Sunlight and Shadows

by Christine Cross

  “Okay, then, I guess I better call Tash, and tell her to expect visitors.”

  “Oh, Mom, you’re the greatest. When can we go?”

  “As soon as I can organize our passports and flight, darling. Why don't you email Miranda?”

  “Great, I’m going to start packing,” said Katie, adamant that she wasn’t going to leave things to the last minute.

  ***

  “Welcome to Paradise,” Tash said as they arrived at the Gold Coast Airport.

  It was a beautiful November day complete with a clear blue sky and warm sunshine, unlike the cold weather they had left behind in Georgia. Within five minutes of leaving the airport, they were confronted with breathtaking views of golden sand beaches and huge white-frothed waves crashing onto the shore. Bikini-clad women with bronze tans were packing the beaches and the ocean was specked with muscle-toned men on surfboards.

  “This looks like heaven,” murmured Victoria, as Natasha drove them along the beach road to the house that she and Dan had bought soon after arriving in Australia.

  “Wait till you see our house,” Miranda said, happy to see Katie at last. “Our bedrooms face the ocean and you can hear the surf at night crashing onto the shore.”

  Katie was impressed. “Good, we can go swimming every morning before breakfast.”

  “Well, actually,” Natasha said interrupting the girls conversation, “Miranda has joined the local surf club, so she gets surfing lessons every morning, as well as swimming lessons.”

  “That sounds fantastic,” said Victoria. “You’ll love that, won’t you, Katie?”

  Katie could hardly wait to hit the surf. “We don’t have to wait till tomorrow morning for a swim, do we?” she asked, keen to escape the high humidity of the Australian weather.

  “Of course not, silly,” said Miranda. “The first thing I’m going to do when we get home is to head to the beach. I practically live there.”

  “Yes, and don’t forget the suntan lotion and a hat,” cautioned Natasha. “We don’t want Katie getting sunburnt.”

  As they pulled up the decorated concrete driveway of Natasha’s home, Victoria let out a gasp. “Tash, this isn’t a home, this is a mansion. Wow, I had no idea you had such a huge place.”

  “Well, thanks to Dan’s new boss, we found this house was selling for a lot less than it’s worth. Apparently it was part of a property dispute in a divorce case. So we grabbed it.”

  “You were so lucky that Dan was able to get a transfer here with work. How is his work going?”

  “Well, as C.E.O. of a multinational corporation, he’s pretty busy. But he has settled in now, and really loves his job, and the Aussie lifestyle. Everyone here is so relaxed, and laid back.”

  “I can see that,” Victoria said. “It definitely looks relaxing here with all this sun, surf, and sand.”

  “Well, you can always sell your place, and move here near us,” Natasha suggested. “You haven’t worked for five years, Victoria, and if you wanted a job here, Dan could find you something in the office. I work there three days a week helping out at reception. Keeps me busy when the kids are at school.”

  “You’re right. I hadn’t wanted to work after Tom died. But now it may be time to think about my future. Katie and I were so lucky that Tom had a huge life insurance policy, so I didn’t have to worry about money or having to work. We paid out our mortgage and still had enough money in the bank to survive without me working.”

  “Tom was a good provider, Victoria. And he would have wanted you to have no worries, and to be happy.”

  “I know,” Victoria admitted. “He always said that if anything happened to him, he would want me and Katie to move forward and not pine away. But it has been so difficult for us to do that.”

  “Maybe now it’s time to start living again, Vicky,” Natasha said as they took the luggage up to the guest room which overlooked a wide expanse of deep blue ocean.

  “Yes, I guess you’re right, Tash. Tom always said that life is for the living. And I’ve been a walking zombie for too long now.”

  “Yes,” Natasha agreed, “you have been like a walking zombie Now, just look at that ocean. It looks so alive and inviting. Maybe it would be a good start to a new beginning if you and I went for a swim.”

  *****

  On her first night in this new country, Victoria dreamt about Tom. He suddenly appeared to her as though floating in clouds, looking young and vibrant and more alive than ever.

