Twenty-one
It had taken Jamie two weeks to set up the kitesurfing with Gary, but the day was finally here, and he couldn’t wait to see Erica again. Although they’d been in touch to make the arrangements, Erica’s texts in reply had been brief and to the point. It was almost as if she regretted suggesting it.
Jamie was looking forward both to seeing Erica again and to the kitesurfing. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t tried it before. Since Gary had added kitesurfing to his dive school and had gained his IKO (International Kitesurfing Organisation) certification, he’d been inundated with tourists wanting to learn and had even organised a kitesurfing carnival the previous year, drawing kitesurfers from all over Australia. Jamie was proud of what his younger son had achieved.
Initially, he’d been worried about learning the skill alongside a bunch of youngsters who might mock his and Erica’s efforts, but Gary, clearly sensing his dad’s concern, had assured him he’d teach them on their own. ‘Don’t want to have a group of teenagers show you up,’ had been his son’s words, but it had relieved Jamie, and he guessed Erica would feel the same.
It was a perfect morning, only a slight breeze rippling the water when he gazed out from his front veranda, sipping his morning coffee. His phone beeped.
All set, Dad? ’
Jamie grinned, as he texted his reply. Did Gary think he was going to pike out? But it reminded him to check with Erica.
Are we still on for kitesurfing?
Her reply came immediately, accompanied by a smiley emoji.
Sure. Looking forward to it .
Jamie gave a sigh of relief and went back inside to cook breakfast. It was almost like old times, preparing to spend the day with Erica. How he wished he could turn back the clock, go back to when they were a couple, to when everything seemed bathed in a rosy glow of happiness. But then, he reminded himself, there would be no Rory, no Gary, and no little Archie. There was no use harking back to the past, wishing for the future that had always been out of reach. He needed to concentrate on the present and the hope that fate had given him a second chance. And this time, he was determined not to blow it.
Erica was ready and waiting when he knocked on her door. She looked stunning, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a long-sleeved skivvy in a shade of blue which matched her eyes – the one feature she didn’t share with her brother.
‘We can walk down to the harbour,’ Jamie said, ‘unless you’d rather drive.’
‘No, walking’s good. Isn’t it a lovely day?’
Glad to hear Erica sounding more positive than he’d expected, Jamie agreed, and they set off at a brisk pace, only pausing when they encountered a pair of pelicans strutting across in front of them. Jamie was careful to keep the conversation general, choosing to recount an anecdote about one of his charter groups which made Erica laugh.
There was no time for further conversation when they reached the building next to his office which housed Gary’s dive school and now his kitesurfing school too, as Gary immediately took over. The next hour was taken up by Gary instructing them on the basics of kitesurfing, where they learned the terminology and safety aspects before heading to the beach to discover how to launch, control and fly the kite.
By this time, they had donned wetsuits and were raring to go.
*
‘Wow!’ Erica landed the kite back on the beach and struggled out of the harness. She was filled with exhilaration at her achievement. The past few hours had been amazing. Gary had patiently shown her and Jamie how to launch, control, and land the kite, how to relaunch a kite from the water, and how to body drag through the water. Now she’d had her first experience of kitesurfing, she knew it wouldn’t be her last. It hadn’t been quite as difficult as she’d anticipated. Probably her history of sailing had helped there. She looked across at Jamie, seeing her own grin mirrored on his face.
‘Let’s go back and get out of these wetsuits,’ he said, ‘and grab a bite of lunch. All the exercise has made me hungry and given me a thirst.’
‘You both did pretty well,’ Gary said, adding, ‘for beginners,’ just as Erica was beginning to think he meant for a couple of oldies .
Jamie said it for her. ‘Your dad’s not so bad for an old bloke, eh?’
‘You said it, Dad,’ Gary chuckled. ‘A few more lessons and the pair of you will be ready to go solo.’
Jamie grinned, but Erica flinched. She didn’t want Gary or anyone else to view her and Jamie as a couple. Maybe this had been a mistake. After her initial regrets, she’d been looking forward to today, and she had enjoyed the sheer excitement of learning to control the kite, the adrenaline rush from sliding over the water, the thrill of weightlessness when her body left the water, the pure joy of the whole experience. She could understand why some people became addicted to it. But… and it was a big but… if it meant spending more time with Jamie and being perceived as a couple, she might have to give it a miss.
