Not So Easily Broken

by Annalisa Simon

  Ramon suddenly felt encouraged and felt strength return to his body as he anticipated Courtney’s reaction to his plans. He knew they were a little over the top but nothing was too good for his wife! Once again, before pulling off he spoke a prayer of gratitude to God for preserving his marriage. First he had to go to the airport and pick up a surprise guest and then he would be on his way. He just hoped that it would all work out. It had to!

  Arriving at the house, Constance watched Courtney literally run across the yard along the chocolate coloured flagstone pavement to the door of her sprawling one story ranch style home. This beautiful house was set among a green landscape of grass, flowers and ferns that Courtney loved so much. She and Ramon had really built a beautiful home here and she was glad that disaster had been averted. Having heard Ramon on the phone, she was relieved that he was safe and hoped nothing else would stop him from completing his plans. Constance parked her car and walked slowly up the walkway before letting herself in the door that Courtney left ajar. As she entered their living room and looked around, she could not help but notice once again how beautiful the decor was. She had always admired Courtney’s sense of style and colour and loved the contrasts of the gold, reds and forest green accents that made up the scheme of the room. It was a room that radiated passion and love and she hoped that that is exactly what happened here between Ramon and Courtney.

  “Have you heard from Ramon as yet, Courtney?” Constance asked already knowing the answer to her question.

  “No and I am getting worried about him.” replied Courtney who was trying to send Ramon another text message from her phone asking him to call her.

  “Why isn’t he returning my calls?” asked Courtney again.

  In an effort to calm her down, Constance thought quickly on her feet.

  “Listen, tell you what! Why don’t you go and take a bath and start to get ready. Give me your cell phone so that if he calls I will be able to answer it for you. Is that okay?”asked Constance.

  Courtney paused and thought about the suggestion. It sounded like it could work. Besides, the invasion of her privacy today did make her feel as though she wanted to wash away the dirt and the grimy feeling the pain had inflicted on her body. Finally, knowing she could trust the woman standing before her, she gave Constance her phone and proceeded to the bathroom to take a much desired shower.

  “Promise you will come and get me if he calls?” she asked pausing suddenly and turning around.

  “I promise”, said Constance. “Now go on, I will make sure that you do not miss his call.”

  Constance felt a slight twinge of guilt for not telling Courtney that she had already heard from Ramon, but she figured that she would be forgiven once the plans for the evening were fully revealed. Also, despite her good relationship with Ramon now, Courtney would not understand why Ramon spoke to her instead. That knowledge would only raise her suspicions that something else was afoot.

  When Courtney had finally gone into the bathroom and shut the door, she sat down in the living area to rest and to think. It was then that she noted that she would not have a chance to change her clothes but somehow even that ranked very low on the list of things that were important. She had to figure out how to get Courtney to leave the house without seeing or hearing from Ramon. This was about to get challenging and Constance never backed down from a challenge.

  Driving back from the airport, Ramon looked over at his surprise guest and said told himself that he was taking a really big risk. He had no way of knowing how Courtney would react especially after what she went through today. He took her to the home of his good friends Marcus and Natasha Nicholls who agreed to bring her with them to the event later that evening. After that, he went back to his office to change his clothes. He always knew that having a shower facility in the office building would one day come in handy. As he showered and changed into his black tuxedo his thoughts were constantly wondering if Courtney would come with Constance. She would probably put up some resistance at first but he knew Constance was a capable woman. Although it was highly unlikely for Courtney to leave home without hearing from him and without knowing where she was going, he would have to trust that Constance had a good plan B. That woman had an unusual knack for calming Courtney down and bringing the best out of her. He was really grateful that she became the mother that Courtney needed in her life for support and love.

  He reached into the jacket of his tuxedo and opened a gold velvet box that contained Courtney’s new diamond and ruby encrusted wedding band. He wanted it to accent her existing wedding band so he requested that the jeweller create a slim band set with a raised array of rubies and diamonds. He chose the ruby because it was the gemstone that represented wholeness of heart in addition to fire and passion. It was all that he knew they both wanted as they moved forward together. Next to Courtney’s wedding band was his own band. It was one which he had seen Courtney admiring when they were in the mall together last month. When she saw it, she confessed that she thought it would look great on his hand and asked the clerk if he could try it on just to humour her. It fit perfectly and although he did not buy it then, he made a mental note of it and came back later to purchase it. Little did Courtney know that tonight she would be placing it on his hand and he would be placing a new band on hers. He splashed on cologne, and replaced the velvet box in his jacket pocket. He grabbed the suitcase he had already packed and kept at the office and made his way down to the SUV. It was time to get back to the marina for his sunset surprise.

  As Courtney showered she luxuriated in the tingly sensation of the warm water as its flow relaxed her muscles and caused her mind become clear and focused once again. For a while, she just stood under the stream watching the rivulets of water course down her entire body and pool around her feet. When she was finished and was in the process of drying her skin with the towel, she heard Constance shout through the closed door,

  “Courtney, good news, Ramon just called and he asked me to bring you down to the marina to meet him.” Outside the door, Constance closed her eyes and felt another small twinge of guilt about her deception and silently asked God for forgiveness.