  Victoria, he was saying, I want you to be happy. And Katie too. I need you to move on with your life now. I know you’re lonely and you’re only thirty eight. You can’t spend the rest of your life living without a love of your own. Victoria, I know you and what’s best for you. Please, just go and be happy. You’ve been sad for far too long.

  She awoke with a jerk, suddenly realizing where she was, and that Tom had really visited her. Oh, Tom, Tom, I’ll always love you. But I’ll try to move on. I really will, if that’s what you want.

  It was very early in the morning and the sun was just rising in the east. Victoria watched as its golden and orange rays spread across the sky as if to greet a brand new day. She could hear the girls talking and giggling, and getting ready to go to the surf club. Natasha arrived with a freshly brewed coffee, and a gift wrapped in shiny paper.

  “What’s this all about, Tash?” Victoria asked curious at what was inside that package.

  “Open it and see. I thought you might like to join us at the surf club this morning so it’s just something you might like.”

  Victoria opened her present to find an exquisitely designed floral one-piece swim suit with a matching sarong. Natasha flashed a smile at her as she said, “It’s a designer label Aussie swimsuit and I’ve got one almost the same. I noticed your two-piece yesterday was a little dated, so I got you this to cheer you up.”

  “It’s gorgeous,” said Victoria. “Of course I’ll wear it to the surf club. Maybe, I’ll even take some surfing lessons myself. It sounds like it’s just what I need to get me started for the day.”

  “Well, finish your coffee, and we’ll go!”

  The local surf club was a five minute drive along the beach, and at six o’clock in the morning it was already alive with activity. People who didn’t have their own surfboards were lining up to rent them, and Victoria and Katie joined the queue.

  As they neared the end of the line, Natasha nudged Victoria on the arm. “There’s someone I want you to meet today. His name is Nick and he runs this club. He is the surfing instructor, and he also owns the Coconut Beach Bar and Café next door. He does a lot of community work in this area, trying to get young street kids off drugs, and teach them how to surf, and all about Jesus. On Sundays he runs his own church service and ministry from the Beach Bar, and he has gotten a lot of kids off the street and into surfing and Christian music. Miranda just adores him. All the kids do.”

  “Wow,” Victoria said. “What an amazing man. He sounds really nice. I would love to meet him.”

  “Well, here he is,” she said. He was a tall, handsome, tanned male with shoulder-length blonde hair and he stood at the end of the Surfboards for Rent line. “Nick, I want you to meet my friend from Georgia. She’s just here for a month, but is excited to learn how to surf. Nick, this is Victoria. Victoria, this is Nick.”

  Victoria could hardly get a Hello out. All she could see was that Nick was wearing a gold chain with a gold cross. A gold cross that was almost identical to hers. Nick noticed Victoria’s cross as well, and smiled as he reached out to gently shake her hand.

  “Well, it seems as if we have something in common already, Victoria."

  *****

  The morning had flown by far too quickly, but at least Victoria had managed to find that she could balance herself on the board after an hour of trying and failing. Finally, she stood up and caught her first wave into shore. It was an exhilarating moment. She could hardly wait to try it again.

  “Surfing can be very addictive,” Nick said
later over a cool drink of pure coconut water fresh from the coconut itself. “There are also times when I catch a huge wave and ride the curl. That’s when I feel God there right with me. It’s a very spiritual connection. ”

  After surfing classes had ended, Natasha had taken the girls back home. Nick had asked Victoria to join him for breakfast in the Beach Bar, and now they were enjoying a huge plate of eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon with maple syrup. Victoria felt strangely attracted to Nick, as though there was some invisible force binding them together. His smile was infectious and like a ray of sunshine that lit up the whole room. She guessed he was around her age, but he could have been a few years younger, or older. All she knew for sure was that being with him felt comfortable.

  “By the way, Nick, where did you get that cross?” she asked, full of curiosity. “It looks almost the same as mine.”

