Finishing Touches

by Patricia Scanlan

  Odós Ippotón, the Street of the Knights, the most famous medieval thoroughfare in Europe, was very impressive. It was a narrow cobbled street with archways at each end, and the palaces and inns where the Knights lived were magnificent. The Knights’ hospital, built on Roman ruins, now housed the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes and had free admission on Sundays. It was just opening after the lunch-break. As they explored the museum with its priceless artifacts, Aileen observed, ‘This sure as hell beats filing pink and green forms.’

  They headed back to Trianda Bay about an hour later and did another spot of sunbathing, went for a swim and then got dressed up for a night on the town.

  That night they sat at a quayside taverna overlooking Mandraki Harbour, admiring the yachts of the jet-set of Europe as they waited for their meal to be served. Three more contented young ladies could not have been found. The dream holiday was everything they imagined it could be. Mandraki Harbour was beautiful, guarded by the famous Rhodian landmarks, the statues of a stag and a doe. Its three stone windmills stood solidly on the opposite quay as they had done since the Middle Ages. Behind them, all lit up, was the Nea Agora, the marketplace, which they intended to explore the following day. Around them at the many crowded tavernas along the quayside people sat and ate their meals, charmed by the music of the bouzouki and the chirping of crickets.

  After their delicious meal of fagri, baked sea-bream and a Greek salad, Cassie produced her little guidebook. A colleague of hers had already been to Rhodes and had given her a list of recommended nightclubs and discos.

  ‘Well, where do you want to go? Number One, 2001, Zorba’s and Copacabana are the nightclubs. The discos are Aquarius, Mi Lord, Step-by-Step, Stones.’

  ‘I’d like to go somewhere there’s Greek dancing,’ Laura proposed. ‘We can go to discos at home.’

  ‘Good thinking,’ agreed Cassie. ‘Isn’t the bouzouki lovely? It makes you want to get up and dance.’

  ‘Mmmm,’ Aileen smiled. ‘I love watching Greek men dance. It’s so . . . earthy and masculine . . . Did you see Zorba the Greek?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Cassie nodded. ‘It was a brilliant film.’

  ‘I’ll ask the waiter where there’s Greek dancing,’ Laura decided. Costas was the waiter’s name and he was absolutely gorgeous. He told them that if they waited about twenty minutes there would be Greek dancing in the open air down by the harbour. ‘Efcharisto,’ Laura thanked him. She had gone to the trouble of learning a few words of Greek and loved making use of them.

  ‘Típota.’ Costas gave Laura a lingering smile as he assured her she was welcome before striding off to get them more coffee.

  ‘He fancies you,’ teased Cassie.

  Laura was actually blushing. ‘Oh, don’t be daft!’

  ‘Oooh, she’s gone scarlet,’ giggled Aileen, who had indulged in several glasses of the house wine and was feeling on top of the world.

  ‘That’s sunburn,’ protested Laura.

  ‘My eye,’ smirked Aileen, holding out her glass for a refill.

  They danced until the early hours and were escorted home by three Adonises who begged to see them again.

  ‘We’re going home tomorrow,’ Aileen informed them merrily. ‘Let’s not limit ourselves,’ she advised the other two as they applied lashings of moisturizer before falling into bed, exhausted but completely satisfied with the first day of their holiday.

  It was a week later. Cassie was stretched luxuriously on her lounger on the beach, reading Valley of the Dolls and thoroughly enjoying it, as Laura had promised she would. Reaching down she picked up her glass of ice-cold beer and took a long draught. This really was the life. Home and all its attendant worries seemed so far away. What a pity the first week was over, the time was just flying by. Here on Rhodes it was like another world. She’d like to come back here with Robbie some day. Now that would be special!

  It was funny; this time last year she hadn’t known him and now he was one of the most important people in her world. She met him at a New Year’s Eve party organized by the social club at work. She noticed him smiling at her as she stood helping herself at the buffet. Mmm, she thought to herself, he’s nice! He was tall, about six foot, and bearded. A silky black beard and black curly hair were the first impressions she had of him, but on a second inspection, what had most struck her were his kind, smiling eyes. He was terribly popular and everybody seemed to know him. Later, when a sing-song started, he took out a guitar and led the singing, his deep baritone voice filling the room.

