Savannah

26

Chapter Twenty Six: Change of Plans

Aarav didn't call until Monday morning. He sounded upset and claimed she falsely accused him. He explained it was the plumber who answered his phone and afterwards the battery died. And when he returned home and tried to charge his phone; it wasn't receiving any charge, so he bought a new battery early Monday morning. He condemned her barrage of calls and voicemail accusations. Meriam felt foolish, and she tried to explain. Anyone might react the same way, given the circumstances, she said.

"You could have used the plumber's phone," she said.

"He didn't have money on his phone."

She was quiet, as she rationalized it wasn't his fault. With his phone dead, and his plumber having no money on his, he'd look desperate and unmanly searching for a phone card to call her. He needed to wait till he got home to call her, and well, if he got home and his battery wasn't taking the charge, can she blame him for that? No, she couldn't.

By the end of their conversation, he right and she was wrong.

She apologized. "I'm sorry."

He listened quietly.

Noticing his silence, she wondered whether he still harbored anger. "Are you still mad at me?"

Silence.

"You angry?"

"No. I listening."

"So you not mad at me?"

"No. You... you like to jump to conclusions and you don't wait to hear de truth."

"Ok, I'm sorry. Won't do it again."

"I hear you."

"So we're okay again? You still want us to be engaged?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Okay."

He was silent before informing her he had to go. "Call me at eleven thirty."

"Okay."

On Friday that week, Aarav informed Meriam that he was coming to Savannah that evening to rent his house to someone for the weekend. The Bastians arrived earlier that afternoon and Meriam had gone home already for the weekend. She was sweeping the porch when he drove by in his van and honked his horn. Looking up, she saw his stalled vehicle with its winded glass. He waved her to approach. She walked toward his vehicle, and he told her he'd drop by before he left. There was another vehicle behind him, a red Toyota Corolla. The vehicle drove to the side of his van and stopped.

He turned to the driver, an Afro-Trinidadian red-skinned man. "Iz de yellow house. I going there now."

"Okay," he said.

Aarav turned to Meriam. "Talk to you later."

She returned to her house and stood on the porch. She looked on as the driver of the red Toyota parked and emerged. Aarav parked on the roadside and emerged too. From where Meriam stood, she had an excellent view of the road in front of Aarav's house. She even had an okay view of the front yard, even though there was one house between his and hers. Aarav and the man chatted a while. Then he walked towards his house, reemerging a while later. He approached the man, and they continued talking. Moments later, both entered their vehicles. The driver of the red Toyota honked his horn at Aarav and drove off. When he was out of sight, Aarav began driving out of Lime Street, stopping in front of Meriam's house and popping his horn.

She began walking towards him, feeling excited about talking to him.

He stopped her. "I can't stay. Have to go up now."