Page 33 of Royal Pain
I watch his face, his black eyes, and hear the message. “I agree, Father.”
“Kwai’s role is less obvious. I know there’s a worthy prince inside him, but it takes some men more time than others to discover their purpose. I had a dream about him. He wore a purple robe with a Kilimba Thumb Piano embroidered on the collar.”
“Really? What do you think it meant?”
“I can’t say. My mind isn’t as clear as it was, or the dreams have become riddles I haven’t the time to solve. Maybe you will.”
“I’ll think on it, Father.”
A kind smile lifts the corners of his mouth.
“And then there was you. The mind and heart of Mozia.”
It stuns me to hear the compliment.
“Thank you.”
He reaches across and grasps my forearm in his tight grip.
“I mean it. Your business savvy has lifted us all. As a family, as a country and more than that it’s elevated our place in the world. That’s no small thing, son.”
“I’ll make sure to always protect our interests. It’s an honor.”
His grip releases and he leans elbows to knees.
“But even greater than that contribution is this one,” he says, tapping a palm against his heart.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the heart of our country. You are the shepherd watching over the flock. Watching over the weakest among us. The children. And you do it knowing you’ll never be king. You do it because you’ve felt the pain of being a child without hope. And you don’t want any other one to know what that feels like. That’s your real gift, my child.”
My tears come unannounced. They spring from the deepest part of me. He pats the empty space next to him, and when I take it he embraces me in the warmth of a father’s love. Just two men, sitting in a garden crying.
