I jumped in, happy to have found a distraction, but I felt like an asshole too. I’d been so caught up with Elias, I’d made no effort to get to know Bonnie or anyone else from the office. It was about damn time I did.

Once we were on the road, she turned and gave me an assessing glance before returning her attention to the cluster of cars on the roundabout we were navigating. “Sam seems to have toned down his attitude.” She sighed, but I kept my mouth shut. “I heard what happened with the woreda official and I reamed him out for it.”

I wondered if she’d just invited me out to check-in about Sam’s assholic behavior. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”

She shook her head without looking at me, but she didn’t seem too pissed. “He learned his lesson. And he’s well aware y’all saved his ass.”

“Sam, unfortunately, is not an anomaly in this line of work. On every job, there’s always a Sam. I’m perfectly capable of putting him in his place.” I thought of how Elias had to confront him. “What I don’t like is how he treats some of our Ethiopian colleagues.”

“Yeah, that I won’t tolerate.” She pursed her mouth at that as she drove through the city. When we passed the gigantic black Lion of Judah sculpture, she pointed at it. “Have you seen this yet?”

I leaned to get a closer look and shook my head. “No. I’d only seen it in pictures,” I said, taking in the impressive monument, happy to change the subject.

“It was made in honor of the emperor’s jubilee,” she said with admiration.

I assumed she was talking about Haile Selassie, the last monarch of Ethiopia. “This place is sort of mind blowing.”

She clicked her tongue at that. “It is, and hard to leave. I came here for a year and just closed in on a decade.” We both laughed at that, but before I had time to talk, she went back to Sam. “Just so you know, I would never let him do or say anything that gets any of the local staff in trouble. We are guests here, and this work we do is a service. I believe that and expect every person who comes here to work to abide by it. I know Elias and Tsehay can stand up for themselves, but they shouldn’t have to. If anything else happens out there, let me know. Okay?”

I nodded at how grave she looked. It was good to know that she took all of this seriously. “Thanks, Bonnie. I will.” I sighed, looking out the window, my mind once again on Elias and wondering how he was doing.