Little Cherine Book 02 - BPost067
When I returned I was attracted for some reason to myself. I saw myself sitting under the tree and then returned to the village looking for Lillian. She had already left her home. I searched in ever growing circles until I found her. She was with a middle aged man. Now all I could do was wait.
1361
“Brian, I am not asking you to leave your wife and though I told you I refuse to have an abortion, I have no intention of causing you problems. All I want is for you to help me with the costs of bringing up our child. I will never tell it that you are the father. If you won’t help then I have to go to court and get them to force you to help.”
“I told you I cannot afford it. My business is not doing well.”
“Maybe, but you can still afford to live in luxury. All I ask is such a little Brian. I don’t want to live a fancy life. I’ll work, but I can’t earn enough to keep myself and the baby.”
“Have you told anyone about the baby, about me?”
“No. I promised I wouldn’t.”
He stepped to the side so that he was able to grab her from behind.
“You force me to do this. I did not want to.” As he spoke he plunged a long sharp blade into her chest.
The blade pierced her lung. He pulled out the blade and stood watching her, his face filled with horror as she tottered, struggling for breath. She collapsed to her knees and finally fell over, her body spasming for a long time. He waited until he was certain she had died and left, careful not to leave a trail.
I had enfolded her soul and the protector took it with my healer taking cells from her body. They left for the house of little Cherine.
I followed Brian. I had recognised him. He was the owner of the pub, with an interest in the hotel and an estate agency.
He walked off at a tangent, heading for some trees. Once amongst them he used the knife to dig a hole and buried it. He spread some mulch over the spot and left.
I waited until he returned to his pub. It was nearly closing time and he busied himself, making certain everyone saw him. I decided to try something. I spoke directly to his mind, trying to make my voice seem to come from a spot close to him.
“There is somebody who knows what you did Brian.”
He swirled around and saw there was no one close to him. He looked around anxiously and then relaxed. He decided it was ‘nerves’. I continued, every so often, speaking, pointing out that he had no chance of getting away with it.
“They will find she was pregnant and a DNA test will show you to be the father.”
“Someone will find the knife.”
And so on. By the time he arrived home he was sweating. He had given up the swirling around every time he heard my voice. I waited for him to get into bed next to his wife. He did not even try to sleep, but lay there anxiously. I waited for over an hour.
“Brian, somebody still knows you killed. You also killed your baby.”
I kept this up until almost morning. I kept the most effective one for last.
“Brian, Lillian wants you to know how it felt.”
I had gathered those last moments and I sent them now into his mind. As he had the experience of her dying, his body acted out her death. His wife woke up and she tried to hold him as he struggled for breath. In a panic, thinking he was having a heart attack she phoned for an ambulance. I waited for it to end.
“You are going to feel that every day, every night, for the rest of your life. Lillian will not go away Brian. She wants you to pay for killing her baby.”
“Who are you?” he cried out.
1362
“It is me Brian, your wife. Calm down love, you’ve had a heart attack, the ambulance is coming.”
At this moment my protector came to me and insisted I return to my body.
“Do you really think it will force him to confess, Robert?” Cherine’s father asked.
I grinned at him. “How long do you think you would last?”
He turned to his daughter, a new understanding on his face. “Baby, if he looks so nasty when he grins, I can understand why you were so terrified of him.”
“Robert is good, daddy!”
I returned to Brian at about lunchtime - just when he was busy. He went through the same experience again and I saw after that, though he brushed everyone off, his eyes were starting to look haunted. A little while later I borrowed the voice of Irene, as she talks when adopting the age of about three.
“Daddy, why did you kill mummy and me?”
I sent him her face and he broke down crying. He left work and returned home. ‘His’ child kept calling ‘daddy’ every so often and he huddled in his office. When his wife and children tried to come in he screamed at them to get out. I kept returning through the night, sometimes as Lillian and at other times as his child.
