This Holiday Magic. Celeste O. Norfleet
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outrageous and Customs took way longer than I expected.”
“See, none of this would have happened if you’d just listened to me. I told you I had a friend headed this way from Dubai. He could have easily picked you up in Tanzania, no problem. You would have cleared Customs while sitting on his private plane, sipping champagne and singing Christmas carols. All you had to do was...”
Janelle sighed and rolled her eyes. This was the last thing she needed right now. After an eighteen-hour double shift at the small medical center just outside of Dodoma and then traveling for the past twenty-six hours in every kind of vehicle imaginable, she didn’t need a lecture from her stepsister.
Granted, Nya Kent, with her father’s money and infinite resources and her own vast connections, was Janelle’s go-to person for any problem that needed to be solved, but right now she was a nagging pain.
“...and that would be it. But you never listen to me.”
“There’s a reason for that, Nya, but right now I’m way too tired to argue with you.”
“You’re right—get some rest. We’ll talk over lunch tomorrow. You can tell me everything.”
“Lunch tomorrow,” Janelle repeated.
“Well, of course. You didn’t think I’d forget our annual pre-Christmas lunch, did you? Unfortunately, Mia can’t make it this year with the baby, but I’m flying down in the morning. You don’t seriously think I’m not gonna see my big sister after she’s been hiding in Africa for the past two and a half years? We have a lunch reservation at the Chesterfield for twelve o’clock.”
“I didn’t know they were open for lunch.”
“They’re not,” Nya said nonchalantly. “You see, I have this friend who...”
Janelle shook her head. She’d learned long ago that Nya had an uncanny ability to make things happen that others would find nearly impossible. “I’m too tired to ask how you got them to open for lunch. And, for your information, I haven’t been hiding in Africa. I’ve been opening and working in a children’s relief clinic. Medics International is an extremely important organization. Their work is vital and I was lucky to help them.”
“Like I said, we’ll talk about it tomorrow over lunch. It’s just a shame Mia won’t be able to join us. Apparently our darling little nephew has been keeping her awake day and night. Hey, you’re a pediatrician. Can’t you do something to help?”
“No, Nya, I can’t. He’s a baby. That’s what they do.” She shivered and tugged at her collar again. “Man, I’m freezing.”
“Of course you’re freezing—it’s winter in Baltimore. You have to reacclimatize your body to this weather. You’ve been hiding in the middle of the Serengeti desert for too long.”
“I was not hiding,” Janelle insisted.
“Two words. Tyson Croft.”
Janelle stilled at Nya’s words. Two words, one name—that was all it took to spin her world around all over again. She gripped her collar tighter and tensed as her heart trembled. Then she released a long-held breath. “For the last time, I was not hiding, and Tyson Croft had nothing to do with my going to Africa,” Janelle emphasized.
Nya laughed. “Okay, okay, but remember, Janelle—I know you, and I was there. Two and a half years ago you and Tyson had the epic romance of the century. When he walked away, you went all the way to Africa to forget him. Tell me, did it work? Are you over him?”
“Yes,” Janelle said too quickly.
“We’ll see,” Nya said. “And we’ll talk about it...” she began.
“I know. I know.” Janelle yawned loudly “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
Nya interrupted her yawning. “Girl, you really do sound tired.”
“Tired isn’t the word. I’m worn-out, beat-down, bone-weary exhausted, and on top of that, I’m already beginning to experience symptoms of jet lag from the multiple time-zone changes. My focus is near zero and all I can think about is crawling into my own bed and sleeping for the next few hours.”
“Well, I’m just happy you’re home. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
“And you’re really finished with Medics International?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m done. Five months working all over Africa, five months in Tanzania, seven months in Kenya, six months in Ethiopia and another six months back in Tanzania is enough. The experience was invaluable. As a pediatrician there I learned more in the past few years than in all my years of medical school. But it’s time to move on and come home. I just have to give my formal notice.”
“Good. All right, get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, good night.”
Janelle ended the call and stifled another yawn as the cab continued through the downtown area. It was almost ten o’clock at night and, surprisingly, the streets were bustling with activity. The stores were still open and holiday shoppers were out and loaded down with bags of gifts. It was less than a week before Christmas and she hadn’t done anything.
This used to be her favorite time of year, but that was a long time ago. Now the holidays just seemed to fade in and fade out. She told herself that she was always too busy with school or with work, but she knew that wasn’t true. Her mother had died on Christmas Day. Nothing would ever change that.
She yawned again. Right now, the only thing keeping her awake were the too-often craterlike potholes littering the streets that kept her body rocking and rolling like a bobble-headed doll.
No, that wasn’t the truth. Who was she kidding? It was Nya’s two words that stayed with her. Tyson Croft. He had exploded into her life and swept her off her feet. She’d fallen in love with him the second she’d seen him. At one point he’d been everything to her. She’d even considered giving up being a doctor to be with him. But that was another lifetime ago.
She shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts, and then stared out the window, trying to focus on the sights as they passed. Twinkling Christmas lights sparkled down every street, and holiday decorations covered lawns and topped roofs. This was Baltimore, her hometown, a whole world away from the past two and a half years of her life. The city had been torn down, rebuilt, trashed, revitalized and torn down again so many times she’d lost count.
Now everything that was once familiar looked foreign to her. The asphalt streets and concrete sidewalks were a far cry from the arid Serengeti desert and the lush greenery surrounding Mount Kilimanjaro. The cab drove past a sign pointing to the massive Johns Hopkins Hospital complex. She smiled, remembering her years there in med school and during her residency. They had been the best years of her career. She made a mental note to stop by to visit with her friend and mentor, Dr. Richardson. But right now her body needed rest.
She closed her eyes and tried to relax in the tattered leather seat. The scents of the car’s pine air freshener and the driver’s musk and cheap aftershave assaulted her senses. Years ago the smell would have provoked stomach-wrenching nausea, but not anymore. She’d smelled worse—much worse. Her life was far different from when she’d grown up as the charmed daughter of a wealthy real-estate developer.
She hadn’t spoken to her father in a few days, so he had no idea she was coming home. He didn’t expect her until after the holidays. She smiled. This was going to be the perfect surprise holiday gift for him.
The cab turned the corner and drove down the quiet street. It stopped in front of her two-story town house, located just a few blocks from Inner Harbor. She smiled, looking up at her own private sanctuary. A gift from her father when she’d graduated medical school, it had been hers for five years, but she had yet to really live there.
Janelle paid the driver, giving him a generous