  ‘Who is that?’ Cassie asked one of her colleagues.

  ‘Oh don’t you know him? That’s Robbie MacDonald. He’s PA to the chief executive. He works in Branch Network Development in Head Office. He’s a really nice guy!’ Sandra informed her. Mind you, Sandra, who was in her late thirties, unmarried and getting desperate, thought every bloke was a really nice guy. She had had a few drinks too many that night and confessed to Cassie that she had even answered an ad in the personal columns of a social magazine. That was how she had met her escort to the party. Derek, who was at least twenty years her senior was a portly, bald, slick-talking businessman. Cassie didn’t like him at all. He held her hand too long when Sandra introduced him and he kept making smutty jokes which were not amusing. Cassie had read an article somewhere that single women should be wary of men over forty who had never married and looking at Derek she could understand why. What she could not understand was Sandra’s desperation. Being married was not the be-all and end-all, she reflected, as she watched Sara O’Reilly and Ken Taylor grope each other on the dance-floor while their respective spouses sat stony-faced at their tables. Who’d want to be married and miserable?

  Mind, it was easy for her to say something like that with the reassurance of her youth. She might feel completely different if she were almost forty and without prospects. Somebody like Derek might seem like an answer to a prayer if she were in Sandra’s position, though somehow Cassie felt she would never be that desperate.

  Just then a scuffle broke out on the dance-floor as Sara O’Reilly’s husband, unable to take any more of his wife’s blatant flirtation with Ken Taylor, made a lunge for the other man. In a second, Robbie was between them, holding them apart, calming things down. Diplomatically, he advised both couples to call it a night and organized taxis for them, making sure they were kept separated until the taxis arrived. He managed what was potentially a very nasty scene in a most skilful manner and Cassie was very impressed. At the time for ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ she felt a little thrill of delight when she realized that he was next to her in the ring and knew he had manoeuvred it deliberately. ‘I’ve a feeling this is going to be a great year,’ he grinned, his hazel eyes twinkling as he introduced himself and wished her a Happy New Year. They spent the rest of the night together dancing and chatting and she felt as though she had known him all her life. He was so easy to talk to and he had a terrific sense of humour. When he asked to see her home, she happily agreed, although she was a bit surprised to see that he was driving himself. He had had a few drinks; too many, she thought. ‘Do you want to get a taxi instead?’ she suggested.

  ‘Not at all, I’m fine,’ he assured her, and it was quite obvious that he was well able to handle his drink as he didn’t seem a bit affected. When he asked to see her again the following weekend, Cassie agreed with pleasure.

  They began dating and a whole new life opened up for Cassie. Robbie was a very sociable man with lots of friends and Cassie was soon having a hectic social life. With his great voice and guitar-playing skills, he was much in demand for parties and ballad-sessions and was in his element drinking pints of Guinness and singing rousing ballads with an enthusiastic crowd of friends. Cassie enjoyed that type of thing to a degree, but there were times she wished Robbie and she were alone, especially late at night when everybody had had too much to drink and she was bored listening to loosened tongues talking rubbish. Cassie really loved her times alone with Robbie. Whether they were out tramping the countryside on the quest
for the perfect picnic-spot or sitting in his apartment doing the crossword together or playing Scrabble, she just loved their companionship. She had not had a serious boyfriend since her time with Donie and, being older now and more mature, she was enjoying having an adult relationship. And she had to admit it was nice having a man’s arms around her again. There was nothing she enjoyed more than a good cuddling session and Robbie MacDonald was one of the world’s greatest cuddlers.

  Cassie met Robbie’s parents and thought his mother a very nice woman who obviously worshipped the ground her son walked on. She spoilt him outrageously and fussed over him as though he were a child. His father was more taciturn, surprisingly for someone who had a son as extrovert as Robbie. His sister, Lillian, was pleasant but a little distant and Cassie felt the faintest hint of an atmosphere in the household that she could not explain. She chided herself for imagining things but on subsequent visits the impression intensified.

