Hazel swallowed. "I saw the pictures from the bridal magazine. Kenzy gave one to me. I can't remember the shoot though. Not at all."
"Those pictures with you and me in the trash the dress shoot…?" Curtis twisted his lips. "You know, that day I kept saying to myself, all through the photo shoot, that I wished it was real. This girl who I just met felt right for me. I spent the whole shoot with thoughts whirling in my mind, thinking that maybe I was on the rebound.
"I had just lost my fiancé, but another thought kept hammering in my head, that maybe you being here was a blessing, that maybe you were the reason I was supposed to be here right now."
Hazel gasped. "You thought that?"
"Yes." Curtis nodded. "I thought that and I continued to think that the more we got to know each other."
"We did?" Her eyes widened.
"Yes, we did." Curtis squeezed her hand. "And you lied to me quite a bit. I didn't really know you, did I? I fell in love with a phantom girl, Michelle Brown, college student. A girl who didn't exist."
Hazel gasped.
He pulled away from her. "You need to remember already. I want to move on with my life. You owe it to yourself and to Sebastian...and me."
And with that cryptic statement hanging in the air, the ushers interrupted them, and told them to take a seat. The bride walked down from the yacht to the strains of Morning Has Broken and the golden sunrise lighting up the eastern sky.
*****
Everybody agreed that Brigid's wedding was the best impromptu wedding they had ever been to. The whole thing finished at eight-thirty in the morning and most people went back to work if they had work.
Brigid and Nick were off to the north coast for their honeymoon at one of the Benedict villas. They would not be seen until the new year, Brigid had announced gleefully.
Hazel was packing Sebastian's stuff to take home and she was feeling wretchedly downcast and out of sorts. She shouldn't be. She had just attended one of the most romantic weddings but maybe it was the reason she felt so downcast. Her romantic life was up in the air, or maybe she was sad because Sebastian was not going to be around anymore. It was uncanny how soulless the place felt without him.
She sighed and clutched Sebastian's green shirt up to her nose, inhaling his little boy scent, which was faintly on the shirt.
Maybe her sadness did not stem from him leaving so much as that cryptic statement that Curtis had made to her before the wedding ceremony.
She had lied to him. How much? Had she continued with that ridiculous fib that she was Michelle Brown, college student, and built on that lie? How close had they gotten? How close had she gotten with his father? Had she had the gall to be dating both father and son? Had she been so brazen? So immoral? So stupid?
She closed her eyes tightly, willing her closed-off memories to come out. She lay there until she couldn't stand it anymore.
She got up and went to the kitchen. Bernice was drinking tea at the nook.
"Hey Bernice!" Hazel greeted her semi-brightly but Bernice wasn’t buying it. She put down her cup in the saucer and shook her head.
"You look sad. Is it because the little man is going back to his father?"
"Something like that," Hazel sighed. "Well, he is already gone. I am just going to return some of his stuff later."
"You should reconcile with the guy," Bernice said. "Get married; make it legal. Sebastian certainly wants that. That’s all he talks about."
Hazel grabbed a ripe banana and peeled it before answering. "If only things could be so simple…"
"Why can’t it be?" Bernice asked. "Whatever is in the way, it’s not worth keeping you both apart. You have a child to think about."
"I can’t remember some stuff and I did some things…" Hazel shrugged, "and it is an issue between us." She yawned. "I feel sleepy. My sister got married this morning at sunrise."
"I have never heard of anyone doing that before," Bernice said. "The people I know get married in a church at a decent hour.
Hazel laughed. "You need to meet new people."
Bernice grinned. "At least I put a smile on your face. You look much better without the hangdog look."
"Thanks Bernice," Hazel said, dumping the banana skin in the trash. "I need to do something, anything. If I stay here I am just going to drive myself crazy." She left Bernice in the kitchen and passed through the living room. The magazine was on the center table where she had been leafing through it the night before.
She picked it up and headed to her room.
