3 Weeks 'Til Forever (5 page)

Softening
her tone, she said, “Look, there’s an obvious attraction between us. I can be
honest and admit that. But I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl and when I saw
you with that woman, I realized that it is highly unlikely that a man like you,
at your age, on this island, doesn’t have a woman.”

“So
honestly, that’s what made me retreat. I just don’t have room in my life for
complications of any kind – especially those that involve a man. I just don’t.”

“I
respect your honesty,” Redmond said, “now, let me tell you something. The woman
you saw me with used to be a – how shall I put this – special friend. In fact,
we dealt with each other for about three years.”

“Like
some men, some women can find it hard to let go. I like Natalie; she’s
obviously beautiful and we shared some great times together. But, I’ve never
been in love with her and I told her so and we stopped sleeping together about
a year ago.”

“At
first she thought I was moving on to someone else because, you’re right, a lot
of tourists – which includes many attractive women – come and go on this
island. But that’s never been my style.”

“So
why did you stop, uhm, ‘dealing’ with her like that if it wasn’t another
woman?” Janey asked. “My impression was that most men – especially once they
reach a certain age – like to have a special someone at home, even if they
aren’t necessarily in love.”

“That
may be true for a lot of men, especially those who are stuck on an island with
nothing going on and no chance of getting off via a work visa, marriage, etc.
But again, it’s not my style.

“I
run my own business and know how to be alone. In fact, I quite enjoy it. Maybe
too much according to some of the females I’ve been involved with over the
years.”

“But,
you’re right about one thing . . . I am getting to that age where I want to
settle down and have a special someone to come home to. But for me, it can’t
just be anyone.”

“Look,
every man or woman can get their physical needs satisfied. That’s just a
reality. And that’s what Natalie was for me, although we were, no – are – friends
too and have a lot of fun together. “

“This
island is small. We know a lot of the same people, which means we’re constantly
running into each other. She probably has hopes of us getting back together
because I haven’t taken another long-term lover since her, even though ours was
never a committed relationship.”

Janey
took a mental note of the phrase ‘long-term lover’, letting it go and instead
saying, “So I ask again, why did you stop dealing with her on a physical
level?” Janey repeated.

Without
hesitating, Redmond responded, “Because I’m 38 years old. I’m getting to a
point in my life where I want to settle down permanently. Even though what
Natalie and I shared was fun, it wasn’t real and I felt emptier and emptier
every time I left her bed, or she left mine.”

“Forgive
me for being so blunt, but there comes a time when a man wants to stop fucking
and start making love Janey.”

“Don’t
get me wrong, we’ll take great sex every time, but I’ve had the other – great
sex in a committed relationship. I have hopes of finding that again . . . of
finding love again.”

“Again?”
Janey questioned.

Chapter
8: Redmond

The
bartender came over from behind the bar and asked if they’d like to order
drinks.

They’d
been sitting and talking for almost an hour and he said that since they’d been
so intensely in conversation, he hadn’t wanted to disturb them.

Amazed
that time had flown so quickly, Redmond cocked an eyebrow at Janey as if to
ask, “Are we having drinks?”

Janey
ordered a glass of wine,
a Chilean
Syrah
.
Redmond opted for a beer, his seemingly preferred alcoholic beverage of choice.

“You’re a diverse drinker. I expected
you to order a whiskey like you did at the club last night.”

“One of the prerequisites of owning a
travel blog network is that you always have to sample new things in order to
relay them to readers.”

“Well I hope what you ‘sample’ on your
travels is limited to food, drink and sporting activities,” he replied.

“Why are you insulting my honor, Mr.
Hillyard?” she asked coyly in her most charming southern accent.

Glad
that she could take a joke, he replied, “Well most certainly not madam; I’m
only thinking of your virtue and safety.”

The
bartender promptly appeared with their drinks, then just as promptly
disappeared.

