CHAPTER ONE
BLISS
It’s funny how music evokes dormant feelings. The lyrics to some wistfully sad song drifted through the large casement styled windows, past the wooden dock on which I lay. The warm wind caught the verses, whisking them away over the turquoise ocean waves. I’d never given much thought to the words, but today, they brought back memories of those awful months leading to this point in my life. So much had changed – it seemed almost a lifetime ago. I guess that comes with the territory.
Since The Blessing finally took hold, I felt as if I had aged and the knowledge that comes from aging had stayed. Thayde noticed the change right away. He made the comment that I had grown more relaxed and in control. Life was better because of it, but anything’s better than the hell I went through after Thayde and I had that fight in New York.
Flipping through the heavy pages of my leather bound diary, I read what I’d just written:
Dear Diary,
I brought you with me to record everything that happened on our honeymoon. I intended to write in you every day so I wouldn’t miss a thing, but I haven’t kept my word.
Today is the eighth day into our wonderful trip and I’m sitting on the edge of the deck of our own private hut just off the gorgeous island of Moorea. Below me, the crystal clear waves of the Pacific Ocean ripple just out of reach of my toes. If I phased right now, my fins would drag in the water. To the left, the dolphins are swimming in their enclosure. They became so enthusiastic when Thayde and I visited them that the trainer thought we’d done something to overly excite them. Like what? Hidden slabs of fish in our swimsuits? Humans wouldn’t know who I was, but the dolphins did.
Beautiful, exotic Moorea is heaven on earth. The moment our plane touched down we both fell in love with the place. The first thing we did after checking into the Moorea Beachcomber Park Royal was head straight to the beach. The sand here is unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It’s pure white and fine like baby powder between my toes. The clear water is as warm as a bath and the breeze is heavy with the fragrance of jasmine and gardenia flowers.
There are two islands just off the coast and we plan to visit them this afternoon. The local dive shop owner told us we could swim in-between them and be protected by the surrounding reef. Not that we’d need protecting – the last thing a shark wants to do is take a bite from me.
Since we’ve been in Moorea, I haven’t wanted to leave and Thayde agrees. After our swim today, we’re heading to a Tahitian feast in the village down the road. Traditional dancing, a pork roast, fire dancers – these are just some of the delights that await. Every day is something new and exciting and I’m experiencing all of it with the love of my life. Things couldn’t be more perfect than they are right now…
I closed the diary over my pen, setting it aside. Room service had just brought a huge plate of fresh fruit and set it beside me. The rainbow of food displayed in the seashell tray was enough to make anyone convert to vegetarianism; tangerine colored mango, fresh coconut, blood red papaya, funny looking passion fruit, neon limes, lychees – my mouth watered with the selection.
Picking up a thick piece of mango, I lay back on the deck and, closing my eyes, took a bite. The heavy juice ran down my throat, overwhelming my senses. Happy, I kicked my feet back and forth. This was heaven, pure heaven. I could live like this all the time.
Do you know how beautiful you look? Thayde’s voice interrupted my relaxed thoughts.
Where are you? I sat up, scanning the decks around ours until finally looking between my feet. Thayde’s gorgeous face looked up at me through the water a few feet below the surface, his dark blue tail vivid and obvious through the crystal clear water.
What are you doing? I glanced around to see if any humans were in the area. You know you can get caught here! Room service, literally, just left!
I’m living dangerously, he chuckled, bubbles of air pouring from his mouth and popping on the surface. Come here, baby.
Silly! I shook my head. There are people staying in the huts around us, remember?
Come here, he repeated, stretching his hand upward. The gesture reminded me of that lovely dream I had just before we met two years ago.
Taking one last peek to make sure the coast was clear; I pulled off my sun-colored silk tunic, and slipped into the warm water. His strong arms were around me in seconds and his mouth met mine. Thayde’s sweet breath made my skin shiver into goose bumps. Wrapping my arms around his neck and head, I pulled myself flat against his hard body.
After a few moments of pure joy, Thayde freed himself from my embrace and took my hand in his.
“You ready?”