I was so busy trying to learn parallel parking and three-point turns that I didn’t think about the fact that Pope’s weekend business meetings in Accra were becoming more regular. Each time he came back on Sunday evening he seemed to be in an unusually good mood. By then I’d have been so worn out from coaxing the Mona Lisa to move that I hardly paid any attention to him.

One evening when Mantse and I got back, he was waiting for us—for me specifically.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure.”

Mantse drove the Mona Lisa to the side of the house and made himself scarce.

“Let’s walk, shall we?”

I shrugged but I followed as he led the way down the beach. A solitary seagull squawked as it flew overhead. The stars twinkled in the dark evening sky like little Christmas lights. It was such a beautiful night. We walked close to the water’s edge. There was still enough light to see transparent crabs walking sideways to their burrows. The fragrant smell of the jasmine shrubs carried over to where we stood and mingled with the salty ocean smell. This was my piece of paradise.

“After Mama died . . .”

I stiffened. I knew where this was heading and I didn’t like it one bit.

“After Mama died, I felt like I’d lost my bearings. Nothing made sense to me anymore. I started this,” he stretched his hands to encompass the resort, “because your mom was always saying how she would have loved to quit her job and open a small guest house by the beach. This was what she had always dreamed of—she running things, me cooking in the kitchen, you and Nene all grown up and on your own, visiting with your families on holidays and weekends.”

I didn’t look at him. Instead I looked out at the ocean which was a mass of black water which gurgled and swirled as the waves broke on the shore. I tried to find the point where the ocean ended and the sky began on the horizon. The froth from the waves that washed up on the shore covered our feet. Sometimes as the waves receded it felt like we were being dragged into the water with the waves.

“You know, moving here and doing what Mama wanted was the only thing that kept me sane. Moving here and you kids, of course. If it hadn’t been for you and Nene, I don’t think I could even have done this.”

I studied my feet in the water. They looked white. A piece of seaweed had wound itself around my left foot. Pope turned to look at me. I kept my head down. I could feel his eyes on me.

“I’m not trying to replace your mom. Being with Naadu doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten her or the life we had. I could never forget her. Never, but I feel it’s time for me to move on.”

I did look up at him then and I regretted ever asking for fresh flowers for Mama’s grave or for the resort. If I hadn’t opened my big mouth, he would never have met Naadu. “It’s not even been three years. How can you be ready to move on? How can you be marrying the first woman you’ve met? How can you be so sure you even love her?”

“It’s . . . I can’t explain it but being with Naadu feels so right. Before I met her there was this big hole inside of me and no matter what I did, I could never fill it. And then I met Naadu and the hole is still there but it’s not as deep as it once was. Can you understand that?”

I knew exactly what he was speaking of because I had one of those holes myself and it was still very much unfilled. “But that doesn’t mean you should marry the first person you meet.”

“I know this might sound cheesy but it really was ‘love at first sight’.”

His first sight of the bearded human hippo and he fell in love. Seriously?

“What’s the point of waiting? I love Naadu but I’ll always love your mom. I think I’m very lucky to have found two women that I love very much. Not everyone gets that chance and I don’t want to blow it by waiting. What if one of us dies tomorrow? Then what?”

“It’s too soon.” My voice sounded hoarse. It felt like I had a clamp on my throat.

“We’ll all move on at some point, Buerki.

I’m moving on now and I really want you to be happy for me. I know you don’t like her very much but can you try to get along with her? For me? Please?”

“I don’t know if I can. I’m not sure I can. And now she’s going to have a baby too on top of everything else.”

We stood in silence for a long time. “The baby doesn’t mean I’ll stop loving you or Nene. I won’t change. I can marry Naadu and still love you and love Nene and love the new baby.”

“I feel as if I’m losing you too.”

“Oh, Baby,” Pope said taking me into his arms. “I’m not going anywhere. You’ll never ever lose me. Will you please try to get along? I can’t force you to like her but please try to get along. Please. For my sake?”

I looked up at Pope and I could see how very much he wanted me to say yes so I nodded. Pope hugged me tighter and a dam inside of me burst open and I cried. I couldn’t stop crying even when I tried to. Pope said nothing. He just held me and gently rocked me back and forth until the storm in me subsided.