Authors: Cassandra P. Lewis
“R
osie, is everything ok? You’re up late for a school night” the sound of his voice is heaven,
“Pip’s here, we had a few drinks and I just missed you so
… sorry for waking you” I’m embarrassed,
“You didn’t Alvez. You know me, I’m an early bird.
It’s so good to hear your voice. I miss you like crazy” I bite my lip, he misses me
“Me too
, it’s been hell not speaking to you” there’s a pause as we both take a moment to appreciate that we’re actually talking, “Hey guess what, Pippa’s got a boyfriend!” Pippa throws a pillow at me to try and shut me up but Jackson has already heard me loud and clear, I’m giggling as he responds,
“Really, who’s the lucky bloke? Anyone I know?” he questions,
“Yes actually, but we’ll catch up on that when you’re home. How are the wedding plans coming along? All ready for tomorrow?” I feel myself sobering by the minute as I talk to him,
“Yeah it’s all go,
Steve is like a kid at Christmas; Annie has gone to her parents’ house now. I’m looking forward to it, partly because the sooner it’s over the sooner I can get back to you” he says quietly, I guess it’s just in case Steve hears him,
“
Jackson, do you want coffee?” I hear the voice of an English woman call to him and my heart sinks, why is there a woman asking him about coffee at six in the morning?
“Rosie
that’s Sasha, she’s a friend!” he explains without being asked, “You have nothing to worry about,”
His words do put me at
ease but being so far away from him is hard. I am so tired and as much as I don’t want to, I have to say goodnight and get some sleep,
“Ok babe I trust you.
Listen, I'm exhausted so I'm going to go. Let me know how tomorrow goes”
“Ok sweetie, I will. Get some sleep, I love you”
“I love you too Jackson, I miss you”
“Me too beautiful, speak soon”
We hang up and I look over to a version of Pippa that I have never seen before, one that is smiling at
her phone like a teenage girl.
I am struggling to keep my eyes open now so quickly change into some pyjamas and climb into bed, Pippa is in the middle of a text conversation with her new man and the thought makes me smile as my head hits the
pillow and I give in to the tiredness.
The wedding day is
finally here. It’s an early start as we had to be at Annie’s parents’ house for seven am for the arrival of the monks that are coming to bless the happy couple, Rosie’s wakeup call helped!
The Thai wedding is full of traditions to uphold and Steve wants to make sure that it’s perfect for Annie, she’s dreamt of this day since she was a little girl.
The monks chant and say prayers before placing a lit candle in a bowl of water. Steve, Annie and their guests all then offer food to the monks and we leave the room to allow them to eat. After their meal, the monks begin their chants again and a senior monk blesses us all with holy water. After the blessing, Steve, Sasha, his parents and I leave Annie’s parents’ house to go back to Steve’s and prepare for the khan maak procession.
“How you doing bud?” I ask Steve while we change into traditional Thai suits ready for the procession,
“I’m good, we’ve been waiting for this day for a long time so it’s exciting that it’s finally here” Steve seems nervous behind the happiness that he is projecting and I suspect it’s because of the
pressure of making sure he gets everything right,
“You’re doing great mate, I’m happy for you” I pat him on the shoulder to reassure him just as Sasha leans around the door to Steve’s room and wolf whistles,
“Wow, check you two out! Come on then, let’s get this show on the road”
The procession is a fun, happy tradition with musicians playing long instruments like trombones and dancing all of the way to Annie’s parent’s house. Once we arrive at the house, women from Annie’s family block the way with gold and silver ribbons, meant to symbolise gates. Steve has to negotiate his way through the gates by offering money in envelopes as a key.
Annie’s re
latives certainly make it difficult for him, joking that he’s not offering enough money to convince them to open the gates. Everyone is laughing and teasing Steve and there is so much happiness in the air you can almost touch it.
Once the gates
are successfully negotiated, Steve’s family present gifts to Annie’s family, including banana and sugar plants as these traditionally represent fertility, and food is offered and laid out for dead ancestors.
The next part of the wedding ceremony
is conducted by a senior elder of Annie’s family; Steve and Annie wear traditional Thai clothing and kneel down. They ‘wai’ as white cord is used to link their heads together, this is meant to link together their destinies. Water is poured by the elder and then the guests from a conch shell over the hands of Steve and Annie with bowls of flowers underneath the hands to catch the water.
After all of the tradition of the day, I am looking forward to the informal evening that Annie has planned. Instead of a formal dinner, the newlyweds have closed Presley’s to the public and we have a buffet of Thai food, an open bar and karaoke!
“Fancy a dance then James” Sasha sits next to me at the bar.
I’ve been watching Steve and Annie dancing while various members of their families sing songs dedicated to the newlyweds, I realise as she speaks that I have a stupid grin on my face,
“Yeah ok Sash, why not”
I walk to the dance floor with Sasha and Steve eyes me warily. I shake my head to let him know that I’m not going to do anything stupid as Sasha takes my hands and we start to dance to Kath’s rendition of ‘Club Tropicana.’
I’m having a fantastic time! everyone is laughing and singing, the drinks are flowing and my best friend is the happiest that I have ever seen him. I can’t help but think about what my wedding to Rosie will be like and the thought excites me, I decide to go outside to try and call her.
As I step outside of Presley’s
I’m met by the sight of an extremely drunk Sasha throwing up into a plant pot,
“Sash, Jesus. Come on, you need water” I take Sasha’s arm and start to lead her back to Presley’s when she stops me,
“No Jackson, I just want to go to bed. Will you help me get home?”
I look at her for a moment.
