Chapter 46
Although I hadn’t set an alarm, the next morning I woke up at six o’clock.
I felt a twinge of pain in my knees as I swung my legs out of bed.
I examined the abrasions that had oozed a little overnight and headed for the room with the walk-in closet.
When I found it empty, I was taken aback.
I reminded myself that I wasn’t going jogging today.
I thoughtlessly looked around the room for a moment before trotting back to bed and crawling under the covers.
To my surprise, I fell asleep again and only woke up when Kay knocked on my door.
According to my watch, it was just after eight.
“Lou, are you awake? We need to leave, at the latest, in an hour if we want to have a bit of a buffer.”
So, this was it. I really was leaving and going back to my old life.
“I’m awake,” I called and ran a hand across my face.
I got up and hurried to the shower. The water burned my knees and woke me up.
I brushed my teeth and, for the first time in six weeks, put something other than sun cream on my face.
I put on some moisturizer, some concealer beneath my eyes, and a little mascara on my lashes.
I slipped into a pair of long, black tights and a bright-gray shirt that I’d wear beneath my sponsor’s bomber jacket.
Kay was just pouring herself a cup of coffee when I came downstairs, but immediately handed it over to me.
“Thanks,” I mumbled and took a sip.
She pulled a second mug out of the cupboard.
“How are you doing?”
“It hurts a bit when I walk, but it’ll be fine.”
“And otherwise?”
I looked up. Her eyes probed my face.
“All good,” I reassured her with a cautious smile.
She put a hand on my shoulder.
“I don’t have much left in the fridge, so it’d be best to pick something up on the way.”
I nodded although I wasn’t hungry.
“You all packed?”
“I did everything last night,” I said over the rim of my mug. “Just have to close my suitcase.”
“Good.” She let a few beats pass, and a soft expression appeared on her face. “I’m going to miss having you here.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re not happy to be able to dance around your house in the nude again?”
“How do you know I haven’t been all along?” she asked with a wink.
I grinned. More seriously I said, “Thank you, Kay. For everything.”
“Isn’t this what we’re supposed to say at the airport?”
I shrugged. “You can say this kind of thing twice, I think.”
She smiled and pulled me to her in a careful embrace so as not to spill our coffees.
Not even twenty minutes later I was carrying my suitcase out of the house where I’d spent the last six weeks of my life. I breathed in the scent of the plumeria blossoms one more time, the ocean’s salty smell. And firmly resolved to memorize it.
* * *
Before the plane turned away from Oahu, I looked out the window and caught a glimpse of Diamond Head crater, the only thing worth seeing in Honolulu, according to Vince.
No idea if he was right or not. I never saw anything of the capital beyond the airport.
Not even Waikiki Beach. Maybe next time, I said to myself, although I had the suspicion that I wouldn’t be seeing Hawaii again anytime soon.
A tissue appeared in my field of vision. Taken aback, I looked at the person sitting next to me who, up until now, I hadn’t paid any attention to. A beefy guy between forty and fifty. His flattop and dog tags made it clear that he was military.
“It hasn’t been used,” he said, as if that was why I’d hesitated. It just took me a few seconds to realize that I was crying. That silent tears were rolling down my cheeks and dripping onto my top.
* * *
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Hey… You’re probably in the air already and…I shouldn’t do this, but…I just saw a plane and had to think of you. Of yesterday…and I just wanted to say… Oh, man, what am I doing…
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