Chapter Twelve
After we have sailed for half an hour, Elias suggests we anchor up. I look over to the beautiful bay nearby and agree it is the perfect spot. I have no idea where we are, but it is certainly stunning, with crystal-clear sea and shoals of colourful fish swimming around us.
As we gently sway in the water, I relax on the deck and lie on a sunbed decorated with the yacht’s insignia of gold and blue whilst I wait for Elias to get us some drinks. I thought perhaps if we lay on the sunbeds for a while, we might be able to have a chat, and I’d get my chance to find out more about him. However, Elias suggests we dive off the boat since this is the perfect place for a swim. Fortunately, I packed my swimwear, assuming that swimming might be involved today.
Once I finish my soft drink, I change in the small bathroom with gold-plated taps. I must adjust my sarong twenty times before I have the confidence to walk back out.
As I approach Elias, he smiles, and the look on his face tells me that he likes what he sees. Shyly, I avert my eyes from him and focus on the ground.
‘Is that a batik sarong?’
His question takes me aback. How on earth does Elias know about batik sarongs? Was it the sarong that he liked the look of when I walked out? There was me getting ideas!
‘Umm, yeah. Soraya picked it up on a stall in Indonesia on one of her wonderful trips.’
‘Very clever how they do batik with the hot wax. Have you ever seen it being done?’
‘Umm, no.’
As Elias talks about wax, I self-consciously cross my legs as I think about how my bikini wax might need redoing and start cringing. Thankfully, though, Elias seems nervous and starts rambling, delaying our swim. From talk of the art of batik, he tells me about the time he realised he needed glasses.
‘So, there was this woman walking down the street with a hamster. Now, I had a hamster when I was a kid, so I had to say something. I stopped her and went to pet its head, and she shouted at me to get off her chocolate muffin. It was a bloody muffin and not a hamster! Of course, I offered to pay for a new muffin after I’d had my hand all over it. The next thing I did was book an optician’s appointment.’
We laugh together, and I soon forget about my bikini line and, indeed, anything else.
‘Anyway, what am I going on about? Let’s have that swim.’
‘As long as you can see where you’re going,’ I tease.
‘Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got my contacts in, and I can see you very clearly.’ I notice his cheeks go red as he says it. Maybe it was better when I thought he was short-sighted!
Hesitantly, I remove my sarong, worried about exposing my wobbly bits and anything else. I hear Soraya’s voice in my head telling me to be confident and love myself, wobbly bits and all. Elias lifts his arms up to remove his T-shirt, and I try not to stare at those muscles underneath a long scar on his chest. I am glad Carol isn’t here now. I may have had to push her overboard to cool her down a bit.
When we get to the diving board, I insist that Elias dives off first. I don’t want him seeing me with my bottom wobbling everywhere as I belly-flop into the sea. Instead, I watch him as he flies through the air in the perfect dive. Then he disappears beneath the sea and pops his head up as though he is some great shark looking for prey. Let’s just hope I’m not his target.
I take a deep breath and jump off the back of the boat, closing my eyes until I feel the water smash against my body. It is refreshing and invigorating. This must be how those women who do that cold water swimming stuff feel, only chillier, obviously. I have never seen the appeal until now. But as I bounce up from the water, I feel regenerated, confident, and as though I am living my best life.
I smooth my hair with my hand in a way that makes me feel as though I am Bo Derek in that famous movie scene and smile at Elias as I tread water. Then he does something strange with his hand, in a sort of wave around my shoulders, and then he says, ‘Sorry, your top, umm, it’s…’
I look down and die. One boob is hanging right out, and I didn’t even notice. Was I too busy trying to create the perfect pose that I didn’t feel anything was wrong? I scramble so hard at the strap of my swimsuit to cover my modesty that I manage to scratch my skin.
‘Oh my god. I’m sorry. This blasted swimsuit. I’m mortified.’
‘Hey, you’re amongst friends. Forget it. I just wanted you to know, that’s all. I mean, gosh, people around here go topless all the time. Nothing to be ashamed of.’
Nothing to be ashamed of! I am dying and can never look this man in the eye ever again. I dive down under the water so that I can regain some composure, holding onto the strap as I bob back up. Elias is still there, looking at me, and the embarrassment has not ceased in the slightest.
‘Fancy a race?’ he says.
I’ll do anything not to look at him right now, even a competitive swim.
‘I’m not that good a swimmer, but I’ll try.’
‘I’ll give you a head start then,’ smiles Elias.
I don’t think I have ever swum so fast in my life. I was never a great swimmer, but suddenly, I have a strength and determination that I didn’t know I had. However, Elias quickly catches up with me, and we reach our agreed winning post, with him easily beating me.
