Always Something There to Remind Me

by Lilian Kendrick

  I’d never been anywhere so luxurious before and I couldn’t help wondering how much all this had cost. Des was always rather vague about precisely what he did for a living and I hadn’t really thought about it too much. He didn’t exactly have a flashy lifestyle – nice car, nice flat and ‘good’ clothes, but nothing over the top. Anyway, I’m not usually bothered by that sort of thing and we’d become friends because of who he was, not what he did or what he had.

  Now, as I looked around the plush surroundings that would be our base for the next ten days, I felt like a little girl in Disneyland. My handsome prince tipped the bellhop and we were alone at last.

  ‘Make yourself at home, Lyd. I’ll get room service to bring us some lunch … or breakfast … or whatever; I’m starving.’ He winked and picked up the phone. I unpacked my suitcase, putting my stuff away with uncharacteristic neatness. Des was always organised and, as soon as he’d ordered the food, he unpacked too. It was a fine morning, so when our ‘brunch’ arrived we decided to have it on the balcony, watching the world go by and taking in the bustling atmosphere from a safe distance.

  ‘Are you happy, Lyd?’ The question came out of the blue. ‘Is it what you expected?’

  ‘It’s perfect … even better than I imagined. In fact, I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough.’

  ‘Your being here with me is thanks enough. I couldn’t be happier.’ He yawned. ‘Janie’s expecting us for dinner tonight around seven-thirty, so we have most of the day to ourselves. What would you like to do first?’

  It was my turn to yawn. ‘Not wishing to be a party-pooper, I’m shattered. How about taking a nap first? We’ve got ten days to do everything else.’

  ‘I’m so glad you said that.’ He rose from the table and took my hand. ‘I was afraid you might want to do something energetic. Come on, there’s a king-sized bed in there with our names on it.’

  Chapter 34: Happy Days

  Janie proved to be great fun. Her husband, Mike, was away on a business trip, but she said we’d meet him later in the week. The family resemblance was remarkable. Des and Janie had the same green eyes and dark hair; even the same laughter lines. We got on like a house on fire and after dinner Janie set about her sisterly obligation of embarrassing her younger sibling by getting out the old family album.

  ‘I didn’t know you still had these,’ Des said, flicking through the pages.

  ‘Well, I tried to sell them on eBay but, funnily enough, I had no takers.’ Janie laughed. ‘What would you expect me to do with them? They were good times. Look at this one – you were such a poser!’ She grabbed the album and passed it to me. ‘What do you think, Lyd?’

  I couldn’t help laughing at the picture. Des must have been about fifteen when it was taken and seemed to be in fancy dress, wearing black eyeliner, with a white streak across his face. His dark curls framed a moody expression and his lips were pursed.

  I glanced at Des who was cringing. ‘I was going to a concert …’

  ‘Adam Ant? I’d never have guessed you were a fan,’ I said, handing the album back to Janie.

  ‘Well, it’s never come up in conversation before.’ He was laughing now. ‘It was a great gig, actually, but when I got home I couldn’t get the make-up off for ages. Mum and Janie let me struggle for half an hour before giving me some stuff to do the trick!’

  Janie put the album away. ‘I think we’ve made you suffer enough for one night,’ she said, ruffling Des’s hair. ‘Time to plan for the rest of your visit …’

  Back at the hotel, we had a drink in the bar before going up to the suite where we curled up in the enormous bed and slept off the remainder of our jet lag.

  * * * * *

  The afternoon of Alice’s wedding was bright and warm. I put the finishing touches to my make-up and emerged from the bathroom. Des nodded his approval and straightened his tie before offering me his arm to escort me down to the lobby.

  ‘You’re gorgeous,’ he said as we stepped into the lift.

  ‘You’re not so bad yourself.’ I laughed. ‘I guess we scrubbed up pretty well for the occasion.’

  Outside the hotel, the doorman hailed a cab and we sat back to enjoy the ride. Des pulled a flyer from his pocket.