Maybe if she just stared at it some more she could remember the events of this particular photo shoot. There were four pictures of her in all. In one of them Curtis was hugging her in the water. They looked like an honest-to-goodness couple.
She remembered Dr. Jeremy telling her that long term memories work in a two-stage process. First, you store the experience somewhere in your mind and second, you have to recall that memory.
Where had she stored these memories and why was it taking so long to recall them?
Argh! She flung the magazine on her bed and clutched her head.
"You are beautiful inside and out!" Keith Decker’s voice floated around in her head. "Perfect girl!"
Her eyes flew opened and she willed them to stay open. If that was what she was going to recall she didn't want to. Keith Decker's tone of voice sounded too low and intimate for comfort. She wanted to remember something about her and Curtis. He said they had gotten to know each other, hadn't he?
Something.
Anything.
Please God. Anything. Even if it is bad. I swear I can handle it now. Whatever it is that I did that was so almighty bad, I can handle it. I might not like myself after but I know I can deal with it now.
She sat on the bed and waited for a miracle but none came.
Her phone rang instead and she almost wept with relief. She was really going to drive herself into the ground with this.
"Hey," Curtis said. "Want to grab some lunch?"
"It’s still morning and I am still full from Brigid's wedding breakfast."
"Dinner then," Curtis said. "I can drop Sebastian off at my parents’. They are dying to see him."
Hazel's hands tightened on the phone as they did whenever she heard anything about his parents. She breathed in deeply before responding to Curtis. "Sure. Where?"
"Somewhere other than Rizzle," Curtis murmured, "and then we can take out the Wendy. This morning on the Benedict gave me an idea."
"What idea?" Hazel asked.
"You’ll see," Curtis said mysteriously. "Oh, and bring your bathing suit. I'll pick you up at five. That’s okay?"
"Yes. Sure," Hazel said. "Why not?" Curtis seemed to trigger her memory opening up. She needed to spend more time with him.
The smile on her face had nothing to do with the fact that she was deeply in love with him. The very sound of his voice caused her to smile.
Chapter Nineteen
They arrived at Buccaneer By The Sea, a family style restaurant where the daily catch was stored in a fridge. Customers made their selections and then the chef prepared it any way they wanted it: fried, steamed, jerked or roasted.
Hazel looked around at the rustic decor appreciatively. Inside, the restaurant was almost packed. At one table there were men and women in what looked like office attire. At another end there was a family. They were celebrating a birthday. Someone got up to take a picture of the celebrant, a graying lady with a proud smile on her face.
At the table nearest the reception area the waiters were serving platters of large, succulent-smelling fish and festival, a spherical golden pastry, which made for a sweet combination with the savory fish. Hazel only just prevented herself from licking her lips.
Curtis glanced at her and grinned. "It smells good in here, doesn't it?"
"And looks good," Hazel murmured.
"Curtis Decker!" A tall, large woman in a red plaid outfit greeted him heartily. "How are you, my darling boy?"
She came from
the kitchen area and hugged Curtis with a bone-crushing squeeze, swallowing him in her big bosom. They were the same height. It was comical to watch.
Curtis endured all of this with a smile on his face. "Hi Pam," he managed to say after she released him.
Pam laughed. "I am happy to see you. It has been a while."
"Yes, it has." Curtis nodded.
"And you too." Pam turned to Hazel. "You are still a pretty little thing, aren't you? I knew you couldn't resist my jerk fish for long. You would go crazy for it."
Hazel stood there flummoxed. Luckily she didn't have to react one way or the other because Pam was a talker.
"Your table is free." She started walking toward the outside, where there was a board plank area directly above the water. Along the wooden railing were tables set for two. Little hurricane lamps were in the middle of the tables and the air outside smelled like the sea mixed with lemongrass. Hazel held on to Curtis' arm because every step Pam took it felt like the boards shook.
"Right here." Pam stood at the very end of the walkway. "The last table."
"You want the usual?" Pam asked, looking at the two of them after they were seated.
