by PJ Bayliss
‘What do you mean, she wanted to forget the sex?’
‘That’s exactly what we mean. Julie begged us to do it when got back to the hotel that morning. Don’t blame any of us, it’s what she wanted.’
‘I don’t understand. Why would she? Whatever you two guys got up to in Edinburgh sounds flippen dodgy to me.’
‘Nothing dodgy about it. We didn’t get up to any mischief like that.’
Peyton glared at the two boys. She didn’t believe a word they were saying to her.
‘Look, what I’m hearing from you two is that you fucked a girl, then made her forget all about it. That sounds like date rape to me.’
‘Told you she wouldn’t like it,’ Carlos quipped to his brother.
Chaise got up off the bed and tried to explain it to her. ‘First of all, she asked for the amnesia,’ affirmed Chaise. ‘Second…’
‘Yes? I’m waiting!’
‘Second. We didn’t fuck her.’
Peyton’s shoulders and poise relaxed with sympathy. There was more to their story, but this wasn’t the right time to ascertain what precisely happened that night.
She sighed and took her hands off her waist, ‘Right then, you two will need to explain yourselves later. But don’t think this little conversation is over yet. I want to get to the bottom of what happened in Edinburgh.’
30
The first funeral guests had arrived and were congregating on the lawn outside of Federico’s house. His casket was on display downstairs with the double French doors opened wide to let in all the beautiful sounds of his garden. Two large terra cotta pots filled to the brim with yellow roses were positioned on either side of the doors and the white patio steps were decorated with flowering vines that led to the lawn.
The atmosphere was sombre, but joyous in the celebration of Federico’s life. He lived a quiet lifestyle and had befriended a small number of people within the island community. He had generated a strong binding of trust and love with those he had encountered, but he preferred to keep his profile low and keep to himself by many accounts.
Gianni often said that ‘No man leaves the busy streets’ of New York city, to live on an island of some 10,000 people off the coast of Italy, without wanting to remain somewhat anonymous in life.’
The first to arrive was the funeral director with the crematorium operator. Gianni had insisted upon their early arrival to ensure everything was in order, including the final walk-through of the ceremony events with Gianni and Josephine.
Drinks had been steadily flowing all morning and the kitchen bench was well stocked with red and white wine for the guests. Everybody in the family had a glass in hand and it wasn't very long before the early morning heat was taking its toll on everybody’s senses.
Chaise’s mind remained sound however. He was plotting to gain access to Federico’s body with Peyton. He toted an endless glass of wine and patiently waited for the ideal time to commence with his assault.
Before anyone else arrived, he suggested a final rehearsal of carrying the casket out to the hearse; this time, with music, so that the precise timing and pace of the pallbearers could be established. He insisted that Gianni, Carlos, and the others gathered on the patio outside Federico’s room while he queued up the music.
Peyton couldn’t believe what was happening as she ushered everybody outside.
‘What’s your plan?’ she whispered to him as he stood in the doorway.
‘Plan? No plan. Just try not to get caught!’ He explained to Josephine that he had closed the curtains because the sunlight. It provided Peyton cover to undress Federico and take pictures of the patterns on his corpse. She was preparing herself in the room when she remembered.
‘Chaise, what about the battery?’
‘Oh, right!’ He dashed across the room to a drawer and removed a long object from its cavity. ‘Here, it’s all I could find.’
Peyton glared at him. ‘A vibrator? You have to be kidding me?’
‘It’s all I could find!’
‘What? Where?’
‘Don’t ask!’ Chaise nodded toward the ceiling with a shudder across his shoulder blades.
She squinted at the device. It had a pair of exposed wires coming out of the cap which Chaise suggested could be used to connect to the electrode terminals. ‘I can’t believe this...what do you expect me to do?’
‘Light him up! Turn the thing on and connect the wires.’
Peyton rolled her eyes and returned to the casket as Chaise returned to the closed curtain in the doorway. He continued to orchestrate his mother, father and the others to continue with the rehearsal. As the music began, Peyton quickly unbuttoned Federico’s shirt and attempted to connect the wires to the electrodes.
She turned the device on and it rattled and vibrated, its echo penetrated the empty room. ‘For fuck’s sake!’ she muttered to herself as it gyrated within her hand.
Chaise flicked open the curtain, ‘Shhh!’
‘Don't you shh me! Shh this! Look at the state of me!’
Chaise almost lost it. The sight of her holding the purple triple treat rabbit vibrator in one hand and a camera in another while standing next to the casket was, in a word, hilarious.
Morbidly hilarious.
Chaise returned to the patio to instruct his pallbearer actors to slow the pace of their walk down to suit the timing of the music. Peyton continued to unbutton his shirt when a voice bounced off the wooden floor.
‘What are you doing?’
Peyton froze, her head slowly turned toward the hallway door where the crematorium owner was standing.
‘I guess this doesn’t look right?’
‘No.
No, it doesn’t look good at all,’
Peyton quickly explained her situation by showing the crematorium owner some of the circuitry and electrodes on Federico’s body. He sighed with a breath of relief.
