by Ingrid Diaz
“No thanks.” Valerie turned her attention to the closet. “So what do you think we should go as? I’ve got a few old shirts we can tear up and spread blood on.”
“Sure,” I said. “Do you have blood?”
“Yeah. I picked up some make-up too.”
“Cool. So what exactly are we going to be?”
“Bloody people with ripped shirts?”
“Awesome,” I said, as she handed me a plain white tee shirt. “You sure you don’t need these?”
“Yep.”
Valerie left the room and I sat down on the bed. I started making holes in the shirt and then ripping them open with my fingers. A few moments later, Valerie came back and dropped a plastic bag on the bed next to me. Inside, I found a few tubes of fake blood and a pack of zombie make-up. I never knew zombies wore make-up. But who was I to judge?
It took us about half-an-hour to complete our desired looks. We looked equally hideous by the end of it all.
“Nice work,” Valerie said as we stood together in front of her mirror. “We are getting lots of candy tonight.”
I smiled. It had been a while since I’d celebrated my birthday the old fashioned way and I was looking forward to the free candy. For some reason, anything with Valerie seemed fun. “Hey, do you mind if we stop at my mom’s house before we go? I’m sure she’d want to see me.”
Valerie glanced at her watch. She’d been doing that a lot, and it was starting to annoy me. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”
“Hey, is there somewhere else you need to be?” I asked. “We don’t have to do this.”
“Huh? Oh.” She appeared to realize what she’d been doing. “I’m sorry. I just like to keep track of the time. I don’t want to waste half of your day.”
Not quite as bad a liar as Jessica, but she was still pretty bad. “Uh-huh,” I said. Something was up. “Let’s go then.”
Valerie looked relieved. “Okay.”
I let her drive. For some reason she enjoyed driving my crappy car and I wasn’t going to complain.
When we arrived at my mom’s house, I was surprised to see that her car wasn’t in the driveway and the lights were off inside.
“Where the hell?” I asked, slamming the passenger door. I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. The keys were in my dorm room, of course. I rang the bell a few times to no avail.
I turned to Valerie who was waiting by the car. I shrugged and went back. “I guess she’s not home,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment. “She probably went to the store to get something.”
“Do you want to wait here?” Valerie asked.
“No,” I replied, getting back inside the car. “Let’s go.”
We drove in silence for a while. I was staring out of the window, trying to look on the bright side of things. I was grateful that at least I got to spend my birthday with Valerie. It wouldn’t have been a very happy one otherwise.
“Are you okay?” Valerie asked.
I smiled at her. “Yes. I’m happy you’re here.”
“I’m happy I’m here too,” she replied.
I settled back in the seat, watching the scenery pass by. After a while, I knew we’d arrived in Miami. I wasn’t sure where exactly we were going but Valerie seemed to know, so I just let her lead the way.
A short while later, she pulled the car off to the side of the road. I looked at her in confusion. “Are we here?” I asked, glancing around. There didn’t seem to be much going on. In fact, it looked more like the entrance to a parking lot.
“Put this on,” Valerie answered, handing me a black bandana.
“Is my hair bothering you?”
She laughed. “No, I mean, as a blindfold.”
I arched an eyebrow. “I don’t know how they go trick-or-treating where you come from, but we do things a little differently here.”
“Are you going to be difficult?”
“Aren’t I always?” I asked, glancing down at the piece of cloth in my hands. Was she serious about this?
“C’mon, it’s a surprise,” she insisted. “Put it on.”
I was a little hesitant. After all, how well did I really know this woman? “Are you planning on kidnapping me and selling me to Columbian drug lords? Or the mafia?”
“Please. One day with you and they’d send you right back.”
She had a point there. I put on the blindfold. Now I was completely at her mercy. Not that I hadn’t been before.
The car was back in motion, even though I had no idea where we were headed now. A surprise she’d said. Well, it had better be a good one. I didn’t appreciate this blindfolding business.
We drove for another five minutes before I felt the car roll to a stop.
“We’re here,” Valerie announced, killing the ignition.
Perhaps killing was a wrong choice of words. There would be no killing tonight. Of engines or anything else. “Can I take the blindfold off now?”
Valerie laughed. “You sure are impatient. No. Not yet.”
“How about now?”
“Hold on a sec,” Valerie said.
I heard her leave the car, shut the door. Now I was alone. A few seconds later, the passenger door opened and I felt Valerie at my side. She unbuckled my seatbelt and gently helped me out of the car.
Since I couldn’t see a thing, I attempted to figure out my surroundings by using my other senses. But my sense of touch was busy enjoying the feel of Valerie’s hand on my arm. And my sense of smell had just discovered it really liked Valerie’s shampoo. What else did I have available? Hearing. I listened intently. I heard water lapping against something.
“Are you going to make me walk the plank and feed me to the sharks?” I asked.
“Yes,” Valerie answered. “How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess,” I replied.
Valerie finished locking up the car and took my hand. “We’re almost there.”