Curtis nodded. "Yes, thanks."
Hazel had no idea what the usual was. As far as she was concerned, this was her first trip to the Buccaneer by the Sea, but obviously it wasn’t. Pam recognized her.
Pam lingered and chatted to Curtis. "How are Keith and Wendy these days? Wendy only calls me when she runs out of fish at Rizzle."
"They are okay," Curtis said. "Very good actually."
"Wendy completely over the cancer?" Pam asked, a concerned glint in her eye.
"Yes." Curtis nodded. "She's good now."
"Well, tell her to call me," Pam muttered. "I am not calling her; I called her the last two times. You back in Jamaica for good?"
"Yes Pam," Curtis said politely. His long-suffering tone of voice and expression reminded Hazel of when Sebastian was fussed over and petted by the Benedicts.
Come to think of it, there was so much about Curtis’ mannerisms that reminded her of Sebastian.
"Well, I'll see you more regularly now," Pam said before moving off. "Call me before you come by so I can prepare your food in advance. You know the drill; you'll have to wait thirty minutes for the jerk fish."
Curtis nodded again.
When Pam finally moved away, Hazel looked at him, puzzled. "So I have been here before?"
"Pam gave it away," Curtis said. "She wasn't supposed to be here; she doesn't usually work on the week nights, but this time of the year is busier than ever so...she's here."
"And obviously knows your family very well." Hazel looked around. "Is this is our usual table?"
Curtis hesitated. "Well..."
"Not ours?" Hazel asked shakily. "Your father and me?"
Curtis sighed. "This is going to be harder than I thought."
Hazel stiffened. "You might as well tell me the truth. I know some of it already. I had an affair with..."
"Hazel!"
Hazel looked around mid-sentence. It was Hank Baron.
"I swear I am not stalking you, but I could spot your profile anywhere, even in the half light."
"Hank." Hazel felt slightly annoyed. She injected some vibrancy in her voice. She was about to let Curtis know that she might not remember much but it was fairly obvious from all the beating around the bush and cloak and dagger insinuations from him, Kenzy, and Patricia that she had done something heinous.
And she had a fairly good idea that this heinous mistake involved Keith Decker.
She was going to say it out loud, point out the elephant in the room, the one that followed them everywhere. The one thing that she was trying to avoid talking about or remember.
Hank came nearer to the table. "This is terribly awkward," Hank said apologetically, "I am Hank Baron."
He held out his hand to Curtis, who couldn't quite hide his frown at Hank's familiarity with her.
"Curtis Decker." Curtis' voice was clipped and overly polite. He was mad at the interruption too. Hazel could tell.
"Ah, Sebastian's father." Hank laughed. "Your son is something else. He beat me fair and square at ludo. "
"He did?" Curtis had gone stiff. "When was this?"
"A couple of nights ago," Hank said casually. He glanced at Hazel and then back at Curtis. "Believe me, I was thoroughly warned off by him. Say Hazel, I'll call you, huh?"
"Right. Sure." Hazel nodded as Hank walked back up the plank to another table nearby. He had a date.
Curtis leaned back in his chair and gave her a closed off look. "Who is he and what was he talking about?"
"John Baron's grandson. He is in Jamaica for business. He stopped by the house the other evening. Kenzy and Sebastian were playing a game and he joined in. "
"He likes you," Curtis said. "It is fairly rolling off him."
"Well, I don't like him," Hazel said, "at least not like that. And as he said, Sebastian warned him off and obviously he is taking it to heart. He is having dinner with someone else, and he looks he is into her."
Curtis looked around and then looked back at Hazel, assessing her. He seemed like he was about to say something and then changed his mind. "What was it that you were starting to say earlier?"
She had lost her nerve. She was ready to push her head back in the sand. The elephant could stay in the room. She didn't want to admit it even to herself how gross it was for her to have slept with Keith Decker, knowing that he was married.
