Tessa turned toward the voice. It was deep and rich and more heavily accented than Jason’s. It came from a very tall, tanned, blue-eyed blonde, an in-the-flesh man far more gorgeous than the one in Carmen’s photograph. Were they one and the same? Tessa prayed they were.
Luckily for Tessa, sometimes prayers are answered.
“Have you eaten?” Ben said as he led Tessa to his parked car.
“Yes, a couple hours ago.”
“Alright. How about this: I take you to my favorite sight in Sydney and after, we have some lunch. Sound good?”
Tessa stared into Ben’s bright blue eyes and thought anything with him would probably be good. “Sure.”
The ride was a short fifteen minutes. Ben parked at the harbor, took her hand and tugged at her playfully. “C’mon. Let’s go visit Granddad!”
Tessa’s mouth dropped open, which Ben hadn’t seen because he was excitedly leading Tessa forward. ‘Granddad’ turned out to be the Sydney Opera House, and Tessa was more than a little relieved.
“Ben, this place is breathtaking! The design is…I’m speechless.” Like millions of people, Tessa had seen photographs of the famed Sydney landmark and when she’d first arrived in Sydney, she’d walked the harbor area and seen the famed landmark from a distance. But the up-close and in-person experience was wholly different. With the sun glinting off the sail-like roof, the place felt absolutely magical.
“Quite something, isn’t it?”
“Oh yeah. But why did you call it Granddad?”
“Let’s get tickets for a tour and then I’ll introduce you.”
Ben practically trotted up to the little building that sold tickets and Tessa wondered if Ben’s grandfather was a ticket seller. But the seller turned out to be a middle-aged woman. “Over here,” he said, holding their tour tickets in one hand and tugging Tessa with the other. They climbed the stairs of the Opera House and Ben led Tessa to a corner near the main entrance. “Tessa, meet Granddad…or at least a small part of him.” Ben pointed to the stonework. “Granddad was one of twelve hundred men who built this amazing place. He used to take my dad here, point to this section of the building, and say ‘that’s me.’ I was little when he passed, so I don’t remember him too well. But dad used to bring me and my brothers here on Granddad’s birthday, pretty much every year. He’d take us to this spot and we’d all wish Granddad a happy birthday.”
“What day is your Granddad’s birthday?” Tessa asked.
“March 14.”
“If I’m ever in Sydney on March 14, I’ll stop by and wish him a happy birthday.”
Ben pulled his eyes from the stonework and focused them on Tessa’s. “That’s sweet.” He brushed a soft, swift kiss on the tip of her nose and said, “Let’s go catch the tour.”
While the outside structure was the standout feature, the Opera House interior was no slouch. Everyone on the tour wore headphones so the guide could speak quietly and still be heard loud and clear. They saw some of the performing areas, heard about the history of the amazing landmark, and even got a peek behind the scenes. Tessa got a kick out of seeing the space where giant doors opened to admit shipments, and limos carrying performing stars.
After the tour, Tessa picked up an Opera House tee shirt for herself and a postcard to send to the office. She’d probably be home before the postcard got there, but that was alright with her.