Catching Kate (Scenic Route to Paradise)

by Andrea Aarons

  Next, I mentioned the palm kiss... (My face remains red!) That wasn’t so hard to say as I included that I was offended that he would use a ploy on me just like he had done when he was playing the bachelor... He shook his head at this statement but he didn’t appear very convincing - even in the muted moonlight. I didn’t tell him that in spite of being offended, for the first time I thought of him as a possible “someone” other than a friend of a friend. Wow, that kiss! I will never forget it!

  But, I did go on to tell him that I realized that I must not lead him on as it was obvious he was looking for something long-term... I assumed a godly wife! He nodded a ‘yes’ but it was so imperceptible that I wasn’t certain if he actually agreed with my conclusion.

  From that point, I had made up my mind to get on the Serendipity and sail off into my wonderful future without nary a thought of Roger... I told him this.

  No reaction!?!

  I said, I admired his wisdom and he gained great respect in my sight when he helped me overcome my fear of Boerboels. We both laughed at the memory. Then I reminded Roger that afterward, when he had traded the locket for the cookie, I told him I thought him cheeky to suggest that he could really capture my heart in a few weeks. Funny, but his eyebrows shot up at this and his grin made me laugh out loud. He sincerely believes that I would fall headlong in love with him in just weeks! What confidence! I have had at least a dozen guys take weeks and months and - nothing! As for me, I continue on down the road of my life happy as a clam! I refrained from pointing this particular out to him - not wanting to hurt his feelings.

  I sat there smirking smugly at him as the dawn began to break in the east. That is when he finally spoke again - He said, “Okay. I’ll tell you about the cookie and you tell me about the locket. That cookie was the best ever. Thank you for offering it. The pastry shop downtown always outdoes themselves...” Or something to that effect. “Your turn,” he said.

  I thought, Uh, oh! I really didn’t want to explain about the locket. For one thing I couldn’t get it open and then I wore it about - next to my heart like a 13 year old. And yet, I knew I owed him an explanation.

  Stammering, I said, “The locket?” He nodded. “Well, you gave it to me with no strings attached... Are we still on the same page about that?” Roger nodded again... “Okay, then. I usually, in fact I never take expensive gifts from men. I’m not that way and if I would have known I’m sure I wouldn’t have taken it. Roger, that tiny gift was extremely expensive not to mention beautiful... You didn’t buy it for me, I realize.” At this disclosure, only one of Roger’s eyebrows shot up. His lips went tight. I had to challenge his body language...

  “Come on Roger! You didn’t buy it for me... You didn’t even know me when you bought that gorgeous little piece,” I said.

  Well he said, “No I didn’t buy it for just anyone, I bought it to give to my future wife!”

  I couldn’t argue with that. “Oh. Anyway, I opened up the box a few days later and there it was... One day, your future wife will be blessed by your great taste.” I smiled to reassure him but he showed no expression. I continued.

  “I was shocked by the expense and I couldn’t get the locket to open... There is a trick to it, isn’t there?” I asked him and he only nodded.

  I was silent until he said, “Go on. I need to hear the rest of your story... You cannot leave your tale unfinished!”

  While I was locked away in Yosef’s cabin awaiting my fate, I took great comfort from his gift. I was reminiscing when his statement broke in on my thoughts. As a captive, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen but I spent a lot of time talking to God about my resentment toward my parents, His church and His will for my life... I wondered if I had missed God’s ‘still small voice’ concerning Roger. At that time, when my future looked bleak, I was sure I had missed God. Now that I was free, I was not so certain.

  I fiddled with the locket numerous times trying to open it and view the picture within... Well, I was sure Roger put his picture inside.

  “I never got it opened, you know,” I told Roger. And then I said, “I lost it. I’m sorry about that as I know it was costly and if I had it now...” Strange, but I planned to tell him I would most definitely return it but I realized that it was an impossible scenario. For one thing, I had accepted it with no strings attached and also, it had become endearing to me after the ordeal I went through.