In the morning I appeared in front of the police officer. “Only you can see me so no point in crying out. I am not the murderer, a local person is. He will hand himself in soon. I will plant a picture in your mind of where he hid the knife. You grew up here so you will recognise the area. You will need it, he forgot to wipe off his fingerprints.”
I’ll say this for him. Terrified though he was he kept quiet and left for the site I had shown him, taking along another policeman with a camera. I did not bother to follow him.
“Brian. The cops have your knife, they found it. Tsk, you forgot to wipe off your prints.”
“Fuck you whoever you are! I will not let them get me.”
I had the protector make him invulnerable to the razor he used on his wrists. He tried to drug himself but my healer changed the chemicals so that all that happened was he got stomach cramps and was nauseous.
“Brian, oh Brian. You will not escape. You will stand up in front of the whole world and tell them how you seduced Lillian and killed her because she was to have your baby. You will know what it is like to have your own children shun you.”
It took hours to break him down. When he could not take it anymore he called his wife to him and told her everything. She was horrified and wept. If he had hoped she would stand by him he was disappointed. She grabbed the children and left.
He tried to kill himself again, but I interrupted his efforts with the death of Lillian.
“Oh God, please stop!”
“I will if you own up. Go to the station and confess.”
At ten that night he got in his car and drove to the police station. I waited until I heard him confess and returned back to my body.
“He has confessed. Wait until I tell Savva, he will flip.”
“Why are you so sad Robert?”
“You expect me to be jubilant!?”
Rob spoke quietly. “Robert, not jubilant but at least satisfied. You have vindicated yourself, proven your innocence, you have saved Lillian and seen to it that her murderer will pay. What else could you want?”
1363
“A life has still been lost. The soul of the baby had to pay, it will not be born now. My healer could not re-create her with the foetus in her.”
“The soul will not be lost Robbie, it will have another body soon.” Meli spoke with the authority of her experience and I smiled at her.
“How is Lillian?”
“She is in the bedroom with Dommi. She remembers dying, but is having difficulty in adjusting. She wants to go home.”
“How would she explain her body then?”
“She won’t listen to us. Maybe Dommi can make her understand.”
“I’m not quite sure, it is now about the time we left to jump back in time. Can we stay or should we jump back again?”
“I think you are overtired Robert. We can stay, this is not our world. Sleep and then we can decide what to do.” My Cherine took me by the hand and led me to a bedroom. She helped undress me and lay next to me, holding me as I fell asleep.
I do not know how Claudia knew when I would wake up, but soon as I did she walked in holding a tray with coffee and toast.
“I could not get the honey you like, is this okay?”
“It’s magic love. Thank you.”
“What is magic love? I thought all love was a kind of magic.”
“Claudia! You teasing me? I’m living to experience everything it seems. You are the magic, I never expected you to grow up into such a thoughtful and caring young woman.”
“I’m not your Swedish maiden anymore?”
“In looks. In heart I think the only way to describe you now is as a Cherinian.”
“Are you sure?”
“You know I am.”
“Do you remember what you said to me Robert, about my hardness?”
“I do, that is why you make me so happy.”
“Would I have changed like this if you had treated me the way you did Rosie?”
Cherine sat up and took the slice of toast from my hand and ate it, her eyes twinkling. I sat without moving and thought it out.
“You have developed a very gentle way of telling me I am wrong Claudia.” I sent her the love I was feeling and she blushed and glowed with happiness as she walked out without a further word.
“I’m not quite sure how to handle this. I may have been too harsh Cherine, but it has already had an effect on Rosie. To back off now may not be such a good idea.”
“Doris?”
“What? Oh, you saw the fear in me?”
“We all do, even Rosie.”
“This is crazy. She is the one who needed to learn a lesson yet you all act with sympathy towards me as if I am the one having to learn my lesson.”
1364
“Maybe you both needed to?”
“Traitor!” I tickled her and ended up spilling coffee over us. Cherine immediately got rid of the stain.