  Trying not to slip on the tiles Courtney ran over to the door and yanked it open.

  “He called, when? Didn’t he want to speak to me?” asked Courtney.

  “He cannot wait to see you dear. He did not want me to interrupt your shower because he knows how much it relaxes you.”

  “But...”

  “No buts, Ramon is ok and is waiting for you. Now go and get dressed.”

  Constance kept her expression serious and motherly as she looked into the unimpressed expression on Courtney’s face. By the looks of it Courtney was not going to budge from her position and she saw her eyes narrow in thought. She looked as if she was about to say something else and then thought against it. As she turned and walked to the master bedroom, all Constance heard Courtney saying to herself was,

  “Ok...ok...ok....”

  She hoped that she was not getting Ramon in too deep with her “verbal inventions” and prayed that the surprise would be enough to erase any bad memories any of them had experienced during the day.

  Chapter 8

  The southern end of the marina was completely transformed! Ramon had ordered a huge white tent with a central vaulted ceiling to be spread out over the lower end of the boardwalk and the adjoining parking lot. Along the ceiling of the tent were strung rows and rows of fairy lights so that in the deepening dusk it looked like the starlit sky hung so low that each glowing orb of ‘starlight’ could be touched. Along the sides of the tent billowed curtains of satin and chiffon in the gentle breeze that flowed off the sea while on the ground along the sides of the tent were two semicircular areas created with miniature trees and palms that were also covered in fairy lights along with golden floral arrangements. The edges of the tent and the arch at the other end were decorated in exquisite white tiger lilies, with miniature oranges with green cascading ferns. At the farthest end o
f the tent a luxury catamaran was moored and it too was decorated with fairy lights.

  As Courtney approached the marina sitting in passenger seat of Constance’s car she looked out in awe at the beauty of her surroundings. From the time that she began to dress and found the pearl and diamond necklace set from Ramon and the beautiful scarves she knew that something unusual was happening to her that evening. As she slipped on her dress, she felt something stick her in her bosom and as she felt inside saw a tiny note folded and pinned there that had not been there when she tried it on at first. Unfolding it she read the personal note from Naeema Khan that wished her congratulations on her 7 wedding anniversary and a P.S. that told her that she had an incredibly wonderful husband in Ramon. As she read the note and began to understand just how long and how much effort Ramon had put in to planning for their wedding anniversary, it was all she could do to hold back the tears and save the light makeup she had just applied to her face. He even listened to her rants about fashion photography as she watched television or read magazines? This was not a man who was not interested in his wife. Instead, it firmly told her that the complete opposite was true. Ramon did love her and he was paying attention to even the smallest details. She left the house on cloud one hundred and nine, no longer worried about the fact that he did not call. She was just anxious to get down to the restaurant to meet him. She assumed that since Constance was driving her that perhaps he had arranged an evening at her fine dining restaurant. Thrilled beyond happiness she got into the car and did not even question Constance, preferring to stay quiet and enjoy her thoughts of Ramon.

  The change in Courtney’s demeanour when she exited her room could not have pleased Constance more and she was blown away by the sight of Courtney in her flowing white Grecian styled gown. Ramon had planned that her day would unfold just like a person would unwrap a gift. One layer at a time, slowly removing the complementary pieces until the true gift was found. Now as they arrived at the marina, and she saw the look of awe and amazement on Courtney’s face she knew that the last piece of the puzzle had fallen neatly into place.

  “Wow Constance, what is happening tonight? Is there a festival?” inquired Courtney.

  Constance laughed and replied, “A festival of sorts”.

  Constance parked near the tent and announced that they had reached their destination laughing at the quizzical expression on Courtney’s face.

  “Come dear, you are here.”

  Courtney emerged from the vehicle and as soon as she did she inhaled the unmistakable scent of roses and fruit that perfumed the air. She soon realized that below her feet felt soft and as she looked down she saw that the ground was covered in hundreds of rose petals leading toward the magnificently decorated tent.

  Courtney then began to slowly realize that this too had Ramon’s signature all over it, the carpet of rose petals were the same as when she got married the first time and also today at the studio when he came by for the surprise photo shoot. Speechless at the sheer beauty of what she saw before her she walked forward till she reached the tent and gently touched the soft petals of the tiger lilies that framed the entry way. Tiger lilies were one of her favourite flowers because of their elegance so she just looked at it all in amazement for a few moments.

  “I can’t believe this...” said Courtney finally finding her voice.

  “Constance, this is so beautiful, is this for Ramon and me?” asked Courtney.

  Not hearing a reply from her dearest friend Courtney turned around but instead of Constance she saw her husband standing and leaning against the door of Constance’s black Mercedes Benz. For a moment neither said anything and all that could be heard was the lapping of the waves against the boardwalk and the sound of the breeze moving against the curtains of the tent behind them.

  “Courtney, I love you, I love you so much,” said Ramon staring intently at her. She felt his hot gaze rake over her slowly as he admired her from head to toe and then back to her head again. “You look so beautiful in that dress” he said, “So beautiful!”