I can’t let her go alone in this state but I’m not ready to leave the wedding and don’t think that Sasha and I should be alone together when we’ve both been drinking. I tell her to sit and head back inside to find Steve,
“Mate, Sasha’s wasted. I’m gonna take her back and put her to bed. Is that ok?” I ask Steve as he watches his new wife dancing with his Dad,
“Jackson, do you think that’s wise?” he looks me in the eyes, still concerned that I’m going to mess things up with Rosie,
“Steve, she can hardly stand up. I can’t let her go alone.
It’s fine, I’m not stupid” he shrugs his shoulders and hands me the keys to his house. I head back outside to Sasha and call a tuk tuk over.
Back at the house I tell Sasha to go and get into bed and that I’ll bring her some water but when I walk into her room she has sobered up loads and is standing waiting for me, completely naked,
“Sash, put some clothes on” I look away to allow her to cover up,
“Jackson come off it, there’s no way you would come back with me if this isn’t what you wanted” She steps toward me and I step back,
“No Sasha, I don’t want this. I
’m getting married you know that!” I turn and leave the room, part of me worries that if I stay too long I won’t be able to stop myself,
“
Jackson, you’re not the marrying type! Think about that and when you’re ready to admit it, you know where I am” Sasha calls after me as I head back downstairs and I hear her door slam, she never was good with rejection.
I decide to leave Sasha and head back to the wedding. I see the look of relief in Steve’s eyes when I walk back into the bar and when he hugs me, I feel that same relief myself, I did it.
Annie takes a photo of Steve and I on my phone and I send it to Rosie with a text,
‘I’ll be with you soon beautiful x’
By the time we get back to the house I am seeing d
ouble of pretty much everything. I have no idea what the time is and just need to collapse and get some sleep.
In my room I strip my clothes off and flop onto the bed, I know that I should cover up in case Steve’s mum or anyone comes into my room by mistake, but
I’m not in control of my limbs. I’m dog tired and pissed as a fart…
I feel Rosie’s hands slide up my thighs and the soft kiss of her lips on my stomach; I am hard in an instant, begging for her touch, her kiss. She obliges and takes me in her mouth, all of me. I moan as she licks and sucks but then she stops and moves to straddle me. Her hands pin my forearms to the bed as she positions herself above me and plunges down, taking me deep inside her. It feels amazing as she rides up and down and I need to feel her, see her. I open my eyes…
“SASHA!” Fuck! What am I doing? I push Sasha off me and turn on the bedside lamp, “What are you doing in here Sasha?” I am mortified as I reach for my boxers,
“Well I thought that was obvious
Jackson!” she laughs and rage fills me,
“I was practically c
omatose Sash, what the fuck?” I scratch the back of my head and throw her a t-shirt, “Cover yourself up!”
Sasha puts on the
t-shirt and stands in front of me,
“I was
just having some fun Jackson, you and I both know you can’t resist me!” she smiles and I’m so incredibly angry, I can’t stand violence towards women but I feel like I could hit her so easily right now. I was out cold and she took advantage,
“I thought you were Rosie Sasha!” I spit the words out and she looks hurt as she realises that I had no idea what I was
doing, “You can’t fucking do shit like that Sash, it’s practically rape! Are you insane? Get the fuck out Sasha, don’t talk to me!”
Sasha’s mouth drops open and tears fill her eyes
as she realises the mistake that she’s made and for some reason, I feel guilty,
“Oh
my god! Jackson I’m so sorry. I thought it’s what you wanted” she shakes her head and I can see tears in her eyes as she turns to leave,
“Sash, you need to realise that
I’m with Rosie now, if she forgives me for this that is! Me and you, we can’t do…this” I gesture towards the bed, “Ever again!”
“I’m sorry” Sasha leaves a
nd I sit on the bed horrified. Without even knowing I was doing it I’ve cheated on Rosie. The one thing that I promised I would never do. Now I need to decide, do I be honest and lose her or keep quiet? I think for a while before I realise that I know the answer, losing her isn’t an option.
I am bursting with anticipation. I haven’t seen Jackson for two weeks and I just cannot wait to see him, and feel his arms around me. His
connecting flight from Dubai was delayed slightly and I’m eagerly watching the arrivals board to see the status change to ‘Landed.’
I’m
watching out of the window as planes of different colours and sizes come and go, my coffee is cold as I have been concentrating on looking for Jackson’s flight rather than drinking it. I look out at the runway to see a huge emirates jet touch down on the tarmac and my heart skips a beat, I walk back over to the arrivals board to see the status change. It’s him, he’s home.
As I wait anxiously for Jackson to walk through the gate I can’t help but smile as I look arou
nd and watch families reunite, loved ones holding one another as though their lives depend on it, it warms my heart. I watch as a small girl runs under the barrier calling ‘Daddy’ and is swept up into the arms of her tearful father, she throws her arms around his neck and holds on for dear life, I suspect not wanting to let him go away again.
As he leans down to put his little girl back on the ground I catch a glimpse
behind him of the man that turns my stomach into an Olympic gymnast.
I am not in control of my own action
s as I run forward and into the arms of Jackson. I have missed him so much and can’t wait another second to touch him, it appears the feeling is mutual and he drops his bag and picks me up, spinning me around as he kisses me intensely,
“I missed you!”
Jackson squeezes me as though he’s checking that I’m real and I can feel the love in his embrace, “Come on let’s get out of here”
We leave the airport and head outside
to get a taxi back to the hotel. I can’t wipe the smile from face as I link my fingers with Jackson’s, I didn’t know that it could feel like this, like you could need a person as much as you need oxygen. It’s scary and comforting at the same time.