Northern Moonlight (34 page)

Cara looked sadly at her sister.  “I would be happy for you, Sabrina, if I believed that
you
truly were happy.  But I see a woman who is deluding herself.  You can have your dazzling career
and
Gio.  They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.  Look at Max
and me.  We’ve come so far together in such a short time.  He respects my education and goals.  In turn, I respect the fact that he needs to travel for his job.  It hasn’t put a strain on our relationship at all, and it doesn’t have to hang a dark cloud over yours either.”

“Enough, Cara!” Sabrina spat, her temper flaring.  “You cannot compare your relationship with Max to what I had with Gio.  They are very different men.  The fact remains that I can’t have both Gio and my career because he won’t let me!  In truth, I can’t have Gio, period.  Even if I were unemployed, he’d still be shaking in his shoes afraid to unlatch his heart.  Nothing I do or refrain from doing can alter that fact.” Sabrina closed her eyes on a heavy exhalation.  “Cara, I’m going to be out of the country for eight weeks.  Do you really want to spend the last few minutes before you drop me off at the airport bickering like this?”

Cara relented and said in spite of herself, “No, of course I don’t.  I just want my sister to be happy.  And if Martinique will make you happy, then let’s get you to that airport so you can hop on that flight.”

Sabrina looked at her gratefully.  “Thank you.  I appreciate that more than you know.”

From the backseat, Softy stirred in his cat carrier, scraping claws against the barrier and mewling for attention. “Poor baby,” Sabrina coddled.  “You don’t like car rides, do you?  Oh, I know.” She pet the cat through the bars of the carrier, then turned to Cara and said, “It’s a good thing you’re taking him to Mom and Dad’s.  Softy would have withered away from loneliness otherwise.  Plus, I didn’t want to have Mrs. Benjamin snooping around my house for the whole summer.”

“You’re welcome.  Let’s just hope I’m not allergic because my nose has felt a little ticklish since that fur ball got into the car.” Cara snipped as Sabrina laughed.

The sisters rode on in silence with Cara honking at some reckless cabs while trying not to drive maniacally herself.  Sabrina watched the sidewalks whiz by, feeling a nervous tremor in her belly as she thought about being away from home for so long.  She had never been out of the country for more than two weeks, and here she was going away for two months to an island she knew little about. From an artistic perspective, she knew that the crystalline waters of the Caribbean Sea were ripe for photographing, but what about the lifestyle?  What was the food like?  Was it a safe place for an unescorted woman?  She would no doubt experience a sharp injection of culture shock upon arrival. 

Her thoughts inevitably drifted to Gio.  Damn it, he had so many chances to stop her from going to Martinique, and he had squandered all of them.  He had willingly set her free like a butterfly in the wind, as though she had never been his to keep in the first
place.  And Sabrina had fiercely wanted to be his.  But her destiny awaited somewhere in the indigo haze of Martinique.

“I think we’re going to make it.” Cara reassured Sabrina, as she breezed through the terminal for international departures.  “You’ll really have to hustle over to the check-in counter, but I know you can do it, sweetie.” Her voice now carried with it a note of suppressed emotion that did not escape Sabrina.

“Cara, you sound as though you’re about to cry!” Sabrina exclaimed.

“I know.  I can’t help it.”

“Don’t get upset now, right before I have to go.  It’s not like I’m going away forever.  You’ll be battling miserable traffic to come get me at this airport before you can blink!” Sabrina turned to her younger sister and gave her a tight hug. 

“I love you, Sabrina.” Cara whispered through tears.

“I love you too, Cara.  Now dry your eyes because you have to get back on the road.” Sabrina instructed.

Cara wiped her face with a tissue and said cheerfully, “
Bon voyage
!” then added with a wink, “Don’t forget to take pictures!” The two women laughed jovially, embraced one more time, and parted ways.  Cara watched as Sabrina rolled her suitcase through the revolving doors until she disappeared in the crowd of travelers. 

Sabrina sat in her airplane seat listening to the flight staff review safety instructions in the event of an emergency.  She had boarded the plane with mere minutes to spare, having dashed over to the check-in counter to get her passport verified.  Then, she had run with her boarding pass all the way to the gate.  Now on the airplane, she tried to relax, but found that Cara’s emotional good-bye had affected her more than she would have liked. 

The plane wasn’t even off the ground yet, and Sabrina was also thinking about Gio at home in Vermont.  What was he doing at that very moment?  A secret part of her had held onto foolish hope that he would come to the airport to stop her from leaving.  Fighting back what threatened to be a fresh onslaught of tears, Sabrina unfolded her tray in expectation of a refreshing drink and in-flight meal.

The flight was mainly uneventful with Sabrina alternately flipping through magazines and marveling at the plush clouds in the clear sky.  When she heard the pilot’s voice suddenly come over the loud speaker, she and the other passengers were unnerved. 

“Attention passengers, please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated.  We are encountering higher than normal levels of turbulence.  Once again, please fasten your seatbelts and do not get out of your seats for any reason.  Thank you for your cooperation.”