  Robbie and she had their first row on the Sunday he was supposed to come out to Port Mahon for the memorial service and he got absolutely smashed the night before, a state that lasted until late the following afternoon. Cassie was hurt and angry and they had a ferocious row when he told her to stop nagging him and acting like a shrew. She hadn’t spoken to him for a week. If Robbie had one fault it was his inability to say no to his mates when they decided they wanted a few jars. He was OK when he stuck to beer but once he started drinking spirits he never knew when to stop. It worried Cassie but when she tried to talk to him about it he just pooh-poohed her concerns and wouldn’t discuss the matter.

  Two months later he was supposed to collect her on a Friday evening after work but didn’t turn up. She rang his apartment and got no answer. By Sunday when she had had no word from him and hadn’t been able to get in touch with him, she rang his parents’ home. Lillian answered and when Cassie explained that she had been trying to contact Robbie since Friday and was wondering if anything was wrong, Lillian said a little brusquely that she hadn’t a clue where her brother was, but knowing him, he was on a bender somewhere and adding that if Cassie had any sense she wouldn’t waste time worrying about him but would do herself a favour and finish her relationship with him. Cassie had been really shocked by the younger girl’s words and the bitterness in her voice. Frantic with worry, she rang his office the next day, only to be told that he wasn’t in and they hadn’t heard from him. It was Wednesday before he got in touch with her and it was quite obvious from his lined face and rheumy eyes that he had been on a hell of a drinking bout.

  Deeply upset, Cassie told Robbie to get lost, that she didn’t want to see him again. If Robbie MacDonald was going to start standing her up to go on drinking batters with his mates, he could go to hell. Apologetic and ashamed of himself, he had inundated her with flowers and laid siege to her with phone calls begging her to see him. In the end, Cassie was so miserable to be fighting with him that she agreed to meet him. They went back to his apartment to talk and Robbie apologized repeatedly, tears in his eyes as he swore never to behave like that again. When she started to cry, Robbie was even more horrified by her tears.

  ‘Cassie, Cassie, please don’t cry. I’m such a swine, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I love you, Cassie; I wouldn’t hurt you for the world!’

  Flinging her arms around him Cassie sobbed, ‘I love you too, Robbie. I was just so worried about you. If you’ve a problem with drink, can’t you go and see the welfare officer at work? He’ll help. I know a few people who’ve been helped like that.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Cassie, I can give it up any time and that time is now. From now on it’s pints only!’ He took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. ‘Did you mean what you said about loving me?’

  She nodded mutely. How could she help but love him? Despite his faults, Robbie MacDonald was the most lovable man.

  ‘Oh Cassie, I never met a girl like you. I love you too,’ he said, pulling her to him and kissing her passionately. She stayed with him that night and Robbie very lovingly and gently made love to her for the first time. His tenderness and sensitivity touched her deeply as he helped to ease her shyness. Unlike Aileen, who hadn’t an inhibition in the world, and Laura, who was the epitome of self-confidence, Cassie was a bit shy about her body and had dreaded the moment of losing her virginity as much as she looked forward to it. Would it hurt like they said it would? Would she bleed and make a mess? Would she know what to do and how to please Robbie? Were her breasts big enough? Were her thighs too fat? Would she snore when she fell asleep and what would happen when they woke up in the morning if Robbie wanted to kiss her and she had a taste in her mouth? All these little problems had caused Cassie a lot of anxiety. It had never dawned on her to wonder if Robbie would please her or if he would be too small or too fat or have BO. Her conditioning had led her to think that with sex it was all-important to please your man. Cassie had not given much thought to her own pleasure and satisfaction.

