Cruising Through to Fulfilment

by Ann M Pratley

  Walking into the restaurant, she looked around for him but did not see him, and assumed this to mean that he might not come to breakfast, and instead avoid her. Which would be understandable - he did seem to be affected by internal conflict, and she respected him even more for that, she thought to herself.

  She moved around the buffet, selecting food mindlessly and putting it on her plate.

  David, in the meantime, walked in and noticed her in line. He made his way up to her, standing behind her. She had her hair up for the first time since he had met her, and he enjoyed looking at the back of her neck, bare, before he touched her lightly on her arm. She felt him there, and turned, and was relieved to see him standing there, smiling.

  "Good morning," he said, letting himself enjoy looking at her. He had woken feeling refreshed after a night of going over memories in his mind, and letting some things go.

  She gave him a brilliant smile back, whilst saying, "Good morning David. Did you sleep well?"

  He laughed. "Yes … eventually."

  They walked to a table and sat, each feeling shy in the other's presence. Eating in silence, Tanya looked around. There were few people in the restaurant this morning, and someone holding up a newspaper caught her eye - not the person, but rather the front page of the paper, which was facing directly toward her.

  David saw Tanya's face go white as she dropped a knife she had had in her hand.

  "Are you alright?" he asked, alarmed at her reaction to whatever was going on.

  She didn't hear him - she stood up and walked toward the paper to have a closer look at it.

  The person reading it sensed her and put the paper down.

  "Can I help you?" he asked and she apologised.

  "Oh, sorry, there is an article on the front page that caught my eye," she stuttered, sure she must be mistaken in what she had seen.

  "I've read those pages - here you go," said the person in front of her, smiling as he handed the front section to her.

  She thanked him and went back to the table where David was still sitting, watching her. She unfolded the paper and looked closer at the front page. There in front of her was a headline, "Body Found in Stanley Park", and below it was a photo - and to Tanya the girl in the photo looked like Brigitte. Scanning the article, Tanya tried to find reference to confirm if it was her, but the article said the body was so far unidentified.

  David watched her, trying to work out what was so alarming. Slowly she looked away from the paper and right at him.

  "This photo - the girl in it looks like Greg's ex," she said, handing the paper to him.

  He read the article, and started to look horrified.

  "Are you sure?"

  She shook her head. "No, I can't be absolutely certain, but it could be."

  He looked at the article again.

  "There is a number for the public to call if they know anything. Do you think you should call them, Tanya?"

  She sat in stunned silence, a whirlwind of thoughts and fears going through her mind.

  "I don't know," she replied, starting to feel like she was in shock. "I could be wrong - I didn't get to see much of her…" she started to say and David stood up.

  "Come on, you won't resolve anything if you don't find out," he said, holding out his hand and waiting for her to take it.

  They walked out, heading for the elevator to go to one of their rooms to make the call, but as they walked through the lobby area, Tanya could see police talking to the receptionist. She stopped, wondering whether to approach them, and as she did so, she saw the receptionist point to her and say something to the policeman at the counter. He turned and looked at her, and she walked forward toward him.

  "Ma'am, can I ask you some questions please?" he asked and she nodded.

  "Yes, of course," she replied.

  He presented her with a photo. "Do you know this woman?"

  She looked at the photo, and in doing so became certain that it was Brigitte - beside her was a man and it looked like the man she had been with in the restaurant in their first night in Vancouver.

  She let out a cry in recognition that someone she had met had just been found dead. Even though she had no reason to cry for Brigitte, she felt an extreme feeling of loss - no-one deserved to die so young.

  "Ma'am?" the officer was asking her and she finally looked at him.

  "I met her - her name is Brigitte," Tanya told him. "Sorry, I don't know her last name."

  He guided her toward a sofa in the lobby and invited her to sit down.

  "How do you know her?"

  "Oh, I was on a cruise last week, to Alaska, and on that cruise I met a man, Greg. When we disembarked, Brigitte was at the ferry terminal and he told me she was his ex girlfriend."

  "I see. And this man, Greg - is he the man in this photo?" the officer asked.

  She shook her head.

  "No, the night that we came off the ship, Greg and I went out for dinner here in Vancouver, and Brigitte was there with that man. She started an argument with Greg in the restaurant…" she said, shivering as she remembered all that had happened in this crazy week in Vancouver.

  Tanya looked up and saw David standing nearby, not knowing what to do. The officer followed her line of sight and turned back to her.

  "Is that Greg?" he asked and at first she didn't know who he was referring to.

  "Oh no - Greg left the hotel two days ago, I think," she said.

  "You think?"

  "He came to the hotel restaurant at breakfast and Brigitte was there. He went away with her, and then came back later that day and removed his things from my room. I haven't seen him since. I assumed he left the hotel, but I didn't ask - I don't know. I didn't see him again."

  The officer was writing things down, and then pulled out a second photo. It was one of Greg and Brigitte, smiling and happy, and had been cut small, as if for the purpose of fitting in a wallet.

  "Do you know this man?"

  She nodded and looked up at him.

  "Yes, that is Greg."

