Eliza Riley
Return to Paradise
Lisa
gazed out over the Caribbean Sea, feeling the faint breeze against her
face - eyes shut, the white sand warm between her bare toes. The place
was beautiful beyond belief, but it was still unable to ease the grief
she felt as she remembered the last time she had been here.
She
had married James right here on this spot three years ago to the day.
Dressed in a simple white shift dress, miniature white roses attempting
to tame her long dark curls, Lisa had been happier than she had ever
thought possible. James was even less formal but utterly irresistible
in creased summer trousers and a loose white cotton shirt. His dark
hair slightly ruffled and his eyes full of adoration as his looked at
his bride to be. The justice of the peace had read their vows as they
held hands and laughed at the sheer joy of being young, in love and
staying in a five star resort on the Caribbean island of the Dominican
Republic. They had seen the years blissfully stretching ahead of them,
together forever. They planned their children, two she said, he said
four so they compromised on three (two girls and a boy of course);
where they would live, the travelling they would do together - it was
all certain, so they had thought then.
But that seemed such a
long time ago now. A lot can change in just a few years - a lot of
heartache can change a person and drive a wedge through the strongest
ties, break even the deepest love. Three years to the day and they had
returned, though this time not for the beachside marriages the island
was famous for but for one of its equally popular quickie divorces.
Lisa let out a sigh that was filled with pain and regret. What could
she do but move on, find a new life and new dreams? - the old one was
beyond repair. How could this beautiful place, with its lush green
coastline, eternity of azure blue sea and endless sands be a place for
the agony she felt now?
The man stood watching from the edge of
the palm trees. He couldn't take his eyes of the dark-haired woman he
saw standing at the water's edge, gazing out to sea as though she was
waiting for something - or someone. She was beautiful, with her slim
figure dressed in a loose flowing cotton dress, her crazy hair and
bright blue eyes not far off the colour of the sea itself. It wasn't
her looks that attracted him though; he came across many beautiful
women in his work as a freelance photographer. It was her loneliness
and intensity that lured him. Even at some distance he was aware that
she was different from any other woman he could meet.
< 2 >
Lisa sensed the man approaching even before she turned around. She had
been aware of him standing there staring at her and had felt strangely
calm about being observed. She looked at him and felt the instant spark
of connection she had only experienced once before. He walked slowly
towards her and they held each other's gaze. It felt like meeting a
long lost friend - not a stranger on a strange beach.
Later,
sitting at one of the many bars on the resort, sipping the local
cocktails they began to talk. First pleasantries, their hotels, the
quality of the food and friendliness of the locals. Their conversation
was strangely hesitant considering the naturalness and confidence of
their earlier meeting. Onlookers, however, would have detected the
subtle flirtation as they mirrored each other's actions and spoke
directly into each other's eyes. Only later, after the alcohol had had
its loosening effect, did the conversation deepen. They talked of why
they were here and finally, against her judgement, Lisa opened up about
her heartache of the past year and how events had led her back to the
place where she had married the only man she believed she could ever
love. She told him of things that had been locked deep inside her, able
to tell no one. She told him how she had felt after she had lost her
baby.
She was six months pregnant and the happiest she had ever
been when the pains had started. She was staying with her mother as
James was working out of town. He hadn't made it back in time. The
doctor had said it was just one of those things, that they could try
again. But how could she when she couldn't even look James in the eye.
She hated him then, for not being there, for not hurting as much as her
but most of all for looking so much like the tiny baby boy that she
held for just three hours before the took him away. All through the
following months she had withdrawn from her husband, family, friends.
Not wanting to recover form the pain she felt - that would have been a
betrayal of her son. At the funeral she had refused to stand next to
her husband and the next day she had left him.
< 3 >
Looking up, Lisa could see her pain reflected in the man's eyes. For
the first time in months she didn't feel alone, she felt the unbearable
burden begin to lift from her, only a bit but it was a start. She began
to believe that maybe she had a future after all and maybe it could be
with this man, with his kind hazel eyes, wet with their shared tears.
They had come here to dissolve their marriage but maybe there was hope.
Lisa stood up and took James by the hand and led him away from the bar
towards the beech where they had made their vows to each other three
years ago. Tomorrow she would cancel the divorce; tonight they would
work on renewing their promises.
موضوع: return to paradise 
الأربعاء 02 يونيو 2010, 1:09 pm