‘I’ve an unfair advantage. Not a lot of people know this, but I was in the National County Team Championships a very long time ago. I should have slowed down.’
‘No, it’s fine. I don’t need any special treatment.’
Catching our breath, we tread water for a while, and then Elias floats up on his back. I follow his lead, and we float together, looking up at the bright blue sky with the shoreline in the distance. Everything is serene and perfect out here. I feel so free and at peace with life. I can’t ever remember feeling this relaxed.
When we finally start getting tired out on the water, Elias suggests we go back on board for a glass of wine.
I hadn’t planned on having a drink at lunchtime, but after my mortal embarrassment with boob-gate, I could probably do with one. How could I be so unlucky?
Back on the yacht, I wrap up in one of the large beach towels that Elias hands me as I step on board. I wrap it around me like a cloak to protect myself in case I exhibit any further body parts. Then I go into the shower room to rinse off and change.
By the time I come back upstairs, an ice-cold glass of Chablis is on the table waiting for me.
‘I thought we could sail out a little further while you relax with your wine. I want to show you something really special,’ says Elias.
‘Yeah, sure.’
I quickly take a sip of wine, making sure it tastes okay. I am always cautious when a guy pours a drink; it comes from worrying about the girls when they are out so much. It is ingrained in my head. However, it tastes like Chablis, and I relax a little as my hunch tells me that Elias isn’t a scammer who is going to take me out into the ocean and rob me of any assets. I mean, he could have drowned me just now if he wanted to, surely? He can also probably tell by my clothes that I don’t have any assets to scam.
The wind blows stronger, and the boat rocks slightly more vigorously as we move further away from the bay. Then, I finally hear the engines slow down.
‘I’ve got to turn the engines off here, okay?’
‘Yeah, whatever you need to do.’
Elias rushes over with a pair of binoculars and tells me to look starboard. I get confused with his yachting language and look to the left.
‘Sorry, that means the right,’ says Elias gently.
‘Oh, yes. Of course.’ Why do sailors have to make up this confusing terminology? I wish they would just say left and right.
I try to zoom in with the binoculars, but I just make everything blurrier.
‘I can’t see anything.’
‘Here, give them to me.’
Elias looks out to sea and then plays with the focus until he gets it right.
‘Now, you have to look this way.’
Elias stands behind me as he guides me where to look. He holds his hands around my waist as he directs my body in the right direction. I desperately try not to let him notice how my body is responding to the touch of his hands.
‘Oh my gosh, I can see it! I can see it! Is it a dolphin?’
‘It is indeed. I think it’s a common dolphin. If you’re lucky, you might spot a bottlenose or striped dolphin too. It’s a protected area for mammals along here. The Pelagos Sanctuary.’
‘Wow. How wonderful. We get dolphins in Wales. Although every time I’ve gone out on a trip to see them, the weather hasn’t been the best. Now I can see why you enjoy sailing out here so much. To just be with nature like this. Do you see sharks and whales too?’
‘I’ve seen a sperm whale once or twice, yeah.’
‘Amazing.’
Elias’s enthusiasm is delightful as he talks of the wildlife he’s seen on his yachting adventures.
‘I used to get excited when I saw a hedgehog in the garden in my old house. I’ve never seen anything like this unless it was on a David Attenborough programme,’ I explain.
Elias laughs and then offers me another glass of wine. Still smarting from my shoulder strap incident, I agree, before we start heading back towards Monaco.
‘So, what will you do for the rest of the day?’ asks Elias.
‘You know what? After this adventure, I think I might be able to start writing that book.’
‘That’s great news! You see… You can’t beat a bit of sailing to brush the cobwebs off.’
‘So it seems. Who knows, I might even have to think of a way I can add a magical dolphin into my story. Although I had planned on having a cat in there somewhere in memory of my beauty Stella who died.’
‘Oh, bless her. How old was Stella?’
‘She was a week off her twentieth birthday. To be honest, I’d love another cat one day. The timing just isn’t right now with the apartment I live in. I’d like a cat to have a garden, you know.’
‘Yes, of course. Well, let’s hope you can share your life with another cat one day.’
‘Yes, maybe. I dream of writing my book with a little furball brushing up against my leg as I type. Then forcing me to stop work as she demands I feed her.’ I laugh.
‘I do understand. It’s not the same without a cat in the house,’ says Elias.
‘So, you’re a cat lover?’
‘Oh, yes, we always had cats when I was growing up and until recently,’ says Elias.
