Poison in the Water

by Marissa de Luna

  ‘And this changed things?’

  ‘Bill and Alex’s motto had always been work hard, play hard. I couldn’t see the work Bill was doing but he was certainly playing hard.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Bill bought a boat.’

  ‘A boat?’ Elaine asked. ‘And this was a bad thing?’

  ‘It was. You could say it was poison in the water.’

  30

  14th September 2011

  Mid-Levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong

  Celeste put her hand over her eyes as the bright sunlight hit her face. She could hear movement but her head was throbbing and she felt nauseated. She heard a clunk on her bedside table and opened her eyes to see Alex replacing an empty glass on his own bed-side table. Old habits, she thought as she allowed her lids to close again.

  ‘Drink it. You’ll feel better.’

  She could sense him next to her.

  Opening one eye, she took in Alex’s half naked body and his hand holding out a tumbler full of fizzing water. She waved it away so he placed the glass on her bedside table again. Alex kissed her as he moved past her and she savoured his lips before he pulled away. It was rare to have a lazy morning together. No Bill, no Lada. Moments like this reminded her of their time in Thailand. Back in Krabi, Alex had been skinnier, now his back was broad and his shoulders defined. When had he started working out? She reached out and put her hand on his bicep. ‘Remember Thailand?’ she asked before she stretched out in-between their Frette bed-sheets.

  He took her foot in his hand and ran his finger down the sole of her foot.

  ‘Stop it,’ she shouted, suppressing a laugh. ‘I feel sick.’ She groaned and put her hand over her eyes.

  Alex stood up. He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a white polo. ‘We’re leaving in fifteen minutes,’ he said, pulling on a T-shirt and leaving the room.

  Celeste looked over at the alarm clock and realised it was noon. Not enough sleep for a weekend. She propped herself up and swallowed the contents of the glass by her bed. Last night had been fun. Jackie was on good form regaling stories of the countless jobs she had before meeting Geoff and moving to Hong Kong. After stepping out of a club at some deathly hour, she remembered they had gone to a local eatery and sat next to a row of marinating ducks whilst they ate beef ho fun and drank jasmine tea. Food had been a good idea. She focused on the door of the bathroom. ‘Just a couple of steps,’ she said, trying to coax herself into movement.

  *

  ‘This car is so loud,’ Celeste said exactly one hour later, as she adjusted her dark glasses. The car emerged from the underground car park into broad daylight.

  ‘Do you like it?’ Alex said, turning to look at her.

  ‘Love it.’ Celeste gave her husband a well-practised smile. In reality she didn’t care. It was a car. A loud, expensive car that Alex had only bought because Jackie’s husband had a Ferrari something-or-the-other delivered last week. The Maserati was just what Alex needed to make himself feel better. You couldn’t get over twenty miles per hour in most parts of Hong Kong, with its narrow streets and traffic jams. Having a super car was a joke. But if it put a smile on Alex’s face, who was she to question it. It was his money in any case. Like Alex kept reminding her, the money she earned couldn’t buy a first class ticket to Mainland China.

  ‘Like the colour? Went for the Nero black leather interior to go with the silver.’

  ‘It’s great,’ she said, careful not to mention that she scratched the door with her watch just moments ago. He would find out soon enough. ‘Good choice,’ she added in the hope of sounding more enthusiastic.

  ‘You’re not in the least bit interested, are you?’

  ‘I am.’ She looked at her new watch with a diamond-encrusted bezel that Alex had given her last night after arriving from his latest Shanghai trip. Then she leaned back in the passenger seat. Memories from Thailand came back to her again. Back then she wore a Casio and if she could remember correctly, Alex didn’t even have a watch. Now, as his gold Rolex reflected the sun, she couldn’t help but smile. She looked out as they drove past the harbour away from the city. It was nice to get out, to see some open spaces after being hemmed in by skyscrapers in the Mid-Levels.

  ‘Repulse Bay,’ Celeste said, as the car turned the corner and the sea glimmered in the sunshine. ‘The club?’

  ‘Aberdeen,’ Alex said. ‘The boat has arrived.’