  ‘Apparently this place really was a steel foundry at one time,’ he said. ‘The building’s nineteenth-century. It was refurbished and opened as an events venue in 2001.’

  ‘Seems an odd place for a wedding.’

  ‘Well, this is America – the land where anything goes. The pictures look good though.’ He passed me the leaflet. The photos certainly were lovely.

  ‘I meant to ask you before, why did they choose New York for the wedding? I mean, Alice lives in Melbourne these days and Jim’s an Aussie – so why not Oz?’

  Des shook his head. ‘Dunno. Alice never said, but I suppose it’s the sort of thing TV people do. Jim’s an actor in a TV soap, so he’s sort of a celebrity.’

  ‘I’d gathered he was in showbiz, but I didn’t know he was an actor. I didn’t like to ask.’

  ‘You’re too polite, Lyd. You should always ask if you’re curious enough.’

  ‘Really? Then you won’t mind if I ask you something?’

  ‘Of course not. Fire away.’

  I took a deep breath before replying. ‘What do you do for a living? I’ve never known.’

  He laughed. ‘Is that all? I thought it was something major. I create computer games and stuff like that.’

  ‘Are you with a big company?’

  ‘We’re not exactly Microsoft, but we do OK.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘Aidan and George are my business partners. It’s our company – ADG Games Inc.’

  ‘You’re ADG Games? I buy your stuff for my little cousin all the time.’

  Des laughed self-consciously. ‘Well, now the secret’s out, I’ll have to give you some freebies for him.’

  The taxi pulled up outside The Foundry and we joined the other guests heading for the canopied terrace at the rear of the building where the service was to take place. The wooden chairs had red velvet cushions, with huge white bows attached to the ends of the rows. Baskets of multicoloured spring flowers were suspended along the edge of the awning above the seats, and the strains of Debussy’s Rêverie drifted softly through the speakers.

  ‘Are those TV cameras?’ I asked Des as we took our seats.

  ‘I guess so. Alice and Jim may not be ‘A’ listers, but they’re both minor celebrities, so there’s bound to be some media interest, at least back in Australia. Ah, look, it’s on here.’ He pointed out the small print on the back of the order of service we had been given by the usher.

  Crayford Media would like to thank the bride and groom for allowing us to film their special day. If you do not wish to have your image broadcast, please inform the producer and we will respect your privacy.

  ‘Wow! I didn’t expect that. How exciting!’

  The background music had stopped and a hush fell across the assembly. After a moment or two, Wagner’s Bridal Chorus heralded Alice’s arrival and we all turned to watch her make her way down the aisle to join her future husband. She looked beautiful in a simple gown of ivory silk; her hair fell in soft curls across her shoulders, adorned with a wreath of white flowers.

  For a brief moment I remembered my own wedding day, so long ago. I’d been young and full of hope for the future. I thought it was the beginning of a wonderful new life where all my dreams would come true. I had no idea that Bob would change so much once we were married; that my sweet and attentive fiancé would become a boorish drunk with no time for me at all.

  Almost as if he could read my thoughts, Des slipped his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek as Alice passed and we turned towards the front again. I stole a glance at him.

  Where are we going, my love? You’re helping to make my dreams come true, but is it too late to hope for ‘happy ever after’?

  Live for today; tomorrow is promised to no one, I thought.

&nb
sp; The ceremony commenced and finally the happy couple made their vows and kissed, to the accompaniment of rapturous applause from the guests, as we allowed ourselves to believe briefly that love was eternal and marriage was for life.

  Alice and Jim turned to face the congregation and the opening chords of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March cued their first walk together as man and wife.

  For the next hour the photographer kept everyone busy in the gardens as the traditional pictures were taken. The TV cameraman moved amongst the guests along with a guy who appeared to be interviewing people. Eventually, Des and I found ourselves facing the camera.

  The interviewer introduced himself. ‘G’day. I’m Peter from Crayford Media. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? We’ll be showing some highlights from today on Alice’s show when she gets back to Australia.’

  I felt a little shy, but Des squeezed my arm gently. ‘Fire away, mate,’ he said.

