Predominance (34 page)

“Okay.” She smiled, dabbing at her tears.

“You know what?” I reached into my pocket. “I want you to have this.” I placed my father's lighter in the palm of her hand and curled her fingers around it.

She opened her hand and realized what it was. “Victor! I can't take this.”

“I want you to,” I insisted. “This lighter was always a reminder of my Dad's best and worse qualities, you know? His bravery, his stubbornness, his incorruptibility, his impulsive character, his integrity, and his annoying talent of always making me laugh, even when I was mad at him.” I pushed down a knot in my throat. “But most of all, to me it represents his absolute loyalty. These are qualities I never thought I'd find in another human being, until I met you.” Her eyes dampened again. “Maybe when you look at it, you'll remember mine.”

She threw her arms around me and hugged me again. “Thank you.” Then I felt her lips gliding over the side of my face as she began to pull away...but not before she landed a kiss on my cheek, the corner of her lips barely touching mine.

She then took a step back, still holding my hand. “Take care yourself, okay?” she said, taking yet another step back, and then another, and another, until our hands were just a tug away from letting
go.

“You, too,” I replied wistfully.

Then I turned away, feeling the tips of our fingers slipping apart.

Our Boat of Dreams

LENA'S BLACK SEDAN
idled on the driveway as I walked towards it, fighting the compulsion to look back—something that I knew would only make me feel worse. Her eyes followed my arrival as she waited patiently, arm crossed, leaning back against the driver's door. For the looks of it, she's watched my entire farewell with Sarah, yet she seemed indifferent to the event. Yvette, on the other hand, waited motionless in the backseat of the car, facing the big gray dashboard.

She didn't blink even when I opened the door. My first impression was that she had gotten upset by the whole thing, but her apparent disconnection with reality quickly made me realize it was something else. “For a moment I thought you weren't coming,” she said in a whisper.

“I'm sorry,” I apologized. “I just needed a few minutes to—”

“To say goodbye,” she interjected. “I know… your dad told me.” She added, knitting her brows without losing her blank stare, her voice almost inaudible: “He told me not to worry, that your love dwells in my heart.”

“What?” I asked, befuddled.

Her eyes suddenly came back to life and swung over to meet my stunned face. “What?” she asked, as if completely oblivious of what she'd just said.

“What...what did you just say?” I pressed.

“Nothing.” Her face was relaxed, sincere.

“No, you just said something about my father. You said he told you something.”

Looking annoyed, she said, “No I didn't. Did I?” Her tone was defensive now.

We exchange confused looks for a few seconds, until Lena broke the unnerving silence. “Should we go?” she asked.

My eyes returned to Yvette, whose face radiated nothing but excitement now. “Are you ready?” she asked, biting her lower lip, which to me was enough to put aside the awkward moment and return us to our happy reality: We were cured, free, happy, and nothing was standing in the way of us spending the rest of our lives together.

I let my happiness finally show on my face, as I got in the car and wrapped my arm around the love of my life and responded with the conviction that only the sight of her could elicit in me. “I'm ready!”

Lena dropped us off at the dock and wished us well. We kept waving goodbye as our plane left the port. I've never seen Yvette so happy. She was literally romping around and bouncing on her seat, hugging me and kissing me, like we were off to our honeymoon.

I have to admit that being with her like that not only took my mind off my fear of flying, but actually made me feel safe—as if nothing in the world could ever go wrong as long as we were together. It's said that angels can fly. Well, then, I guess that's why I felt so safe. After all, I was flying with one. That's how I saw her from that day forward: as my angel, my soul-mate, and my sole reason for existence—all these things and more.

Although flying no longer seemed to be an issue for me, thanks to my Yvee, I decided to rent a car as soon as we reached Port Angeles. I thought it was the best way to travel undetected, and it gave me the opportunity to test the fake I.D. Dr. Palmer had given me before we left—an Alaska state driver's license, to be precise. All my other identifying papers had already been shredded and the pieces scattered across six dumpsters in two towns. Yet I knew that even if I were to use this I.D. on a commercial flight, Yvette would still have to present hers, and that would have helped
pinpoint our location if anyone were still trying to track us down. You need only one driver's license to rent a car.

Besides, Yvette seemed to love the idea of a road trip as soon as I mentioned it. She told me she'd always wanted to drive cross-country, but she'd never had the chance to do so—and that a couple of days on the open road with me sounded like a dream come true. So we went ahead and rented this awesome candy-apple red Ford Mustang convertible at her suggestion. Plus, the counter agent told us that traveling in a convertible was the perfect way to enjoy the scenic roads of the Pacific North and Southwest. And so we did!

