Love on the Malecon

by Aubrey Parr

  Derek held the large heavy door for her and she saw a collection box just inside. As she went to open her purse, to look for money Derek stopped her. “Allow me, love.” He took out what had to be a large amount of pesos and slipped the folded stack into the collection box. He didn’t even bother to count it. The gesture meant so much to her. Nicole wasn’t a religious person and she wasn’t Catholic, but, like her father, she did feel closer to God in such a beautiful place.

  The walls were white and scalloped at the ceiling. There were large columns and gold trim everywhere. The floors were a gorgeous marble that could easily have been brought over from Italy. The wooden pews looked like they were made from the most magnificent trees. The altar itself was adorned entirely in gold. Nicole sat down in a pew and scooted down far enough for Derek to sit next to her. He rested his arm on the pew behind her and sat in silence. Nicole immediately wanted to visit some of the famous churches in Chicago. She felt bad that she never had before. She didn’t even know the denomination of the church that she passed on Michigan Avenue all the time. What if she had walked pass such a gorgeous place all the time and never realized the beauty that was inside? Her dad had told her this is where he would come to think. She could see why. She was ready to ponder the reason for existence.

  Derek didn’t say a word to her while they were inside. He was letting her have her moment. They stayed maybe twenty minutes. Nicole remembered times with her father. She thought of times when she was a little girl and they’d play at the park. She remembered crying together when her mother was very sick. They were both so helpless; they couldn’t do anything to make her better. She looked over at the empty part of the pew next to her and wondered if her parents were sitting there. She liked the thought of them together. Bill had his true love back and maybe they worked together to bring her to Derek. She felt a little sad that it hadn’t occurred to her that her mother had taken a part in the plan. Maybe it was because Derek was so similar to her father that she thought he had chosen him. But her mother chose her father, so it would make sense that she helped find Derek as well. She was glad she had this time to work through that idea. It made her smile.

  She leaned over to Derek because she felt the need to whisper. “Let’s go,” she said.

  Wordlessly, he took her hand and they walked back out into the bright sun. She loved sharing that time with him. Of everything that day, having Derek sit next to her in the church had the biggest impact on her. Something about him solidified inside of her.

  The next day, they wandered through the Romantic Zone on their way toward the Malecon. She wanted to find the little jewelry store where her father would bring her charms for her bracelet. She still had the bracelet in her jewelry box, which had filled up more with each of his trips to Vallarta.

  First, she and Derek had another little restaurant to visit. The restaurant served authentic Mexican food and they had her father’s favorite fajitas. It sat on a corner and was only large enough to hold eight tables and a small bar big enough for five bar stools. It was outside, with a trellis to enclose the area from the street. The kitchen behind the bar was inside a small building. Nicole was hungry, yet again. She couldn’t wait to try the fajitas. They sat down at the bar and waited for the bartender to appear from the kitchen.

  Derek started looking at the wall and began to laugh with surprise.

  “Come and check out all of these pictures.” He motioned for Nicole to look at the wall. “I had forgotten about this. A few years back, they took a picture of me with a guy I chatted with all afternoon. Look, they have pictures of guests all along the wall.”

  Nicole glanced over and saw a wall covered with photos of guests dining and drinking. They ranged from old tattered prints to glossy new ones, all showing families and friends, raising their glasses arm-in-arm, sitting in this very restaurant. She leaned in closer, excited to see a picture of Derek on the wall.

  As it came into focus, her heart leapt from her chest and she found she couldn’t breathe. She sat there and stared at her boyfriend, lifting his beer with her father. Bill was leaned toward Derek with his arm on the younger man’s shoulder. He had a huge smile on his face. Tears instantly began falling down her cheeks.

  “He looks so happy,” she whispered through deep breaths as she tried to keep it together.

  Still lost in looking at the pictures, Derek hadn’t noticed Nicole’s reaction. “Yes, I was. It was a great day. That old guy had some amazing stories to tell. He even gave me business advice,” he said with a smile, remembering. Then he turned to face her and seemed to figure it all out. “Are you telling me...It can’t be!” It was like he couldn’t quite grasp onto a complete thought in his head. His eyes widened even more, if that was even possible, and he said, “You’re the daughter!”

  Nicole smiled as he wiped away her tears, “You met him! Nothing could be more perfect.”

  “I did, love, and he was such an interesting man. He was very proud of you. He went on and on about your intelligence and maturity. Even then, I could see how much he loved you. I never realized that you have his eyes.”

  She stood up and threw her arms around him. They stayed quiet for a few minutes. She had desperately wanted her father to meet Derek and now she knew he had. After she had collected herself, she sat back on her barstool. The bartender decided to approach them and Derek pointed to the picture. “What will it take to get this picture?”

  “Por qué, amigo?” the bartender asked.

  “This picture is of her father and me and we’d like to take it home and frame it.”

  “Sí, of course, friend,” he smiled.

  Derek carefully loosened the staple from the wall and removed the picture. When he handed it to Nicole, she looked at her father smiling and touched his face with her fingers. She smiled and a final tear appeared. She kissed his face in the picture and slipped it into her purse. “I don’t want to risk ruining this. It’s my most prized possession now.”