  “... And if you had it now,” he repeated my words as if he read my thoughts!

  “Well, you said there were no strings attached,” I laughed at the words that I was saying. “I wouldn’t give it back. I’m sorry but I grew quite fond of your little trinket... In my captivity it reminded me of the time when I had a freewill to do what I wanted. I wasn’t sure if I would ever have that freedom again.”

  I realized at my words that I admitted to actually wearing the locket. How else could it have been with me on the pirate’s ship if I hadn’t been wearing it?

  Roger smiled and I was sure my inadvertent disclosure was the cause.

  When Roger looked past me, I turned to see Lulu at the glass doors. She came out a few minutes later with steaming mugs of coffee and warmed milk.

  (Lulu has a history but she is very sweet)

  The air was chilly yet. The sun hadn’t come up and so the coffee hit the spot. In the morning twilight, Roger looked much better than he had the day before... He must have slept sound until it was time to make coffee and warm his feet in the pool!

  The roosters in the barnyard area had been sounding for some time. It was going to be a lovely morning although I knew the rain would fall sometime during the day... It sprinkles almost everyday on the island this time of year.

  Lulu returned with a pullover cotton sweater for Roger. He must have been cold the entire time we talked as he had had no plans to spend more than a few minutes at the pool, initially. After he stood to put it on, he sat down in another chair leaving me alone in the long one I was sitting on. I stretched my legs out. I sensed, my honest words were freeing him up emotionally too.

  Roger told me he was glad his gift brought comfort in a time of need... He admitted, he hadn’t thought of that aspect when he gave it to me. He added, “In fact, we had such a good time that day - going to church together and then you - all of you coming over here for dinner. I mentioned that I bought it for my future wife but when I gave it to you the night before you left, I just wanted to give you something valuable and nice. The locket came to mind. I really had no other motive at the time. I wasn’t even sure our paths would cross again... Who would have known you’d be back sitting on my patio a week later?”

  I was ready to change the subject so I mentioned my surprise over seeing Dr. Smith on St Helena.

  Roger said, “That brings us back to square one...”

  He was right! Originally, he had wanted to know what I thought about staying on the island for R & R. He had said Lulu was quite capable of tending to me should I feel really ill but Merry had suggested she stay as well. After a couple of weeks we could fly from the mainland to meet up with the Serendipity somewhere up north.

  “Yes, I was working my way back to square one and Dr. Smith’s recommendation,” I told him. “I suppose I didn’t want you to think that if I stayed on the island it was because I hadn’t thought some of these other issues through...”

  I hadn’t realized that my mind was a bit befuddled.

  “You said that when you were on Yosef’s ship you thought you might not have freedom in the future to make your own choices... Well, it looks like God has given you that opportunity again,” Roger reminded me.

  “I did say that,” I replied and then I mentioned what he had said! “But you said, if you had weeks you would win me to yourself and neither of us would be disappointed. That’s why I want to be upfront with you.”

  “Touché!” Roger said and we both smiled but I wasn’t finished.

  “So, you see my hesitation? I might need a break from the sailor's life for a few weeks but I d
on’t want you to be led-on by my willingness to take Dr. Smith’s counsel,” I said this with the same smugness that had overtaken me earlier.

  Roger is a wise man. The American men my age may have spent too much time at the gym or in front of the television because I’m sure they would have never handled the situation as aptly as dear old Roger did. We were both watching the sun break across the treetops on the hill... The house is in a valley and so the sun wouldn’t be shining down into the yard for another hour or more.

  “The solution is simple,” he informed me. “You take the doctor’s good advice and I will absolutely ignore you for two weeks... By then, you will be ready to swim to the mainland to catch a plane north just to be rid of me!”

  It was a ridiculous answer of course and I threw the cloth napkin Lulu had brought out with the coffee at him.