‘Thank goodness! I wanted to talk to someone about these.’
‘What? You’ve seen them?’
‘Yes, but quick! Button him up before anyone else comes in. I’ll sort something out for you,’ he helped Peyton button up Federico’s shirt and brushed his jacket down for presentation just as Chaise flicked open the curtain once again.
‘What’s he doing here?’
‘Shhh! He’s going to help us with Federico.’
Chaise was flustered for a moment, his family were at the bottom step and approaching fast.
‘Whatever...just put all of that away. If Mama catches you holding her vibrator next to Federico, all hell will break loose!’
31
More guests arrived at the villa. Gianni and Josephine remained outside to greet them. The funeral director poked his head inside the room and suggested the curtain remain closed until everybody arrived and when the ceremony begins.
Chaise and Peyton continued to talk to the crematorium owner about the electrodes in Federico’s body. He spoke with a broken English accent and had a very sterile and straightforward approach to the situation.
‘I believe you will not have to worry about these,’ he explained, ‘They should remain after the cremation process.’
‘Remain? What do you mean?’
‘I believe this will be titanium, which is typical for implants in the body...to be made of such metal.’
‘So, titanium doesn't melt?’
‘Oh no, it melts alright. Just not at the temperature we will use.’
Peyton glared at Chaise. ‘This is useful information. I wish we’d known about it earlier!’ she snarled.
Chaise shrugged his shoulders and denied all knowledge about melting titanium.
‘Listen, this is what I’ll do for you special people. I will take the photos once just before the process. Lots of pictures for you. Also, I will give you back all of the titanium, just like you are wanting, okay?’
‘Are you sure it will be fine?’
‘Yes, yes, yes. We always find titanium in the end, even the little cables for the pacema
ker. You come to my place in the morning and I show you, okay?’
Chaise thanked him and offered to fill his glass with wine before the ceremony commenced.
◆◆◆
Peyton handed the vibrator back to Chaise and suggested he put it back where he had found it before its owner noticed it was missing. He asked her to come upstairs and be the lookout.
‘Sure thing, I’ll be the lookout. It’s not as if it’s a difficult job. Perhaps I can show you how it’s done?’
Chaise laughed, ‘I am terribly sorry for that interruption. Obviously, I didn’t want it to happen.’
‘It’s alright. I’ll figure out a way for you to repay me,’ she winked.
Discretely they slipped away from the crowd and went upstairs to the guest bedroom. Chaise snuck inside the room and quickly returned to Peyton who was waiting in the hallway.
‘Let’s never mention this to anyone else as long as we live,’ said Chaise.
‘Pinkie promise,’ Peyton held her finger out, just like they used to do as kids.
‘Pinkie promise.’
He wrapped his finger around hers. There was a brief pause as he fell into her eyes. Peyton smiled curiously, ‘What now?’
‘Nothing, I just never noticed before.’
‘Noticed what?’
‘Your eyes.’
She felt the rush of blood coming, and welcomed it. Blushing felt so right in front of him for now. Perhaps this was what exiting the friend-zone was like?
‘Yo! You two!’ Carlos’s voice echoed from beneath their feet. ‘Get yourselves down here. Mama wants you out on the patio for the beginning of the ceremony.’
The remainder of the ceremony went without a hitch. The priest gave a speech about the beautiful friendship he had made with Federico over recent months and how the old man attempted to manage the pain from the cancer as it slowly took over his body. Chaise couldn’t help but wonder if the electrodes and circuitry were all part of Federico’s approach to fight the cancer. It was a battle that he had persevered for many years.
The priest then played a video message that he helped Federico record for this ceremony. There wasn’t a dry eye to be seen as Federico’s image popped up on the screen and his trembling voice began to thank everyone he’d met upon the island. It was obvious he had chosen this isolated place in the world as being his final resting place, high on a cliff face, overlooking the sea.
As the screen faded to black, the priest announced that Federico had compiled several personal video messages for several family members and he thanked Peyton for her assistance over recent weeks to help organize them.
Federico’s love spilt out over the patio to everyone in attendance. It was a real celebration of love, life, and friendship. A spirit of friendship that was reciprocated by everyone as they slowly filed one-by-one up the stairs to say farewell.
The gravity of Federico’s passing suddenly became real once Chaise grasped his rose to place upon the casket. He stood there next to Gianni with Carlos in a moment of silence.
Then something unexpected happened.
Gianni hugged the pair of them in a tight embrace as he broke down. His father was, by all accounts, solid as a rock. His emotions rarely bubbled to the surface like this, and together they shouldered the burden by lifting the casket with the other pallbearers and walking to the hearse waiting outside.
The car slowly drove away up the driveway and they waited until it was out of sight before turning back toward the house. There was a trail of yellow roses on the lawn, like a pathway that led them back to the house into the room where the casket once was. Federico’s music was still playing in the background, and Gianni gave a deep sigh before speaking.
‘Chi vive sperando muore cantando.’
Who lives hoping dies singing
32
Federico’s passing was taking its toll on Gianni, who discovered his dormant sorrow lying at the bottom of a wine glass. Each guest exchanged stories and their experiences of how Federico entered their lives, and with each story, Gianni’s glass had run dry.
