Chapter Thirty-Four Perfect Day
The celebrations go on into the evening. Patty’s new family love to show off as much as she does, so there are a few duets taking place. Well if you can’t bond over ‘You’re the One that I Want’ what can you bond over?
My mum and dad have already retired to bed when Zoe comes up and says that they’re heading up, too.
‘It was a wonderful day, Mum,’ she says and I nod. It really was. I kiss her goodnight.
‘Shall we go up?’ asks Michael. ‘Leave this lot to their own version of The X-Factor?’
Patty’s words be more spontaneous have been gathering momentum as this lovely day has gone on and I think the time is right. I gather up all my bravado and say, ‘Come with me first. There’s something I’ve always wanted to do.’
We sneak away from the table and then through the hotel, giggling like school children. The front door creaks as we try to open it quietly and then we run along the beach as if escaping from the crowds. The moon and stars are lighting up the beach and the tide is gently lapping against the gleaming white sand. The last cries of birdcall seem louder and more exotic in the quiet of the night.
I walk along until the hotel is out of sight and we’re in a little cove that I spotted while out on the yacht earlier today. At this hour, the moon seems to shine on it like a spotlight on a stage. I turn to Michael and kiss him.
‘You remember I said in the furniture store that I wanted our first time to be perfect?’
He nods. ‘It was memorable at least. I’ll never forget Or-Ang-Ina.’
‘You can say that again. I’d still love that magical moment. And then I found this place yesterday and well, I thought it would be absolutely perfect for our first time here on the island.’ I’m whispering coyly.
I pull Michael towards me and kiss him.
‘Our own private From Here To Eternity,’ he murmurs, stroking my hair and smiling into my eyes.
We lie down on the sand and I run my hands down the muscles in his back. He nibbles my neck.
Ouch that bite was a bit sharp.
Ouch, so was that.
‘That’s not actually you, is it?’ I cry, sitting up and brushing the sand off my body.
‘No it isn’t, something’s biting me. I think it might be sand flies.’ He leaps up and pulls his shirt off.
At that point a heron or gull of some sort takes fright from all the commotion. It swoops from the cliffs down over the sea, nearly taking my head off and leaving a healthy deposit on my hair.
‘Oh, no!’ I yell, not wanting to leave it there but not wanting to touch it.
‘Angie, watch out,’ yells Michael, pointing to the sea.
Too late. A small gathering wave smacks me right in the face. I sit there in my beautiful chiffon dress, covered in bird poo and soaking wet. Behind me, Michael just starts laughing. Soon he’s uncontrollably doubled up with laughter. I look at him as he stands there wearing half a shirt, scratching away on our perfect island paradise. What do we look like? I start laughing, too, and we put our arms around each other to make our way to the hotel. He takes off his shirt properly to wrap around me as the night breeze turns chilly.
‘I’m sorry I’ve gone and done it again. Some perfect night this turned out to be,’ I say.
‘Oh I don’t know,’ he says, holding me tightly. ‘There’s an old saying which goes, “. . . at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling”.’
I kiss him.
‘Well if that’s what it takes, I think we might be very happy together.’
THE END