  “Oh, my wife gave it to me ten years ago for my twenty-eighth birthday. Sadly she passed away later that year. She had bone cancer and there was nothing the doctors could do to save her. Losing her was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, but it made me rethink my life and the value of it, and what God’s purpose and plan was for me. That’s when I started using my hobby of surfing to help street kids. I felt God calling me, asking me to help them. So I gave up my boring office job, and started managing the Surf Club, and I used the money from leaving my old job to start up the Beach Bar here. It’s a great drop-in center for kids who need somewhere to go and someone to talk to. So basically, I run a small counseling service during the day and a church service here on Sundays mornings, after surfing of course.”

  “Sounds like surfing has been therapeutic for you, Nick.”

  “Oh, any sport is, Victoria. It gets the happy hormones, the endorphins, going. But I love surfing because it’s a water sport and there’s something very holy and spiritual about water, especially the ocean. Anyway, back to you…where did you get your cross from?”

  Victoria paused for a moment before answering. “I know this might sound weird and like some kind of tragic coincident, but my husband Tom gave it to me five years ago. Sadly, it was the last present he ever gave me. He died instantly in a car accident we were both involved in on the way home from the restaurant where we were celebrating our fifteenth wedding anniversary. If it wasn’t for Katie I wouldn’t be here. All I wanted to do was stop the pain and join Tom in heaven, or wherever he is.”

  Nick was thoughtful for a minute. “That is a shocking tragedy, Vicky, absolutely shocking. Words can’t describe how sorry I am that you went through that. But God wouldn’t have wanted you to kill yourself. I know that terrible and bad things happen to good people, all the time in fact. That's not God’s doing, but the enemies. We live in a fallen world, where we are surrounded by human nature, evil doings, and sinfulness. God did not plan for us to live like this in a broken world. Human beings chose to do what they wanted to do in the Garden of Eden, and through disobedience we disconnected from the life that God had planned for us there. So the world we live in has its challenges and heartaches. But God is there to help us through those times. And He has a plan to restore us back to the life He originally wanted for us through Jesus, the Savior. And eternal life when Jesus returns for His people.”

  “I guess you’re right,” said Victoria, inspired by Nick’s breadth of vision and faith in God. “I definitely did feel God at times comforting me in my darkest moments. Especially when I was praying.”

  “He is there all the time for us, but especially when we pray. Well, since we’re talking about God, I was thinking…it’s Sunday tomorrow. Would you like to attend my little church after our surfing lesson in the morning?”

  Victoria nodded eagerly. “I would love to come,” she said. And for the first time in a long time she began to smile.

  ***

  The following morning showed signs of becoming a very hot day, much hotter than the previous day. Victoria woke up excited about the possibility of catching some more waves, and, of course, attending the church service. The girls had decided that they wanted to sleep in this morning so she arrived at the club alone, longing to see Nick again. He was hanging about with a group of young kids showing them how to wax their boards before they hit the surf.

  “Hello, smiley,” he said, noticing Victoria as she approached him. “Well, it must be your lucky day because young Christopher has waxed the board you’ll be using today.”

  “Thank you, Christopher, that is so kind of you,” she said genuinely grateful that her board was ready

  “Not really kindness, ma’am,” said Christopher trying not to grin. “Mr. Boss Man here, Nick, makes us do it. Otherwise we don’t get out to ride the waves.”

  Victoria and Nick laughed at Christopher’s attempt to paint Nick as some kind of tyrannical ogre. “I’m sure he means well,” said Victoria coming to Nick’s defense. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s hit the surf then. I can hardly wait to catch one of those waves!”

  The surf was rougher today than yesterday, with far more power behind each wave as it broke on the shore.

  “Be careful,” called Nick as she furiously paddled out to deeper water. “Looks like there could be a rip not far from there.”

  “Okay,” Victoria called back, laughing. “But if I do get caught in a rip, you’ll have to rescue me.”

  Luckily, although there was a mild rip, no-one got caught up in it, and after riding three waves back into shore, Victoria was delighted.