“We
missed the sunset, which is where I was going to take you this evening, then to
see a steel band up the beach. We can still catch that if you want, as I hope
I’ve answered all of your questions about there being a woman in my life and
that you have no more reservations about going out with me.”

“Actually,
I’m quite enjoying our conversation; so can we play it by ear? You’d just
gotten to a very interesting point in your life story, which was about finding
love … again. Care to expound?”

“Nosey
little devil aren’t you?” Redmond kidded.

“I
prefer the word curious. In my line of work, it pays to be curious,” Janey shot
back.

Redmond
chuckled at that, then quickly turned from her, planting his gaze on the early dawn
of the evening out the window. Mars couldn’t have been farther away than he was
from her at that moment.

Janey
just sat quietly, letting him take his time to tell his story.

“Layla
was the love of my life,” he started.

“We’ve
known each other practically all of our lives. We started dating when she was
14 and I was 16. It was puppy love that grew into lasting love, at least for
me.”

“We
got married when I was 21 and had a daughter when I was 30 – which was a total
surprise because we’d basically given up on having children. But we were happy
together, or so I thought.”

Redmond
paused to pick up his beer, and just held it.

Janey
continued to sit quietly, knowing that something that was obviously so painful
could only be shared when the person was good and ready to do so.

Redmond
looked over, taking note of how patiently she waited, not pressing him. He
appreciated that.
Most people weren’t that intuitive,
he thought.

Taking
a sip of his beer, he continued, “One day, I came home from work to find my
wife and daughter gone. Layla had taken her to my mother’s house on the other
side of the island. Of course, I didn’t realize this at that precise moment. I
just thought they were out and would be home soon.

“But
as it got later – 7 o’clock, 8 o’clock – I started to worry because they were
almost always home when I got there, and it gets dark as you probably know
around 7:30. So when I hadn’t heard anything by 7:45, I started calling her. No
answer. Her phone kept going straight to voice mail.”

“I
panicked. I called her friends and nobody had seen her all day.”

“Finally,
I called my mother. She said that Layla had dropped our daughter off earlier
that afternoon and said she was going to be back a little late, like 8 or 9.”

“That’s
why my mom hadn’t called me, because it was still well within the timeframe
that Layla had given her for picking up Kemalia. That’s my daughter’s name.”

“I
relaxed a little, because by then it was only 8:15, but I was still worried because
I couldn’t reach her by phone. However, I reasoned that if she told my mother
she’d pick our daughter up by 9, then she would. So I just waited.”

“By
9:30, I was in full-blown panic mode. I called my mother several times and
Janey never showed up.”

“I
called the police, but much like in the states from what I understand, they
won’t start looking for an adult until at least 24 hours have passed.  And
as my child was safe, there was nothing I could say or do to get them to start
looking.”

“At
that point, all I could do was wait.”

“To
make a long story short, two days later, I received a telegram. She told me
that she’d met someone else that she’d been seeing for a while and was leaving
to be with him.”

“She
apologized for not having the courage to tell me to my face; said she hoped I’d
‘understand’ and didn’t hate her too much; and would stay in touch with my
mother to keep tabs on our daughter.”

“She
didn’t even mention where she was and to this day, I don’t know. That was six
years ago.”

“During
this time, if it wasn’t for my daughter, I don’t know what I would have done.
But I had to remain a sane, functioning individual for her.”

“For
almost two years, I didn’t even look at another woman. I’ve always been a
workaholic and I think that – and my daughter – saved my life.”

“A
couple of years after my wife left, I met Natalie. She was fun, more than easy
on the eyes and a no-pressure kind of female, which was just what I needed at
the time.”

“I
stopped wanting to know where my wife had run off to about a year ago, around
the same time I broke things off with Natalie. And that’s what made me realize
that I was ready to
really
move on with my life.”

“The
more I began to come back to life, the more I realized that I wanted what I once
had with my wife. And, in spite of how well me and Natalie clicked, that deep
connection wasn’t there.”