Even worse that she had met Curtis after him, did a photo shoot with Curtis and then had an affair with his father. It didn't make sense. It didn't sit well with her.
"Forget it." Hazel sighed. "Just tell me one thing—if I was so terrible, why is it that you are still hanging out with me? You kissed me twice, you take me out to dinners..."
Curtis steepled his fingers and then leaned forward. "Because I like you, no--not like...I just...you can't begin to understand...." he sighed. "I can't do this without your memory back. I want to tell you so badly…" He clenched his fists and then loosened them. "Patience."
"Suppose I never get it back?" Hazel asked.
"Then we'll have to adjust, move on," Curtis said. "I think I can do that."
He moved on to other topics. He was skillful at drawing her out. She was prepared to brood about her cloudy, locked-off memories and what had she had been up to, but Curtis distracted her with stories about Pam and her fisherman husband, Joe.
Pam and his mother were second cousins and Joe was the chief supplier of fish to the Rizzle restaurants.
After he described his escapades with Joe on the sea she found herself almost eager to sail with him on the Wendy that night.
*****
The boat was anchored at Morgan's Harbor and they walked down toward the harbor. Curtis folded her hand in his.
They walked in silence. The sound of crickets was all they heard.
"My dad's grandparents are from deep rural St. Mary. They lived on vast acres of land. For miles around all you could see were coconut trees on one side and bananas on the other. In the nights, sometimes you'd hear the crickets. It would drive me and my brothers crazy because we were used to the city and the bright lights and the simple pleasures of television."
He chuckled. "We hated our enforced visits to Grandmamma and Grandpop but my dad was always insistent that we got to know them. And Grandpop had some stories."
He squeezed her hand.
"I wish he was alive today and that Sebastian could have met him. I would listen to his gravelly voice telling us what it was like back in the days. He had some stories, really great stories; it was like sitting down and reading a book. After sundown and we were bathed and dressed in our pajamas after a day of frolicking, Grandpop would gather us on the veranda and would tell us a chapter of his story. Some nights, the old man would leave us hanging and we would literally have difficulty sleeping because we wanted to hear what was going to come next."
"Skillfu
l." Hazel chuckled.
"He was better than television," Curtis said, lacing his fingers with hers. "One of the stories that sticks out in my mind to this day was the story of Mildred and Lando."
Hazel chuckled. "I haven't heard the name Mildred in a while."
Curtis kissed her hand. "Well, Mildred was a slave girl born on the Tulsa Plantation. The Tulsas were the leading growers of cocoa in the Caribbean. They had acres and acres of the stuff. Mildred was born at the same time as Lando and his twin brother Rich, the privileged plantation owner’s sons. They were born in the grand rooms of the plantation, cocooned by all the medical care money could buy.
"Mildred, on the other hand, was born in the slave cabins at the bottom of the hill. Mildred almost died during her delivery. She was weak and didn’t take well to breast milk. Anyway, she survived and she thrived and grew into a beautiful young girl.
"Legend had it that the Tulsa men were cursed by some old witch. The curse was that he could only love one woman in his lifetime. He could be with others but his heart would only yearn for that one woman for the rest of his days."
"Ah," Hazel sighed, "I am liking this story already."
Curtis chuckled. "Anyway, both brothers fell in love with Mildred. Deeply, madly in love with her. They fought over who would get their chance with her. It was creating quite a rift in the Tulsa household. It was unheard of, this forbidden love for a slave girl. One could mate with slaves but not fall in love with them.
"The father was at his wit’s end as to how he would deal with situation, so he decided to challenge his boys. He knew that if he didn't intervene one of them would kill the other because of the slave girl. So he gave them a test."
They reached the boat and Curtis untied the boat and helped her on.
"Don't stop," Hazel said, rushing him. "What happened?"
"The test was basic, really. He sent both boys away for ten years to cool off, or that was what he said. When they returned, whoever still loved Mildred could have her if they still wanted her; the other would inherit all his riches. So they both left."
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