  "Ma'am, what can you tell me about Greg? Was he an angry man?"

  Tanya heard what he asked and was surprised, then worried. A part of her wanted to sing his praises, but she knew she could only be honest.

  "I don't know. When we were on the ship, he was charming and polite. And he seemed the same way when we got here, but he did seem frustrated at Brigitte turning up…"

  "And you two were lovers?"

  She stuttered. "Um, I suppose - after we met on the ship, Greg said he wanted to stay in Vancouver with me for the week because I am flying back to New Zealand in a couple of days. So we stayed that first night together, but then he left the next day."

  "You are leaving Vancouver?"

  She nodded.

  "Yes I am booked on a flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles on Monday, and then flying on to Auckland next Wednesday."

  The officer wrote some more.

  "So ma'am, you saw Brigitte in the hotel restaurant for breakfast?" he asked and she nodded. "And what was the name of the restaurant in the city you went to, where you saw her with this man?"

  "I don't know the name of it - we just walked around the streets and walked into it," she said, her mind churning. "I could identify it if I saw it…"

  "That is okay ma'am, we might be able to find it through CCTV anyway. Did you see Brigitte at any other time?"

  Tanya nodded again. "Yes, I first saw her when we disembarked the ship. She was at the passenger terminal, waiting for Greg."

  "Okay - so you saw her at the passenger terminal when you got off the ship?" he asked and she nodded. "Then that night you saw her at a restaurant in the city?" Again she nodded. "And then again at the hotel breakfast the next morning?"

  "Yes," Tanya confirmed.

  "And was this man with her on all three occasions?"

  Tanya thought back. "I don't know - I didn't notice him at the terminal, and I didn't see him in the hotel, but he was definitely at the restaurant that first ni
ght. Brigitte came up to Greg and they started arguing, and the man was trying to pull her away."

  "How did that end - the argument?"

  "I don't know - I ended up walking out once they got started. I thought it was drama between two people that I didn't need to be watching, so I just left."

  He continued to write more, before turning to look up at her.

  "What happened to her?" Tanya asked, starting to feel faint.

  "I cannot say at this stage as it is an ongoing investigation. But we may need to talk to you again. You are due to fly out on which day?" he asked and Tanya told him again that her tickets were for Monday.

  "I'm sorry but we need to ask you to postpone your flights, Ma'am. You have been witness to the movements of the victim, and you might hold more important information that will help us. Are you able to change your travel plans?"

  She looked at him, trying to do calculations in her head, then nodded.

  "Yes, I am not expected back at work for another two weeks. I will call my airline and change my flights - but when should I change them to?"

  He looked at her. "I think it best you move them as far out as you can, for the moment. We might need you here for a while."

  She nodded. "Of course. I might have to check out of my room here - how will I let you know where I go, if I need to check in elsewhere?"

  He handed her a card.

  "Please call this number when you know your new plans. It is a direct line to my department, and anyone there will be able to take your details down."

  She took the card, numb at what was happening.

  "Okay."

  "Thank you for your time," he said and stood up, returning to the front desk, presumably to ask more questions.

  She stood up and walked to David.

  "What did he say?" he asked, as she approached.

  "I have to stay in Vancouver - I cannot go home at the end of the week," she replied, as they both walked toward the elevator.

  In the lift, he moved close to her and welcomed her in a hug. She pulled back from him.

  "Sorry - do you have plans for today? Anything that you have to get to? I don't want to mess your plans up," she said, looking at him and wondering what he was thinking about how things just took another twist.

  He pulled her close again. "I have nothing I have to do today. I think I should stay with you. You look like you are in shock," he said and she nodded.

  "Yes, I feel like I'm in shock!"

  "Would you like to go to your room, or come up to mine?" he asked.

  "I think I should stay close to my room today, in case they need to contact me," she said and he nodded, pushing the right floor number into the lift.

  He walked her to her room and took her key card from her to open the door, opening it up and closing it behind them.

  "Lie down with me?" she asked him, walking toward the bed and not waiting to hear his answer before lying down.

  He followed her lead, removed his shoes and lay down beside her, looking at her.

  They looked into each other's eyes.

  "She is dead - she is my age and she is dead, found in a park. How can that happen?" Tanya asked, not understanding how this could have happened.

  David put his arm out and pulled her closer. "I don't know. That is what the police have to investigate, I suppose."

  She cuddled into him, not caring if it was wrong or right, and not even caring about respecting his conflict over his dedication to his marriage and his wife. Right now she was going to be selfish and take from him the comfort that she needed.

  "How old are you?" she asked, completely out of context to what was happening, and he laughed quietly at her.

  "I'm 42," he said, loving her honest manner and curiosity. "And you?"

  "I am 25," she replied, looking right into his eyes. "You are 17 years older than me."

  He smiled at her.

  "So it would seem."

  "You don't seem that much older than me," she said quietly, looking at his face.

  "Thank you … I think," he responded, laughing.

  She continued to look at him, trying to block out other things going on.

  "I want to kiss you," she said and he was silent for a while, just looking back at her.

