Kiss On The Bridge (7 page)

“Where did you find it?” she managed to
whisper.

“I’d been trying to familiarize myself
sailing Charlotte. We were ten nautical miles from the entrance to
Port Phillip Bay when I spied the bottle in the sea. Do you know
anything about it? The note has been signed by a person going by
the name of Anneli. At a guess I’m thinking there aren’t too many
other ladies who have the exact same name as you.”

“I wrote on the paper I wanted a handsome
prince to sweep me off my feet to rescue me. I sealed the note
inside the bottle and threw it overboard from my father’s yacht
twelve months ago.”

“Can we have a good friendly talk?” asked
Wade.

Anneli sat pulling Wade down to a sitting
position. Their feet were inches away from the surface of the
water.

Wade reached out to wipe the tears from her
face. “I’m definitely no prince. I’d love a chance to live up to
your expectations. To be the hero you’re longing for.”

“I’d love to give you the chance.”

Wade placed his arm around Anneli’s
waist.

She leaned in. Slowly her heart started to
warm towards Wade. She’d give him his chance to be her hero. She
didn’t have anything to lose by waiting. Wrapping her arms around
him she closed her eyes to the warm feeling surging through her
veins.

The couple sat in the dark cuddling, looking
out across the ocean. The breeze started to strengthen causing the
waves to increase in size. The temperature quickly dropped at least
three degrees. The sliver of moonlight shining across the calm sea
vanished.

“I know of a great place,” hinted Wade.
“Please say you want to see it.”

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“It’s actually two in the morning. The place
I’m thinking of has a great view at sunrise. If we leave now we’ll
be in time to see the first rays.”

“It sounds like a wonderful way to see in
Christmas day.”

Dragging Anneli to a standing position, Wade
led the way back to his yacht.

“Charlotte looks more appealing every time I
see her,” confessed Anneli, stopping momentarily to absorb the
yacht’s appearance. “She still smells new.”

“I told you there’s something unique about
this boat. It seems to draw you in. I need you stand right where
you are, I’ll be one minute.”

Wade opened a hatch cover in the deck near
the stern of the boat. He clasped a strap around each of his wrists
so he could heave a motorbike onto the deck. A minute later he
wheeled the craft off the yacht. He winked at Anneli before
scurrying back into Charlotte. In seconds he came back carrying a
small blue plastic container. Wade dived back down the stairs. When
he returned he brought a fifteen foot long green canvas bag. He
jumped onto the wharf, placing it next to the bike.

“Do you want to tell me what’s in the
bag?”

“Five aluminum poles,” confessed Wade. “I’d
like to keep what they’re used for a secret till later.”

Scrunching her nose, Anneli decided to hide
the fact she felt a little awkward over not hearing the answer to
her query.

Wade quickly tried to smooth things over by
changing the subject. “I think I should motor Charlotte out to
deeper water. I’m not sure if the old timer is correct or not. At
any rate, I think there’s heavy rain on the way. If I leave her
tied up she might be damaged. What do you say to a two minute
cruise before we start our short trip?”

“I love the idea,” shrieked Anneli.

She helped untie the ropes tethering
Charlotte to the pylons and scrambled onboard. Wade turned the
ignition key. Under their feet they felt a vibration. Wade revved
the engine and turned the wheel, easing Charlotte away from the
wharf.

Two hundred feet from the shore line Wade cut
the engine, dropping the anchor overboard. He stood looking at
Anneli, showering his memory in her radiant beauty. She seemed to
have enjoyed the freedom of being the only other person around. She
broke into a smile at the same time the sea breeze teased the tips
of her hair. She looked picture perfect. It was as though the
artist fussed over the exact colours to capture every minuscule
detail.

Anneli looked his way which heightened the
electricity flowing through his body.

Wade walked over. “You are indeed a beautiful
woman,” he declared. “Your eyes outshine the brightest
diamond.”

Anneli’s cheeks flushed red at the
compliment. She’d never heard someone say anything so nice before.
She decided to shelve the words in her mind. If she wanted to she
could recall the words whenever she felt the need.

