Page 30 of Worlds Apart
“Are you in love with Martin?”
“No! That’s ridiculous. You don’t fall in love with someone after a week.”
“It hasn’t been a week, it’s been over four months. You two were talking every day. You were taking language lessons. He was going to come visit—”
“His visa got rejected; he can’t come visit.”
And yes, she was in love with him. She’d fallen in love with Martin one phone call at a time, over meals shared via video chat and silly presents sent in the mail. She loved his kindness and his humor. She loved his thoughtfulness and his passion for his work and his employees.
She loved him, but it didn’t matter.
“Oh for goodness sake!” Alice burst out. “Most visa applications get rejected the first time. My own mother had to apply three times before she could come visit me when I was in school. But he applies once, gets his pride hurt and—”
“No, it wasn’t just that. Afterward, he called me and he asked me if I could see living in Kenya long term and I… I didn’t know. I couldn’t give him an answer, Alice. That’s when he said the thing about our relationship having no future and—”
“Wait, when did he call you?”
“Right after they rejected his application.”
“And he put you on the spot like that? Asked if you’d move to Kenya just like that?”
“It’s a reasonable question.” She stood and walked to the bathroom. She was going to have to go into the office that day and she had to be presentable. “I can’t argue with him. That’s a completely fair question.”
“But he didn’t give you any time to think about it, he just threw that at you and when you didn’t respond the way he wanted, he gave up and now he’s moping around the camp like a sad little boy and snapping at Errol and me if we set one foot out of place.”
Sunny closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have never gotten involved with your boss.”
“This isn’t your fault!” She muttered something under her breath. “Ooh, I want to punch men sometimes; they are so stupid.”
“Martin isn’t stupid.”
“Of course he is. Normally? No. But about this, he is. He asks you a question like that—a very big question!—with no warning and then jumps to conclusions when you don’t immediately answer as he wants. I mean, have you thought about moving to Kenya since he asked you? People move all the time; I don’t know why he assumed you wouldn’t.”
Of course she’d thought about it more. Once Martin had put the idea in her head, it had been hard to think of anything else.
She had friends scattered all over the world. Alice was in Kenya. Leslie was working in Spain. Her roommate from freshman year had married a man from Singapore and they were living in Indonesia, working in software design, and expecting a baby.
Of course shecouldmove.
Alice was in Kenya. They could share an apartment again when Alice was in the city. Sunny had no idea what kind of visa she would need to live and work in the country, but surely there were options.
“I could live in Kenya,” Sunny said softly.
“But he didn’t even give you time to think about it. See? Men are stupid.”
She could find a new job that allowed her to be completely remote.
She had a trust fund and a healthy savings account.
Her family was wonderful, but they all had their own lives.
None of her friends lived in the area anymore.
“I could live in Kenya.” Sunny set down her hairbrush and stared at her reflection in the mirror. “I could live inKenya.”
Beautiful, warm Kenya where it didn’t snow and the air was clear and birds were everywhere. Where a visit to the national park meant seeing elephants and zebras instead of pigeons and skunks.
“Alice, Icouldlive in Kenya.”
