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Panic flickered across Veronica’s face as she followed my gaze to the approaching boat. “What do I do?”
Without a second thought, I did the only thing that felt right—I yanked off my trunks and tossed them to her. “Here, put these on!”
She stared at me, aghast. “Are you insane? Now you’re …!” Her voice trailed off as she realized we were both in a precarious position.
“Just put them on and go get my towel from the beach. I’ll manage here,” I insisted, suddenly feeling very exposed as the boat drew nearer. “Better me than you, believe me.”
With a mix of reluctance and urgency, Veronica slipped into my trunks and made a dash for the shore, holding onto the shorts as she ran to prevent them from slipping off. It didn’t take long before she disappeared through the group of trees that separated the two beaches. I glanced at the people around me, but luckily, they were mostly couples, only paying attention to themselves.
“This was not how I pictured today going,” I muttered to myself.
I waited and waited and waited, then scanned the shore, looking for Veronica to return.
“Where are you?” I moaned, wondering what was taking her so long.
The minutes dragged on and on.
As I struggled to maintain some semblance of dignity with my hands covering my privates, a boat approached rapidly. I tried to stay calm, assuming it was just another tour group. But then, a loudspeaker crackled to life, and a voice boomed in urgent Swahili. Not understanding a word, I watched in confusion as people around me made a frantic dash for the shore. The man aboard the boat gestured wildly at me, apparently signaling that I should do the same as the others.
I glanced back behind me and saw a fin coming my way, and it certainly did not look like it was one of the dolphin variety. I frantically hurried towards the shore with my hands trying to maintain some modesty with my exposed parts. The situation quickly spiraled into a spectacle when phones were pulled out of purses and pockets, like guns being pulled out of holsters in a shootout. Just like that, people were snapping photos, taking videos, while other bystanders simply laughed at my expense. Amplifying my humiliation, a child’s scream pierced the air as she pointed directly at me.
“Look, Mommy!” she said. “A naked man!”
“Someone call the police!” a man called out.
Desperate for some cover, I sank to the sand in a futile attempt to make myself as small as possible and stop the embarrassing show. Next, I began shoveling sand with my hands from both sides of my body over my nether regions, and just to make sure, I kept shoveling until I was covered from my toes to my navel. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I continued to wait for Veronica, hoping she would arrive sometime this century.
Too bad things only got worse …
A minute later, two imposing officers from the Zanzibar police cut through the crowd and rushed toward me.
“Sir, we need you to come with us,” the bulkier officer declared, his grip firm as he hoisted me up from my makeshift hideaway and quickly wrapped a towel around the lower half of my body.
That’s when I saw Veronica, eyes wide and horror-struck, as she hurried towards me as best as she could, considering she was carrying all our things. Her expression mirrored my distress as she watched the officers lead me past the onlookers, with each step feeling like a march of shame.
“I don’t understand. Where are we going?” My voice cracked with panic.
“We’re taking you to the police station,” the officer responded sternly. “You’re under arrest for indecent exposure.”
Chapter Thirteen
Princess Veronica
As I watched August being led away by the police, panic surged through me. The onlookers, with their phones held high, recorded every humiliating second. With my heart pounding in my chest, I ran down the beach as fast as I could, considering the large beach bag I was carrying, but the police car sped off before I could reach them.
“This can’t be happening,” I muttered, breathless and frantic.
I needed to get to the police station, but August had convinced me to leave my purse in the hotel room while we went to the beach. I had no phone and no wallet, which meant I had no money.
I dug through the beach bag and found his wallet, feeling a pang of guilt that I was going to open it and invade his privacy, plus use his money for the taxi. It was for him, though. I hoped he wouldn’t have a problem with it.
Flagging down a tuk-tuk, I hopped in the back and instructed the driver to take me to the police station.
“Of course,” he said, his eyes scanning my face before he took off. “Is everything okay?”
“No, not really,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “My friend has been arrested. He was naked in the water and?—”
The driver’s eyebrows shot up. “Indecency is a big crime here in Tanzania. Penalties can be harsh, one to five years in jail.”