“I think you better get up now. Dommi had no success with Lillian, you better talk to her.”
“I was hoping to avoid meeting her.”
“Chicken, you’re just scared she will want to thank you.”
“I’m presuming sweet logic has been used, but it did not work?”
“Yes. She is very stubborn.”
“If someone will not listen to Dommi, how do you expect me to succeed.”
“You will.”
My heart filled with glee. “Oh my sweet Cherry baby, you still have so much faith in me!”
“You are my Robert.” Her eyes were filled with adoration and I felt humbled by this love of hers that I do not deserve. God knows why she has such a blind spot where I am concerned, but I am grateful though.
“Let’s get it over with. Anybody worked out what we do with her? We can’t just leave her alone, without family or friends.”
“This Marian and her husband want her to stay with them. If Marian does not become jealous, they could make three for creating their own World.”
I walked into the lounge with a greeting for all. I smiled at Lillian and walked over to the phone. “Officer, you know who this is. I’ve kept my word. Am I still wanted?”
“I’m afraid so. You have broken the law.”
“Officer, I’m a very modest and shy person, I do not like being wanted. Any way you could help me?”
“Why should I?”
“I can think of a number of reasons. You know, in your heart, even if you will not admit it, when you arrested me you were convinced I was guilty. You had no intention of trying to find the real killer. If I had not escaped he would have got away with it. Surely you are happier having the real killer.”
“He would have confessed. You should have more trust in the law. I suggest you hand yourself over to the nearest station. It is likely that you will get away with a fine.”
“Should I mention how I showed you where the knife was?”
He was silent for a long time. “It was you! I thought I hallucinated your appearance. ”
“Afraid so. Has Brian also told you what drove him to confess?”
“That was you too?” I liked the way he did not refuse to listen to me.
“Shall we say I had a bit of help? Please, I really do need your help, I cannot afford to go through this.”
“There is nothing I can do.”
“I think there is. I ask that you give me ten minutes of your time, if I cannot convince you I will accompany you to your station. Will you at least agree to that?”
“Where?”
“At the tree where I told you I was that night?”
I turned to Lillian.
1365
“You insist on returning home?”
“Please. I want…”
“Later Lillian. I want you to see the effect of your returning. Come with me.”
I took her hand and jumped to the tree. As she arrived she screamed. I held on to her. Soon as she had recovered I spoke sternly. “You want to thank me. For what?”
“For saving my life.”
“I did not save your life. I brought you back after you died. Your body at this moment lies in the mortuary. You know the officer coming to meet me. How will you explain your presence to him? Do you want him to let Brian go?”
“What am I supposed to say? All I know is that I miss my family. They must be very worried about me.”
“They are not. They are grieving. They have seen your body. You have a strange way of wanting to thank us. You understand that for you to return to your previous life you will be betraying us and yet you refuse to listen or understand.”
She met my eyes without flinching. “I do not know why you gave me back my life, but it is my life and I have the right to live it as I want.”
“Here comes the officer. Wait behind the tree, it would not be fair to frighten the hell out of him. Let me prepare him first.”
“You have exactly ten minutes and then another car will arrive to take you into custody. You better speak fast.”
“You wanted to arrest me for killing Lillian?” He nodded. “So if she is not dead then you were wrong and I had a right to resist?”
“I have seen her body with my own eyes.”
“Then explain this. Come out now please.” Lillian stepped out and he gasped.
It took minutes for him to be convinced. He walked back to his car and told the others to return to the station.
“What is happening? I’ve seen her body and yet this is her. I need an explanation.”
“It will not be the kind of explanation you can put in a report.” He nodded his understanding. “May I call you by your name. Derrick, I am not just Robert Teller. As a matter of fact you will not find any records that prove I exist. Only my younger brother does.