  They stayed at the bar for an hour or so, talking about every detail that Derek could remember about that day. They shared her father’s favorite beef fajitas with poblano peppers. The bartender came out of the kitchen with a camera and asked to take their picture to fill the open space on the wall. Nicole stood in front of Derek and leaned back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and they both smiled for the camera.

  Nicole was in a bit of a daze when they walked back out onto the sidewalk. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Derek and her father had met. Derek took her hand. “The universe works in mysterious ways, love.” How did he always know what she was thinking?

  “It does,” she agreed.

  They made their way to the Malecon and began window shopping. “I hope the jewelry store is still open,” she said.

  “I already checked to make sure and the owner is expecting us today,” Derek replied and he led her in what had to be the direction of the store.

  “Thanks. I’m hoping I can find another charm for my bracelet. Even though I don’t wear it, I’d like to add one for Dad.” She leaned into him. She loved doing this, but it was still difficult to process.

  Within no time, they reached the entrance to the jewelry store. The place was tiny and cold from the air conditioning, with large jewelry cases in a big U shape around the edges of the space. There was just enough room to fit a few customers at a time. The jewelry actually looked rather expensive. Everywhere Nicole looked, she saw the sparkle of diamonds. She did see a small case to the right of the door that held the little charms that her father had brought back to her. She smiled when she saw them and tears welled up in her eyes again. Fighting them back, she walked over for a closer look.

  Derek walked over and spoke to the owner while Nicole looked through the options. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, but hoped she would know it when she saw it. There were anchors and flowers and starfish. Many were focused on beach themes. That’s not what she was looking for. Others looked like birth stones. She did see
a few with baby themes. She already had many very similar to the selection there. And then she saw the perfect one- a thick silver charm with “Daddy’s Little Girl” carved inside. She didn’t have one like it yet and now it was exactly what she wanted.

  “I’ll take this one,” she said out loud to whomever was listening. Both men walked over to her, Derek leaning over her shoulder to see what she had found.

  “That’s perfect, love,” was all he said. Nicole leaned her body back into him in agreement.

  “Can I show you something else as well?” he said sweetly.

  “What did you find?” she asked.

  “I’ve been speaking with this nice man and he has informed me that he has the best selection of diamonds in Puerto Vallarta. Plus, I thought that you would love to have an engagement ring from the same place your father shopped for you. What do you say?”

  She stopped breathing for a second and stared at him. She couldn’t think. She immediately knew in her heart that nothing would make her happier than being his wife, but she couldn’t believe he had asked her the question.

  He dropped down to one knee in the tiny little store where he father used to shop for her. “Will you marry me?”

  She fell down on her knees as well and threw her arms around him. “Yes, Derek, I’ll marry you!” she laughed and cried while she kissed him quickly on the lips. He hugged her tightly. They stayed there for a few moments and she was overwhelmed with the feeling that her mother and father were both there. It felt like their souls traveled through her body. She knew this was the right thing for her. Derek was her family now and all of a sudden, she felt completely whole again.

  “Thank you, Derek. Thank you for doing this here. Thank you for thinking of my father.” She was still crying.

  He wiped away her tears and kissed each of her eyes tenderly. “I will work my entire life to only have tears of joy flow from those eyes. Now, come and pick out a ring.”

  They both stood and she was shaking as she looked into the case. She had barely noticed the owner before. He was a little old man with a face that had deep lines from a long life in the sun. He was short, with a full head of thick black hair and deep black eyes. He looked very kind. “I remember your father,” he said in a raspy voice, “I will pack up your charm. Please allow it to be a wedding present for you. I will be back to show you any ring that you would like.”

  The tears began to form again. “Thank you,” was all she could get out. Derek stood quietly next to her while she looked at her options. She had always loved the antique style of rings. It only took a moment to know which one should be on her finger and it wasn’t at all what she would have expected. She was surprised how quickly she knew.

  “This is the one,” she pointed down at a beautiful diamond ring set in rose gold. She wasn’t sure of the carat weight and couldn’t care less, but guessed about two carats or so. It was surrounded by little diamonds, the rose gold prongs showing through each one. There were the same diamonds and rose gold along the entire band of the ring. The owner came over, opened the case, and handed Derek the ring. Nicole liked that touch; he got to slip it on her finger.

  It fit perfectly without any sizing needed. “Once again, it’s perfect,” he said as he put it on her finger.

  “Shall I wrap up the matching wedding band?” the owner asked.

  “Of course,” Derek said, “There’s definitely going to be a wedding.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Derek was wiped out from the day in the sun. He glanced at the clock; they had been asleep for two hours. Nicole was still fast asleep. She was also naked, with only the ring sparkling on her finger, and it was the most beautiful sight. She really had chosen the perfect one. It represented her well, gorgeous and unique.