  31

  15th September 2011

  Aberdeen, Southern District, Hong Kong

  ‘Bill can’t be up at this time. Last night he drank a bottle of Blue Label. And Angela, wasn’t she flying back today? Something about the children?’

  Alex looked at his watch. ‘Her flight took off an hour ago.’

  ‘She made it?’

  ‘Bill doesn’t let his wife miss flights. Far too expensive.’

  ‘You make Bill sound like a dictator.’

  Alex smiled.

  ‘He wont be able to share this big moment with her.’ There had been talk about this boat for some time. Bill, a master of impressions, had had them all in stiches last night speaking like Popeye and referring to Angela as Olive Oyl as he anticipated the arrival of his beloved boat. He never mentioned its arrival today.

  ‘It’s not his first boat. And she’ll be back. Bill loves a celebration. That’s why he invited us. It cleared customs sooner than he expected,’ Alex said, as if reading her mind. ‘She wasn’t that keen in any event.’ Alex made a face. Celeste nodded. Alex didn’t like Angela. He never said as much but she got that impression. Angela pretty much kept herself to herself. She probably resented the time Bill spent with Alex, especially now that Bill had pretty much followed Alex to Hong Kong. She imagined Bill blamed a lot of his late nights on Alex too, which was pointless because everyone knew Bill was always the instigator of a night out.

  Alex parked at the clubhouse and they walked the short way to the marina. In the distance there were a couple of sampan boats taking tourists to Jumbo, the iconic floating restaurant. The largest yacht in the harbour was at the end of the decking of the marina. ‘That has got to be it,’ Alex said. ‘Larger than the last, certainly ostentatious. I love it.’

  ‘Carbon credits must be doing well,’ Celeste said. She noticed Alex grimace. ‘You wouldn’t be jealous, would you?’ she asked as they stood outside the ninety-foot boat. Remember when we first met, you said you’d own a boat like this one day. Seems like Bill has beaten you to it.’ She watched Alex for a reaction but he just grinned. Her comment was payback for all the recent comments he made about her insignificant job at Cross, but her words didn’t have the effect she was hoping for.

  A man in a white and grey T-Shirt walked down the plank to where Celeste and Alex were standing. ‘I’m Roger,’ he said with a nod of the head. ‘Bill’s on board. Please take your shoes off and come up. There is a sea-grass box just over there for your shoes. I’ll bring it on board when we’re due to set sail.’

  ‘I’m so short without my heels,’ Celeste complained with a mock pout.

  ‘Haven’t you ever been on a boat before, honey? You can’t wear heels on a boat – it’s just not practical.’

  She narrowed her eyes. ‘And how many times have you been on a boat?’ She put her hand on Alex to steady herself whilst she unclasped a red Jimmy Choo. ‘Don’t answer that.’ She adjusted her red and blue tunic that she had designed for Cross’s last Cruise collection. Roger handed them both towelling slippers with Bill’s initials embroidered on the front.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Alex said. ‘A bit much, don’t you think?’

  Celeste smiled. ‘It’s his boat. I think the initials look great.’ The slippers were actually a welcome relief with her hangover. ‘I was wearing flats when we first met,’ she said, looking up at Alex from her new height.

  ‘Why so sentimental today?’ Alex asked, as he advanced along the walkway to the boat. ‘Next you’ll be saying you want a baby.’

  C
eleste hesitated. ‘God no,’ she said, a little too quickly. She dared not tell him that she had stopped to coo at a baby one of the merchandisers brought into the office last week. Alex was right though. She had been reminiscing of late and she couldn’t pinpoint why the past – their past – kept playing in her mind. Was it because she wanted things to go back to the way they were? Thailand had been fun – a time when they were both on the same adventure. Now, it often felt like she and Alex were on different paths that crossed every so often after one too many Sambucas. It had been months since they had spent any time together. Bill, Jasper or Geoff were always around and there was always some party or event to go to. When was the last time they went for a meal, just the two of them?

  ‘How’s the head, Celeste?’ Bill asked. He pulled open glazed doors at the rear of the boat and stepped outside. He kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Bloody muggy today, isn’t it. I’ve been sitting inside watching the cricket.’