I will not explain who or what I am. When you came to arrest me I was placed in an awkward situation. I do not normally interfere, but I had met Lillian and liked her. I did not want her to be dead. I could not stop her murder, for reasons I cannot go into right now, but I was able to return to the time of her death, take her soul and out of cells from her body create for her a new body.
I have friends and loved ones here and I want to be able to visit them. To bring me to the attention of the authorities would make it impossible. I had to help bring in the killer. I haunted him, made him repeatedly experience what Lillian had felt as he stabbed her and she died. I did this for more than one reason. I personally do not feel putting him in prison is enough. I wanted him to feel her pain, know what he had done.
You have the killer and Lillian gets her chance to live her life. Have I not done enough, is it really necessary to insist on punishing me for escaping from you?”
“I would have to say I lied, that would be the end of my career. Lillian, you know I would do it for you.”
“You may not need to do it for her. She demands I let her return to her family.”
1366
“There will be an uproar. How do we explain the body. We would also have to let Mr.. er Brian go.”
“I can make Lillian forget about me. She would remember Brian killing her and then she would find herself here by this tree and you would be driving by and find her. Derrick, what would happen to her?”
“Nothing. I mean, she did not commit a crime. Of course there would be a lot of questions. She would be made to go through a number of tests and she would be hounded by the press. We still have her body and the report by the coroner. The press is bound to make use of that and I cannot even begin to guess where all this would lead to.”
“Lillian, it is your choice. Forget and go home, or remember and learn to be part of the miracle that brought you back to life. There is no halfway ground, you cannot have both.”
“The way you brought me here, that was part of it?”
“The least important part. Our gifts are made of love, empathy and a joining of our souls that I cannot begin to explain now. Your life would be very special with us. One more thing. You will not live your normal span, even if I make you forget you will live at least twice as long as anybody else. As part of us it will be for far longer.”
“If this has to be a secret, why are you telling me in front of Derrick?”
“Because he loves you.” Derrick blushed, but she saw the truth, knew about it from before. “He will not speak of this, even if you do not want him. He would want you to be free to live your life.”
She was kind enough not to ignore what I’d said, “Derrick, I am sorry. Maybe later I could, I don’t know, but now, right after Brian…”
“I understand. He is right you know. I’ll say I lied if it helps you.”
“Derrick. Tell them I gave you proof as we were walking back to the station that I was innocent. My escape was a ploy to make the killer relax, think he had got away with it since you were all looking for me. I had undertaken to find the place the knife was hidden. Since you would have to release me anyway you saw no harm in trying my idea. Embroider it as much as you want, just don’t make it too elaborate or else they will trip you up.”
“I better not say anything about you finding the knife. We are not supposed to use civilians. Lillian, what are you going to do?”
I made one more attempt. “May I make a suggestion? There is no hurry. Give us a day, let us show you what you could be a part of. Do you really want to live the boring ordinary life you were born to?”
She nodded. “Derrick, my family…”
He was pragmatic. “If you return you can explain. If you do not, well, they have been through the pain of losing you, it would be better nothing more is said.”
“Thank you Derrick. I’ll be seeing you when I return to visit again. We’ll talk.” I extended my hand to Lillian.
“Lillian,” he spoke softly, “I envy you. Some kind of magic has come into your life. It saved your life and now will show you things most of us only dare to dream of.”
She gave me her hand, her eyes brimming as she looked back at him.
“He said the right thing Lillian, you will see more of him.” I jumped. (Of course I did that on purpose.)
“What do we do now Robert?”
“We take these two with us and go to Cyprus. I think it is time they find their own Socrati.”
“That’s a marvellous idea!”
“Can’t we go to the Alki of this world, it would be so wonderful for them to have him.”
1367
“I know love, but it will not work. Alki and I had a relationship already. I think we will have to come back with our Alki for that. Maybe he will know what to say to him.”
“What is wrong Robert? After you pull off something like this you are usually like a kid wanting to be patted and told how wonderful you are. This time you seem a little sad.”
