but people keep growing and changing. I want to know the new you and would love for you to get to see the new me. If you don’t have feelings for me anymore, there would be no reason for you to run. Prove it. Let’s go for a walk, as friends.”
She hesitated, then finally nodded her agreement. “Fine, I’ll prove it to you. Let’s go for a walk. All of us. Together. You know, as friends.”
The addition of Caleb and Daphne was not what I had in mind when I wanted to be with her and show her the new me, but I enthusiastically assented, hoping to keep her agreeable mood alive.
We strolled out into the balmy night of Stone Town, passing vibrant shop fronts and quaint cafés. Without a word being said, we just took in the surrounding scene. Everybody seemed to feel as comfortable as I did at that moment. It was a pleasant change of pace, considering all the rushing around we’d been doing lately.
As we continued the walk, our steps led us to an interesting surprise in the alley, prompting us to stop and stare.
“This certainly is an odd place for a Freddie Mercury Museum, don’t you think?” Caleb remarked, his curiosity piqued. “Why would they have one in such a tiny town in Africa? I would think they would have chosen a place like the UK.”
Daphne offered an explanation. “Freddie Mercury was born here in Tanzania, in this house. It was later converted into a museum in his honor.”
“He grew up in Stone Town, then was sent to a private school in India, before his family moved to England,” Veronica added.
“I’m impressed.” I looked at her, genuinely surprised. “Since when did you become such a big fan of the man?”
“I’ve always liked Queen, but I learned those facts about Freddie Mercury four hours ago when we visited the museum before dinner,” she smirked. “If you want a bigger surprise, check out the piano in the back of the museum. It’s the exact piano Freddie played as a child.”
“Really?” I said, stepping forward with Caleb, both of us peeking through the window since the museum was closed. “I wonder if his parents knew at that age he was such a special talent that would rise to such heights. The man was a musical genius.”
Caleb suddenly tugged at my sleeve. “August …”
“Yes,” I answered, trying to read one of the framed newspaper clippings on the wall of the museum.
“The girls are gone,” he said.
I whipped around so fast I almost lost my balance. “No! She said she would not run! Where did they go?” I glanced toward the tree-filled oceanside park to my left, frantically searching for them.
“Over there!” Caleb said, pointing to the opposite side of the street just as Veronica and Daphne hopped into a tiny three-wheeled tuk-tuk taxi. “They’re getting away!” He quickly flagged down another tuk-tuk, and we piled into the back.
“Follow that tuk-tuk!” I yelled, then urged the driver to step on it.
Our tiny vehicle lurched forward, sputtering, then weaving through the narrow streets of Stone Town. The chase felt straight out of a spy movie—only far less sleek and a great deal bumpier. We passed vibrant bazaars and spice shops with the scent of cinnamon, clove, and saffron hanging heavily in the air, then zipped by groups of tourists who turned to watch the spectacle with amused expressions.
“I feel like James Bond in No Time to Die, ” Caleb yelled over the clickety-clack of the tiny engine and the blasting local music from a nearby club. “Remember the chase scene in that movie?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, the absurdity of our situation sinking in. “Except Bond had Italy as his backdrop and was driving an Aston Martin. On a good day, I think we could probably run faster than this tuk-tuk. Big difference.”