  ‘So, what’s your connection to the happy couple?’

  Des smiled. ‘You could say I’m an old friend of Alice’s. Known her for years.’

  ‘Your accent tells me you’re British. You’ve come a long way to be here today.’

  ‘Not as far as you, though,’ Des laughed. ‘We’d planned a holiday here anyway and the dates coincided. We wouldn’t have wanted to miss this, would we, Lyd?’

  ‘No, of course not. We’re very happy to be here,’ I said. ‘It was a beautiful ceremony.’

  The interviewer moved on to his next victims, having decided we weren’t all that fascinating, and gradually we were all ushered indoors for the reception.

  Chapter 35: Moment of Truth

  We found our places at a table close to the front of the dining room. Alice had arranged for us to be seated with some people Des knew fairly well, Alan and Claire. Alan stood up and shook our hands as we reached the table. Claire looked me up and down with a vague smile before turning her attention to Des who was holding a chair out for me.

  ‘Well, this is a turn up for the books! I couldn’t believe it when Alice told me you’d be here,’ she said. ‘You’re a brave man. It must be difficult for you.’

  ‘Not at all, Claire.’ Des took his seat between Claire and me. ‘It was all a long time ago. This is Lydia, by the way.’ He turned to me. ‘Claire went to school with Alice. Back in the day, Alan and I used to escape for a few beers whenever the girls started reminiscing.’

  Across the table, Alan chuckled. ‘Those were the days, eh? I haven’t had a decent pint or game of darts for ages. It’s good to meet you, Lydia.’ He seemed much friendlier than his wife who now turned her attention to me.

  ‘So, how long have you two been together? I take it you are “together” and not just acquaintances?’

  ‘We’ve known each other just over a year …’ I started, not sure how to proceed.

  ‘And we’ve been “together”, as you put it, since November-ish.’ Des completed my sentence. I sensed antagonism between him and Claire.

  ‘Six months, then?’ Claire obviously wanted to know everything. ‘And where did you meet? I must say, you’re not his usual type, Lydia.’

  Is she trying to intimidate me? I wondered. I decided to be more assertive.

  ‘We both write,’ I said. ‘We met at a writing group, tackled a couple of projects together and the rest is history.’

  ‘What sort of projects?’

  ‘You’ll have to wait until the book comes out,’ I said, starting to enjoy the banter at last. Des winked at me.

  ‘Do you remember that first story?’ He was struggling to keep a straight face. Position Impossible, you called it.’

  ‘Well, we’ve come a long way since then, and your research skills have improved no end,’ I replied.

  At this point we both burst out laughing while Alan and Claire looked at us, bewildered.

  Dinner was served and toasts and speeches followed. While the waiters cleared the tables, Alice and Jim circulated amongst their guests, accepting congratulations and good wishes. Arriving at our table, Alice smiled and hugged us.

  ‘I’m so glad you made it. Was the flight OK?’

  ‘It was fine,’ I said. ‘I slept through most of it.’

  ‘Well done. Another tick on your list, then.’

  ‘Oh, I think I’ll forget about the list. I’ll never get the last thing done.’

  ‘Never say “never”. I have to mingle, but we’ll stay in touch, right?’

  ‘Of course, and thanks for everything, Alice. Without your help I …’ my voice trailed off as I thought about how close I’d come to losing Des.

  ‘No worries, Lydia. I just want to see the two of you as happy as Jim and I are.’

  The DJ had now finished setting up onstage and he called for our attention.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate the marriage of Alice and Jim. The formalities are over and the rest of the evening is all about enjoying yourselves. I have a broad selection of music available, hopefully something for everyone, including those of you who like to get up and perform. So if you want to sing, dance, or tell a few jokes, just let me know and we’ll arrange it. But first, could we have a round of applause for the bride and groom as they take the floor for the first dance.’

  Alice and Jim stepped onto the dance floor and everyone clapped, cheered and whistled. They danced to Barry White’s You’re My First, My Last, My Everything and all around the room smiles were exchanged and hands held a little tighter. Des stood behind me, with his arms around my waist ,and kissed my neck. I shivered with pleasure and leaned back against him, wanting nothing more at that moment than to be alone with him.