All around her, people’s voices rose from an apprehensive hush to a panicked crescendo as the plane floundered in the air.  Sabrina felt as though she were in a movie as drinks spilled, babies wailed, and people recited prayers out loud. 

White-knuckled, she gripped the armrest, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to ward off the nausea that surged through her.  Wishing she had skipped the cardboard-tasting meal, Sabrina groaned, hoping that she could maintain her composure and not become ill.  The plane continued to bounce precariously up and down as the seatbelt sign flashed, reminding the frightened passengers to stay put.  Sabrina wondered if they were going to have to make an emergency landing, although the pilot had not mentioned such a drastic measure, probably not wanting to cause more chaos than necessary.

As the aircraft wobbled unsteadily in the air, Sabrina kept her eyes closed, envisioning Gio by her side and all the things she would say to him.  If these were her last moments on earth, she would want him to know how much she loved him.  Whether he was able to commit to her or not, those were her feelings, and with each dip and sway that the plane made, Sabrina felt her heart breaking.  She thought in a flash of her parents and of Cara, who had made a scene on the ride to the airport.  Could that have been a premonition that something was going to go wrong? 
Stop it!
Sabrina screamed in her head. 
Don’t be a superstitious imbecile!

At that moment, the pilot’s considerably calmer voice echoed over the loud speaker again: “Attention, passengers.  We seem to be exiting the turbulent area.  Please remain seated with your belts fastened for the next few minutes, after which we anticipate you will be able to move freely about the aircraft.  Thank you for your patience.”

A universal sigh of relief derived from the airplane, as people slowly began to resume their activities, chatting and readjusting their headphones.  Sabrina felt tears burn her eyes, and she did not try to prevent them from flowing.  That brief but terrifying experience had solidified her feelings for Gio, made her realize how important he had become to her.  Now she was faced with the disheartening knowledge that she was really going to be away from Vermont for two whole months.  Suddenly, the length of time seemed interminable, and she concocted scenarios in her head where Gio would meet a new woman and write off Sabrina as a meaningless fling. 

The remainder of the flight was tedious for Sabrina, and when the plane finally touched ground in Martinique, she was wildly eager to stretch her legs and flee her claustrophobia-inducing surroundings. 

Sabrina filed out of the plane as quickly as possible among the masses of equally restless and travel-weary passengers.  In a daze, she went through the various checkpoints in the airport, still reeling from the tremendous turbulence.  Outside the airport, the weather was hot and humid as Sabrina stood on the curb waiting in queue for a taxi. 

The taxi driver was amiable, markedly different from the drivers she was accustomed to in the States.  Sabrina employed her French to instruct the driver to take the shortest route to her waterside hotel and was surprised when he answered her in heavily accented English.

“
Mademoiselle
, I am happy to take you there. 
À votre service.
  Welcome to Martinique.  You are very beautiful to travel alone.” The mustached driver had a pleasant, melodious voice that set Sabrina at ease after the harrowing experience onboard.

“Thank you.  But it’s your country that is very beautiful.”

“You have not seen much yet,
Mademoiselle
.  Martinique is a land not only of beaches but of wonderful music, food, and people.” He spoke with a mixture of enthusiasm and national pride.

“Yes,
Monsieur
, I can already see that Martinique is a fascinating place.”

“How long will you be visiting us?”

Sabrina sighed on this question and tried to bury memories of Gio as she answered.  “Two months.” The words sounded foreign to her ears.

“Two months!  What will a beautiful young lady do on our island for two months?”

“This is a business trip for me.  I’m a photographer for an American magazine, and my boss sent me to Martinique for a special issue about undiscovered gems of the Caribbean.”

“This is excellent.  I am happy because the land of Martinique, she thrives on tourism!  Seem like Americans always choose Jamaica instead.”

Sabrina nodded, grateful for the conversational exchange with the hospitable driver.  She hoped that his welcoming demeanor would be shared by everyone she came
into contact with.  A short drive later, they arrived at Sabrina’s hotel, a palatial resort in the island’s capital city, Fort-de-France.  The resort sat directly on the turquoise shores of the Caribbean. 

Sabrina admired the French-inspired architecture along with endless rows of palm trees.  Inhaling deeply of the salty sea air, she shook the driver’s hand and gave him an extra generous tip.  Then, she strolled over to the front desk, getting the impression that this might turn out to be a more enjoyable sojourn than she had believed.  If there were any place in the world more conducive to getting over Gio than the sun-kissed, sparkling blue island of Martinique, she did not know where to find it. 

The hotel lobby featured a solarium and dozens of open windows through which a revitalizing sea breeze blew.  Already Sabrina could hear the strength of the trade winds that Martinique and all the other Windward Islands were noted for.  The front desk clerk was an attractive woman of no more than twenty-five with a flawless mahogany complexion and warm smile. “Welcome to the Lush Blue Resort.  May I please have your name?” The clerk spoke in French.