new.
She was definitely d ifferent than when she arrived. Jaylah’s tongue was no longer bound by strict rules decorum; she could speak her mind—most of the time anyway. And she had not only survived in a foreign country, but thrived, building the life she always daydreamed about.
There was no Pulitzer, no six-figure book deal, no invites to the White House press room, but Jaylah had everything she’d ever wanted—a sister who had her back, a job she actually enjoyed, a man she was beginning to love, and a voice. She’d found her voice and treasured it.
“ Remind me to call my mother tonight,” she told Johnny as they traversed the maze of booths and people.
Mrs. Baldwin had been right; Jaylah did land on her feet after all. Two months ago she was either on the verge of a nervous breakdown or working on becoming the best drunk L.A. had ever seen, but moving to London saved her and helped snatch victory from the jaws of near-certain defeat.
Jaylah shook her head and chuckled; things in the game had definitely changed.
“Are you hungry?” Johnny asked when they got closer to the food stalls in the UpMarket.
“A little. I could go for something small.”
They weaved through the Old Truman Brewery passing merchants hawking octopus fritters, Empanadas, sushi, and barbequed fish. Jaylah snapped pictures of the delicacies as they moved from booth to booth, making a note to herself to write about the city’s growing street food culture.
After eyeing the options, they bought two sea bass sandwiches from a Jamaican cook and ambled outside.
“Oh my God, this is so good,” she said, biting into the sandwich, which was stuffed with fried plantains.
They sat on the curb sipping beer, enjoying the sunshine, and watching the gaggle of people around them. She loved that Johnny was as comfortable eating on the side of the road as he was dining in a Michelin starred restaurant. He complimented her perfectly—boosting her energy when she was dragging, and settling her down if she was beginning to freak out.
“Ready to shop?” he asked, draining his brew.
“You read my mind. I want to check out the jewelry booths. I have a slight earring addiction you know.”
“Slight?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow, “You have like 100 pair s.”
“It’s my thing. Some women buy shoes, I try to find earrings no one else has. Come.”
Jaylah led the way, stopping at every table that caught her eye. She spotted a pair of wooden, hand-painted sphinxes and held them up.
“You like?”
“They’re…different, b ut I can see you wearing them.”
She continued looking at the colorful accessories , picking them up and placing them close to her ears to see which ones she liked best.
“I’m going to check the watch vendor,” he said, pointing a row over. “Be right back, yeah?”
Jaylah nodded, too focused on the artisan charms to answer. She continued searching until she found a pair of brass dewdrop earrings with slivers of vintage maps and love letters inside the hull. She bought them and rushed to find Johnny to show them off.
She spotted him near the watchmaker talking to a short man. When Jaylah walked up behind him she overheard the tail end of their conversation.
“ Listen man, we need to get together soon,” the man said.
“Definitely. I’ve got my hands pretty full right now, but maybe in a few weeks.”
“Sound like a plan. By the way, how’s your wife, uh, Fiona, doing?”
Jaylah froze. Wife? Did she hear him correctly? He had to be confused, she thought. Perhaps he had mistaken Johnny for someone else.
“She’s fine. Visiting her family in Scotland for the month,” Johnny said.
“We’ll all have to get together when she returns. Susan would love to see her again. I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you, yeah?”
“ Yeah man, sounds good.”
Johnny turned around and nearly crashed into Jaylah. She eyed him in disbelief.
“Wife? You’re married?”
Johnny seemed to grasp for the right
She was definitely d ifferent than when she arrived. Jaylah’s tongue was no longer bound by strict rules decorum; she could speak her mind—most of the time anyway. And she had not only survived in a foreign country, but thrived, building the life she always daydreamed about.
There was no Pulitzer, no six-figure book deal, no invites to the White House press room, but Jaylah had everything she’d ever wanted—a sister who had her back, a job she actually enjoyed, a man she was beginning to love, and a voice. She’d found her voice and treasured it.
“ Remind me to call my mother tonight,” she told Johnny as they traversed the maze of booths and people.
Mrs. Baldwin had been right; Jaylah did land on her feet after all. Two months ago she was either on the verge of a nervous breakdown or working on becoming the best drunk L.A. had ever seen, but moving to London saved her and helped snatch victory from the jaws of near-certain defeat.
Jaylah shook her head and chuckled; things in the game had definitely changed.
“Are you hungry?” Johnny asked when they got closer to the food stalls in the UpMarket.
“A little. I could go for something small.”
They weaved through the Old Truman Brewery passing merchants hawking octopus fritters, Empanadas, sushi, and barbequed fish. Jaylah snapped pictures of the delicacies as they moved from booth to booth, making a note to herself to write about the city’s growing street food culture.
After eyeing the options, they bought two sea bass sandwiches from a Jamaican cook and ambled outside.
“Oh my God, this is so good,” she said, biting into the sandwich, which was stuffed with fried plantains.
They sat on the curb sipping beer, enjoying the sunshine, and watching the gaggle of people around them. She loved that Johnny was as comfortable eating on the side of the road as he was dining in a Michelin starred restaurant. He complimented her perfectly—boosting her energy when she was dragging, and settling her down if she was beginning to freak out.
“Ready to shop?” he asked, draining his brew.
“You read my mind. I want to check out the jewelry booths. I have a slight earring addiction you know.”
“Slight?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow, “You have like 100 pair s.”
“It’s my thing. Some women buy shoes, I try to find earrings no one else has. Come.”
Jaylah led the way, stopping at every table that caught her eye. She spotted a pair of wooden, hand-painted sphinxes and held them up.
“You like?”
“They’re…different, b ut I can see you wearing them.”
She continued looking at the colorful accessories , picking them up and placing them close to her ears to see which ones she liked best.
“I’m going to check the watch vendor,” he said, pointing a row over. “Be right back, yeah?”
Jaylah nodded, too focused on the artisan charms to answer. She continued searching until she found a pair of brass dewdrop earrings with slivers of vintage maps and love letters inside the hull. She bought them and rushed to find Johnny to show them off.
She spotted him near the watchmaker talking to a short man. When Jaylah walked up behind him she overheard the tail end of their conversation.
“ Listen man, we need to get together soon,” the man said.
“Definitely. I’ve got my hands pretty full right now, but maybe in a few weeks.”
“Sound like a plan. By the way, how’s your wife, uh, Fiona, doing?”
Jaylah froze. Wife? Did she hear him correctly? He had to be confused, she thought. Perhaps he had mistaken Johnny for someone else.
“She’s fine. Visiting her family in Scotland for the month,” Johnny said.
“We’ll all have to get together when she returns. Susan would love to see her again. I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you, yeah?”
“ Yeah man, sounds good.”
Johnny turned around and nearly crashed into Jaylah. She eyed him in disbelief.
“Wife? You’re married?”
Johnny seemed to grasp for the right
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