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HASTA LUEGO

‘Yasheeda!’ I called out, but I must have yelled louder than intended. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me. Yasheeda looked up and when she saw me, she smiled.

‘Just wait there! I’ll get you in. Don’t leave!’ However, the lieutenant shook his head when I asked him.

‘No turistas allowed in. Governor’s orders.’ Apparently there were television crews outside the main gates. The lieutenant turned away and headed towards the office.

‘But she’s not a tourist,’ I protested, rattling the gates in frustration. ‘She’s my wife! You know her. She’s been here before.’

‘No importa. No visitors today,’ he called back over his shoulder. At the last moment he softened. ‘You can have an interview, but nothing more.’

I told Yasheeda to quickly go to the women’s interview room and I raced around to meet her.

Up close, Yasheeda looked even prettier. Her face was glowing and healthy and she had put on a little weight, which made every part of her body stand out and her skin stretch tighter over her muscles. Her long hair was tied back so that I could see every feature of her face clearly, from her dark, sparkling eyes to her tiny ears that stuck out a bit. We stood there, just staring at each other, not knowing what to say. She spoke first, sounding slightly awkward.

‘Hi! How are you?’

‘Fine. And how about you?’ I replied. I hated those types of conversations. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, and so many questions I wanted to ask, that it was hard to know where to start.

‘How was your trip?’

‘Good! We had so much fun,’ she answered, forcing a smile. Again, I sensed something strange in the way she was acting. I began to worry that she had bad news to tell me.

‘So, how was the jungle?’

‘Excellent. Really good. Thanks, Thomas.’ She never called me Thomas. It was always Tommy.

‘Oh, that’s good. You had a good time, then. I’m glad.’

‘Yeah. It was good,’ she repeated calmly, nodding her head as though she were somewhere else, far, far away.

‘And your friends?’

‘They’re good, too,’ she nodded again, and looked down.