“Not sad, just troubled. I would not like to be in the shoes of Lillian. It is a terrible choice she has to make. I also can’t help thinking of her family, the grief they feel for no reason.”
“If she stays, this Marian and Eric can form their own circle with her.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions Wendy. She is also loved by someone else.” They waited for me to tell them. I grinned. “The police officer who tried to arrest me.” The impossible had happened, I caught them by surprise.
We returned to the lounge.
“Cherine, it is about time you show Cher how you do the golden glow.”
We sat, most of them on the carpet and Cherine looked to me to start off. She felt me and changed her mind, starting off with little Cherine who had nestled in the arms of Rob. When she got to me I felt the sweetness of little Cherine and I was happy for Rob. My Cherine took her time, slowly building up the love, letting us take our time to sense the love as she came to each one. I saw the look on Lillian’s face and knew she was already enraptured. When the flow came around to her again her face glistened with the tears rolling down her cheeks. By the time the love was flowing around in a band of gold she was lost to this world. I felt Cherine hand it over to Cher and though it faltered for a fraction of a second, she balanced it in her mind and kept it swirling.
Cherine was able to relax and just enjoy it - and she let me see how deeply affected she was. I had never realised she was not enjoying it as we were, to be honest, I had not given it the thought I should have.
Cher let it grow far too strong and she lost control as it exploded, inundating the neighbourhood and stunning us. She gave a little cry and buried her face into Rob. His arms tightened around her protectively
.“You did well Cher, I could not have done better. I also sometimes let it get too strong, we even do it on purpose so as to make other people happy.”
Cher glowed with pride and as I looked at her, enjoying her childish showing off to her parents, I felt the eyes of Rosie on me. I chuckled. “Okay, so I am a bit of a hypocrite. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
I had to give Lillian time to recover. She had curled up into a ball and was weeping. When she sat up, she looked at me defiantly.
“To make me feel that was not fair. You know I cannot stay and let my family suffer.”
“It has been troubling me. If after feeling that, you can still stand firm, I definitely want you with us. We will find a compromise, I promise.”
She did not dare to believe, but for some reason she relaxed, deciding to trust me. I asked her about her family, who they are, their names and so on. She talked of them openly and I soon saw they are a very close-knit family.
“Lillian, too much has been happening and I forgot to mention it. You are no longer expecting, we could not re-create the foetus within you. I don’t know if it will please you, but you are also a virgin again. You can start off with a clean slate.”
“It might be better this way. I would have always remembered it’s father tried to kill me.”
“He did kill you.”
“I know …Tina. I just can’t think of it that way because I’m still alive.”
“Robert also brought me back. I was dead for longer than you,’ little Cher bragged, “for about two years!”
1368
This opened a discussion with the girls explaining. It was not necessary for me to take part so I quietly slipped out of the house to take a walk.
Dommi sent me a message. *Please don’t get involved in anything new Robert. We need a break.* I chuckled in reply.
Most people I know take pleasure in walking out in the countryside, finding peace and beauty in nature. I feel the same when walking in a suburb, feeling the occasional families who share their quiet love of each other. Today, after our golden band exploding, it was heavenly walking. I returned reinforced in my belief in the good of all men. This was a good time for me to tackle the difficult. I jumped.
The house of Lillian and her family was in front of me. I knocked on the door. After a while it opened.
“I’m sorry, we are not accepting visitors, there has been a…”
“I’m sorry to interrupt. It is about Lillian. I need to speak to you.”
“You are that young man they accused of killing her? I’m sorry you went through that, but please try to understand this is not the right time to...”
“Again I have to apologise for interrupting. I am not here for that reason. I have something to tell you and it is extremely important, I would not be here at such a time otherwise.”
“Come in then.”
I now wished I’d brought Cherine with. The parents were okay, but I got a funny feeling about their son. He was about fourteen and I did not like the cold look on his face as he watched his parents. I could not back out. I called to Cherine to look through my eyes but she could not help, she needed to feel for herself. Even before I’d sat down there was another knock on the door.
