Our last day!
I wake up next to Luke for the last full day of our trip. My heart feels heavy and I wonder what will happen when this bubble bursts.
I feel him stir beside me and look into the love mirror and savour the sight of his body next to mine. That view will never get old and I need to imprint it on my memory just in case my worst fears come true. This may be the last time I see such a love god squashed beside me.
Luke stirs and pulls me close, nuzzling my neck in sleepy satisfaction.
“Hm, my favourite way to start the day - you.”
My heart beats rapidly as I try to push the doubts from my mind. We have one more day of his brother’s honeymoon to enjoy and I don’t want to waste a minute.
By the time we finally surface from the love bed we are famished. I think we devour every item of the complimentary breakfast which we eat decadently in bed. I no longer care about the crumbs situation. I have even got used to the ever-present rose petals. It has been very difficult to stop myself from gathering them up to take home and make a Luke scented pot-pourri out of them. I know it’s all about diffusers these days but I wouldn’t want to lie on one of those sticks all night. No, rose petals are now my friend. I intend on gathering as many of them as possible to inhale at every opportune moment when I’m back in my spinster flat for one and a potted plant.
As I shower and change, Luke leans against the tiled, Borgia inspired, wall of the bathroom and watches me. He seems preoccupied and my anxiety levels increase. Maybe he has sobered up and is seeing me in my real state. State being the operative word. Perhaps I should have ordered a tequila chaser for our croissant to keep the fantasy alive.
Feeling self-conscious, I smile nervously.
“Ae you ok, Luke? You seem to have something on your mind.”
He nods and moves across the room and pulls me into his arms. He holds me close and says softly.
“Spend the day alone with me, Becca. There is a trip we could take to Taxco. They make silver jewellery there - in fact, they are famous for it. We could take in the true sights of Mexico and soak up the culture. Maybe even grab some lunch and make a lovely memory of our trip.
My heart leaps and I look at him with excitement. “I would love that. I love shopping. In fact, I have been seriously deprived of it out here. It would be good to indulge in some retail therapy before we take to the skies once again. What a lovely idea.”
Luke just grins as I finish getting ready. I feel like singing a little tune of happiness but stop myself just in time. Luke has heard more than enough of my singing voice; I don’t want to leave him with that as a lasting impression.
It doesn’t take long and once we have told the others of our plan and Elvis arranged for a taxi, we are soon pulling into the little Mexican Town. I sat holding Luke’s hand for the whole journey and pretended we were married.
Soon we are walking around like true tourists and I am loving every minute.
The town is absolutely beautiful. There are little mosaic fountains to admire and beautiful old buildings. The town is bigger than I thought and appears to be centred around a beautiful old church - The Santa Prisca de Taxco.
Luke and I walk hand in hand and pose for many a photograph.
As we walk down the narrow streets, we look in many shop windows. One catches our eye and Luke drags me inside. We look around at the sweet little shop and I gasp at the beautiful jewellery on display. The assistant smiles and speaks in broken English.
“Welcome to Taxco. Are you looking for something special to take home with you?”
I smile and shake my head.
“Just looking. They are all beautiful though.”
He nods and pulls out a lovely tray of necklaces. “We only use the finest silver here and our designs are famous around the world. If you like silver then you are in the best place.”
I nod in agreement. “I can see that. These necklaces are beautiful.”
Luke grins. “Try one on, Becca. You may as well, you won’t get another chance.”
I look at the necklaces and choose one that catches my eye. It is a delicate silver cross. It’s plain and simple and not ostentatious like some of the designs. As I place it around my neck, I admire my reflection in the nearby mirror.
“This is lovely. How much is it?”
The assistant looks at a list by the cash register.
“That one is 800 Pesos.”
I think about it and weigh up the purchase in my head. Not a bad price and surely priceless as it comes with the memory of who was with me when I bought it.
Before I can speak, Luke says loudly, “We’ll take it.”
I watch in surprise as he pulls the money from his wallet and looks at me and winks.
“A little souvenir from our honeymoon.”
I giggle as the assistant throws up his hands with joy.
“Congratulations. I can tell you will be together forever.”
Luke slides his hand into mine and smiles sexily.
“Yes, I think that’s a definite.”
My heart races as I get carried along by their words. Those girls on the ship were so wrong about Luke. Ok, some sailors may be like that but obviously submariners are a different breed altogether. Luke is now officially mine forever. This necklace cements our love and like the silver it is made from, nothing can break it.