Wade took one last tour of the lower deck
before walking back up the stairs. For the first time since he
bought the yacht, he forgot to glance at the barometer. If he did,
alarm bells would’ve rung in his mind to alert him of the danger
forming further out at sea.

The two motored back to shore in the small
dingy. Wade tied the tiny craft to the wharf. In less than a minute
he brought the motorbike to life.

While Anneli wrapped her arms tight around
Wade’s waist, he navigated the bike towards the only mountain which
overlooked Darwin. Almost the entire length of the long poles
strapped to the side of the motor bike trailed behind them.

The two riders failed to see the storm clouds
ahead of cyclone Tracy blinking out the stars a few dozen at a
time.

Eight hours remained before she hit land.

Wade expertly followed the double line in the
middle of the road as he navigated the thirteen dry bends to the
top of the mountain. He parked next to a miner’s hut in the middle
of the plateau. The area of flat ground looked no larger than an
average house block. He unstrapped the long rigid canvas bag from
the side of the motorbike, placed it on the ground and helped
Anneli off the bike. Immediately she turned in slow circles,
admiring the view.

“Darwin looks splendored from this height,”
she said. “The view of the street lights takes your breath
away.”

“Six hundred feet above Darwin certainly has
a grand view. Where you’re standing is almost the perfect place to
watch the sun rise.”

“Almost,” echoed Anneli, sounding
puzzled.

“There’s a plateau the size of a car on the
small rise directly behind you. To me it’s the perfect view. The
grass is a mirror image of the seventeenth green at the Flinders
private golf club. Before you see the view, please allow me to give
you a free guided tour of the hut.”

Wade didn’t wait for a reply. He walked over,
opening the door.

Anneli stepped to the threshold, looking
inside.

“You can go in, I won’t bite.”

“I know you won’t. I’m concerned whoever owns
this place will find us inside. He might even call the police.”

Wade chuckled mischievously. “I promise I
won’t prosecute.”

“You?” questioned Anneli turning her head to
look at him.

“Not many people know I own this mansion. The
land around here belongs to me too. Once you step inside the hut,
I’ll be able to prove it.”

Wade sidestepped to the corner of the hut. He
stooped under a ‘lean-to’ made of tin, hovered over a small
generator and flicked the start button. The machine coughed a few
times before sinking into a noisy rhythm. In the center of the hut
a single light globe slowly brightened.

Wade coaxed Anneli to enter. He walked her to
the adjacent wall where she stood gob-smacked. Hanging off the wall
she saw a photo of Wade standing in front of Charlotte. She turned
to face Wade who held for hand firmly. She stared at him through
protruding eyes.

“So it is true, what you said about owning
this hut?” she whispered.

Wade puffed out his chest, his lazy luring
smile enveloping his face. “Yes. I want everyone to believe I’m a
humble man so I don’t spread it around I actually bought this
place.”

Anneli giggled. “I’m sorry to announce you
resemble a proud man in the photo.”

“It happened to be a happy occasion. I took
possession of Charlotte and this place on the same day. The local
constable volunteered to take the photo.”

The guided tour of the single room miner’s
hut lasted no more than five minutes. In one corner Anneli saw a
small brick fire place. Cobwebs hung from every corner, nook and
cranny of the hut. In their hay day the exposed wooden beams could
have been a talking piece. Anneli felt saddened at seeing deep
fissures in the dry surface. In the center of the hut the two main
posts were almost vertical. Both held up the cross beams which
supported the rusting sheets of corrugated iron which covered the
roof cavity. The metal sheets were taken off several times over the
decades so the rafters could be renewed and the original tin put
back. Compacted dirt made up the floor. A horizontal crack ran
through the middle of the only window. Dirt smothered the surface
making the glass semi transparent.

Wade saw Anneli’s expression of jubilation
slowly vanish. “A little elbow grease and lots of money will see
the hut fit to live in. I believe it could be a great place to get
away from everything.”

Anneli gave a nervous laugh.