  ‘The head is manageable,’ she said. Bill looked surprisingly fit, even if his nose was a little red.

  ‘Much larger than the last one, though we didn’t see much of that boat,’ Alex said.

  ‘You were here…or perhaps not. Perhaps you didn’t see too much of it, Renshaw. This one’s my real baby,’ Bill said with a wink. ‘Come, sit down,’ he instructed, as a lady in grey shorts and a white T-Shirt served them flutes of chilled champagne.

  ‘Bill, your initials are everywhere.’ Alex said.

  Celeste rolled her eyes.

  Alex mumbled something but Celeste didn’t catch what he said. Instead she took a sip of the pale liquid from her glass. Coupled with the rocking motion of the boat it didn’t sit well. She sat on the white seats of the lower deck and looked out over the harbour. ‘So what’s this one called?’

  ‘Premier Cru,’ Bill said.

  ‘But you named the last one after your daughter. What about your son?’

  Bill smiled. ‘You wanted me to name a boat Tristan?’

  ‘You’ll give him a complex,’ Alex said.

  ‘Well, we sold Seraphim so it’s no longer in the family. He’ll get over it. He needs to learn that life is not always fair.’

  ‘You sold it? I thought you were keeping it as part of the deal.’

  ‘What deal?’ Celeste asked.

  Bill waved his hand. ‘Never mind all that. After this I couldn’t go back to a smaller boat, could I? Once this goes, my boating days are over.’

  ‘That’s not like you Bill.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You’ve just got this one. Why are you talking about when it goes? In Bill’s world everything has a silver lining.’

  ‘True. Never a grey cloud in my life.’

  Alex shrugged. ‘I’m not sure I like Premier Cru. It sounds…’

  ‘I just liked the name.’

  ‘And it has nothing to do with you, being the first born of your clan, inheriting your father’s vineyard in Bordeaux.’

  ‘I forget how well you know me, Renshaw. The vineyard isn’t profitable.’

  ‘Not the point,’ Alex said.

  ‘Well I suppose that had something to do with it. Premier Cru – It means first growth. So being first born I thought it quite apt. What would you call your boat?’

  ‘Heavenly,’ Alex said, winking at Celeste.

  She smiled. Bill did too, which wiped the smile off her face. Had Alex shared their private joke with him? He probably had. But it was nice of him to think of ‘Heavenly’ as a name for a boat. He was thinking of when they first met in Thailand too. Perhaps they hadn’t grown as far apart as she had thought.

  ‘That’s a bit wet if you ask me,’ Bill said, draining his glass. A member of crew came out on deck with a mobile phone on a little silver tray. Bill took the device and slipped it in his pocket. ‘Tell me, Renshaw, are you bull or bear?’

  Alex laughed. ‘Definitely bull, mate.’

  ‘Not this again.’ Celeste swallowed the contents of her glass. She felt a little perkier. ‘Let me guess, the market is up?’ One would always ask the other if they were bull or bear – something to do with the financial markets that went straight over her head.

  ‘Yes, this again,’ Bill said with a wink.

  ‘I’ve invested well and I think I’ll be reaping the rewards,’ Alex said. ‘Bill clearly hasn’t done the same.’

  ‘On the contrary…’ Bill started, but he was interrupted as Celeste’s eyes fixed upon a tall black woman walking towards them from the front of the boat. She wasn’t crew – Celeste could tell that from the way she walked, or rather glided, towards them, but the electric green Cavalli kaftan was a bit of a giveaway. Her flawless skin and immaculate cropped hair made Celeste touch the back of her own head. Was her hair styled as it should be? Had her lipstick smudged? She shifted in her seat and sat upright glancing around her to check if there was a mirror nearby she could steal a glance in.

  ‘This is Anya,’ Bill said, putting his arm around the woman and kissing her on the lips. Anya called to a crewmember to bring out the canapés.

