Epilogue
Two weeks later…
Gemma stared at the large diamond on her left ring finger in awe. She and Leo had been married in a simple ceremony an hour earlier. She was happier than she could ever remember being. Leo was now carrying his son around and introducing him to one and all. He was a proud father. Gemma hoped that after she shared her secret with him that evening, he would be even prouder.
Aimee and Tyler had flown over for the ceremony. She’d been elated to hear that Leo had taken the matter of her brother’s finances into his own hands and settled things in a very satisfactory manner. Tyler was looking forward to finishing his degree and taking a position with Moustakas Shipping, and she no longer had to worry about where his next tuition payment was going to come from.
Aimee had come for an extended vacation and was not going to be returning to the States until the end of the summer. Three whole months to explore her new country and make memories with her best friend. It was a dream come true. Gemma pinched herself. “Ouch!”
“Still think you’re dreaming?” Leo stood beside her, chuckling at the disgruntled look on her face.
“Just a bit. You have to admit, this is all a lot to handle.”
“Yes, but you’re doing so beautifully.” He snagged her around the waist and maneuvered her behind a large column.“Have I told you today how beautiful you are?”
“Only fifty times.”
“Well let’s go for fifty-one. Kanis tin zoi mou pio omorfi.”
Gemma smiled. “Okay, I caught the word beautiful, but nothing else.” She’d been working with anyone and everyone who would teach her, determined to master the Greek language. Especially now that she was bringing another small life coming into the world. But that was a secret for another time.
Leo kissed her forehead. “I said, you make my life more beautiful.”
Gemma decided now was the perfect time to try out the new phrase she’d memorized. “Ise to alo mou miso.”
The look he gave her more than justified the effort she’d put in to mastering the phrase. “And you are my other half. Together, we make a whole. Nothing can stop us or come between us.”
Gemma leaned up and kissed him, loving the way he held her still as he deepened the kiss. “How much longer do we have to stay here?” Their wedding reception had already gone for an hour. They were heading to the island once again for their honeymoon only this time Kassi had volunteered to keep Damien close beside her at all times. Damien adored Kassi and she him, and Gemma had immediately fallen in love with the young woman.
“Not much longer. Let’s mingle a bit more and then we can leave.”
Gemma allowed him to lead her around the room. As they greeted their guests, they were suddenly interrupted by a business acquaintance.
He insisted he’d met Leo while on a humanitarian trip several months’ earlier. “You called yourself Edward. Remember? It was after a large magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami that created devastation in the region of Oceania.”
Leo shook his head. “I believe I would remember if we had met. Where did you say this meeting took place?”
“One of the Solomon Islands, just east of Papua New Guinea. The natives call it Ranongga.”
Leo shook his head. “I’ve never travelled in that part of the world. You must have me confused with someone else.”
“I don’t think so. In fact—” The man pulled out his cell phone. After tapping the screen several times, he turned it around so they could see the picture it displayed. “Here’s a picture we took during my visit.”
Leo stared at the phone. Gemma saw him struggle to breathe. Alarmed, she gazed at the screen.
The man in the picture was very tanned and dressed in nothing but a simple pair of cutoff shorts. He was the exact image of Leo.
Gemma tried to form a coherent sentence, but before she could Vasil and Tressa joined them, obviously alarmed by Leo’s strange expression.
“Why, Leo! I half expected you and Gemma to be off on your honeymoon by now.” Tressa tried to joke, obviously worried about her son. As she glanced at the phone to see what held him so spellbound, she gasped.
Vasil pushed his son aside, addressing the man holding the phone. “Where was that picture taken?”
“Ranongga Island, near the Solomon Islands.”
Vasil looked at Leo, Gemma and Tressa. “That is Alexi. I would stake my life on it.”
*****
The young man, who went by Edward, pulled in the fishing line. He smiled at the fish that would soon become dinner. He’d been living on the island now for about a month and a half, and while pieces and parts of his past had returned, the sudden influx of memories earlier this morning had sent him off to think alone.
He remembered the storm. The ship had been badly damaged by the ferocious waves and vicious winds. He remembered the ship going down and how he and his crew had climbed aboard the lifeboat. Two days later, both crewmembers were dead from their injuries. Alexi was all alone, adrift on an endless sea.
He’d despaired of ever going home again, and then another storm had come up and he’d all but given up. After the raft had capsized, he didn’t remember anything... Not until he woke up five weeks earlier, tangled in seaweed and lying face down in wet sand. He couldn’t remember his name or how he’d arrived there, but the people of the island had taken him in and nursed him back to health.
Since this morning, he remembered most of what he’d forgotten. My name is Alexi Moustakas and I have a family who loves me. He remembered his parents and his brother. He even remembered his cousin who lived with them all. He couldn’t remember a wife or a girlfriend, and frankly, he was done speculating about that part of his life. Trying to force the memories only resulted in a blinding headache. Right now, he needed to get passage back to Greece.
After dropping off his catch of the day for the communal kitchen to prepare, he headed for the center of the community. He’d heard a rumour that someone with their own boat was visiting the island. His luck was good. After explaining his plight, he was offered passage back to Greece.
Saying goodbye to the islanders that had taken such good care of him was hard. Alexi promised to visit and check up on them from time to time. He left Ranongga that evening, determined to never return again unless it was by his choice. There were a few minutes of his life he couldn’t remember. At all.
But there were some things he remembered all too vividly. He knew he had a life waiting for him in Paris and in Greece. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been gone, he just knew he needed to get back. There was something he needed to do but it had disappeared along with his memories. Time to go home and figure out what I left behind. Alexi smiled, tasting the spray of the waves as the boat shot toward the horizon. I wonder what my brother’s been up to.
*****
THE END
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