Chapter 20
Emily was dribbling water from a small polished copper watering can into the thirsty potting mix of her African violet. It had been a coming home present from her mother. The house plant had defied the odds by, not only surviving but flourishing with a profusion of fleshy green leaves and a never ending display of purple flowers. Her concentration was interrupted by the ringtone of her phone, filling the sunlit room of her cottage with Puccini: the familiar Madame Butterfly aria that Emily had recently, in a capricious moment, downloaded.
"Hi Mum, what's up... actually I've been meaning to call you all morning?"
"OK, you go first then."
"Well, you'll never guess but I got this strange delivery in the mail this morning..."
Suzanne interrupted her daughter.
"So did I... You're not going to tell me it was a gold coin are you?"
"You got one too? And was there a note?"
"It just said: Love Tony."
"Mine to... What does it mean?"
"This must mean that Tony is doing well, well enough to splash his money out on gold coins in any case. He must be back on his feet, gold doesn't grow on trees."
"No I guess we have to take it as good news Mum. But why didn't he say more? A brief message just to let us know how he is... I suppose your letter had no return address either."
"No just a plain envelope, from the postmark it was sent from London. My guess is that he's still keeping his head down. Those people who were threatening him, who ever they were, really frightened him. I guess he's still worried that they might trace him."
"I suppose so... You don't think he's in London do you Mum?"
"Not really, as you said, he talked about South America or Australia. I think he wanted to be as far away from his old haunts as possible."
"So how do you think he arranged it if he's on the other side of the world?"
"I have no idea Emily, there was a lot going on in Tony's life that we never knew about, I'm coming to realise that now. But why send gold coins for goodness sake?"
"I can't imagine... I've been waiting to hear something from him... I know he said not to expect news but maybe we can relax a little now. At least it means he's safe."
"Yes I guess so... "
"Look would you like to come over to the cottage later for dinner?"
"OK I have no plans, that sounds good."
"No plans... not doing anything with Ken?" Emily said with a little probing laugh.
"You just mind your own business young lady. I'll see you this evening."
Emily was still wrapped in concerns for her brother. She knew that her credit card had only been used once to make a purchase from a travel agent. That was something that made perfect sense to her at the time. But following that first use, there had been no more charges against her card and, knowing Tony's financial situation she had started to fear the worse. But if Tony had fallen on his feet, then the gold coin could be a way for Tony to pay them back... but why no proper letter? In the end Emily chose, as a matter of faith, to believe that her brother was safe. She also chose to keep the coin safe to remind her of Tony until they met again. Maybe she would have it made into a medallion. The coin a Krugerrand weighed one full ounce of gold and had to be valuable, she thought. For Emily, its sentimental value was greater than any amount of money to her.
The seasons rolled on, the wheel of the year had turned again to autumn. A full year had passed since Emily's accident. She found herself dreamily peering through her window just as she had been on the momentous day a year ago. She thought how much had changed in the intervening year and yet how much had remained the same, the wheel turning back to the same familiar routines. Emily's days were spent alternately working at the veterinary clinic and with Margaret in her riding stables. Her life was on an even keel, there were no lasting after effects of the accident and she would have been perfectly content if not for the nagging absence of someone special.
The thoughts of Alexander would just not go away. After all the months that had slipped by, the void in her life did not seem able to be filled. None of the messages she had posted for Alexander had been answered and she had finally come the sad realization that he could not be looking for her. Her own searches for Alexander had proved just as fruitless; he seemed to have simply disappeared from the face of the earth. Despite all this hopelessness, instead of her feelings for Alexander fading as time slipped away, she found that she wanted him back with her more with the passing of each day.
As the weather inevitably turned colder, with thoughts of imminent winter frosts, Emily rummaged through her clothing, sorting what she could throw out and what was suitable for the charity shop. She found herself in need of a replacement winter coat, something warm against the winter winds. With this in mind she drove her quaint little Citroen into Biddenfield to browse the shops and see what was fashionable and affordable this season. She had seen, while passing a few days earlier, a stylish coat with fake fur collar and cuffs. It was displayed in the window of the Crossways Boutique and Emily decided that she would like to have a closer look at it. As she walked down the dampness of the cobbled high street, shoulders hunched against the brisk wind, using the sleeves of her too thin Burberry trench coat like a muffler, she passed the Lexicon book shop and her eye was drawn to a new window display. She wrapped her scarf round her neck as she read the poster.
