“This is the guardian of the island,” explained Iniko. “Its purpose is to watch over the town of Ureca.”
He put his hand in his trousers pocket and took out some seeds mixed with petals and placed them at the feet of the rock while murmuring some words.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m leaving it an offering.”
“You could have told me. I’ve brought nothing.”
Iniko rummaged with his hand and took out a pinch of seeds. “Enough.”
Clarence leaned down and placed the small gift. She asked for help not only in the search that had brought her to Bioko, but also going forward in life. She smiled. It was a lot to ask for such a small present.
“Wouldn’t you like to know what I asked for?” she teased.
Iniko smiled. “I suppose the same as me. That they germinate well.”
She agreed. He took her arm and silently guided her back to the start of the beach.
They arrived at the edge of the pool under the Eola River waterfall. Without undressing, Iniko got into the water with his arms open wide and his hands toward the sky. Clarence was entranced, contemplating how the drops from the waterfall, actors in a natural journey that was at the same time circular and eternal, splashed against his skin. Then Iniko turned and signaled her to do the same.
Clarence got into the water and allowed Iniko to circle her waist with his enormous arms. Very slowly, he drew her to his body until the embrace was complete and his head nuzzled in her hair. Her heart began beating out of control. Clarence could feel him breathing close to her ear, causing her to feel a delightful tingle. She heard him inhale her scent while softly resting his lips on her damp skin, sliding them down from her neck to her shoulder and again to her earlobe.
She remained with her eyes closed to appreciate the full intensity of his caresses. At that moment, nothing existed except for her body, stuck to Iniko’s, in the middle of this beach. Never before had she been able to carry out such a fantasy. He wanted to taste her bit by bit, as if she were the last sweet morsel on earth. He rubbed gently against her, passing the tips of his fingers along her arms, which hugged his broad back. He slid his full lips over her cheeks, he looked at her for a few moments . . . and began again, with a slowness that did nothing but awaken her desire for him even more.
Iniko began to unbutton her blouse very gently, still looking at her. Clarence felt her breathing accelerate and her skin tingle at the touch of his hands. He embraced her in his strong arms, and his lips busied themselves on her neck before daring to slide down to her breasts that hardened from the heat and moistness of his mouth.
She could not remember the last time a man had tasted her with such passion.
With the same steady rhythm, Iniko put his full lips on hers and kissed her while holding his arms around her waist. Clarence needed air and opened her lips slightly, allowing him to bite them before his tongue took control of her mouth.
They were so close that despite the noise of the waterfall, she could make out the rapid beat of his heart. She slid her hands along Iniko’s strong arms and broad back to his waist to caress the skin under the damp shirt stuck to his muscles.
Iniko moved apart a few centimeters and took off his shirt. Clarence reached out with her fingertips; he was a warrior, several scars furrowed his skin. She made no comment, putting her hands over the wounds and caressing them. She then brought her lips to them.
In the same way as he had enjoyed her bosom, she wanted to taste his chest, while strong fingers fondled her neck and played with her hair until managing to release the plait that held it. Then Iniko placed his hands on either side of her face to hold her tightly, lift her toward him, and kiss her again, this time with more intensity. Clarence felt a wave of excitement and responded with a desire deep within her.
Iniko kissed her lips, her forehead, her ear, her neck . . . In a whisper, he suggested that they lie on the sand. Their breathing began to adjust to the rumbling of the waves that lapped the shore.
Clarence could not stop caressing him. Her hands wanted only to read each fold of his skin for when she would not have him with her, in Pasolobino. There, it was always cold. There would not be any sand. Nor two naked bodies beside the sea. This moment with Iniko would become one of the most beautiful memories of her life. On remembering it, she would smile and rememorize the tingles of desire that made her arch her back to receive him with all his force. Maybe she would find someone to share the rest of her life with, she thought in a brief lapse into lucidity, but it would hardly surpass this strange connection. No promises. No regrets. A connection born from a mysterious affinity in spite of the cultural and geographic distances. Each time she would hear the word Africa, in her mind she would outline Iniko’s handsome face and sad smile.
And from the way he had taken her, she could see that Iniko felt the same.
Both of them would always know that someplace in the world, there existed someone whose scent had invaded their senses, a body whose sweat had drenched their thirsty skin, a body whose taste had sated their needs.
When they took the road back to the village, Clarence turned to look at the horizon from the upper part of the cliff. The sea in all its splendor, and the full moon, framed by palm leaves, creating thousands of silver reflections on the water’s surface.
She seemed to have been in that place for an eternity. She felt comfortable, quiet, and relaxed. However, an unexpected feeling of loneliness overcame her. She did not know exactly what it was, but she began to have the worrying feeling that Iniko wanted to take over her body and her soul. Don’t forget these names, or these places. Don’t forget me. Go back to your country and remember the imprint that I have left on you. Under that waterfall, she had thought she had seen in his eyes a confused expression of desire and faint touches of resentment. Don’t you forget that for a few days, I took you for mine.
“You’re very quiet, Clarence,” Iniko interrupted. “The climb has left you out of breath? Is Pasolobino very flat?”
“I can’t believe I have been in such a place!” she exclaimed so he would not notice her confusion.
Iniko stretched out his hand and stroked her hair. “From now on,” he murmured, “each time I hear your country’s name, it’s possible I’ll feel something different. I will think of you, Clarence.”
Clarence closed her eyes. “The same will happen to me when I hear talk of this piece of Africa. Which, by the way, happens very often in my house.” She sighed before taking the way back. “In fact, I think I’m condemned not to forget you.”