“I’m sorry, I think it is my little sister, I’d left her outside to wait for me.”
The father immediately opened the door for her. Cherine walked in and went straight to the son. She stood in front of him, staring into his eyes. He looked puzzled at her behaviour but kept quiet.
*It’s okay. He blames his parents. He loved his sister very much.* To reinforce her message she gave me her signal.
“Mr and Mrs Mallory, Jacob, I have a question to ask you. Please ignore whether the question sounds impossible or cruel, and answer me honestly. If it were possible for your daughter and sister to come back, would you be able to bear not having her with you? There are two very strict conditions. The first and most important is that not one other person is to know about it - ever! The second, which partly stems from the first, she would not be able to come here though you would be able to visit her.”
“How dare you! What kind of monster are you, is this your idea of revenge for the mistaken arrest…”
He stood frozen in shock. He had been reaching out to hit me when I paralysed him.
“Mrs Mallory, will you please answer me then.”
“What answer do you expect? Of course I want her back under any conditions if it were possible.”
“Would you keep to the agreement I mentioned.”
“Under any conditions. Just to know she is alive, but you know it is not possible. My husband identified her body.” She choked.
“Jacob, do I have your promise?”
He was staring at Cherine. “What is she doing? Promise? Of course.”
“May I let you go now Mr Mallory? Your promise please.” He was trembling, but he nodded.
“Excuse me a moment.” I walked into the dining room, closed the door and jumped, took Lillian by the hand and returned. She saw the familiar room and flung her arms around me. “Thank you.”
1369
“They will be in shock when they see you. Be patient.” I opened the door and she walked through. I gestured to Cherine, she came to me and we jumped. About an hour later I returned. As I entered the lounge I gave them a fright.
“I’m sorry. Lillian, have you explained?”
“I don’t really know what to say. I told them you brought me back to life, but I don’t know what else to say.”
“Please sit down Mrs Mallory. I hope I gave you enough time to recover from the shock. Please try to listen to me with an open mind. If Lillian returned here it would cause a lot of problems and many questions would be asked.
First of all, that man, Brian, would be released. The fact that there is a body would not be enough to convict him I think, at best, only for attempted murder. I’ll admit I’m not certain what the legalities are, whether he could be punished for the murder of that body or not. Perhaps the existence of the body would enable the prosecution to argue your daughter is another person, though the defence would argue it. I fear that the likelihood of him being let off are strong and I want him to be punished for what he did. I saw his cold-blooded killing of your daughter. I saw him afterwards, there was not an ounce of remorse in him.
Apart from the legal issues, if you are to keep quiet about me as promised, how would you explain her coming back from the dead with a new body. What kind of life do you think she would have?
We are not only talking about the press. Scientists will want to spend years examining her, looking for clues as to how she was able to create a new body. What do you think the armed forces of all countries will want from her? There will be those who will see such an ability as a promise of immortality and they will have no compunctions about sacrificing Lillian if they think the key to them finding answers is in her. Perhaps the worst will be the persecution of her by the various religious groups - those who believe being the worst.”
Plaintively, unable to think or understand the threat to her daughter and family, her mother said, “But she is back.”
“Mrs Mallory, ask Lillian, she was planning to leave here, go to a city and get a job. What I ask is not so different. The main difference is that you would have to pretend she is dead to your neighbours and friends.”
“I have not told them Robert. Mother, dad, I got pregnant by Brian. I wanted to keep the baby so I was going to go to London and get a bedsitter. I asked Brian for some money to help me bring up his child and he killed me.”
“Why didn’t you trust us Lil, we would have seen you right.”
“I know dad, I was too ashamed. I was going to tell you later.”
Her brother almost shouted, “The bastard! I wish he would be released so that I could kill him.”