  The first dance over, everyone took to the floor. Des and I had never really danced together before and I loved the way he held me as we moved around the floor. At the end of the third number, the DJ changed the tempo and we decided to take a break and replenish our drinks. The more energetic guests were dancing to Greased Lightning, but we settled for watching them. An old guy came onstage and introduced himself as Jim’s uncle. He delivered a five-minute comedy spot, and then three little girls got up to sing a song they’d learned at school.

  The homespun feeling about this entertainment was warm and cosy. Most of the adults had been drinking steadily for a while, and the atmosphere was relaxed and easy.

  ‘Are you having a good time?’ Des asked as he returned from the bar.

  ‘The best,’ I replied. ‘I just love this informality. Everyone’s having fun.’ I giggled as I realised I’d probably had a little too much champagne.

  ‘Lyd, will you do something for me?’

  ‘Anything …’ I winked, feeling mischievous.

  ‘I might hold you to that later, but right now I’d like you to sing for me.’

  ‘What, on the stage? You’re kidding, right?’

  ‘Never more serious. One song, please?’

  I tried to refuse, but I was never going to succeed. I knew in my heart that I didn’t want to.

  ‘OK. I’ll sing for you but don’t blame me if I mess up. I haven’t sung for weeks.’

  It was easier than I expected. With everyone concentrating on having a good time, no one was really paying attention to what was happening on the stage. I chose my track and the DJ set it up and handed me the microphone.

  ‘Just give me a nod when you’re ready to start and I’ll hit the “play” button.’

  Des vanished for a few minutes while I chatted to the DJ, but by the time I walked out onto the stage he was standing at the front, smiling to encourage me the way he’d always done. I smiled back and blew him a kiss.

  My inspiration – with you beside me I can do anything.

  ‘What are you going to sing?’ he called.

  I didn’t reply; instead I nodded to the DJ. ‘This is for Des,’ I announced. ‘The Wind Beneath My Wings.’

  I knew the song well, but I’d never sung it before and for a moment I wondered why I’d chosen it, but it was OK. I forgot about every
one else and concentrated on the song. I relaxed and enjoyed the beauty of the lyrics and hoped my rendition was doing them some kind of justice. I sang just for Des – the rest of the world ceased to exist. He was all I could see and all I cared about.

  The song ended and Des was beside me on the stage. I was vaguely aware that people were applauding as he held me tight and kissed me. He whispered something that I couldn’t quite hear.

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t catch that,’ I said. He took the microphone from my hand; it was still switched on.

  ‘Is that better?’ His voice boomed from the speakers at the sides of the stage.

  ‘Yes,’ I laughed.

  ‘Then I may as well share this with everyone – you’re a beautiful, talented woman, Lydia and I’m madly in love with you.’

  ‘You are? Oh, Des, you’ve no idea how long I’ve waited to hear that.’ Oblivious to the fact that we were on the stage and everyone was watching us, we kissed again, only breaking apart when we heard Alice’s voice call out from the back of the room.

  ‘Well go on, Lydia – it’s your turn now … let’s hear it!’

  Confused, I looked around and realised that everyone was waiting for me to speak. I turned back to Des, knowing I was blushing and grinning like an idiot.

  ‘Of course … you must know by now that I love you too.’

  Des switched off the microphone and wrapped his arms around me, whispering, ‘I think it’s time we left to continue this in private, don’t you?’

  Five minutes later, we were in a taxi on the way back to our hotel.

  Chapter 36: Thoughts Unspoken

  The rest of our holiday in New York was a whirlwind of sightseeing, romantic dinners and creating memories that would last forever. Janie and Mike showed us around and we must have taken thousands of photographs. Despite the fact that the city is famed for its inconsistent climate, the weather was kind to us. We had breakfast on the balcony every morning, planning our activities for the day. Every night we returned to the suite that had become our home and basked in the warmth of our love.