  Courtney felt as though she could not breathe because her heart was pounding in her chest so forcefully. Ramon stood before her tall and masculine wearing a black tuxedo that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the sheer masculinity his aura emanated. Looking deeply into her eyes he held out his hand to her in an invitation for her to come and take hold of it. Unknown to Courtney, Ramon held his breath willing his beautiful bride-to-be to come to him, to forget all that happened and take his hand.

  “Ramon, I love you too,” Courtney replied as tears began to stream from her eyes. Floored and overwhelmed by it all she was surprised that somehow she was able to walk toward him. As she did, she knew that every last issue she had with doubting and trusting this man were finally gone. It felt as though someone had freed her and she could dance again. As Courtney neared him, Ramon surprised her again by falling to one knee and reaching into his jacket to retrieve a small gold velvet box.

  Hearing her sharp intake of breath, he then looked up into her eyes and said:

  “Courtney Alyssa Belham, you have made me the happiest man on this earth and I could not imagine my life without you. I want you to know that I gave my heart to you nine years ago and of those nine, I have never regretted the seven we have been married. I don’t want my heart back, I just want you forever. I never want to know what it would mean to lose you.” Ramon paused as his voice began to break and as he tried to regain his composure.

  “What I am trying to say is that nothing is going to break the love that I have for you. That is my commitment and that is my pledge to you. I believe that at the end of seven years we are on the threshold of a new beginning and I wanted that beginning to mean something special for us. Marry me again, Courtney. Will you choose me again?” asked Ramon ardently.

  Courtney looked down into her husband’s eyes and felt as though she was seeing him really for the first time in her life. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine that he would do this. She saw the earnest sincerity in his unwavering gaze and knew that she would love and cherish this man forever. She had not recognized before that she had been given a gift in his love, but from today she would treasure him like never before. Courtney tugged on Ramon’s hand so that he would stand and as he did she said,

  “Ramon Adrian Belham, I am so happy right now, I don’t know what to say. I do know now that I love you and that I trust you with all my heart. I know that you are the man I want to spend the rest of my life loving. Yes, I will marry you again and again and again.”

  After hearing those exquisite words Ramon tugged her to him and crushed his mouth against hers in a passionate and almost savage kiss as he staked his claim to this woman once again. As he did he forgot all the other details of the plan. He had what he wanted; his wife in his arms and she loved him and he loved her. He revelled in everything that he loved about her, her taste, her scent, the feel of her body moulded to his, the sounds she made whenever he kissed her. Wrapped tightly in this haze of love they lost consciousness of time and space while their awareness of each other became heightened to the highest degree.

  Slowly as if through a dense fog, they once again became aware of the hum of other voices surrounding them and laughing and someone called out, “Guys we have a wedding!” and they all cheered.

  Courtney opened her eyes and looked at the group of close friends and family that Ramon had invited to the occasion, and then she saw her. At first she thought that she was hallucinating, but the more she looked the more real the woman seemed. Immediately, tears came to her eyes and she began to shake as she regarded the woman standing beside her sisters in the blue dress.

  “Honey, I’m so sorry, I have been so selfish over these years and I missed seeing you and your sisters grow up,” said Courtney’s mother gesturing as well to her two sisters. Before Courtney could respond she continued, “I know this is a surprise for you and I don’t even know if you want me here but I hope that at some point we could at least become
friends.”

  “Mom?” said Courtney. “You came.”

  Without needing to say another word she opened her arms to her mother and they embraced for the first time since she was fourteen years old. Coming to the decision earlier today to forgive her parents made this so much easier and she found that she held no resentment towards her at all, but only a sense of compassion, forgiveness and a desire to move forward. The time for bitterness was past and there was no point dwelling on failures. This was truly a night of second chances at love.

  “Mom, I forgive you, I do.”

  At those words both were crying and they were joined by Courtney’s two sisters and Ramon for a group hug. It could truly be a new beginning.

  “We have time to reconnect, and you have a wonderful man here. Let’s get this wedding started,” laughed Courtney’s mother wiping away tears from her own eyes.

  Someone else, probably the ever prepared Constance, handed everyone tissues to dry their eyes and they all moved together beneath the “starlit” tent. At that moment, a song that both Ramon and Courtney loved began to play, “To Love You More” by Celine Dion. Someone handed her a bouquet of tiger lilies while she wondered how it was that she managed to select a white dress for tonight. She truly looked like a bride again! As they stood before the minister and repeated their wedding vows to each other again, both she and Ramon knew that those words were sealing them together again for a lifetime. Whatever, had become fractured before was now healed and made whole again. When he opened the box to show her the new diamond and ruby encrusted wedding band, Courtney gasped and exclaimed how gorgeous it was. Ramon took her hand gently in his and slowly slipped on her new ring. In the lighting beneath the tent it flashed and sparkled like fire, and as the light reflected off Ramon’s irises she saw that it mirrored the passion and desire she saw growing there. When it was her turn to put on his ring, she exclaimed,