Two years ago, on her last day of service in Tanzania, she had hoped things between them might change.
They’d stood together beneath a sprawling sky full of stars. In the distance, the mountains glittered in the moonlight, and the faint sound of grazing sheep filled the air. Terence had been explaining the path of that night’s meteor shower when she turned to him.
“Terence,” she’d said softly, “I’m not leaving.”
She remembered clearly how the light in his eyes dimmed.
“Why would you stay here?” he replied firmly. “This is no place for a young woman. Go back while you can.”
But she saw through his words and reached for his hand. “I want to stay with you. I want us to be together.”
But to her surprise, he shook her hand off and turned away, leaving her with nothing but his back.
“I’m not gonna be with you. Don’t even think about it,” he said without a hint of hesitation.
From that moment on, it was as if a wall had risen between them.
He became a door she could never open, a hand that always slipped from hers, a conversation that was cut short before it could begin. He avoided her gaze like it was a burden he didn’t want to carry.