“I’m
not sure how much sense I’m making right now. You women have much better ways
of explaining yourselves when it comes to this kind of thing, but trust me, men
have those feelings too.”

“Anyway
. . . then, I met you. I can’t explain it, but something snapped into place
that felt right . . . and here we are.”

Amazed
at just how well he’d expressed himself – and how openly – Janey grabbed his hand
and said, “Thank you. Thank you for trusting me enough to share such a
difficult part of your life.”

They
sat in silence for a few more minutes and watched the purple and orange haze in
the evening sky fade to midnight blue, which signaled full night had fallen.

Switching
gears, Janey piped up asking, “Redmond, do you know anyone who does tours out
of this area?”

“The
reason I ask is … I need to go to the northern part of the island. I’m working
on a series about life outside the main tourists spots for a client and need
someone – someone trustworthy – who can take me to a couple of remote villages
so I can interview some of the locals about their way of life?”

“I’d
like to go for at least three days, possibly four. The guide I’d lined up had a
sudden urgent family matter and can’t take me. I was hoping to put my client
off by writing about some of the places right around here, but they’re quite
insistent on some ‘non-touristy’ content about the island.”

“So
if you could recommend someone who can take me away from this area – again,
someone you trust – I’d really appreciate it.”

“I
know the perfect person and they could leave on Thursday and stay gone for at
least a week. Would that work for you?”

Janey
lit up like a Christmas tree, exclaiming, “Oh my god you’re a life saver! That
would be perfect. Can you introduce me or give me a number? I’d like to make
arrangements as soon as possible.”

“I
was thinking it would take me at least a couple of days to track down another
guide I’d feel comfortable with, then another two or three to make arrangements
to get going. That would have been  pushing my timeline to the limit.
Actually leaving on Thursday would be absolutely perfect!”

Redmond
said, “How about 9 am? It’s only about a six hour drive to where you want to
go, which would leave plenty of time for you to be introduced to a few families
and start your work the day you arrive.”

“Shouldn’t
I be discussing these details with your contact?” Janey asked.

“You
are,” Redmond said.

“But,
bu . . .”

Laughing
and cutting her off, Redmond said, “Janey, I not only drive locally as a taxi,
I do group tours, day tours, private tours … all kinds of tours. I’d be happy
to take you anywhere you need to go on this island.”

“And
I could introduce you to all kinds of people – from lobster fishermen, to
basket weavers, to ganja dealers. You’ll have all the stories you need, and
then some.”

“But
how safe would I be?” Janey thought, immediately realizing that she’d
verbalized the question.

“This
is business. You’ll never have to fear for your safety – from me or anyone else
– so you can scratch that off of your list of things to worry about,” Redmond
said, allaying her fears.

“Now,
do we have a deal? Do we leave at 9 a.m. on Thursday?”

An
inexplicable sense of relief flooded her and she responded, “Yes! Thank you.
Again, you are a real life saver.”

“In
the meantime, you said something about a steel band up the beach?” Janey said,
getting up. She was relieved to have gotten plans for her visit to the north
out of the way and she was ready to celebrate.

Redmond
stood and nodded, dropping his eyes to the red polish on her toes which were
playfully highlighted by the tangerine color of her flip flops.

Dear
Lord, I’m noticing the color of toe nail polish and flip flops! Pull it
together man,
he thought.

Desperately
wanting to kiss her but sensing it was inappropriate in light of the business
arrangement they’d just made, he reached for her hand, kissed the back of it and
told her he’d be waiting when she came back down.

Janey
went back to her room, changed and met him in the lobby 20 minutes later.

.
. .

Over
the next few days, they spent quite a lot of time together -- having drinks at
off-the-radar bars, talking politics with his friends, and catching amazing
sunsets from isolated high points on the island.

Even
though she’d visited
Sol y Besos
many times, it was like seeing it for
the first time with Redmond because he not only knew every nook and cranny of it,
he knew everybody.