Bondi Beach (13 page)

Chapter 25

FEBRUARY 15

I told Martin that he could drop me at the airport since I would have to go through security, and we wouldn’t have much time together; however, he insisted on coming in with me. We checked my bag, and he walked me to the security gate. We held each other for a long time while people bustled by us. We kissed, and he reached over to tuck my hair behind my ear.

“Skype me when you get home
,” he told me. “I want to know that you got there safely.”

“I will
. I miss you already.”

“Eight weeks.
” He wiped a single tear from my cheek with his thumb. “I’ll be there in eight weeks.”

I smiled
. “I know.”

“I love you,” he said reassuringly.

I couldn’t say anything so I just nodded. We hugged one last time before I made my way through the security line. I waved from the other side before disappearing onto the concourse and heading toward my gate.

I felt an overwhelming sense of grief coming on so
I stopped into the first restroom that I could find. I locked myself in a stall, sat on the toilet, and silently wept. Someone else came into the bathroom and sat down in the stall next to me. “Excuse me, is there any toilet paper over there?”

“Yeah.
” I reached down, rolled some up, and handed it to the person in the next stall.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

My phone chirped
. Martin had sent a text.
I miss you. You okay?

I typed quickly with my thumbs.
I’m crying in a bathroom stall.
I didn’t hear anything back so sent another message.
I’m okay.

A long text came through
. He must have been typing it before receiving my second note.
Don’t cry, Eva. In eight weeks, you can show me North Carolina. I’ve waited over 20 years for you. We can wait just 2 more months
. Then, he got my second text and wrote,
Good
.

I
wiped my eyes, blew my nose, and stepped out of the stall to wash my hands and face before reentering the concourse and heading for my gate. They were just boarding first class when I received another text from him so I had a few minutes to sit down and respond.
Look in your purse. Middle compartment.

My brows furrowed, and I opened my purse and fished around the middle compartment before finding a small box
. Inside it was a pair of gold post earrings with heart-shaped diamonds. I smiled and put them on. I texted,
They’re beautiful. But how did you...?

His response was simply
,

.

A moment later, I boarded the airplane, settled into my seat,
reflecting on everything that had happened since I landed in Sydney six weeks ago. I had come to Australia to become reacquainted with myself and my dreams and had left in a loving relationship with a man who had dreamed of me more than twenty years ago. It was an incredible gift, and I felt truly blessed.

*****

After making such an effort to lift my spirits, I learned later how much Martin had struggled with my leaving. Once I’d boarded the plane, he had walked out to the parking lot and sat in his car until he knew that I was gone. Tears had slipped down his face on his drive home as he felt both relieved at having found me after twenty-one years and deeply saddened to have lost me already.

He’d walked into his house feeling eerily alone.
Then, he’d poured a glass of brandy and stood in the doorway of his bedroom before heading into the living room where he’d picked up the remote, sat down on the sofa, and listened to Muse’s “Starlight” over and over for about two hours.

That night, he said, when he’d gone to bed, his sheets smelled like I do, and he cried until he fell asleep. If I had been there, I would have told him that everything would be alright and that we were meant to be together. That this was just the beginning and not the end.

*****

The trip home was long, and I was
relieved to finally return to Charlotte and get through customs. I made my way to the long-term parking garage where I picked up my car and began the hour-plus journey home.

Being back in the States felt surreal
just as it did when I walked back into my house for the first time in six weeks. Exhausted, I went to bed and slept for a few hours. My internal body clock was confused. I got up to make something to eat around dinner time. A light on my phone was flashing, and I noticed that I’d gotten a text message from Martin asking if I’d made it home safely. Having that message from him – while I was standing in my kitchen – made him seem less like a dream and more real. I’d begun wondering if I’d imagined the entire thing.

I fixed supper and
went into my office to turn on the computer. I typed in Martin’s Skype ID, and he accepted my request to be a Skype contact a few minutes later. The next thing I knew, a video call was coming through. I answered, and his face came up on my screen.

A large grin crossed his face.
“Hi there.”

My stomach fluttered at seeing the eyes and face of my lover, and I felt elated like a giddy school girl
. I was reminded, again, that the feeling of being in love never changes – no matter how old we are. “Hi. It’s so good to see you.”

“You’re wearing your earrings.”

“I haven’t taken them off since the airport. Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

“
You’re welcome. They suit you. How was your flight?”

“Long
. It was good to get home and sleep for a while.”

“
I can imagine.” His face and voice turned a little more serious. “How are you doing?”

“I miss you.”

His smile was a little sad. “I know what you mean. The house feels empty without you here.”

“It was strange to
come home. I began wondering if I’d imagined everything. Then, I got your text,” I grinned again. “Thank you for that.”

“
You’re welcome.”

We chatted for a little while longer before Martin said, “Listen,
Eva, you must be really tired.”

"I am. I can't
seem to figure out what time zone I'm in."

"You’ll feel better in a few days. Trust me.
I should let you get some sleep."

I was hesitant to hang up, but we agreed to talk
the following day. From then on, we talked almost daily. The only time we didn’t was if we couldn’t coordinate our schedules, which were multiple time zones apart with Sydney being 15 hours ahead. I just wished that we didn’t have so much distance between us. Just when I’d gotten used to being alone all the time, Martin had come along. Now, I missed him terribly.

Chapter 26

FEBRUARY 18-24

As much as I missed Martin, I tried to focus on catching up at home and spending time with friends. A few of them had stayed close to me when I was going through my most difficult times with Jack, and I wanted to make it up to them and let them know that I was okay. I also wanted to go out and play.