“Come on, time marches fast. It stops for
nothing. If you want to see the first rays of the sunrise we’ll
have to climb onto the plateau,” coaxed Wade. Taking hold of
Anneli’s hand they walked towards the door.

Wade swiped a cast iron plate the size of a
concrete stepping stone from a closed draw under the only bench. He
walked over to the motorbike and took out the small plastic
container from a bag which he tied to the side of the bike back at
the wharf. He led Anneli around to the back of the miner’s hut and
helped her climb the twenty seven steps to wonderland.

Wade helped Anneli to hurdle a low rock wall
before walking about gathering twigs. He quickly constructed a
pyramid style fire between four bricks and struck a match.

The fire started easily. He placed the cast
iron plate on top of the four bricks; two at each end of the plate.
Using cooking oil from a small bottle he stowed in the plastic
container, four pieces of chicken were soon sizzling. Wade poured a
small amount of marinate over the chicken. The aroma wafting into
the air made them feel hungry.

“All we need is the champagne,” taunted
Anneli.

Her short giggles were contagious. Wade was
still chuckling when he pulled a small bottle from his pocket.
Two-shot glasses were in the other pocket.

“You’ve thought of everything,” quizzed
Anneli, settling onto the green grass.

“I hope so. The only thing missing is a
perfect sunrise,” whispered Wade squatting.

“We don’t have to wait long. The horizon has
started to lighten.”

Wade stood staring at the sky. The red
billowing clouds looked to be on fire. The birds chirping
frantically in the nearby trees suddenly took flight, vanishing
over the other side of the mountain.

“What’s the worried look for?”

“Have you ever heard of the old saying; red
sky in the morning sailor’s warning?”

“No I never have,” confessed Anneli.

Wade again studied the clouds. “The red sky
can’t be any angrier. The fact the birds have flown away means
there’s a storm building.”

“Any idea how many hours will fly by before
the storm hits?”

“If I were to make a guess, I’d say three or
four hours.” Wade gave a half hearted shrug of a shoulder before
sitting. Using a magical swipe of his hand two paper napkins and
two forks appeared. Acting all professional he served up the
chicken.

“This is my best Christmas day ever,”
announced Anneli.

“Merry Christmas,” said Wade. He lifted his
small glass full to the brim of champagne to eye level. Anneli
mirrored his move, letting a giggle seep between her lips when the
glasses clinked together.

“Merry Christmas,” replied Anneli.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Three hours and twenty five minutes before
cyclone Tracy hits landfall.

OVER THE next ninety minutes Anneli and Wade
grew accustomed to each other, cementing the fact they were meant
to be together. They laughed, talked and stared at the sky to view
the approaching storm. Their conversation changed to serious when
their love for each other not only mushroomed, it grew rapidly.
They explored each other’s histories in detail. They easily
eradicated any potential problem. Discovering Anneli just graduated
from her law studies took Wade completely by surprise.

Lying on her stomach, Anneli arched her back.
Leaning on her elbows she quoted. “I don’t care if it rains or a
storm hits, right now is perfect. I can’t believe anything could
bring a halt to the magnificent start of Christmas.”

“It sure has been a wonderful morning,”
declared Wade, running his fingers through Anneli’s long hair. “Are
you up for another surprise?”

“What, there is more?”

Using her wrists, Wade pulled Anneli to her
feet. He slipped his fingers through hers, walking back of the
miner’s hut. After swiping a length of nylon rope from off the
ground near the door they followed a track for a few minutes.
Veering off onto a narrow sandy trail they came to the base of a
radio tower on the other side of the hill.

The structure mirrored a high voltage
electrical tower. Its large square base at ground level tapered to
a point some seventy feet in the air. Large transmitter dishes
dotted the outside of the structure near the top.

“Are you up for a climb?” asked Wade.

Adrenaline started flowing through Anneli’s
veins. “Yes,” she answered confidently. In secret she could feel
her knees trembling at the thought of climbing the tower in a mini
skirt.

Wade unwound the rope, tying one end around
Anneli’s waist, the other around his black leather belt. “Only in
case,” he insisted, starting to lead the ascent.