Lunch is an intimate affair, and we feed each other little bits of pleasure from each other’s plates. We enjoy a nice wine and gaze into each other’s eyes. The mood is relaxed and romantic and as last days go it’s the best.
Luke pushes a stray strand of hair from my eyes and says softly.
“I’m going to miss you so much, Becca.”
Ok, that is not what I want to dwell on. Anxiety suddenly comes back with a vengeance and I wonder what he means. Does he mean when he’s at sea, or forever? Is this his subtle way of letting me down gently or is this the end of the line? He must see the confusion in my eyes because he smiles ruefully.
“I never imagined I would meet someone like you. Now I have, I don’t want it to end. How can I return to my old life and leave you behind?”
I nod sadly.
“Me too. It’s been a special week hasn’t it?”
He nods. “The best. The memories will keep me going during the long nights ahead.”
I look at him with interest.
“It must be a strange experience living under water. What made you choose that as a career option?”
Luke’s eyes light up.
“I suppose I’ve always wanted to be in the armed forces. You know, I played it as a little boy and never grew up. War seemed exciting and the thought of a 9-5 job was never really me. I was also interested in building things and finding out how they worked. So, I merged my interests and here I am today. I don’t know how I ended up on the submarine though. It just happened and once again it seemed exciting and like a dream.”
He shakes his head and I see the light in his eyes dim.
“I never knew it would have a shelf life though.”
Leaning forward, I say with interest.
“What do you mean? Can you only stay there for a few years before your body acclimatises, and you grow webbed feet?”
Luke laughs softly. “You and your imagination, Becca. No, the shelf life is not with the job, it’s with me. I suppose I never really looked beyond the here and now. It takes a lot to make someone truly happy, and I have learned that you need to share your life with someone that matters. When my brother told me about his engagement, I was happy and a little envious of him. He had found that special someone and his life was set. I would never find that holy grail cooped up on a submarine. Life goes on and we just get to dip back into it once in a while. It’s no life really, not if you want the dream of a family. One day I want that, Becca. A beautiful wife who I adore and the token two kids and a dog. I want to be a good husband and father and could never be that if I disappeared off for months at a time.”
He looks at me with a determined look in his eyes.
“It’s up to me to make that happen. My future is in my hands and I need to make changes to live the dream.”
He reaches out and takes my hand in his and I feel my heart thumping in my chest as I sense the seriousness of the situation. He says huskily.
“I know I don’t have the right to ask this of you, but will you give us a chance, Becca? I know that I have to leave almost as soon as I have found you but the thought of you in my life will give me hope for the future. I love your funny ways and that you make me laugh. You are also the most beautiful woman I have ever met. If you will just try to see where this leads us, I will be the happiest man alive.”
I look at Luke in total shock. Me-beautiful! I sneak a look at his drink resting innocently on the table in front of us and wonder if the waiter sneaked a tequila in there. Luke must be under the influence because we all know that I am no beauty. In fact, I am the strangest woman alive. I say and do things that most normal people would consider grounds for admittance to an asylum. I am paranoid and neurotic and have the weirdest OCD tendencies. Even my family refer to me as ‘The weird one’ and any friends have a habit of rolling their eyes whenever I speak. However, I’m not mad and this is an opportunity that has been sent by God.
I feel the tears forming in my eyes as I nod slowly. Somehow, I manage to squeak out, “I would love to wait for you, Luke. I’m like you. My job sounds glamorous but most of the time it’s mundane. The crew changes along with the destination but the endless routine doesn’t. Trips like this are extremely few and far between and just fuel our interest for the run of nights ahead to the holiday destinations of the masses. When I return home at the end of the day, it’s to an empty flat that resembles the state of my heart. It’s not living, Luke. This is a job for the unattached. The University of my youth that I appear unable to graduate from. Like you, I want more. My sister is also married and has two beautiful children. The worst part is, she is younger than me and I have to pretend most of the time that I wouldn’t want my life any other way. But I do. This bubble we live in is gradually running out of air. It once excited me but now I crave the ordinary. This is no longer my dream, Luke. I want much more.”
Luke smiles, and a look passes between us. Two lost souls finding a common bond. Both wanting the same things and hoping against hope that the answer is looking right back at them. Maybe this could work. Maybe my fears were unfounded. Maybe everything will work out and I will live happily ever after. Yes, this is fate, I knew it as soon as I laid eyes on Luke. Something ignited inside me and it wasn’t just lust. It was a meeting of hearts and somehow my Angel cat Blackie has worked a miracle. In wrecking one marriage forever, he has given me my future. And what a future it is.