  Kate put her pen down. There was so much more to write but for now she felt caught-up and her detailed description of the last several days would suffice.

  Putting her head down on the kitchen table, Kate thought of writing about the secret of the locket and how Roger had found her because of the embedded GPS mechanism. She was mortified when she realized how she had left the details of locket out of the original recounting of her abduction. What had Roger thought of my blatant omission? She wondered.

  And do I really need two weeks rest? Ten minutes later, when Lulu came into the kitchen to start the evening meal she found Kate asleep, her arms folded on the table top and her head resting face down on her forearms.

  Tut-tutting, Lulu woke Kate gently and escorted her off to the guest room. Kate was like a kindergartener at naptime.

  This was the third day since the Serendipity cast off, heading away from James Bay. Kate had been taking the vitamins and iron prescribed by Dr. Smith and also resting... mostly catnaps and reading from Roger’s extensive library.

  Roger had been caught unaware at Kate’s lethargy but his friend Wilfred Smith said Kate had always been high-strung and the week while she was in captivity, she probably slept very little. So, Roger kept to his tongue-in-cheek agreement to ignore her although he checked on her discreetly and thought of her continuously, speaking to Lulu and Wilfred and some other close friends on the island. Soon the entire island was a buzz with the news that Roger Cowels had finally fallen in love.

  Chapter 19 Sunset at Val’s Place

  On day five, Kate awoke feeling much better. She wondered at how weak and tired she had been for the last few days. Although Dr. Smith had been by twice to check on Kate, she had not seen much of Roger. This morning was no exception in that he left after a single cup of coffee, Lulu told her.

  Kate informed Lulu she was going to take a short early morning walk, asking her which way to go to view of the ocean.

  Lulu tut-tutted, not wanting Kate to walk anywhere but to the patio and back. However, she fetched Tommie from outside and told him to take Kate for a walk.

  Tommie led Kate down the driveway and then he veered off the gravel and up a well trod path. It was the cool of the morning and the walking seemed to clear Kate’s mind. After twenty minutes or more, the trail opened below the vineyard where Roger had brought them when touring his plantation.

  The path had been in shadow of the trees but the grapes grew in full sunshine. Kate knew the top of the hill held the view she long for from the breakfast table.

  “Tommie, wait a minute. I need to catch my breath before I tackle this hillside,” Kate said. Tommie nodded and stepped back into the shade. Kate followed and they stood looking up the hill.

  After a moment Kate said, “Tommie, how did you come to know Roger? Mac mentioned you have been working for him for four or five years already.”

  Tommie grinned and wiped the sweat from his neck. “He’s my father! Yes, all these guys you see around here, we are his children.”

  Kate was quiet trying to process his words. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of that already. So many young men!

  Kate cleared her throat. “Oh? And you have no sisters?” she asked.

  “Sisters? Whoa, no - Mama Lulu would not allow that! She is very particular,” Tommie said with a loud laugh. “Oh, no! Not sisters!”

  Kate had never thought that Mama Lulu might really be the Mama... or mother of the dozen or more teens that worked and lived on the plantation.

  “Yes, we are all orphans. Papa Roger would not allow sisters here, either. Lulu would walk out. She is very particular,” Tommie remarked.

  “Orphans! But where did you come from? I mean surely St Helena doesn’t have a large orphan population,” Kate said, much relieved at Tommie’s clarification.

  Tommie looked at her. “Yes, there are some orphans among the Saints but me, I’m from South Africa and others from here, there and Angola, too.”

  Tommie would have preferred to turn back but Kate wanted to finish her walk and so they started up and through the vineyard. As they climbed, Kate thought she would ask Roger about his “orphanage.” No one had said anything about orphans.

  Kate was almost to the last tier of grapevines, following behind Tommie by 20 feet or more when she began to see spots before her eyes. Uh, oh... Kate knew that the spots came before the dizziness and then, down she would go like a limp dishcloth. Kate wasn’t a fainter as she had told Roger but only because she knew the fore warnings well enough to dodge a swoon by sitting down and putting her head between her legs. She looked ridiculous but there was no help for it.

