Sorry for the delay! It needed more work than I expected. That and Twilight fever distracted me this weekend... Well, here's the rest of what Sean's been up to. Enjoy! Thanks for sticking around, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

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“When I arrived in Senegal I met the rest of my team. There were four of us: Angela – a surgeon, John – a medical technician like me, and Rebecca – a nurse. We were staying in a small village of a local Mandinka tribe. Although the villagers were wary of us, they allowed us to stay with them.

“I told you I went to Africa to find purpose. I did. But I also found Rebecca. She was young, and beautiful, and optimistic about everything in life. She believed in me from day one and I found it easy to talk to her about what I was going through. We quickly became friends.



“But her feelings for me soon turned into infatuation and the poor girl followed me around the village every day. I could hardly catch a moment of peace because she was always with me.

“It wasn’t that I minded her company, Rebecca was a sweet person and a wonderful friend, but I hadn’t come here to find love.



“We’d set up a small clinic in the village to practice. Half of the people there were dying of disease or poor hygiene, but we couldn’t convince them to trust us. We were outsiders with strange technology. The first weeks were the most difficult. The only villagers that came to see us were children, out of their curiosity. We showed them our shiny instruments and gave them gifts, but an adult would inevitably come by and shoo the children out of the company of the ‘strange ones.’



“We spent many uneventful nights in that clinic, just waiting to find a way to break through the barriers.



“One day, a man was bitten by a snake in the fields. He was brought back to his house and the villagers crowded into his house to perform their healing ceremonies. We were forced to keep our distance. After two days they gave up and left the man to die.

“That night a small child named Imani snuck into my hut and woke me. I couldn’t understand her, but I could tell she was frantic. Imani was the daughter of the ill man.



“This was our moment, the chance we’d been looking for to prove to the people of the village that we were here to help them. I rushed to wake Rebecca and we followed the girl to her father’s home. He was lying naked in a corner, covered in sweat and a strange salve, which we later learned was a mixture of dirt and urine. Horrified at the poor care of this man, we began treating him immediately. Surprisingly, his wife did not try to stop us. She sat wide-eyed on her bed, terrified, and allowed us to clean her husband’s wounds.



“We were just in time. The man made a full recovery and the village was stunned. Realizing that our medicine had saved a life where their rituals could not, the town finally welcomed us and threw a big party to celebrate.



“After that, things were great for us. We made friends with the locals, and the clinic always had patients pouring in.



“It was in these good days that I saw Rebecca blossom. She was outgoing by nature, and the acceptance of the tribe allowed her to shine in her element. Her heart was so pure and good that I couldn’t help but to fall for her. Before I knew it, we were a couple.



“I learned that she wanted to adopt children. She was capable of having her own kids, but she had a heart for helping those less fortunate. I viewed this as a nudge from the heavens. Here I was, a man not able to father children, and I had been handed a woman who wouldn't look down on that. I could still be a father.

“But something wasn’t right. Rebecca had helped me overcome my demons, but our love never had a chance of touching the kind of love I’d experienced with you, Kat. I felt like I had jumped into things with Rebecca simply because she was the best thing I’d found in so long. It was selfish of me to claim her future when I knew she couldn’t hold a candle to my past. I turned these feelings around and around in my head for weeks. I didn’t want to hurt her.

“Then one day I woke up to find a local girl, Ramla, waiting outside my hut. Despite the blindness Ramla had been born with, she was highly respected in the village for her great wisdom. We’d come to know Ramla during our stay because she was one of the few villagers who spoke English.

“’It is not her,’ Ramla said in her steady voice as I joined her outside.



“’What?’ I asked, startled.

“’Rebecca is not the one who you look for. It will hurt her more if you follow on this path and make her your mate. The one you seek is waiting for you.’



“’Do you see who she is? Where she is?’ I asked eagerly.

“Ramla shook her head. ‘No, I cannot see that. I am sorry.’



“She was quiet for a long time. Eventually she spoke again. ‘Sean, I know you have many questions, but you already have the answers you seek. I can see that your heart is aching for something that Rebecca does not fill. You wear it clearly on your face.’ Then she hung her head and blushed. ‘Forgive me for intruding.’

“I escorted Ramla home and went for a walk. She had only confirmed the things I had been denying. I couldn’t keep leading Rebecca on like this. I did the right thing and ended things. Of course Rebecca, being the wonderful person that she is, took it like a grown up and was never bitter. Even in her pain she never stopped apologizing for trying to take something that wasn’t hers to begin with. She said she knew all along that she wouldn’t fill the holes in my heart, but that she’d hoped to give me some peace for the moment.

“As it turned out, Rebecca left our program within the month. She felt that her job here was done, and staying would only cause me further distress. Feeling that her talents were better used elsewhere, she returned home and took a job at one of the nation’s best heart hospitals.



“A replacement nurse was sent to join our team and for the next year and a half we all worked together to fulfill our term in the village. Our project ended a few weeks ago and we left knowing that we had made a huge impact on the people of the tribe.

“And so… here I am! Back at home, a new man.”

Sean stopped, sighing after his long tale.



It was hard for me to think of something to say after that. His story had been so powerful. I ended up saying something generic: “Wow Sean, that’s incredible. It seems like you’ve really had a chance to do what most people only wish they could do.”

“Oh yeah?” he laughed. “And what’s that?”

“You’re only 26 and you’ve already led a full life. You’ve had three great loves.” I blushed a little knowing that I had included myself in that group. “And you’ve gone through some rough times, and yet managed to pull yourself up on your own. You’ve traveled to faraway places and experienced great success in your career field. I envy you.”



He smiled lightly at me. “Yeah, I guess it could be seen that way. But you’re still the one with the great family.”

I glanced down at my watch and was shocked to see that we’d been talking for two hours. “Speaking of family, I promised Sof I’d be home soon. She’s watching the girls, but she has a fund raiser to go to tonight.”

I frowned, not wanting the day to end. It was easy to be with Sean, I didn’t have to work at our friendship because we’d already established trust many years ago. It was a nice change from my ordinary life to chat with an old friend. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. “Hey, do you still want to meet them? I’m sure Izzy and Gabby would like to make a new friend.”

“Yeah. Right now?” His expression was much more excited than I’d expected. I stifled a giggle.



“Why not? You don’t mind do you?”

“Of course I don’t mind, I’ve been dying to meet them.” He smiled warmly and pulled out his wallet to pay the bill. I reached for my purse as well. Sean shook his head. “Don’t worry about. Lunch is on me.”

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Up next: Kat comes clean with Sean