As she contemplated his request, she chewed a small bite of lamb burger. “He was a junior congressman in the opposing party. My father was the majority leader. I think Andrew was trying to humiliate my father through me. The worst part of it is that my father thought so too. And I didn’t listen to him when he tried to warn me about him.”

Rick raised his eyebrows. “Really? I got none of that in the report.”

“Yeah, we had this whirlwind romance, and Andrew proposed to me. I’d just turned thirty-two and was watching friends from college getting married, starting families, and all I could think of was that time had let me down. So here was this dynamic, handsome man who swept me off my feet. No man had ever looked twice at me, much less shown me so much adoration and attention. Then in front of the entire cabinet during the president’s sixtieth birthday, he made a public spectacle of me. In the end, I realized I was just a political pawn.” She took a sip of her sparkling water. “Much like in Katangela. Just a little less violent.”

After several silent moments, he said, “I’m so sorry. I wish I could erase that for you.” He reached over, took her hand, and sandwiched it in his. She could feel the strength radiating off him. “Cynthia, I want you to hear me. I don’t care about politics or who your father is.”

She started to chuckle as if he joked, but he squeezed her hand and with serious eyes said, “Hey. Listen to me. I don’t know your father. I know you. I want to get to know you better. Understand?”

With tears in her eyes she said, “I understand.” She softly cleared her throat. “Here’s what came to life inside of me during the months in the jungle: it was an experience that’s part of what has molded me into who I am today. God’s Word promises us that He will take all things and make them good. Even the horrible things.”

He smiled and broke the serious moment, then picked up another quarter of a burger. “So far, the bison is winning. Let’s try this one, shall we?”

After they ate, they packed up all the leftovers and put them in the cooler the restaurant had provided, then walked around the park. The sun had just started to fade, bursting the sky with pinks and oranges, making the colors of the trees look like glowing Japanese lanterns. They chatted about God, life, and college. The conversation flowed over to Ozzy.

“I know he’s getting counseling by people trained to handle cases like his, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about him.” Rick leaned against the trunk of a cherry tree. “He closed himself off from me.”