Chapter 24: New Nubia
He paced before her and spoke for several minutes, growing more animated and agitated as she sat silently on the stone slab in a daze. His words came through to her muted as if he was speaking underwater, unintelligible.
“Malia, can you please say something?” He was kneeling in front of her now, his hand on her knee, his dark, brooding eyes swimming urgently.
“What?”
His countenance darkened—he realized she wasn’t really listening. She was inside herself, stunned and numbed by the revelation.
“I’m sorry, Malia,” he said. “I hid behind the mission and told myself you didn’t need to know, and then when all this started to happen between us, I didn’t want it to end, and… why am I still going on? Are you hearing me, Malia?”
“No, Charles. For now, I’ve heard all I need to hear.”
“Okay.”
“I want to go to New Nubia. I want to see my great-grandmother’s village,” Malia said.