  Taking several steps between the trellised rows, Kate sat abruptly. She would have called to Tommie but everything was going dark and she found she had no voice. Wearing khaki shorts above a collared T-shirt, ankle socks and sneakers, Kate folded her arms at her bent knees and rested her head on her forearms.

  In the shade of the vines, the dirt she sat in smelled earthy and the ripening grapes smelled sweet. The birds and insects were busy making music. Although, Kate decided she was impossibly weak at the moment, with eyes closed she sensed God. “I trust you, Lord I do,” she said repeatedly. She was sure she hadn’t passed out or fallen asleep but time seemed to have gone by without her realizing it. The sun and shade were different and it was uncomfortably hot. Certainly it was no longer morning.

  Groping about in the dirt, Kate lifted herself up. Her mouth was dry. She was stiff! She had fallen asleep! Where was Tommie? Brushing herself off, she decided he must have overlooked her and headed home. If Tommie had returned to the house without her, Lulu would be very worried, Kate knew. She was thirsty and the bulging green grapes looked to be the solution. Squeezing and pinching one after another, she found an almost ripe bunch but picked a single one to see if her estimation was correct. Tart but delicious! Wrenching the healthy vine back and forth, it broke and she straightened to descend the hill and return to Roger’s house.

  “Kate! What have you been doing?” It was Roger calling from the hilltop. Suddenly, she was self-conscious about the grapes and her disheveled appearance. She brushed the seat of her shorts and tucked her rumpled shirt. As for the grapes, she held them up for Roger to see.

  Coming from between the rows, out onto the path Kate planned to respond when Roger drew near. Instead, as he came pounding down the hill she thought he might bulldoze over her or as she hoped in spite of his hurry, he would go around her. He was angry. Kate had not seen Roger mad but she was certain that the look on his face was definitely undisguised fury.

  Looking over her shoulder, Kate wondered who he was so angry with... She sincerely hoped Tommie was not in trouble for leaving her behind. But, there was no one else on the hillside.

  Roger slowed and stopped a yard above her but she had stepped back into the row in case he planned to continue down the trail.

  “Kate! You’ve been picking grapes?” Roger stated.

  Why was he yelling? Kate wondered. She looked over her other shoulder. Still there was no one but just the two of them in the vineyard.

  “Yes, I...” she began but he didn’t let her finish.


  “Tommie came back hours ago! Everyone has been looking for you! Didn’t you hear us calling? Why didn’t you answer?” Roger’s face was quite red but unfortunately, Kate didn’t comprehend what he was saying because those pesky dark spots began making another appearance. She was very thirsty and she thought maybe she was dehydrated but more than anything, she did not want to faint... Not now, after all she wasn’t a fainter. She put her finger up to interrupt him but as her finger came up, she went down. She crumpled into a heap, hitting the ground with an unladylike thud.

  Roger hadn’t seen her face go pale and the swaying he hadn’t recognized for what it was. He was quite shocked at her swoon. He cursed at his stupidity.

  Using his cell phone, he called down to the house. Roger told Lulu to let the guys know that he had found Kate. Picking her up, she awoke as Roger came down the path with her.

  “Let me down... Let me down!” Kate mumbled. Fainting and being carried about like a sack of potatoes wasn’t Kate’s idea of a strong female.

  “All right, missy but I have had enough of your running off and then when I get ready to say something really important... You pass out!” Roger told her as he set her down on a stump inside the shaded wood at the bottom of the hill.

  “Sorry, sir. I will endeavor to walk off instead of ‘running off’ next time or perhaps, I’ll skip off. And also, I’ll try to stay awake while you are yelling at me,” Kate said crossly. “I’m really thirsty. You don’t have any of that wonderful table wine on hand do you?”