by Finella Vane
Their next stop was the Ten Pin Bowling Alley. Ten lanes were to the right of the entrance, there was what looked like a hand pained mural of dolphins, sea turtles and coral reef at the end of the lanes where the pins were set. There was an arcade with floor hockey, pool tables and some arcade games on the other side of the alley. The bar and concession stand were at the rear of the building and at the center of it all was the control desk where people had lanes assigned, rented shoes and paid. Racks of different weight and color bowling balls were along the concourse area behind the lanes and along the wall by the bar. Neither girl had bowled in what they claimed was ‘forever’ but after they chose their balls and put on their rental shoes they settled in for a hysterical afternoon. At first neither of them could take down more than five pins on the first ball and two with the spare. Gutter balls came often and anyone watching them would assume they had been drinking because they were laughing so much. They ordered lunch from the alley eatery, chicken fingers and chips for Niav and an eight-inch personal pizza for Anselle. Again Anselle was aware that Niav wasn’t having any symptoms of her disorder even though all but two of the lanes in the small alley were occupied. They bowled until Anselle got a blister on her thumb and couldn’t hold the ball anymore. During their time at the alley they had been snapping pictures of each other as they attempted to look professional hurling their balls down the lane. Anselle took one last picture of Niav standing by the sign outside the alley before they made their way back to the B&B.
***
There was no sign of Jeremiah when the two entered the house and climbed the stairs to their room. Anselle unlocked the door, held it open for Niav then locked it behind them. Anselle went into the en suite to wash her hands and look for a plaster to cover her blister; mission accomplished she laid on the bed next to Niav. Anselle didn’t bring up her partner’s returned level of confidence wanting to have Niav remain that way and not turn into herself like she did the day before. They didn’t mean to fall asleep but they drifted off, arms and legs entangled for a little over an hour anyway.
Niav woke to Anselle’s hot breath huffing into her ear. The woman tried to maneuver her body to a new position but the strong arms of Anselle around her made it impossible. Anselle’s hold tightened like she was unconsciously trying to keep the artist from escaping every time Niav moved. Niav tried to snake her way out of Anselle’s hold and down the bed but Anselle actually growled at the attempt freezing the woman in position. The woman couldn’t help but start to giggle at the situation she found herself in. “Anselle,” Niav sing-songed, “I need to pee.”
There was no response from the slumbering girl so Niav tried again, “Anselle.” When there was still no response the brunette thought about tickling the blonde but decided that probably would only result in a very grumpy girl. “Anselle!” Niav barked out and that seemed to do it. Anselle’s hold lightened and Niav was able to slip out. She put a pillow in her fiancé’s arms to take her place and Anselle settled back down. Before she went to the en suite to relieve herself Niav took up Anselle’s camera and took several shots from different angles of the pillow-clutching-blonde.
When Niav returned to the bedroom she wasn't sure if she should let Anselle sleep or wake her up so they could decide where to go for dinner. The artist decided a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt so she removed her sketch pad and pencils from her bag, sat on the chaise under the window and began a preliminary sketch. She wanted to get the position of Anselle’s body and the peaceful expression on her face before Anselle woke up. The artist could finish the sketch later with the help of the photos she took (if Anselle didn’t see and delete them). When she had done as much as she thought was necessary she put the pad and pencils away before climbing onto the bed to wake her partner up.
Niav straddled her sleeping partner and leaned over to lick into the blonde’s ear. When Anselle didn’t stir she nibbled at the lobe, gently biting and sucking. Those actions didn’t wake Anselle either so Niav moves down to place kisses along her jaw and neck. “Anselle,” the woman whispered when she moved back up to the blonde’s ear, “lover, it’s time to get up. You’re fiancé is hungry.” Niav fingered the band on her left hand when she realized that she hadn’t gotten a ring for Anselle yet. She decided that the one thing she must accomplish on this trip was to find Anselle a nice, engagement ring.
Niav managed to get Anselle to wake up by hopping up and down on the bed while still on her knees. Anselle tried to tackle her onto the bed but again Niav managed to slide away and sit back on the chaise. Anselle sat with her as they went through the tourist brochures Niav picked up in the foyer. They agreed to try The Red Barn for dinner. The restaurant looked exactly like what it was named, a big, red barn. On their way to a table on the side deck they walked through the main seating area, they noticed light, pine wood everywhere; floors, wainscoting, bar, counters, chairs and table tops. Where there wasn’t wood on the walls there was red paint. Surf boards were hung up along the wall above the bar and photographs of beach scenes hung around the doorways and windows.
The table on the deck had a wonderful view of the beach and the sunset. There was a group of surfers a few tables further along the deck drinking, eating and sharing tales of their adventures around the globe. Anselle and Niav tried not to eavesdrop but it was almost impossible given the noise level at which the group was talking. Anselle took an especially keen interest when she heard the mention of New Zealand and the Taranaki Coast. The talk of New Zealand made her a little home sick, she hadn’t been back in several years. While they ate their seafood soup Anselle told Niav a little more about her childhood in New Zealand; gatherings with family, having a Christmas in what was considered summer and of course, the beaches. Niav’s beer-battered Cod and chips and Anselle’s seafood platter and salad were served just as the sun began to set.
