Page 59 of Beneath The Surface

With a grunt, he got out of bed with me and started our day with a mimosa and a shower. Walking to the little village to meet Chandra, we watched some little kids playing in a yard; the sun was bright, and the birds were singing. I felt good about today; I thought we’d find the one we’d been searching for, at least I’d been searching for all my life.

Looking at two homes before I thought I might be wrong, I tried not to give up hope. The houses we looked at were secluded but huge; I didn’t want all the bells and whistles, just a simple little cottage. The third one was only 100 yards from the water; the view was spectacular, and no other homes were in sight. The house itself was a tiny one-room with a bath, made of stone. Granted, it needed some work, I thought as I walked through it. I noted everything the house would need and memorized them to write down later.

The best part came when the realtor told us the price. It was priced in the lower three hundred thousand. She added that an offer of a high two hundred would most likely get us the house. Excited, we put in an offer of two-eighty and wished Chandra a good day.

As we walked hand in hand, I talked nonstop about the possibilities. “I think we could widen the outdoor area, making it as if some of the outdoors were inside. We would have to replace all the appliances and update the kitchen and bath. I’m fine with no A/C; the house gets a wonderful breeze off the ocean. I think we could also splurge for a pool with an outdoor kitchen. A boat dock, maybe–we’d have to investigate the town rules about that. I didn’t see any on the shoreline.”

Parker stepped in while I took a breath, saying, “A boat dock wouldn’t be needed, hon. We’d just drive the small boat right up to the beach and tie it up.”

I thought about that for a moment and took the dock right off my list.

Olivia

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” Dr. Seuss

Within two weeks of listing the yacht, it sold. The offer we put in on the house in the Bahamas was accepted, and we were in the home working with contractors that promised to be completed by the end of that week. I walked along the shoreline, taking a break from all the banging as I hummed to the music playing on my phone. According to the Apple Watch, I had walked approximately three miles before I turned to head back. It was the last day the contractors would be there, doing touch-ups.

A month had passed, and I was in love with our new place. It had a reflection infinity pool with a small waterfall and an outdoor kitchen, and the inside was decorated modestly with an updated kitchen and bath. We spared no expense and even had the outside of the home, made of stone, power blasted to bring back the natural beauty from the years of wind, sand, and weather damage.

I stood and watched as my handsome husband shook the hand of the last contractor and then walked up to the house. With arms around each other, we toured the property from the outside, in. The wild shrubbery had been manicured. The house was surrounded by only sand, and the pavers that created a large sitting area housed an outdoor kitchen and a pool. The sides of the home had bright pink, and yellow wildflowers growing. The front was a welcoming front porch with a swing on one side and two chairs on the other.

The inside was a single room with a modern kitchen and living area with a TV and fireplace. Behind a large partition was the king bed next to the bath. All in all, it was perfect; there was a large sliding door leading to the backyard and windows everywhere else. Having little wall space turned out to be perfect; there was no need for decorating the walls. I had accented the open space with a few plants and colorful rugs.

While I lay on a floating chair in the reflection pool that afternoon, I wore my thong bikini and watched Parker grill.

“Hey baby, do you want to sit on the beach and watch the sunset?” I asked.

“Sure, that would be great. The salmon is almost ready, and so is the rice. Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.” I laughed. I’d been ravenous lately, not being able to stop eating and always hungry.

“It’s ready.”

I waded out of the pool and wrapped my coverup around my tanned body. We sat at the two-seater table and ate.

“Good job, honey; this is cooked to perfection.”

Parker smiled as he took a bite. “There is nothing like fresh fish with vegetables grown on the island.”

We had found a local farmers market we frequented just about every other day. The fresh fruits and vegetables were perfect for snacks or any meal.

After cleaning up, we went for a swim together in the ocean. We carried a couple of blankets to sit on and watch the sunset. I took off my bikini as Parks removed his trunks. Naked,holding hands, we entered the warm water and swam out to a little sandbar, looking at the reefs along the way.

Once there, we held each other. Parker kissed the keloid scar that ran down the length of my face, only missing my eye. He ran his thumb down the scar as he looked deep into my eyes. He kissed me then with love, passion, and lust. Our tongues danced with each other as they explored. Parker’s hand moved up my body; he kissed my neck as I laid my head back and closed my eyes.

Moving to each nipple and flicking them with his tongue, he moaned as he felt me grow hot and moist to the touch of his hand. He lifted me into his arms, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. We rode each wave, splashing us, taking us to our breaking point, and slowly taking us back, never losing the rhythm of the waves crashing around us.

Satisfied and in love, we made our way back to the blankets. Sitting on one, Parker wrapped the other one around our naked bodies. “This is what I meant by a hut on the ocean: The privacy that allows us to be one with nature, swim naked, and make love in the light of day,” I said as I inhaled the air around us.

Parker held his arm around my shoulders as the sun started to set. I rested my head on his shoulder, then readjusted myself to sit between his legs, my back to his chest with his arms around me. Warm in the blanket as the breeze picked up, Parker had his arms around me, holding my arms under his.

I looked over my shoulder and into his beautiful eyes. “We’re pregnant.”

When his breath caught, I moved his hands to my not-yet-budding stomach; he rubbed it gently as we both cried with joy.

Suddenly, noticing something out of the corner of our eyes, we both turned our attention to the water. As we watched, we could not believe what we were seeing: A Hammerhead shark, close to the shoreline, raised his tail, swished it back and forth as if saying,I’m sorry,and swam off. We knew in our hearts that it was the shark that had attacked me, and he’d come to apologize.

Parker squeezed me tight with one arm around my midsection while his other hand traced the scar on my side. He gently kissed my neck and whispered, “This is our blessing in disguise. Our love cannot be broken; we’re once again whole.”

We couldn’t explain it. Sometimes we simply had to believe in something bigger, something higher than ourselves in this universe. What were the odds of something like that happening at the same moment we were celebrating my pregnancy?

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