“Well, I might as well get this over with,” she said to herself as she made her way to the shower.
She took her time in the shower and getting dressed. Feeling rather lonely that morning, she decided to take breakfast in the café off the lobby. At least there would be people around her there. So she donned a bit of makeup and left the room.
The café was open air and quite large, rather tall palm trees growing up through the open roof. Tropical birds flittered about looking for scraps and the warm, tropical breezed came in off the ocean. She ordered something light to avoid any motion sickness on her flight home. And besides, she wasn’t really very hungry.
She sat there staring out into the ocean waiting for her food to arrive. Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She whisked around and there he stood—Nick. She couldn’t believe her eyes at first. Perhaps he was an abmorition of her own wants.
She reached out to grab his arm and felt his flesh. Yes, he was real. And his beautiful face was directly in front of her! Her face immediately beamed into a smile. “Oh Nick,” she gasped.
“Caryn. I’m so glad to see you! But I’ve been worried about you? Are you OK?” Nick asked, his face becoming concerned.
“Yes. Why were you worried?”
“I saw Jon leaving yesterday. I assumed you left with him. I thought maybe something terrible happened.”
Caryn smiled. Now she knew why he hadn’t gone looking for her. “No. No. I didn’t leave. But I am leaving today.”
Nick sat down in the chair next to hers and took her hand in his. “I’m glad you didn’t leave yet. I was afraid I did something to upset you or hurt you or something stupid like that.”
“No. You could never hurt me. I don’t think you know how,” she answered.
Hearing this, Nick leaned over, took her in his arms and squeezed her so tight she could hardly breathe. “Oh Caryn. I’m so glad you’re still here,” he whispered into her ear. And it felt so good to know how much he cared.
As he sat up, the waitress brought Caryn’s food. Nick ordered some breakfast, too, and stayed to eat with her.
“I wish I had known you were here alone last night. I slept in a patio chair on the lawn,” Nick confessed.
“What happened?” she asked in astonishment.
“Well, when I talked to my girlfriend…well ex-girlfriend now…when I told her I wanted to break up when we got home, she got mad and started throwing things at me. It was NOT a pretty a sight!” he explained.
“Oh no. Nick, I’m so sorry. But at least she cared.”
“Yeah. She cared alright! She cared that she was losing her free lunch!”
“No. I’m sure she was upset about losing you.”
“Well, think what you want. I know what I think.”
“At least she showed emotion. When Jon left, it was kinda ‘Goodbye…nice knowin’ ya.’” Caryn’s face saddened. “After all these years, I expected him to at least try to make it work.”
Nick cupped her chin in his hand and tried to comfort her. “Caryn. Don’t be sad. You are a wonderful lady. Just be happy being you. Don’t try to live for someone else, especially someone who obviously doesn’t deserve you. Just live for you.”
Caryn tuned her cheek into the palm of his large hand, reveling in the warmth of true caring he bestowed upon her. She smiled at his words wondering again where Nick got all his wisdom from. Because he was much more sage than most men twice his age. And even more caring about his friends.
After breakfast, Nick and Caryn went back to their respective rooms and packed their bags. Caryn cancelled her car to the airport and loaded her suitcase into the small back seat of Nick’s rented Porsche.
They smiled as they drove away from the hotel. The hour’s drive to the airport, they talked about what they would do when they arrived home. Caryn was unsure what would be waiting for her. She knew she had to tell the children about Jon and her. Nick asked her what she would do with her life now that she would be a single woman.
“I guess I’ll live for my children now,” she confessed.
“No. You have to live for you, Caryn. Please don’t shrivel up in a corner because of Jon!” he said forcefully. Caryn had never seen Nick so passionate about something and it took her by surprise. “You must get on with your life.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she answered slowly. “But I think I have some healing to do first. I think I’m going to have a lot to do with the divorce coming up.”
“Yeah, I guess you will. Just take care of yourself first. Then everything else will fall into place.”
Nick continued talking changing the subject to their upcoming tour. She was happy for the diversion as well as interested in his life, and happy that he wanted to share this it with her, even if it was only on a friendship basis now.
At the airport, Nick pulled up to a curbside valet and checked both their bags, then handed the keys to the Porsche over along with a rather large tip. Escorting Caryn to her terminal, they sat on a bench inside. Caryn glanced at her watch. Time seemed to be rushing past her when she just wanted it to slow down for a while.
The plane was at the terminal and they had started to call for boarding.
“I guess this is it,” she said, facing Nick with a smile.
“Yeah. I guess so,” he answered, his voice almost a whisper, his mouth turning upwards into a smile to match hers. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, reaching in his pocket to pull out a small box.
Handing it to Caryn, he smiled. “Open it.”
Baffled, she took the box and opened it. Inside she found a small pair of golden earrings. Looking closer, she saw they were dolphins.
“For me?” she asked.
“Yeah. I bought them the other day. I wanted to give you something to remember me.”
“You are so sweet,” she said, embracing him in a hug. She immediately put the earrings on. “How do they look?”
“As beautiful as you.” She didn’t know how to answer that and her cheeks turned a light shade of red.
As they called the last passengers to board, Nick and Caryn stood, facing each other. Nick reached out and put his arms securely around her, hugging her tightly. She closed her eyes and inhaled his manly scent, hugging him back just as tight. Neither were willing to give up the other from their arms until the final boarding call was made.
Backing up to face Nick, his arms still around her waist and hers resting on his biceps, they smiled at each other. “I’ll be calling,” Nick whispered. Then he placed a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. Without another word, he let her go, and she turned to walk to the plane. As she entered the doorway to the plane, she turned to look at him once more. She smiled and raised her hand to him. He did the same from the ground.
Biting his lower lip, he fought back tears. He wanted to be on that plane with her. He wanted to be by her side to help her face the pain that she would have to endure. He wanted to hold her and make love to her once again. But he knew that couldn’t be. At least not right now. She was right. She needed time to heal.
As the plane pulled away to the runway, a tear rolled down his cheek. He brushed it away with his fingers. He watched until it was out of sight.
The force of the plane taking off pushed Caryn far into her seat. She closed her eyes and pictured Nick’s face smiling at her. She put her right hand up to her ear lobe and felt the dolphin earring that adorned it. She would always remember the time she spent with the golden haired, sensitive man named Nick Carter. She would remember how special and caring he was. And she would remember the love that he shared with her and that she was a beautiful woman worthy of a man’s love.
And perhaps she would find paradise again someday, somewhere, somehow.
THE END