“I thought you said we were there already.” Oh, no she was lying to me. She really was going to throw me to the sharks. I was too young to die. I hadn’t even bought my first legal alcoholic beverage yet. She had to at least give me a chance to do that. Okay, I didn’t really believe she was going to kill me. But it was the only logical explanation I could come up with in such a spur of the moment situation. What had happened to trick-or-treating?
She started leading me somewhere.
“There’s a ramp,” Valerie announced. “Careful.”
And suddenly we were going up. The water was beneath us. I could hear it clearly now. Finally, we stepped off the ramp. We were inside someplace. Where the hell was she taking me?
“Surprise,” Valerie whispered my ear and removed the bandana from my eyes in one swift motion.
I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the sudden light.
We appeared to be in the entrance to a grand hotel, but that couldn’t be right. I looked all around. Behind me was the ramp we’d walked up on, and below that was the water I’d heard.
There were people with suitcases wandering about the place. Some were wearing uniforms, others were dressed casually in shorts and tee shirts. If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve guessed we were on a . . . cruise ship?
“What do you think?” Valerie asked.
“I’m not sure I understand,” I said, glancing at my girlfriend with what I hoped was a look that illustrated my sheer confusion.
“We’re taking a cruise to the Bahamas,” she said, grinning like a little kid.
“You’re kidding,” I said, now certain this was a dream. I was overjoyed for a moment. It meant that the bunny incident had never happened. I turned back to the surroundings. It all looked so real though. So detailed. Down to the intricate patterns on the black and teal carpet.
“Happy birthday,” she said.
It occurred to me that perhaps this wasn’t a dream. I couldn’t believe it. I threw my arms around Valerie’s neck and hugged her tightly. “I love you. This is wonderful.”
“I love
you too, and I’m glad you like it. Wanna go check out our room?”
Our room. I found I liked the sound of that. A lot.
I allowed her to take my hand since it appeared like she knew the way. It seemed like a dream. But I didn’t think it was. I used my free hand to pinch my arm. “Ouch,” I muttered and started rubbing the sore spot.
“Something wrong?” Valerie asked with concern.
“I was just checking something,” I answered. “Where are we going?”
“Our suite’s on deck 9,” she replied. “I’m looking for the stairs.”
“Ah.”
A moment later we found them. Why couldn’t I have landed myself a better phobia? Like feathers. Unless you were a farmer, you didn’t really have to face feathers on a daily basis. And that’s only if you housed chickens. But what were you doing raising chickens if you had a fear of feathers?
Eventually, we made it to deck 9. Valerie started down the hall in search of the room number. I was wondering how we were going to make it to the Bahamas with no luggage. I was also wondering how Valerie had managed to pay for all of this. Unless there was something else she hadn’t told me, which was likely.
But hey I wasn’t complaining. So far this had been a very welcomed surprise. I’d never been on a cruise before.
“Here it is,” Valerie announced, standing in front of a door. “Ready?”
“Yup.”
Valerie opened the door, and allowed me in first.
My first thought was that we’d gotten the wrong room, ’cause I noticed there were people already in there. But then . . .
“SURPRISE!” a grand chorus of voices yelled.
My jaw dropped as I realized that the people were all of my friends; Jessica, Mathew, Jade. Even my mom was there. Roxanne and Alisha were holding a big sign that read, “Happy Birthday, Alix.”
“Wow,” I breathed, totally overwhelmed. I’d definitely not been expecting this.
Jessica and Mathew stepped forward, grinning like little kids. “You like?” asked Mathew.
So far this had been the best birthday ever. I hugged them both, because I had no words to express how much this meant to me. “Thank you,”
They laughed and hugged me back.
“It was really Valerie’s idea,” Jessica said.
I turned to Valerie and kissed her, forgetting completely that my mom was in the group. Oh well, she’d get over it.
Valerie hugged me tightly. “Glad you like it. But you should really be thanking Jessica. She made all the arrangements.”
I took turns hugging everyone, unable to stop smiling. When I got to my mom, I was suddenly embarrassed. “I went by your house but you weren’t in.”
“Now you know why,” she said, and pulled me in for a hug. “Happy birthday, baby.”
Ò
Eventually, the crowd dispersed to their own rooms and Alix and I were left alone. I was beyond thrilled that we’d managed to pull this off. Alix looked so happy and it made me feel so good to know that I was in part responsible for the huge smile on her face. After all I’d put her through the past few weeks, she deserved to be happy.
Jessica had gone all out and gotten everyone suites. I didn’t want to know how much everything had cost her. Just looking around the room gave me a fairly good idea that it hadn’t been a cheap investment. But I also knew that when it came to Alix, Jessica had no reservations.
There were twin beds that folded together to form a queen. I sat at the edge of one and watched Alix. She was out on the balcony, looking out at the ocean. She’d changed out of her costume and wiped the make-up off her face. I’d talked to Nicole about preparing a suitcase with Alix’s clothes. Somehow we’d pulled that off too without Alix noticing. So far, everything had gone perfectly.
Alix turned around, as if she could feel me watching her. She walked back into the room and sat down next to me. “I’m still in dream mode. This feels totally unreal.”
I smiled. “It’s real. Nothing has ever been more real.” I wasn’t sure I was still talking about the cruise.