  Celeste held her tongue. Last night Bill had drank his body weight in alcohol and had told anyone who would listen that Angela was the love of his life. He was fawning over her like a lovesick teenager. Of course she had always known that Bill was a flirt, but this... it looked more than just flirting. And Anya ordering around the crew with Angela barely out of the country spoke volumes. She looked over at Alex who raised his eyebrows. There was no use Alex pretending this was news to him. He and Bill were attached at the hip. He would have known about her. Why would he keep this secret from her? Was it because he felt guilty for being so hard on Bonnie all those years ago? Her stomach turned as a member of crew she hadn’t even notice approach her to top up her glass.

  ‘You’re staring,’ Alex whispered in her ear.

  ‘How long have you known?’ she muttered back.

  Alex smiled at the member of crew filling his glass. ‘I’ve seen her on and off. Thought they were business colleagues.’

  ‘Alex, don’t.’ Celeste said quietly, thinking of Angela. Her loyalties were with Bill, but she still felt for her. How would she feel if it was Alex playing away from home? She would want to know.

  Alex hesitated. ‘Only found out recently. I don’t approve of this kind of thing. You know that.’

  ‘But you haven’t said anything to Bill, like you did to Bonnie.’

  ‘I never said anything to Bonnie.’

  Celeste opened her mouth to protest and then closed it again. Alex was right. He’d never spoken to Bonnie about her affair. He had just made it clear to Celeste how he felt and she had been the one to vocalise his thoughts, which had been the beginning of the end of their friendship.

  ‘You can’t, seriously, be worried about this,’ Alex said, motioning to Anya with a slight movement of his head. ‘Everyone we know in the Mid-Levels is sleeping around. Even that couple who live in the apartment below us.’

  ‘This is different. We know Angela.’

  Alex gave Celeste a steely look. Then he stood up and walked over to Bill and Anya.

  32

  1st October 2011

  Mid-Levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong

  ‘Sure you don’t want to come?’ Alex asked. He laid out his tux on the bed.

  ‘I’ve a ton of things to do before the design meeting on Monday.’

  ‘Your loss, it’s going to be one helluva party.’

  Even Maryanne had asked her what she was going to wear for Bill’s birthday bash. Celeste picked up her sketch of the maroon, high-waisted, cropped trousers she had been working on and scrunched her face. ‘They want me to use CAD for my design work. I hate that. I much prefer sketching.’

  ‘Still computer illiterate after all these years?’

  Celeste shrugged.

  ‘You can’t go to the office now. Jinny isn’t even there to help.’

  She looked at her design. Alex was right. There was nothing more she could do. Tonight she would p
robably drink the last bottle of La Grande Dame 2007 that they had been saving and feel sorry for herself, whilst watching a Bridget Jones movie.

  ‘This isn’t about work.’ Alex said intuitively. ‘This is about Bill’s mistress.’ Alex sat at the edge of the bed and put his socks on.

  ‘They’ve been out at every social event in the last two weeks.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So, it’s one rule for your friends and another for mine?’ She couldn’t stand looking at Bill and Anya together without regretting what had passed between her and Bonnie.

  ‘Bill’s my friend. I can’t just cut him out like that.’

  ‘But I cut Bonnie out.’

  ‘That was your decision.’

  Celeste wanted to protest, but he was right. ‘But we know Angela.’

  ‘Angela is no angel herself. Bill and Angela have problems that not even Bill will talk to me about. Nothing is black and white, hon, and sometimes it’s best to stay out of other people’s business. Everyone we know in Hong Kong is having affairs. Are you going to stop coming out altogether? Let it go.’

  ‘Have you ever cheated on me?’ Celeste tilted her head to one side and stared at her husband.

  ‘I’m not even going to dignify that question with an answer.’

  ‘What was the name of the businessman who gave you that escort service card?’

  Alex stood up and put his hands in his pockets. ‘You still remember that?’

  Celeste nodded.

  ‘I never even called the number.’

  ‘You’ve been to strip clubs though.’

  ‘And I’ve told you every time. It’s the way they do business here. If I wanted to hide it, I wouldn’t tell you, would I?’

  Celeste put her design down and folded her arms across her chest. She remembered the first time Alex had told her about the strip club. It had made her feel so inadequate. She thought Alex wanted more than she could offer. Even thinking about it now sent a shiver down her spine.