My Despicable Ex - Book 2 Read Free

the oldest desert in the world, preparing to walk across the highest dunes known to man. I couldn’t wait to climb the endless mountains of sand.
    I stared upward at the giant mountain of sand towering above me. “Are we really gonna climb all the way to the top?”
    Jake smiled. “You bet.”
    Trudging uphill through the thick sand, I followed my guide and noticed that the only footsteps I saw were ours. I tried not to fall down in front of Jake, but the deep, loose sand challenged my balance. I noticed that our tour guide had a walking stick, and I wished I would have had as much foresight. The sandy trek was quite a workout, and I started to pant and wiped the droplets of sweat from my face as I took extra-long, deep strides. My calves began to burn as if I was on my Stairmaster. For a while, I felt as if I was on some kind of movie set, acting out a scene where we were stranded in the Sahara, under the hot, scorching sun, with no civilization anywhere in sight.
    While our climb to the top took some effort, we were rewarded with a stunning view. It felt like a tiny little person atop a huge sandcastle, or perhaps an astronaut walking on some other planet as I peered down at the otherworldly landscape. It was so quiet that I could hear the wind beating under the wings of blackbirds flying overhead. We trekked along for hundreds of feet, until we found the perfect spot to sit down and watch the sunrise. It felt so good to wiggle my toes in the soft sand.
    At first, it looked somewhat dull, and I wondered if we were, in fact, in the same place I’d seen in so many pictures, but as soon as the sun peaked, a major transformation took place. As I watched sunlight dance on the sand dunes, something amazing happened: The dull sand turned into glorious and vivid colors that took my breath away. I stared at the backdrop of unparalleled beauty, nature at her finest. It was hard to imagine I was standing in the world’s oldest desert. The sea of sand was so barren, as smooth as silk. Under the bright glow of the sun, the tawny dunes morphed from orange and red to apricot and mauve. I peered across the ocean of sand waves that stretched into infinity. The giant orange orb in the sky only added to the beauty, making the whole thing seem surreal. Staring out at the stretches of sand, I took a minute to reflect as the wind whipped my bun into a ponytail.
    I hiked through the red, windblown sand, agape at the waves of dunes twisting across the basin. My shoes dangled from my hand; I figured there was no use putting them back on since they just filled up with sand with every step anyway. I reached down to scoop some of it up and let it slip through my fingers. There was not one rock or tiny pebble; it was as fine and soft as baby powder. I peered around in awe. There were no trees, plants, or vegetation anywhere in sight. I expected that, but what really threw me for a loop were the occasional small patches of green grass.
    “ The Namib is known as the ‘living desert’ because of the diversity of life that exists in this hostile, harsh, and most inhospitable place in the world,” our knowledgeable tour guide said. “Strong animals, tough plants, and innovative insects have adjusted. Moisture comes from a fog that condenses into a thick dew from the Atlantic Ocean. That’s what makes this place so unique. Imagine a hot, scorching desert touching a cool, icy sea.”
    “ Amazing…and I still can’t get over how soft this sand is,” I said.
    “ It’s been crushed by years of weather and water,” he explained as he led us up the crest of the dune.
    I glanced down at the steep slopes on both sides. The way the sun shone on the glowing orange sand was just spectacular.
    A couple of adrenaline junkies hurtled down the slopes on an object that our tour guide referred to as a sand board. I decided it might be worth my time to come back someday for a dune-boarding or dune-skiing lesson. Others in our group wandered through the sand