“Jacob, just be glad I’m back please.”
“Jacob, why were you so angry with your parents?”
“The first time you came? They said they were sorry for his wife and children.”
“I was there, watching, when he told his wife what he had done. If you had seen her Jacob you would have felt sorry for her too. The children are not to blame. If your father had struck me earlier, would you think it fair of me to punish you?”
“Jeez, how did you stop him like that?”
I smiled at him. “Maybe one day I’ll show you.”
“Where will you be staying Lil?”
“I would rather you did not know for now. Lillian, give me your hand.”
“Do we have to go now Robert, just a little longer please?”
1370
“I just want to show them. I’ll bring you back.” She gave me her hand and we jumped.
She gleefully told the girls what had happened. I stood outside for a while having a smoke. When I came back in she turned to me. “They are all laughing at me. I asked how come you could do all these things when you are so young. They asked how old I think you are and I said you must be younger than me.”
“You mean what I do would be less remarkable if I was older? Say, about this old?” I changed myself to look about thirty five. I changed back.
“This is how I look normally, but I am older than I look. I’m in my mid twenties. Within a year you are going to look younger than you do now. Look at Dominique, she is older than you.”
I took her back to her parents and agreed to pick her up early the next morning. Without my asking, she promised not to let the neighbours see her.
Cherine tackled me, but more for the purpose of teasing me because her love and pride in me needed her to do or say something. “Robert, you really are a softie. You talk about not taking risks, that the world must not find out about us, but a girl gets a tear in her eye and you jump around telling everyone.”
“Just goes to show the power of a tear, my love.” I grinned. “At least nobody can tease me this time, she’s not a child.” That earned me a few giggles.
I smiled at Dommi and she guessed my thought and nodded. “Right, the rest of you, find something to do for the next half hour. I’m taking Dommi for her holiday.”
As we arrived, she took a look at me and frowned. “I prefer you as you really look.”
“Thanks. Dommi, when I come here in the future, nobody must recognise me. You will also have to change the way you look. I know! How about you make yourself a little baby.”
“If you make yourself into my mummy.”
We horsed around until she had a look that was different, but still reminded me of her. I had a feeling this was going to be a very different week or more, it is seldom I see her in such a playful mood. She was coquettish while pulling back soon as I made advances. I don’t know if she sensed my thoughts, I hoped she did not. I felt she was going to be just what the doctor ordered, a tonic to build me up again.
We went to the hotel outside Dar for supper and gorged ourselves. I heard people at a table next to us talking about a dance at a hotel nearby so we followed them. Dommi kept me on the floor most of that night, dancing with almost a wild abandon.
For the first time she drank alcohol, never getting drunk, but pleasingly giggly. She even had the waiters fawning over her. Driving back home she cuddled up against my shoulder and her fingers played with the hair at the back of my head.
She leaned against me as we entered the house and I helped undress her. I lay her down, undressed and placed myself against her. She had fallen asleep with a half-smile, so I lay there looking at her and thinking of the little girl I had loved, the teenager I’d fallen in love with and the wonderful wife, lover and companion she has turned into. Of all, I decided I prefer and love her the most as she is now.
Our breakfast was waiting for us when we got up. A wide slice of paw-paw with lime, a glass of pineapple juice (I do not usually drink orange or pineapple juice, I do not enjoy the sour taste in the one and the acidity in the other, but the local brand of both are delicious). There was a huge slab of honeycomb, a dark strong honey from bees in the wild, toast with butter (not margarine thank goodness) and a pot of tea and coffee. A very simple breakfast but delicious - even more delicious was the fact of it being there ready for us. There is nothing like the feeling of being pampered.
The day we spent on the beach with Dommi mostly lying in the sun, taking a run into the waves and so on. I sat in the shade sketching. We returned home for a shower and to change and returned to the hotel for supper.
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)12th July, 2019
* posted on Steemit: 12th July, 2019
@nikosnitza