They took pictures of each other and the waitress took a few of them together with the sunset as the backdrop. Niav thought Anselle was just gorgeous with the reds and yellows of the sinking sun highlighting her partners golden hair giving her an ethereal glow. “I’ve never seen you look more beautiful than you do right now,” the artist took her fiancé’s hand across the table. “I love you so much.”
Anselle blushed, “I love you too, Baby. I’m so glad you’re having a good time here.”
“I’m having a great time and it’s only our first full day. Thank you so much for suggesting time away.”
“I think we both needed to get out of the city for a while. I’d like to relax a little tomorrow, maybe after lunch we can come back and hang out on the beach for a while; go for a swim if the water isn’t too cold yet.”
“That sounds good. I can do some sketches or read a little. Did you see a place to get chairs?”
“I think Jeremiah has some chairs she’ll let us borrow. There’s a stack of them on the side of the gazebo.”
With plans set for the next day the couple headed back to the B&B. Jeremiah was in the sitting room when Anselle and Niav got back and the two women sat and talked with her for a while and yes, she did have chairs they could borrow the next afternoon when they went to the beach. They said their ‘good nights’ to their host and made their way up the stairs to their room. As Niav stood at the sink in the en suite brushing she teeth she thought about the ring she wanted to get for Anselle; something like her, tungsten with a diamond but maybe with an Irish knot pattern where her had the black basket-weave pattern. She’d like it to be a surprise but she couldn’t figure out how she’d get any alone time on this trip. Anselle had to do all the driving because she didn’t have a license. She was also afraid of buying something Anselle didn’t like or the wrong size. She was going to have to figure out a way to get Anselle into the jewelry store without being too obvious as to why they were there. She pushed all those worrisome thought aside as she finished in the en suite and slid into bed to fall asleep wrapped in her love’s arms.
***
The next morning Niav was the first do
wn so she could ask Jeremiah about jewelry stores in town. The woman was disappointed when Jeremiah informed her that she didn’t think there were any in Woolacombe but that she’d find a number of them in Exeter. Niav would have to do some research on things to do in Exeter so they’d have an excuse to go there or she’d just have to come out and tell Anselle about the ring.
When Anselle entered the dining room she was just ending a call on her mobile, “I’ve just booked us on a cruise to see seals and porpoises in the Bristol Sea. It leaves from the Ilfracombe harbor at 11 and we have to be there by 10:30. I hope you don’t mind. Do you do well on boats? I hope you do. It’s an hour and a half cruise. I should’ve asked before I booked, sorry.”
“Oh, um, I don’t know how I do on boats. I’ve never been on one. But it’s fine.”
Anselle had been pretty excited about the cruise but ‘fine’ was not the way she was hoping Niav would react, “Is something wrong? I’ll call and cancel if you don’t want to go.”
“No, no, I want to go. I was just thinking about something else that I had wanted to do but it can wait for another day.”
“Oh? What did you want to do?”
“It’s nothing really, just a bit of shopping.” Niav was warring within herself about whether or not to just tell Anselle about the ring.
“Is there something specific you want to get or place you want to go?”
“I thought we could go to Exeter. Jeremiah says there’s some good shopping there.”
“I don’t know, Matt. Exeter is a little farther south than I wanted to go on this trip. You can’t get what you need here?”
“Jeremiah said that there aren’t any shops here that sell what I wanted to get.”
“What do you want to get?”
Niav should’ve seen that question coming but she was really hoping that Anselle wouldn’t ask it (she did) or that Jeremiah would come in to take their breakfast order as a distraction (she didn’t). “It’s nothing really. Tell me more about this cruise.”
While Anselle was telling Niav about the cruise Jeremiah finally came in to take their order. Anselle asked for French toast with bacon and Niav requested scrambled eggs with bacon and white toast. Anselle had advised that she eat something light because they didn’t know how Niav’s stomach would react on the boat.
But Anselle didn’t want to let the original subject drop, “What did you want to get at the shops?”
“It’s just a little something. It doesn’t matter. It can wait.” Niav hoped she sounded like it really wasn’t a big deal so Anselle would stop asking questions. She really did want it to be a surprise after all.
“Okay but why won’t you tell me what it is? They have all kinds of shops here. I’m sure you can find whatever it is you’re looking for here.”
“Anselle, please. Let it go, okay?”
Anselle let the subject drop but she was clearly not happy about it. She didn’t like to think that Niav was hiding something from her and she couldn’t understand why the brunette was being so secretive. Niav went quiet hoping to avoid an argument and was sorry she ever mentioned it in the first place. She’d just have to wait until they got back to London to find a ring for Anselle.