  He was looking forward to his meeting with Gael that night. He was also happy that Gael and Nicole would get to be properly introduced. He remembered that they had only seen each other from across the room when Silvia was apprehended. He didn’t want to be the type of husband that kept his wife in the dark about his business. He wanted Nicole to know as much as she’d like. He imagined her relaxing in the sun while he met Gael for poolside meetings. She may not care about any of it, but he was done hiding his life from everyone. He had found a woman to open up to. He didn’t think they’d sit down and go through his financials, but he wanted her to know what she now had. He was ready to share all he had built.

  He showered quickly to wake himself up and opened his computer to do a little work while Nicole was still sleeping. He sat on the couch, smiling as he saw the little Puerto Vallarta frame holding the picture with Old Bill and himself. Who would have guessed that man he had spent an afternoon with was actually Nicole’s father?

  But now it was time to focus on work. Derek reviewed some information and got his head together for his meeting. He made a list of questions he wanted to ask and things where he’d like further clarification. He had emailed quickly back and forth with the company heads about the Chicago property and they were ready for the next step. Gael was doing a great job and Derek was excited to see his interest in a larger role in the company. He printed out a few things he had been working on to see if Gael’s brain thought the same as his. He wasn’t testing him, more interested to see his thought process on choosing locations. He’d like to have things in motion when he took Nicole to Venice. He wanted to be able to leave his phone in the hotel room every day and not worry about work.

  He heard her stirring in the other room and loved the sound of someone being there. He wondered now how he had lived all those years alone. She walked into the living room wearing his robe, her eyes dreamy and her hair a tousled mess. She looked perfect. “How long did I sleep?” she asked with a yawn, “Feels like years.”

  “We both slept a couple of hours. I’ve only been up about an hour now.” He closed his computer and motioned for her to come sit by him on the couch. Even with such long legs, she could somehow curl herself up into the tiniest little ball. “Are you happy?” he asked her.

  “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” she said sweetly, “Do we need to get ready for you to meet Gael?”

  “I’ve been preparing for that. Would you like to swim in the rooftop pool? He will meet us up there. We can order some food.”

  “Yes and I’m starved,” she smiled, “Do they have those quesadillas here as well?”

  “We’ll get some sent over; they’re Gael’s favorite too.”

  “Yum. Thank you.” She gave him a quick kiss. “I’m going to run through the shower to wake up.”

  And then she was off. He laughed to himself at her excitement over the quesadillas. It was so nice that she loved to eat food. He figured that he couldn’t be the only man that got tired of women pretending they weren’t hungry or that a salad was enough. He had such a wonderful time with her last night, devouring everything in front of them.

  Nicole came out wearing her little black bikini with the same little shorts. He remembered that she had packed pretty light. They were going to do some serious shopping. He wanted her to have endless options wherever they were staying. Derek enjoyed clothes. He loved looking casual, but he also didn’t just grab anything. His clothes were bought or made to fit him well. Like other times before, their minds were on the same thing. “Think I can get Maria to do some shopping for me here? That woman has great taste,” Nicole joked.

  “You make everything look good, love.” He walked to meet her in the kitchen area. “But we will go shopping tomorrow if you’d like.”

  “Thanks. Since I’ll be staying, I am going to need a few more things.”

  Yes, she would. “Let’s go upstairs,” he said, “you still haven’t seen it yet.”

  He took her hand and they left the apartment. The sun had set while they slept and the Paraíso was tall enough to see quite a bit of the Romantic Zone from the rooftop. The streets were full of people walking and shopping and tables full of diners spilled out from little restaurants.

 
The rooftop was beautiful. There was a large pool that took up a majority of the space, going right up to the edge of the building, with a wrought iron railing around it. Large potted plants added to the outdoor feel. Along the side of the pool was a row of lounge chairs for guests to lounge and sun themselves during the day. Past those were a few cocktail-style tables and a small bar. Luckily, they were the only guests up there tonight and Derek didn’t need to worry about speaking freely.

  The bartender came by and Nicole ordered only water. They had been doing some serious drinking over the past two weeks. She was technically on vacation before. As of today, she was now living here. Derek liked that she seemed to change her mindset. Maybe he was way off, but it felt like she was settling into her life and most likely she didn’t drink like a fish at home every day. Derek didn’t either. He’d maybe have a beer or a glass of wine, but he mostly drank more when he was entertaining a woman on vacation. He ordered himself and Gael each a beer and a shot of tequila. He knew that, with the conversation he’d like to have, a shot would be in order. Just as everything was brought to the table, Gael arrived.

  Derek properly introduced Nicole to Gael as his fiancé. She was adorable as she held out her finger to show him the ring, a giddy smile on her face. Gael’s face lit up with a huge smile in return. He kissed Nicole’s cheek and gave Derek a hug so big, it practically lifted him off the ground. “Amigo, I am so happy for you. You have been waiting a long time to meet her.” He shook his hand and sat down. “Shall we take a shot?”

  “I had those brought out for something else, but this seems like a time to celebrate.” And they both threw back the tequila. “Sit, let’s talk,” he told Gael.

  Derek began by asking his questions about the current project with the Chicago office. Gael did a great job of getting him up to speed on the situation. Derek handed him three folders of information he had just printed out at the apartment. “Take a quick look. Which location would you choose?”