  So many things ran through his mind - natural things that he was familiar with, such as his mind yelling at him that he had no right to appreciate or want that himself.

  He took the plunge, moving his hand to touch her cheek before leaning in to kiss her softly. He loved her lips - they were so soft, so curious. He felt the need to keep going, growing, and pulled back, aware that her emotions were likely to be mixed up right in this moment, with everything that was going on.

  He lay back on his back and extended his arm out to her, inviting her to move in to him and take comfort in his being there for her. As she did so, he found himself wondering how much someone could take, given things she had already told him about her life and about the past couple of weeks.

  For Tanya, she appreciated and enjoyed sinking into his arms, feeling a sense of security and safety that she hadn't necessarily felt with anyone recently.

  * * * *

  Later that afternoon David woke to find the sun shining into the room and onto the bed. It took him a moment to realise where he was, and what he was doing there. He turned to look beside him and Tanya was there - her back was to him but she was still there. He could hear her breathing softly and he looked at the time. Seeing 3:06pm on the clock he realised they had both fallen asleep after cuddling. It wasn't an uncomfortable discovery for him, although waking up after sleeping in his clothes wasn't quite as enjoyable.

  He lay on the bed quietly, not moving, not wanting to wake her or disturb her in any way. He took the time to look out the window, seeing mountains in the background and remembering back two days when he had approached her up at Capilano. He smiled to himself. This definitely wasn't how he had pictured his time in Vancouver to be, and as he contemplated how things were changing, he was no longer scared, nor did he feel like he would be betraying Laney if he moved forward with someone else. They had had a wonderful 20 years together - an amazing lifetime together, full of incredible memories - and she had moved on, in one way, and it was time for him to move on in another. His friends and family members - even those of Laney's family - had been telling him this for months.

  Beside him, Tanya moved and David kept still, not wanting to be the reason for her waking up. She moved onto her back and now he could see her face - so serene, and very kissable. She moved over again, this time to the side where she would be facing him, and bumped her elbow into him, jolting her awake.

  He watched as she slowly came around, into reality, and he smiled at her, hoping that seeing him wouldn't scare her, or be confusing in the slow transition from sleep.

  Tanya opened her eyes to look at him, and wasn't confused. She looked into his eyes and at his lips, and smiled at him.

  He smiled back, before she leaned in and kissed him softly. She was intoxicating in how youthful she looked, and how soft her lips felt. She kept kissing him, not increasing depth or force, just continuing to kiss him softly, like she was finding her way in a first time kiss, discovering how it felt.

  He pulled back to look at her, to make sure she knew who she was kissing, and to know for certain it was really him that she wanted to be with. When she opened her eyes and looked at him, the look almost made him reel. She had such passion in her - he could openly see it and he was sure he wasn't mistaken.

  He kissed her, softly again, and she responded eagerly, moving her lips with more pressure, slightly parting. He could feel himself waking to another level - his body was ready to respond in a way it hadn't enjoyed for years.

  They continued to kiss without anything more - no hugs, no hands, no touching at all except for their lips, with their kisses becoming more hungry and deep.

  David felt something physical he hadn't done for many years - tightening in his jeans. He was growin
g and he could feel it, and the sensation was like something new, it had been so long. He groaned at the familiar sensation that now felt new. He could feel the turned on feeling all though his body, even though the only part of him being touched was his lips.

  Tanya pulled away and looked at him. She was full of desire and wanted him, but didn't want to push for anything. Always in her mind was this place he was in - grieving. But when he kissed her, especially without any other touching, she felt a natural drawing to him. She looked into his eyes and could see, honestly, that he was in the same place as she was.

  "Shower with me," she said to him, waking him up sharply from the daze he was in. She didn't move - just waited to see what his response would be before doing anything.

  David was stunned at first, the forwardness surprising him. He looked at her, trying to work out what the right response to that should be. Although the thought of being naked with her of course appealed, he wasn't sure that either of them could be honest in this moment about how they felt about anything, and what that could mean.

  He was speechless, not knowing what to say. After a few minutes she pulled away and stood up, walking toward the bathroom.

  She turned on the shower but left the door open, waiting for the water to heat up. As it did, she returned to the bedroom and walked back up to him, where he still remained lying on the bed. He watched her with an indefinable look on his face.

  She sat on the bed and leaned down to kiss him again.

  David savoured the kiss, feeling more alive than he had in months, perhaps even years. It might not be right but it felt right in this moment. He pulled away from her, stood up and walked around to her side of the bed, putting his arms around her and kissing her again.

  She stopped, took his hand and slowly walked him into the bathroom, looking back at him every few seconds and enjoying the way he was looking at her. He looked stunned so she pulled his t-shirt off, revealing his chest, which she ran her fingers over and kissed him again.

  The feeling of someone touching him made David groan. She was only touching his chest but it was like someone having found new territory on him.

  Now she was undoing his jeans and he felt vulnerable as she was getting closer to the part of him that had been asleep for so long. He knew he was awake and he felt shy about it, even a little embarrassed, as if he weren't a middle aged man but more like a teenager again, going to have sex for the first time.