I lost most of my running companions along the way, but two of them kept up with me. I was almost ready to give up and let them pass me when I saw Elias come up on my other side, grinning from ear to ear. He ran alongside me for a second and then panted out, “I forgot to mention that the local boys like to chase the farenjis who go out on runs. It’s a big achievement to outrun them, you see.”

I looked at him, but was too out of breath to say anything, and in a last-ditch effort I sprinted, leaving Elias in the dust too. I made it to the hotel, barely, and collapsed on the lawn. Elias ran in a bit afterward, laughing hard as he dropped down next to me, and it wasn’t long before the last two boys made it back as well. I turned to them, still gasping for breath, held up my finger, and hobbled to my room. I got a few Jolly Ranchers and packs of gum out of my bag to hand out to the kids. They plucked them from my hands with a thank you and ran off, throwing their fists up in the air, hollering in victory at their sullen friends who had finally caught up.

Elias just shook his head as we watched them run off. “By tomorrow every boy in Awassa will know there’s a farenji giving away candy in this hotel. You will be like the Pied Piper when you go out for runs.”

I laughed and shook my head at the image of me with a trail of smiling boys running around town. “I only have a limited supply of candy, and I don’t have an evil ploy to lure little children. I’m also not afraid to say no.” I stuck my finger in the air to press my point. “And only those who can keep up with my lightning speed get the spoils.”

He threw his head back and laughed at my preening. He was flushed and sweaty, and I really wanted to run my hand over his face and chest. I settled for teasing him a bit instead. “And the Pied Piper? That’s a pretty Eurocentric analogy, sir.”

He smiled ruefully at my callout, but lifted his shoulder as he answered. “If something works, I’ll use it, and…” Now he was the one using a finger to make a point. “I will give the credit to whom it’s due…a not-so Eurocentric approach.”

“Touché,” I agreed. Elias was quick on his feet, that was for sure. I was already half-addicted to these sharp exchanges with him. I had to be on my toes with this man. “I’m only half colonizer, though. My mother’s from the Dominican Republic. It’s—”