Epilogue #3
“Fine. Mood killer. Heartless woman,” he complains, getting off the bed and putting on his shorts.
I bite my lip to stop my laugh when he pouts, staring longingly at my chest again. Reluctantly he gets dressed.
“I’m taking you to the cliff.”
“Really. Yipee! We haven’t been there in ages.” I bounce off the bed and change into my shorts and tee shirt.
We park on the top of our cliff and the sun is about to come up. The air is so cold as winter has just started. It will snow soon and we won’t be able to drive up here for a few months. I nuzzle into him. My cold lips press against his warm neck.
Rufus too came along today. He jumps off the seat and makes his way out of the car and starts sniffing around for the perfect spot to lift his leg and shower the grass blades.
“Imagine if you didn’t have to travel. We could come here more often. I love when you are home and I don’t have to worry about you all the time.”
“You worry about me?” He frowns.
“’Course I do. I don’t know how many hours you are on your feet, shooting for the show. I don’t know if you have had time to eat or rest. There are days I text you after midnight and you don’t reply back because you are still working or in a meeting or doing something with someone else.”
“Hmm.” He looks away, his attention on the horizon.
“Not hmm. I wish I could make you understand that there are days when I need my boyfriend by my side. When I’m having a tough day and I need you to kiss me.”
“I always call you when I finish work. We talk every day. It’s very rare that I don’t text or talk to you before you go to bed.”
“It’s not the same thing.”
“I don’t like leaving you either, Ishika.
But the money’s good for now. I’m still new in the industry and I can’t afford to make mistakes.
The show is only going to air while it has positive reviews and good ratings.
My producer wants to milk this while it lasts.
Believe me, it doesn’t last long. We are having a lucky streak. ”
“What does milk this while it lasts mean?”
“You know how my contract with the network is ending next month. He wants to talk to me about something new. I have a meeting with him this afternoon.”
“You couldn’t tell me this earlier?” A jolt of irritation makes me want to scream.
“Well last night, I got home late and all I wanted to do was cuddle with you and get some shut eye. ”
I smile for him, although, I feel a tinge of sadness inside that he might sign another year’s contract with the network and I’ll have to spend lonely nights without him once again.
He is not desperate for me like I am for him.
Maybe I have bitten off this love bug of madness more than I can chew.
I can’t stand to be away from him even for a day.
But obviously he is okay with the long distance. I am just so sad now.
“Wait, I have a surprise for you,” he says, moving toward the edge of the cliff.
“Don’t you dare,” I warn him, but he ignores me and jumps down on the ledge anyways.
I love that he picks me these purple daisies every time we are here, but every time he jumps from the edge to the ledge below, anxiety and panic wash over me.
I walk closer to the edge of the hill and look down.
He has done this for me a hundred times at least, and every time, my heart skips a beat and I fall for him all over again when he holds a bunch of flowers in his hands and extends them toward me.
When I go to pick the flowers up from his hold, I notice he is also holding out an envelope. “What’s this?” I ask as he climbs back up the cliff on his hands and knees.
“A thank you, for loving me. For being mine.”
I open the envelope and inside is the title for a parcel of land.
“You are my home, Ishika. I wanted to give you something meaningful. It’s yours to keep.”
“This isn’t what I need,” I say, pushing the papers back in his hand trying to get rid of it as fast as I can.
“Just hold on to it, okay? Who knows, you might decide to use it one day. Your father said you might want your own clinic one day.”
“Wow. You and my father sure talk a lot.” I am so angry. I want a fucking ring, not a piece of land for my future clinic.
“You aren’t happy. What did I say to upset you?”
“Nothing. I’m hangry, that’s all.”
“Look, Ishika, the sun’s up,” he says, turning me toward the horizon as the light breaks out in bright morning colors.
We watch the sunrise and then he takes my face in his hands, kissing me softly.
“Every single sunrise, the only thought in my mind is you. There are days when I am miserable without you. When I want to leave everything and come home to you immediately. But the sunrise is the only thing that keeps me going. I somehow know you’re waiting for me, and you’ll be proud of me once I reach the finish line.