‘Erica?’
She realised Jamie was still waiting for an answer to his invitation to lunch. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I should be getting back.’ It was a weak excuse, and Jamie clearly thought so too.
‘You have to eat,’ he said. ‘We can have a quick meal at The Grand .’
It was true. Erica realised it wouldn’t be easy to wriggle out of this, and The Grand had always put on a good counter lunch, but again, she was beset with memories she’d been trying to stifle.
Back when she and Jamie had been dating, The Grand , the hotel opposite the harbour, had been where everyone had their first drink – often before they reached their eighteenth birthday. It had been where she had her first glass of wine, where Jamie had persuaded her to take a sip of his beer, and she’d almost choked at the bitter taste. She could still hear his laughter, feel the soft fabric of his tee-shirt against her bare shoulder, his knees touching hers under the table. It had been her seventeenth birthday and she’d felt so grown up, wearing a halter-necked dress she’d bought herself with money saved from her part-time job in a café.
‘ The Grand ,’ she said now, swallowing the temptation to decline. ‘Sounds great.’
Once inside the old building which was dimmer than she remembered, Jamie led Erica to a corner table from where she was able to gaze around the room. Although the hotel had gone through several renovations over the years, not much had changed. The bar was still in the same spot, its dark wood surface covered by towelling cloths, presumably to soak up any spillages of beer, the array of bottles of spirits and liqueurs shelved behind, and the rows of glasses waiting to be filled. In these respects, it was no different from any other bar Erica had patronised, though those had been few and far between during her marriage, Geoff claiming they were no place for a respectable woman to frequent, and certainly not his wife.
The main difference from the bar she remembered was the presence of a large wide-screen television showing a footy game being played somewhere in the world, and the various blackboard menus scattered along the walls.
‘What’ll you have?’ Jamie asked, once they were seated. ‘I can recommend the pie and chips, and Ross stocks a few craft beers these days. I’m afraid I’m not much of a connoisseur of food or wine,’ he said with a self-deprecating smile.
‘A sparkling mineral water for me, thanks, and…’ Erica twisted round to read the menu above their heads, ‘… I’ll have the calamari and chips.’ She decided it would be best to avoid alcohol so early in the day, and she wanted to keep all her wits about her. This place brought back too many memories.
But, as they waited for their meals, and Erica sipped her mineral water, any fears she might have had about Jamie trying to recapture the past were allayed, as they talked about their kitesurfing experience.
‘I don’t know why I’ve never tried it before now,’ Jamie said, shaking his head. ‘Gary has invited me often enough, but I always managed to find an excuse. I’m grateful to you for suggesting it, and I’m definitely going to have another go. How about you? You seemed to be enjoying it as much as I did.’
‘I did enjoy it,’ Erica said slowly, wondering how to tell him she hadn’t been comfortable in his company. But it wouldn’t have been true. She did enjoy his company, perhaps too much. It would be so easy to slip back into their old companionship, to be able to share her thoughts and feelings with him, knowing he’d understand. ‘I liked the feeling of freedom,’ she said at last, realising that was exactly what she’d liked best. It was similar to what she experienced swimming in the ocean at dawn.
Jamie frowned. It was clearly not the response he’d been expecting. ‘Freedom? Sounds as if you’ve been feeling trapped.’ He raised an eyebrow.
Erica winced, wishing she could take back her words. ‘It was the sense of weightlessness,’ she said, hoping to stem any further questions. There was no way she was going to reveal the secrets of her marriage to him.
‘You’re not wrong. I get it. I’m glad we did this together,’ Jamie said, covering Erica’s hand with his. ‘And I’m glad you’re back. I’ve waited a long time.’
Erica flinched. Jamie always had got her, and his meaning was clear. He was ready to pick up where they’d left off all those years ago when she left Pelican Crossing to study nursing in Sydney, just as if the last thirty-odd years had never happened. But they had, and while it would be all too easy to go along with him and give in to the flash of desire his touch triggered, too much had happened for her to trust her emotions, even when it came to an old friend like Jamie.