  “Time to pack it up guys,” Nick yelled out at around eight-thirty. “Time for church to begin soon, but first there’s a free breakfast for everyone at the Beach Bar.”

  *****

  “I can’t believe I’ve been here a week. It feels more like a month,” Victoria said as she arrived at the Surfside Seafood Restaurant accompanied by Natasha and Dan.

  Natasha had promised Victoria that she and Dan would take her out somewhere nice on her first Saturday night in Paradise. Dianne, the oldest Kingsley daughter had offered to babysit the children, so it was a wonderful opportunity for Victoria to relax amongst friends her own age. Something she had rarely done in the last five years.

  “The time has just flown, hasn’t it?” agreed Natasha, as a waiter seated them by a table overlooking the vast expanse of ocean in front of them. “I really wish that you and Katie never had to leave. I have missed you so much since we arrived here. Have you considered selling your place, and moving here? It’s such an easy place to live in with fantastic weather, fresh air, and amazing beaches.”

  “I must admit, Tash, it is a very tempting invitation. I promise you I will think about it. I am beginning to really love this relaxed lifestyle over here. And I know Katie would move here in a heartbeat. She’s already told me that she doesn’t want to go home, especially since Miranda is here.”

  The waiter arrived with the menus and a bottle of iced water as well as a freshly baked loaf of herb bread.

  Dan joined in the conversation as the girls began to dig into the bread. “Well, I can also offer you a few day’s work in the office if you’re interested, Victoria. I know you don’t need to work for financial reasons, but it helps to keep busy. So the offer’s there if you want it.”

  “Thanks, Dan. I had been thinking of returning to work at some point. It would be nice just to be among people and back in the real world.”

  “That’s why I do a few days a week, Vicky,” Natasha said. “It just gets me engaged with life and you know, we all need a balance. I actually enjoy working, anyway.”

  “Hmm, well I have a lot to think about then,” Victoria said, perusing the menu. “But right now, I’m going to think about this tantalizing menu.”

  “Yes,” said Nick as he checked the specials menu on the board. “That Lobster Mornay sounds irresistible.”

  “I like the sound of the Red Emperor in a creamy garlic sauce with steamed baby potatoes and wilted greens,” Natasha said. “How about you, Victoria?”

  “Well, I’m
going for those Moreton Bay Bugs. We don’t get those in Georgia,” Victoria replied, keen to try something new and locally caught.

  “Let’s order a bottle of champagne as well. Just to celebrate having you here and enjoying life again.”

  “Sounds good,” Victoria said. “It should go well with the seafood as well.”

  By the time the meals arrived, the restaurant was totally packed out. It was just after sunset and the sky was awash with the last golden rays of the setting sun. It was then as Victoria looked across the room that she saw him. It was Nick. He was seated on the opposite side of the restaurant across from a stunning lady with long blonde hair and an extremely low-cut vividly bright red dress, showing off her voluptuous curves. Victoria tried not to watch but she was mesmerized and Nick hadn’t noticed that she was there.

  She felt a little shaken, or was it unsettled, or was it disappointment? Nick hadn’t mentioned another woman in his life, yet here he was gazing into the eyes of that lady in red. They appeared to be engaged in a very intimate conversation because Nick’s attention was focused only on her. He didn’t appear to notice anyone else or anything else in that room. He didn’t even look around once the entire evening.

  “Is everything alright, Victoria?” Natasha asked half-way through the meal. “You look a little pale. Are the bugs okay?”

  “No, no, everything’s fine. And the bugs are just fantastic. I could probably do with another glass of that champagne though,” Victoria assured her, trying not to look at Nick and that woman.

  But it was impossible not to keep looking and every now and then Victoria could not resist. For a moment there it appeared as if the woman was crying, and Nick gently wiped a tear from her eye with his serviette. Then he tenderly stroked her hand as though he was trying to comfort her.

  Who was this woman? They looked so close and as if they had known each other for a very long time.