Kayode counted another day and tried not to think about how many might remain. His hands were blistered, the fine fabric of his trousers had begun to fray, and his hunger made even ordinary movement difficult. On the yacht, a camera recorded Folake smiling in a gown, an image she once might have found impossible. Neither of them knew what the other was doing at that exact moment. Their lives ran in parallel, joined only by the consequences of the same night.
Alone on the island, Kayode spoke into the wind: "More marks, more days... and this beard keeps growing while my hope keeps shrinking smaller and smaller. Sleep, Kayode, sleep. Tomorrow you will carve again, gather again, and wait for a ship again."
Folake answered, "Look, Tayo. That father on the screen lifts his girl. He lifts her the way mine lifted me every morning."
Tayo said, "Hold that chin high, Folake. Tonight, the camera serves the true queen of this shining cruise."
Folake replied, "If my old self could see these pictures, Tayo, she would faint beside her serving tray."
Folake said, "Under these deck lights with full glasses, Tayo, this is the life we were always working toward."
Tayo replied, "That bright one is the hunter, Folake. My grandmother said he watches over travelers at sea."
Folake said, "Then let him watch over one traveler on a small island tonight, whoever he may be."
Folake answered, "No written words tonight, Tayo. Only the tune my heart has carried since that party night:
*Oh my heart, you carry me,*
*Through the rain, you set me free.*
*I will sing for you...*"
On shore, patience became Kayode's most useful possession. He made crude tools, repaired his shelter, and learned that food could not be obtained simply by wanting it. Each attempt taught him something about effort he had once outsourced to people whose names he had never asked. For all his newly sharpened awareness, he remained desperate for rescue. He had learned enough to regret his behavior but not enough to survive indefinitely alone.
Alone on the island, Kayode spoke into the wind: "Weave it tight, Kayode. A trap works while a man sleeps, and sleep is all I have. Rain in a leaf, sweet as any bottled water. This island feeds a man who learns patience."
Mama Bisi said, "Tonight, I cooked my finest dishes for this table. So eat grandly, and praise the cook loudly!"
Folake said, "Bisi, every dish tonight tastes like a celebration. You have outdone yourself again."
Folake murmured, "Enough playing with his gold tonight, Tayo. It sleeps in its safe, and so should we."
Tayo said, "Teach me again, madam. A waiter must bow like a prince when his queen is watching him."
Folake answered, "Then bow slowly, Tayo, and rise like the deck itself is proud of your straight back."
Folake said softly, "Somewhere out there, people are sailing who never heard our names, Tayo. Lucky, peaceful people."
Tayo observed, "This is the life, Folake: good food, bright lights, calm water, and a friend beside me."