  In the end it had all been so natural and Robbie made her laugh the whole time, especially when he was showing her how he put a condom on, modelling it for her benefit and giving a running commentary. She was tense the first time in spite of herself but gradually Robbie helped her to relax and she began to enjoy herself, loving the feel of his silky beard against her breasts as he took each of her nipples in turn in his mouth and ran his tongue over them, making them harden with desire. When they finally went to sleep in the early hours she curled herself in against him, savouring the protective feeling of his arms around her. The next morning she sneaked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and laughed when Robbie came in to do the same thing. Later, sitting in one of his shirts at his kitchen table as he prepared scrambled eggs on toast, Cassie knew she had crossed a threshold in her life and was glad that she had done so.

  However, her strict Catholic upbringing robbed her of complete fulfilment and happiness. A little stab of guilt assailed her now and again as she thought of how shocked Nora would be to see her at this moment and she reflected a little unhappily that according to the laws of the church she was now in a state of mortal sin because she had given her love to a man she loved very much. Why should that be so wrong? It wasn’t as if it were a one-night stand or anything like that. She had thought long and hard about whether or not to make love to Robbie and had ended up taking her decision because she loved him and sex was an expression of the love she felt. Wouldn’t it be much worse if she was out robbing old people or dipping into the till at work? Fine to call that type of thing a mortal sin but what she had shared with Robbie had been something loving and tender and how people could call that a sin was beyond her . . .

  Lying on the beach in Rhodes, she smiled to herself. She had spent many happy loving hours with Robbie since that night and for the most part, she could keep the guilt at bay. She hadn’t told the girls yet; the moment hadn’t ever been quite right. Besides they didn’t seem to be together that often lately; they were busy with their individual lives. That’s why this holiday was so nice. It was good to share fun times together again. Maybe she’d tell them about Robbie before the holidays were over.

  Cassie smiled, remembering how Aileen had proudly told them about her first time with her soldier in the Skylon Hotel. Aileen wouldn’t know the meaning of the word guilt, Cassie thought a little enviously. Aileen quite often stayed out all night and it was obvious that she was sleeping with her boyfriend, Liam Flynn. Cassie hadn’t met him yet as Aileen had never brought him home but she had spoken to him on the phone and he sounded terribly dishy. He was obviously a bit older than Aileen, so maybe that was why she hadn’t brought him home. Whatever the situation, Cassie knew one thing: Aileen would thoroughly enjoy her sex life and not feel one bit guilty about it, the lucky girl!

  Twenty

  I wonder if he misses me, Aileen thought, as she lay on her stomach, cheek resting on her arms, gazing out at the sparkling blue sea. Beside her, her two friends were enjoying a good read but Aileen couldn’t settle down to her book. She had just finish
ed a Mary Stewart and enjoyed it immensely but somehow or other she just could not get into the Georgette Heyer she had brought with her.

  Her thoughts kept straying back home to Liam. She really had it bad about him, she thought glumly, and the awful thing was she didn’t really know exactly what he felt for her. If the girls knew that she was having an affair with a married man they would call her all kinds of an idiot. And yet she wanted them to know. It was terrible keeping something so important to herself. Nobody knew, not one other person, just herself and Liam, and Aileen, who was not naturally secretive, was beginning to find it all a terrible strain.

  At the beginning she had thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue and the drama of her relationship, but now, after more than a year, she was beginning to find it tiresome and even a little bit seedy. How she envied Cassie her relationship with Robbie. They seemed so happy together and they sure as hell didn’t have to sneak around making love in the back of a car or waiting until the flat was free.

  She wasn’t stupid, she knew what she was letting herself in for when she had started her affair with Liam, but way back then it didn’t seem to matter. All that had mattered was that this gorgeous handsome man was terribly interested in her and all she could think about was making love to him. Aileen sighed deeply. It was a bit of a nuisance sometimes being such a sensual person. How Laura managed without ever having had sex, Aileen could not fathom. It wasn’t that she was a nymphomaniac or anything like it. She would never have casual sex but she enjoyed sex very much and this was one of the reasons she was continuing to have an affair with Liam. The sex was sensational, really earth-shattering. Liam Flynn was a tremendous lover. Just thinking about it was making her weak at the knees.