‘That’s wonderful. They really are family, aren’t they?’
‘Totally. Even when they’re gallivanting about, just knowing their cat bowl is there and they will come back in when they’re ready is a nice feeling.’
‘You make it sound like having teenagers in the house,’ I say.
‘Indeed! We had those demanding creatures in the house too.’ Elias laughs. I can’t resist the opportunity to find out more about his family.
‘We? Your family?’
‘Yes. My wife, two boys, one of whom now runs the business, and our Persian called Fluffy, who we picked up from a rescue. Fluffy was a gorgeous little thing. The boys named him. They were all best pals when they were young.’
‘Cats are such good company.’
‘They are. Fluffy will be keeping my wife company up there now, no doubt.’ Elias points to the sky, and we both look up.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry. It’s hard enough losing our pets, but losing your wife too. Oh, no. I don’t know what to say…’
‘It’s been three years now. You get used to living without them. That’s one of the reasons I love being out here. I feel close to her in some ways. It was always our dream to retire and sail around the Med one day. Of course, we didn’t know that we weren’t to have the luxury of time on our side.’
‘Well, thank goodness you got this job then. How did it come about?’
‘Oh, well, umm. Yeah. One of the boys knew someone who needed a skipper, and I had a few qualifications that I’d done in my spare time, and you know… It kind of all fell into place.’
Elias turns away from me and no longer looks me in the eye. Perhaps he doesn’t want to talk about this time in his life.
‘Great. Well, that was some consolation, I suppose.’
‘Yeah, anyway. Let’s get this boat back into the harbour, hey? You have some writing to do, and I’ve got some work on the yacht I have to finish.’
‘Oh, of course. I really don’t want to keep you when you’re supposed to be working.’
After we safely get back into the port, Elias drives me to the apartment. There has been no further mention of dinner, so I begin to wonder if I put my foot in it, and perhaps he realises it is a mistake to go for a meal with another woman when he is still grieving for his wife. I decide not to remind him of our earlier agreement. So, as I leave him to drive back to his yacht, I thank him for the lovely day he has given me.
‘I still can’t believe we saw dolphins. It was very special. You’ve been so lovely to me since I arrived in Monaco, and I truly appreciate it, thank you. So, I’ll be seeing you then.’
‘What about tomorrow night? Didn’t I say I have to take you for dinner? Surely, you’re not going to welch on a bet, are you?’ Elias removes his sunglasses and looks at me with a naughty glint in his eye.
‘Oh, umm, yes. Of course. If you’re sure that’s okay?’
‘Absolutely! I’ll book a table somewhere I know. It’s nothing fancy. No need to dress up or anything.’
‘Well, that sounds perfect. I’ll look forward to it.’
‘Me too,’ says Elias.
As he drives off, I notice Paulo coming up the road in his big Mercedes. I wave to him, but he ignores me. Maybe he doesn’t recognise me without my friends. He drives into the car park, and I wait for him to show up at the door. But I don’t see him again, so I assume he must stay in the block somewhere. If anyone is a man of mystery, it’s Paulo.
I spend the evening catching up with Carol and Soraya who have landed back into a very wet Bristol airport before making their way home. I tell them all about my day with Elias. Carol is positively seething and wishes she had stayed on, but she has appointments for a full head of highlights and some OAP perms booked for the morning, so she didn’t have much choice.
I still haven’t replied to Michael and consider blocking him for the duration of my trip. Then I think better of it in case the girls can’t get hold of me, and there is some huge emergency that is so bad it could only happen in my imagination.
Maybe it is the thought of how nice Elias is that makes me respond, but I finally answer Michael’s message.
Michael, this is nothing to do with you. Elias is a very nice man
from Manchester. He’s not a scammer. You need to calm down.
There. I’ve stood up to him!
Almost instantly, Michael replies.
Elias? That’s his name? He’s made it up. I bet that’s not his name.
That doesn’t sound like some geezer from Manchester. He should be called
John, Pete, or Steve, or something… I don’t think you should have any
further contact with the man. Please stay safe, the girls need their
mam.
I throw my phone down on the sofa. The cheek of this man telling me not to have contact with Elias! Then I start seething, pick it back up and type:
Don’t you dare tell me what to do. You’ve no idea about him. He’s a
much better man than you’ll ever be!!!!
I press send, and the ticks show he has read it. Immediately, I can see he is typing, so I decide that for one night, surely I can block him without there being some kind of emergency in this family. With a simple block, he is no longer typing.
After all, this is a break for relaxation, inspiration, dolphin watching and eating croissants. This is not a holiday where I will allow any drama from my ex-husband into my life.