About a week after I returned home, I met
my friend Denise for dinner. While in Australia, I’d been mostly out of touch, and we hadn’t caught up for some time. She was one of the ones who’d responded to my Facebook posts. We arrived at Indian Gourmet at the same time and exchanged a big hug just inside the doors.

“It’s wonderful to see you!” she exclaimed
.

I was just as excited to get together as she was. “It’s great to see you, too!
”

We were shown to our
booth where the host graciously offered to take our coats and hang them up. We ordered our meals and settled in for a long evening together.

“How have you been?” I asked her
.

Denise had always been fit but looked like she'd really been working out at the gym lately. She also wore her brown hair in a bob, now, and it made her hazel eyes look even bigger somehow.

“You look great,” I told her.

“
Thanks. I’m fine,” she said, reaching across the table and grabbing my hand. “So, are you still seeing him?” I nodded with a big dreamy smile on my face that I couldn’t have hidden if I’d tried. Then, she spotted my earrings. “Are those from him?”

“Yes,
” I nodded.

“Any photos?”

“I knew you’d ask
.” I looked through my purse and pulled out the photo of us that Martin had given to me before I left. “Here.”

“Oh, he’s gorgeous.
” She studied it for a moment before looking back at me. “You look so happy, Eva.”

“I am,” I smiled.

I pulled out my phone and showed her some more pictures. She moved around the table to sit beside me, and I flipped through the photos on my phone. It was like a walk down memory lane, and, seeing them with Denise made them feel more real.

“Here’s my favorite,” I said, flipping to the second from last
. Martin and I were in his kitchen, and he stood directly behind me, his arms wrapped around me and our cheeks touching.

“
Eva,” she said before moving back to the other side of the table.

I exhaled. “Yes.”

“You’re hopelessly in love, aren’t you?”

I laughed.
“Hopefully, actually.”

A look of concern crossed her eyes
. “How are you going to make this work?”

“Well,” I began, “we Skype almost daily
. It’s a little tricky since he’s 15 hours ahead. I usually have to call him early in the morning where it’s evening there or in the evening when it’s morning or around lunchtime there.”

“Are you going to see each other again?”

I smiled, almost ready to bounce out of my seat. “April. He’s coming here in mid-April and will stay for a month.”

Denise’s mouth
dropped open, and she leaned forward a little. “Are you serious?”

I nodded
. “He already bought the ticket.” Our meals were set before us, and we dug into our food. “Now, tell me about you.”

“
Oh, no. Really, I’m fine. My life is blissfully boring. Kids are busy with piano and soccer. Keith works all the time. I’m still selling insurance.” She raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t come here to talk about myself tonight. I want to hear more about ‘My Love, Martin.’”

I shot her a sarcastic look.

“What?” she shrugged.

“I wondered if I should have posted that on Facebook,”
I laughed, and we spent the next hour reviewing the details of my trip.

“How serious is he?” she ventured
.

“Very,” I told her
. I was hesitant to share Martin’s dream with her, but he had taken it seriously enough that he had decided to commit to exploring a relationship between us. Still, it was personal to him, and I would keep it private for now.

“I suppose if he’s coming here for a month he must be
serious!”

“He is
. I’ve even met his mother and sister. They flew in from Brisbane to meet me.”

Incredulous, she asked,
“He already introduced you to his family?”

“And some of his friends.”

She took a sip of wine. “How’d that go?”

“For the most part, it went well.
” I told her about Drew, Bud, and “the Mikes” and, even, about my “problem with Mike.” Denise expressed deep concern over Mike, but I assured her that he was out of the picture.

As we finished our evening together, Denise said, “
Eva, I am
so
happy for you. If anyone deserves this, it’s you.” We hugged and said goodnight, and I promised that she would meet Martin when he was in town. Then, we went our separate ways into the chilly winter evening, and I hoped that I could still catch him on Skype.

*****

It was just past noon in Sydney when I reached him. “Hello, Beautiful,” he began.

My heart fluttered
. “Hey, Handsome.”
I’m so happy,
can
this last?
I wondered. I pushed the question away. “How’s your day going?”

He took a deep breath, and ran
his hand across the back of his neck. “Better now. How was your dinner?”

“Good
. Denise is looking forward to meeting you.”

“Likewise,”
he smiled but seemed a little subdued.

“What’s wrong?”

“We’re having trouble at one of our sites. I’ve been trying to troubleshoot it from this end, but it looks like I’m going to have to go to Gabon tomorrow.”

“Why
? What happened?”

He sighed a little impatiently and shook his head
. “I don’t know. One of our guys was working with a village in the eastern part of the country and hasn’t been getting along with some of the workers from a government organization there. They want us to pull him out, and I need to go in and try to smooth things over.”

“I’m sorry
,” I told him.

“
Yeah. Me, too.”

“When do you leave?
”

“
In the morning. I just booked my flight.”

“I suppose there’s not a non-stop?”

He chuckled. “Well, there is, but it would cost over thirteen grand. Air France can get me there for a quarter of the cost with two stops.” He sounded tired. “It takes about 40 hours from Sydney to Libreville. Then, I’ll have to arrange transport into the field from there.”

“Oh,
Martin. I’m so sorry.” I sighed. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just pray for me,” he smiled
.

“I will.”

“I won’t have access to the Internet so I’ll be out of touch until I get back. I should be home in a couple of weeks.” His phone rang, and he looked down at it. “I’m sorry, Eva, but I’ve got to take this. Just know that I love you.”

“I love you, too.
” We said “Goodnight” and closed our computers, and it sounded like it would be some time until we’d be able to reconnect.