The work of a promising new author. A charming must read page turner. She hesitated not quite able to believe her eyes; a shiver ran down her spine. The Kiss of the Moon, was finished and made real it stood inviting her, demanding her, to buy a copy. There was a moment of hesitation thinking that it could not really be Alexander's book, just a coincidence of titles, but overcome by inescapable curiosity she slipped into the welcoming warmth of the shop. Emily picked up a copy, it felt solid and substantial a real thing, not the illusive book of her recollections that existed as only ephemera floating in her memory. She opened the book and thumbing through the pages recognized the words that she and Alexander had laboured over. It felt like meeting a dear old friend. Confirmation that it really was their book was already there in the author's name but there was more... much more. At the front of the book was a dedication meant for her:
For Emily
Without you this book would never have been completed.
Wherever you are I love you and always will.
The few simple words, if she could hold them to be true, were all she had waited for. Unexpectedly from the chill of an autumn day had come renewed hope of finding Alexander. It now seemed to her to be a real possibility. As she handed over her money with fumbling fingers, the sales assistant looked concerned.
"Are you all right Miss?"
Emily had been quite unaware of the tears that flowed down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her sleeve like a disordered school girl.
"I've never been all righter." Emily said as she ran from the shop clutching her prize.
Dismissing all thoughts of the new coat, Emily returned home and after a brief internet search, found a number for the publisher. With a trembling voice she spoke to the stranger at the end of the line.
"I wonder if you would have a contact number for Alexander Havers."
"Alexander Havers?"
"The author of the kiss of the moon..."
"Ah yes of course. I'm sorry but it's company policy not to give out personal details about our authors."
"This is quite important, I really need to contact Alexander, there must be something you can do."
The receptionist who was taking her call had heard all this before from an uncountable number of fans who would only make a nuisance of themselves by pestering the authors.
"Well I could get a brief message to him if it's really important." She said.
"That's all I ask, please just say: I'm at the cottage if you want to be with me, love Emily."
"Emily... you couldn't possibly be the Emily from the dedication could you?"
&n
bsp; "Yes I could."
"Well, in that case I think he probably would like to hear from you, I'll make sure he gets the message. Give me your contact number... Have you read the book? It's a lovely read; you will need tissues."
"Actually yes, and I know."
Emily ended the call and then rang Suzanne.
"Mum, I may have tracked him down..."
"Who, Tony?"
"Ah... No sorry, I mean Alexander."
"Well that's just as good... for you darling, but what do you mean by may have tracked him down? Have you got an address, a number or something?"
"No, not yet. I was in town earlier, a bit of window shopping, but as I passed the bookshop in town, you know the one on by the Prudential corner, I saw our book on display... "
"The one Alexander wrote at the cottage?"
"Of course... Is there any other book in the world?" Emily said "I couldn't believe my eyes. I've got a copy if you want to read it. Anyway the publisher's name was there... well obviously I suppose, and after a google search I came up with a number for them. So they took a message and promised to pass it on to him."
"That's fantastic darling, I hope it all works out for you must keep me in touch, and by the way I'd love to read the book, you've told me so much about it, I can't wait."
This new hope promised to be something polished and lasting, a happiness to grow old with. Emily could not relax, she willed the phone to ring and tingled with nervous excitement. But as the day drew on with no reply to her message she started to slowly lose her effervescence. She went through the process of rationalizing what could have happened. Maybe he had not had time to get back to her, maybe he had lost the phone number of the cottage, maybe they hadn't got the message to him, maybe he had been in an accident, maybe he had found someone else and no longer wanted to see her...maybe...maybe. Emily's mind played with these thoughts and she found herself growing more despondent as the day turned into evening and then into the darkness of night. It was now past her normal bedtime, she took the book with her and read the familiar story, she saw how Alexander had honed their story into something that felt real, believable, full of passion. As she finally fell asleep, her earlier boundless happiness had turned back into a wistful unrequited longing once again.
Alexander had decided to take the New York job. He had agonised over the decision, still wanting to make a success of his writing career but after his first book, which owed so much to Emily, he had found the process more difficult than he had expected. The package that Crossfields had tempted him with felt more like a lottery win than a salary. There was also the prospect of an apartment overlooking Central Park, a car and an expense account. The work he would be involved in also appeared interesting with enough challenge to keep him absorbed. The tipping point was however that he had nothing to keep him from moving overseas, any ties he had made were now all severed by the unkind hand of fate.
As Alexander waited for his flight, he decided to check with Andrea at his publisher's office. He naturally needed to keep in touch with them and wanted to double check that they had the correct contacts for him in New York.
"Yes Alex those details match with our records, I don't suppose you'll have a great deal of time for writing while you settle into your new position. But don't forget your contract; we need another book... another two books."
"I know, I know. I'll have to see how it all goes. I'll probably find myself with some time to kill, being on my own.... I hope to get something done by the end of next year... I'm just waiting to find some inspiration."