Guilt pinches my insides. Maybe I am being too hard on him. I can wait till he is ready to propose. I know he loves me. His career just took off and he is making money for us. I should do better. I should be more supportive of his goals like he is of mine.
Rufus suddenly feels the bonding moment too when he burrows his head between our legs and makes a cute whimpering sound.
I laugh, breaking our kiss, and bend down to give Rufus some love. He rolls on the ground and lifts his legs up in the air as I scratch his belly while Ryan mutters something about breaking bro code.
Rufus makes us happy. Soon Ryan is laughing too and he is on the ground fighting with Rufus as to who gets to place their head on my lap first. Ryan rests his head on my lap and Rufus headbutts him to make a place for himself.
Finally, they find a way to coexist and I notice that the envelope with the title deed is still in my hand.
“Let’s go get you some breakfast burritos,” Ryan says, wrapping me in his arms.
Pushing the deed of the land into my pocket, I ask the universe to give me strength. I want to be supportive and cheer for him because he always cheers on for me.
His phone chimes and he smiles reading a text.
“Aariv, Jake, and Mason are meeting up tonight,” he says, grinning at me.
“Are you going out with the boys?” I like when he is out with the boys. He returns home a lot relaxed. I am sure he misses bonding with his best mates.
“Nah, babe, we got to attend your dad’s birthday, remember?”
Oh, that he remembers.
“I got him a present from us,” he adds.
“Of course you did.” He thinks about everyone and everything.
He continues, “Hey, that’s okay, right? I bought him something without asking you. I was trying to help. You already have so much schoolwork on your plate. And you haven’t been sleeping much lately. If you want to buy your dad something else, we can shop after breakfast.”
I feel horrible for being so bitchy today. He loves me, he is here to spend this day with me. I should stop complaining and be grateful for the things he does for me.
“Whatever you picked, it’s perfect. I’m sure Dad will love it.”
Later that evening
Effortlessly putting on my most engaging self, I listen to Aunty Tabatha, my mother’s cousin, as she talks about her husband’s lack of laundry skills. Uncle John apparently mixed her pashmina silks with her cashmere woolens in the washing machine.
Uh-oh! Everyone take cover because Aunty Tabatha is going to explode. Aunty Tabby goes on and on about Uncle John’s flaws.
Meanwhile, Ethan points two of his fingers to his head, pretending it to be a gun and shoots himself, dropping his head on to his empty plate that sits in front of him.
Then he comically rolls out his tongue like an animated version of a roadkill.
I quickly cover my mouth to stop myself laughing, while Aunty Tabby has now moved to how my uncle ruined her silk thong and underwire bras.
Ethan, whose head is still on the plate, starts making gagging and choking sounds that get my aunt’s attention.
“Very mature, Ethan. Does your girlfriend not wear underwear?” Aunty Tabby grumbles, but that stops the elaborate description of her silks and woolens.
“Sarah goes bottomless most days.”
“What’s that now?” Aunty Tabatha asks, gaining a round of groans around the table while Owen fist pumps Ethan. Owen and Ethan have become good friends.
“I’ll explain later,” I whisper to my clueless aunt but Sadie jumps right in. “Tabby Darling; it’s when your body holes need ventilation. Plus it’s always in fashion.”
“Can it be all my holes?” Auntie Tabby asks wide eyes.
Sadie winks. “It can be any hole or all your holes. The choice is always yours.”
“Oh my! I should try that soon. Our thirty sixth wedding anniversary is next month…” Auntie Tabby sounds thrilled by the prospects of going bottomless.
“And that’s how the perfect family dinner died a breathless death,” Ethan announces making a face of distaste.
I arrived at the restaurant on my own, as Ryan’s meeting with the network was delayed. The Portuguese restaurant I picked for my dad’s sixtieth birthday is by the jetty on the shore. It’s a long drive from our town to get here, but the Pescada frita totally makes the effort worthwhile.
Suddenly something tugs my heart saying ‘He is here.’ I turn toward the door to catch the eyes of the man who has changed my life in so many ways.
God! He looks dapper in a dark navy business suit.
My man is all about being casual, even now when he is relatively famous in the culinary world, old Levi jeans and a black tee shirt is what he wears most days. But he looks so regal when he dons the three-piece suit.