Chaise did his best to meet every one of the guests, but in between helping his mother in the kitchen and avoiding the wrath of Peyton, he barely had time to do so. Three men had eluded him the entire afternoon. He spotted them talking to Gianni near the balcony and just as he approached his mother asked him to remove some used plates from the table. When he turned around, the men had disappeared.
The house was empty of guests, but remained full of spirit. Gianni and Carlos were enjoying a lively discussion on the balcony. Carlos was sharing some of his adventurous university stories and taking advantage of his father’s well-lubricated enthusiasm. Chaise smirked to himself as he overheard part of the discussion about Cheryl and Lisa, then he noticed Peyton’s scornful look from across the room.
She started to berate him as soon as his eyes met hers. ‘What on earth was going on with your head this morning?’
Chaise laughed, ‘I said I’m sorry, didn’t I?’
‘Sorry barely cuts it…’
‘So I did then? Thought so,’ he approached and filled her glass up with the hope it might ease her temperament.
‘What if someone else had caught us?’
‘But they didn’t. Besides, it’s not the first time we’ve been caught doing something wrong together…’
Peyton shook her head and took another sip of wine. ‘Maybe, but nothing like that. Ever.’
‘That first time was your idea, if I recall correctly…’
‘You never complained at the time.’
Naturally he didn’t complain. No red-blooded man would’ve resisted her advances, and right now his resistance was eroding away once again.
‘I need some fresh air. Coming?’ Chaise raised his eyebrow and waited for her to get up. He knew she would join him. She’d been watching him all night, and he knew it.
◆◆◆
They walked up the road to the top of the hill where Chaise received the news about Julie. He wanted to message one of his friends on Facebook to determine what was going on back in London. Peyton went to buy some traditional gelato from a shop at the top of the hill as he flicked through his friends’ timelines to find out what was happening.
Julie’s profile was frozen in time. Her last post was a picture from Edinburgh as they were leaving town. That was days ago, and she generally posted something every day. Chaise left her a message along with his other friends’ to discover what what happening.
‘Any luck Chaise?’
He frowned and shook his head. ‘No friggin’ idea. It’s like she’s vanished off the face of the planet.’ His voice trembled as he thought about the prospect of losing her forever.
Peyton felt hopeless in the face of his adversity. She couldn’t do anything to change the situation, and for a moment she seriously considered the option of giving Chaise an amnesia pill to ease his suffering. She thought a change of scenery might help.
‘C’mon then. Let’s take the long way home,’ they walked up the road a little further and turned the corner into the next street. It was lined with street merchants and traders who took pleasure in heckling them for money as they walked by. Necklaces, bracelets, wind ornaments and other gifts were on offer, but something else caught Chaise’s eye.
‘We should do that,’ he pointed toward the cart.
‘Seriously? I don't know if that's a very good idea Chaise.’
‘Up to you, but I’m really keen. Got five euro?’
Peyton scowled as he held his palm out, but shelled out the cash as he entered the dim tent. Peyton followed behind and placed her hands on his shoulders so as not to trip over in the dark.
A voice called out from the corner of the room. ‘Welcome. Welcome both of you.
Welcome to Madame Susanne’s spiritual realm.’
Chaise’s eyes gradually became accustomed to the surroundings of the room. The old lady sat behind a desk with a candle burning in the middle. There was a wisp of incense
smoke lingering about which almost appeared to be dancing in the flickering flame. He took a seat and admired the walls of the room that were decorated with posters of moonlit scenery, dragons, and other gothic images.
The old woman opened her palm out and Chaise placed the money into her hand. She smiled and continued, ‘I can sense a troubled mind in you, young man. Many questions you have, but only one answer you want.’
She held her finger up to her lips just as Chaise began to speak. ‘Please, don't say a word,’ she handed him a deck of tarot cards. ‘Just cut this pack and shuffle them as you please.’
He pondered for a moment. ‘How did you know I wanted a tarot card reading?’
She smiled and chuckled. ‘Like the sign says, I’m clairvoyant as well. I simply know these things.’
Chaise took hold of the cards and shuffled them rigorously before handing them back to the old lady. She nodded graciously and proceeded to lay them out in front of him in a pyramid shaped format, calling them out as each one was drawn.
‘Eight of swords. Interesting….’ she looked at him from across the table to explain. ‘You’re feeling powerless, perhaps unable to help somebody else. A lover maybe, or family member…’
Chaise felt somewhat assured from her words. Her shoulders relaxed as she drew another card and placed it on the table.
‘Two of cups. Not surprising, I guess.’
‘Not surprising?’
‘No, this is what you desire at this moment. A connection with somebody, perhaps a new partnership? People that are helpless look for support, but there’s more to this card.’
‘More…?’
‘Yes. There’s a mutual feeling with the one you are seeking. An attraction…’
Another card fell onto the table in a face down position.‘This card will tell us what is unexpected. Some people prefer not to know this information, so I have left it for you to turn over if, you wish.’