She was about to say something, but the knock on the door interrupted.
“Come in!” I yelled.
A young man, dressed in a uniform pertaining to the cruise line’s staff, stood in the doorway. He held a clipboard in his hand. “I trust everything is to your liking.”
“Definitely,” Alix answered.
He nodded and stepped inside. He opened a door I hadn’t noticed was there. It looked like a small storage closet. “Life vests are in here. Please put them on and meet up on the side deck.”
“Is the ship sinking already?” Alix asked.
“Just a safety precaution,” he answered, not particularly amused. He nodded slightly and turned around to knock on someone else’s door.
Alix and I followed directions to the letter. We ran into Jessica and Mathew outside. Soon after, Jade, Roxanne, Alisha and Alix’s mom joined us.
“What is this all about?” Roxanne asked.
“They’re just going to check that everyone on the ship knows where the life vests are and know where to meet,” Jessica said. “It takes forever, because they have to call every single room, but it’s for our own safety. They always do it.”
“Fun,” Jade commented dryly.
Someone from the crew called everyone’s attention and then began to explain what was going on. She basically said everything that Jessica had told us, except with a lot more boring details. I listened anyway. One never knew when an emergency would arise. I’d seen Titanic. And though there wouldn’t be any icebergs between Florida and the Bahamas, it didn’t hurt to be prepared.
“Bring Alix by my room after dinner,” Jessica whispered in my ear. “Presents.”
I nodded my understanding. I’d given my present to Jessica earlier in the day, along with Alix’s suitcase. It wasn’t a very personal gift, but I knew she’d like it. I had something else I wanted to give her, but I wanted us to be alone for that. And I still wasn’t all that sure I had the guts to do it. I let out a shaky breath. Fine time to be a coward.
All the rooms were called and after what seemed like an interminably long time, we were allowed back inside. There was to be a Halloween party after dinner on the Sun Deck and I thought that sounded like fun.
Back in the room, we put away the life vests and regarded each other.
“Hungry?” I asked.
“Of course,” she answered. “What time’s dinner again?”
“In half an hour,” I answered, sitting down.
“I think I’ll jump in the shower then,” she answered.
I almost asked if she wanted company but I was scared to. We hadn’t slept together since before the entire ordeal of her finding out about everything, and I was too afraid of crossing the line. I figured that once she was ready, she’d let me know. “I’ll take one after you,” I said instead.
“I’ll make it quick,” she said with a smile, then disappeared into the bathroom.
When I heard the water start, I dug into my pocket and took out the black velvet box I’d been hiding for days. I’d been saving to buy an art studio someday . . . but some things were more important. I didn’t figure Alix to be the gold type of gal, so I’d opted for a platinum band. The jeweler had explained that platinum was more expensive than gold because it was an extremely rare precious metal. He also informed me that it was harder to mine and that it weighed more than gold. But he also assured me that in the end it was more durable. I’d taken his word for it. I didn’t know the first thing about jewelry.
The diamond was 4 carats, surrounded by small opal stones. Opal was Alix’s birthstone. The jeweler had informed me that it was a “beautiful and mysterious” stone. Beautiful and mysterious indeed. He’d called it the gem with a rainbow inside. This had caused me to laugh. How appropriate, I’d thought.
The water stopped, so I quickly tucked the ring away for later. I made a grab for the TV clicker. Information about the cruise was on. I pretended I w
as very interested in what the Captain had to say when Alix walked out.
“All yours,” she told me. “I think I left you a little hot water.”
I smiled. “Thanks, you’re too kind.” I grabbed a change of clothes from my still packed suitcase and walked into the bathroom. I hoped that a nice shower and some fresh clothes would prepare me for the night ahead.
But I knew I’d need a lot more help than that.
Ò
Dinner was wonderful. Our waiter, Gaston—Daston?—was quite nice. Every time he came by the table, he wished me a happy birthday. He even brought a cake at dessert time so that all of my friends could embarrass me in front of the entire dining room by singing “Happy Birthday.” Some of the staff joined in, just to top off my utter humiliation.
I was enjoying myself, though. When the day had begun, I’d never imagined that it would end like this. I was so touched that they’d all pulled together for the occasion. Even Jessica and Valerie appeared to have bonded, or something to that effect. They at least looked at each other and once in a while, went as far as exchanging a word or two. It was more than I’d hoped for, considering.
Some people from the crew were dressed up in random costumes as they walked around making sure everyone was enjoying themselves. I couldn’t see anyone who didn’t look like they were having a good time. Personally, I was ready to make camp and move into the ship. I could live like this.
After dinner, I felt Valerie take my hand. “Do you want to check out the party later?” she whispered in my ear.
I felt goosebumps pop out all over at the sensation of her breath on my skin. What had she just asked me? Oh . . . right. “Sure,” I replied, though I’d been secretly hoping for some alone time with her. It had been so long . . . Well, a few weeks. But it felt like an eternity.
“Can we make a quick stop?” she asked.
“Of course.”
I thought we were going back to our room, but we passed our door and I saw that she was leading me toward Jessica’s room. I wondered what on earth was going on now.
She knocked lightly on the door.