"No pressure Honey but a quick follow up to your first book would be sure to sell well... Don't keep your fans waiting too long, they can be a fickle bunch: hard to gather and quick to abandon you if you don't keep feeding them what they want."
"You may be right Andrea but that book was emotionally draining, I'm not sure I'm ready for a sequel just yet."
"Pity, but I won't stop pressing you on the point."
Alexander laughed; it felt good, despite the pressure, to be wanted for a change.
"Well if that's all Alexander... Oh wait... There was something I think... a message for you, the reception desk passed it on to me... just a minute..."
Andrea cupped the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she searched through the papers on her desk. Alexander checked his watch; the flight was due to board any minute.
"Andrea, are you there?"
"Still here Honey."
"Andrea look the flight's due to board at any minute... I should go, you can give me the message next time I call or you could just send me a text."
"OK... Will do... Oh wait here it is, nothing really important. Someone called Emily says she is at the cottage if you want to be with her. Sounds intriguing."
Alexander's world suddenly spiralled around his head. He shivered, not from any cold but as if something had passed through him silent and irresistible. He had to lean against the wall for support.
"Emily? You're sure it was from Emily?"
"Swat it says here Honey." Amanda drawled.
"If I want to be with her, what does that mean?" He said, addressing the words to himself.
"That's all it says. Oh... it's signed love Emily. Is there something you're not telling me Alexander, I thought I had your affections all to myself."
"You wish... Look Amanda this message has knocked the wind out of my sails... Er... I'd better go OK... Thanks, I'll be in touch."
Alexander wondered why Emily had left it so late, just as he was about to fly off to a new life. The departure lounge seemed suddenly to have changed. Almost bigger, brighter more energized. As he looked around him, it seemed that he could see the expressions of his fellow travellers with more clarity. Were they as confused as he?
Across the hum of the airport came the echoing announcement: Passengers boarding for New York should head for gate seven.
Alexander's feet seemed glued to the floor by indecision. He considered abandoning his plans, rushing to the cottage, but what would he find when he got there? Before him stood the opportunity of a lifetime. A fortune to be made and a life of new experiences in one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world. It was all waiting for him. Could returning to that simple cottage and taping out silly books on a laptop compete with that? Even if it was in Emily's company. He hardly knew Emily as a real woman, was she even the same person? He was not even really sure what Emily was offering. His eyes looked up towards the flow of scurrying passengers, making their bustling way towards their own adventures. Gate seven beckoned. The internal conflict was soon over, Alexander knew that there was only one reasonable thing for him to do.
With still nothing from Alexander, Emily had phoned Margaret, apologising and saying that she would not be in today. Migraine was her excuse. In fact she just felt like guiltily pandering to her disappointment for a few hours. Possibly a hearty dose of comfort food would lift her mood, restore her equilibrium. Maybe a day spent curled up with a good book... a good book, where could such a thing be found? Despite the chocolate and the indulgent muffins, the day had passed slowly for her. She thought as the shadows lengthened, that it might have been wiser to look for solace in her equine friends after all.
There was a stew simmering in the slow cooker, it filled the cottage with an appetising aroma as Emily settled herself on the sofa with a sigh. She was examining a loose button on her shirt, absently picking at the threads. From somewhere in the distance came the bark of a dog. She looked up into the late afternoon sky as she heard the taxi in the lane. She heard it slow and stop by the cottage. Emily knew that her world had changed forever before she had even opened the door; knew before she even saw him. The squeak of the gate hinge, the cadence of his footsteps still gloriously familiar. The door was open before he could knock and there standing before her was a man she knew and she drew him carefully into the magic cottage lest he should dare to disappear from under its spell once more.
They stood together face to face, for a l
ong time silent. Words difficult to find... unneeded. Both hardly able to believe that they were back together again.
Emily spoke first.
"Welcome home Stranger." She said, her voice soft and compelling.
"You remembered?"
"Oh yes... I remembered... It took a while but I finally remembered... all of it. I've been waiting for you for so long."
"Have you?... So is it all right if I stay for a while?"
"No." Emily said wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Not for a while... I want you for an eternity."
She closed her eyes as Alexander spun her round in an embrace that would never be broken, their destiny was sealed. Nothing else mattered. They were oblivious of everything except that they had finally found each other again. They were so caught in the moment, that even the strange coincidence of events passed by them unnoticed. It was a normal thing in the flux of time and space where planets spin and orbit. Over the distant hills a well anticipated partial eclipse had brought the shadow of the Moon to kiss the face of the Sun.
The End
About the author
Graham was born in England but has lived most of his adult life in New Zealand. When not writing he may be found pottering in his cottage or jogging along the beach or the coastal walkways of the quiet sea-side settlement of Maraetai.
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