***
They made it to Ilfracombe Harbour with plenty of time to spare. Niav found a brochure of the cruise and she started to get excited about seeing a porpoise. Both she and Anselle had cameras set up for motion photography and they hoped to get a seat by the side of the boat for better picture taking opportunities. Anselle was still a little upset about Niav’s secret but she was getting caught up in the woman’s excitement and gradually coming out of her funk. It was time for passengers to board the Ilfracombe Princess and they were indeed lucky enough to get a seat upstairs next to one of the sides.
Seas were pretty calm as the boat cruised along past Brandy Cove, Breakneck Point, Fresh Waterfall, Lee Village, Bull Point Lighthouse, Rockham Bay, Morte Stone and into Woolacombe Harbour but they didn’t see one porpoise. They spotted a few seals but Niav really had her heart set on seeing a porpoise. The brunette also had no symptoms of sea sickness until the boat began its return journey to Ilfracombe Harbour. It started with a vague feeling of unease in her stomach that turned into nausea accompanied by a headache and cold sweats. At first she thought she was having an attack but the symptoms were off she wasn't lightheaded or dizzy and her breathing was fairly regular.
Anselle did the best she could to ease Niav’s discomfort; she held the artist close, trying not to rock back and forth, while rubbing her back. A fellow passenger on the boat told them that if they sat more towards the center of the boat the rocking motion would be felt less which would help Niav feel a little better so they slowly made their way to the center of the boat. Other passengers gladly stepped aside because the woman looked like she was going to be sick any second. By the time the boat approached the dock Niav was one hundred percent sure she was going to die.
“Don’t let me die, Anselle.” Niav moaned, holding is stomach, “I’m too young to die.”
“You’re not going to die, Love,” Anselle replied with a suppressed laugh, “You’ll be fine once we’re off the boat.”
The brunette clutched onto the front of Anselle’s green hoodie, “I’m dying and I never got you an engagement ring. I so wanted to get you a nice ring and now it’s too late. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Oh,” Anselle grinned, the light bulb going on in her head, “Is that what the big shopping secret is? You don’t have to get me a ring.”
Niav closed her eyes at the suggestion of another helpful passenger and rested her head on her partner’s shoulder, “Yes, I do, but it’s too late. Tell Gina that I appreciate everything she did for me and not to miss me too much. I don’t want you to be sad either. You were the best thing that ever happened to me and I love you. I want you to have all my stuff when I’m gone.”
Anselle waited until the rest of the passengers had disembarked before she helped Niav stand, “You’re not going to die. You’re going to be just fine because you have to get me the ring you want. And we have to set a date and get wedding bands and plan a honeymoon.”
“No cruises, okay?”
Anselle laughed, “Okay, Baby, no cruises.”
Niav managed not to vomit until she was seated in the car. Anselle was barely able to get the window rolled down before Niav retched all over the outside car door. Anselle helped her Irish lover out of the front seat and into the back so she could lay down before she took out her mobile to look for local car washes.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Back in Woolacombe Niav was feeling better but not by much. They stopped to pick-up sandwiches at Hungry Jack’s Restaurant. Niav stayed in the car while Anselle ran in to buy two ham and cheese sandwiches, diet cokes and bags of crisps hoping that Niav would be able to eat later and keep the food down. Back at the inn Niav still wanted to go to the beach so Anselle left her at a table in the side yard while she went into the house to get the artist’s bag. Anselle set her camera and the artist’s bag on the table in front of Niav so she could have her hands free to get the chairs.
Niav slung her bag and the camera over her shoulder before getting up from the table to follow Anselle down the footpath to the beach. They settled down not too far from the path just in case Niav’s stomach acted up and she had to rush back to the inn. Anselle took a few pictures of the surfers in the distance, watched them for a while then took out her book. Niav watched Anselle watch the surfers, took out her sketch pad and began to draw. She started with drawing the guidelines for the surfer’s bodies and the basic outline of the wave. Next she added details to their faces, body positions (focusing on how they held their arms for balance) and clothing. Details were added to the waves to give them motion. The last thing she did was add some color to the sketch before showing it to Anselle who thought it was excellent. She suggested signing it and giving it to Jeremiah as a thank you gift. Niav agreed happily.
Anselle unwrapped the
sandwiches handing Niav her. The artist sipped her diet Coke while she nibbled on her crisps and some of the bread from the roll. Her stomach was feeling better but she didn’t want to take any chances by eating too much too soon. She returned the rest of the sandwich and crisps to the bag but kept the Coke next to her in the sand. “Anselle?”
“Yes, Love.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“I know. I’m sorry I tried to push you into revealing it at breakfast.”
“That’s alright. I would’ve had to tell you eventually.”
“Yeah,” Anselle grins, “like when we were in the jewelry store you wanted to go to.”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe we’ll find what you’re looking for in a shop in Bristol. We’ll be there for a few days. We’ll make it our mission. You know I’d do anything to make you smile.”
“I know and I like the idea of looking in Bristol as long as we can go on the Pirate Walk too,” Niav’s smile reached her eyes; it was the one Anselle loved to see.