Our journey began down U.S. Highway101, alongside the remarkable Olympic National Forest, which kind of reminded me of Ketchikan. Maybe the similarities between the rainforests were to blame for the immediate flashback I experienced, or perhaps just the slightest trace of green was now enough to incite memories of my days in the unforgettable Tongass National Rainforest—memories I knew I would be tattooed on my heart for the rest of my days.

Anyway, I had my reasons for taking this particular route. I knew that the One-oh-One stretched along the shoreline; and although I knew it would take us longer to get to our destination, I figured the scenery along the way would make it worth our while. Besides, since I'd never seen the Pacific Ocean live and in person, and neither had Yvette, I figured that this was the perfect opportunity to enjoy it all, from beginning to end—so to speak.

We reached the coastline just in time to watch the sun set. Yvette seemed almost hypnotized by it, watching every single second almost without blinking. And who could blame her? The whole spectacle seemed like something out of a movie. Living on the East Coast, I'd seen many sunrises by the beach, but never a sunset. Never like this. I had to keep reminding myself to keep my eyes on the road, which of course didn't stop me from glancing over every five seconds. It was absolutely amazing to watch that ball of fire being swallowed by the seemingly endless ocean.

But not even the extraordinary shades of yellow, red, and orange that overlapped the distant horizon were enough to keep my eyes from straying towards Yvette. She almost seemed caressed by the sun's dying glow. I could see it glide over her beautiful pale skin while limning every strand of her long, silky black hair as it fluttered perfectly in the wind. I almost felt jealous... But then I laughed at my silliness. Not because I conceded to my idiocy of being jealous of the sun, but because I couldn't blame the celestial body for trying to reach such an enticing creature.

“What?” Yvette asked me, a wide smile revealing her ivory teeth.

“Nothing,” I smiled, feeling my happiness overflowing my heart. “I was just wondering how I could ever top a moment like this.”

Her eyes turned back to the sunset. “It is beautiful, isn't it?”

I chuckled. “I wasn't talking about the sun.” My words made her turn back to me, her eyes flickering with emotion. She leaned over me and kissed me passionately, making us both forget for a split-second that we were traveling at a very high rate of speed.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed, realizing the danger and pulling away. “I'm sorry.” Her apology suppressed an embarrassed smile, as she moved reluctantly away from me. “But you need to drive.” She added, “And I… I need to behave myself.” She finished her sentence with a long, deep sigh.

I just couldn't help laughing at how adorable she looked, huddling embarrassed on the passenger seat, covering her face with both hands. She glanced over me, and noticed that despite her safety advice I had not stopped gazing at her. “Hey!” she complained playfully. “Eyes on the road, Mister!”

I turned my eyes back to the road, my grin relentless. “Yes ma'am.”

My answer made her laugh again.

Soon the eerie shadows of the twilight shrouded the majesty of the forest, while a rising full moon gradually relit the dark sky the sun had left behind. The monotonous hum of the car's engine was the only disruption to what was otherwise a profound silence. I watched Yvette fight to keep her weary eyes open as she admired the moonlit ocean, but the tranquility soon overcame her senses.

I watched her drift away with her head pressed against the rolled-up window. Half-smiling, I reached back and snagged my jacket from the back seat to cover her body from the shoulders down. She curled up even tighter when I tucked her in, snuggling her face against the jacket's fur collar as if searching for my scent.

She looked so peaceful then, so fragile, so vulnerable, and so unbelievably beautiful that the very sight of her elicited a thought that made my heart ache: How could I ever be able to live without her? The answer in my head was quick and clear… I couldn't. “Sleep, baby,” I whispered, running my fingers through her silky hair. “Tomorrow will be a brand new day.” I put the car's top up and kept driving through the night.

***

To my surprise, I never got tired of driving. It was weird; I mean, I knew that if I were to lie down and rest, I most certainly would've been able to get some sleep. Yet the more I concentrated on the task at hand, the more I felt that I didn't need to.

By the time I saw the distant dawn, I'd driven for over ten hours straight, and yet I felt as fresh as a daisy. Part of it was that the normally tedious stress of driving at night had been entirely overcome by my supernatural abilities. I mean, how could I possibly worry when I could sense any approaching vehicle, animal, road debris, and even bugs in a one-mile radius, minutes before any of them came in sight? It was like driving with radar in my head, and I have to admit I liked it.

Yvette woke up just in time to see a beautiful stretch of the Oregon coast. The sun was up and shining, and blue skies extended as far as the eye could see in all directions. The off-shore views were so amazing and breathtaking that Yvette insisted on stopping to get a camera—which we did, of course. She enjoyed taking pictures of the natural rock formations along the coastline. The off-shore islands, the sea caves, the beaches—you name it, she photographed it. She even held the camera at arm's length to fit us both into the frame and snapped a few photos of us together. God, she was happy… And for me, her happiness was all the nourishment my heart could ever need. We were, indeed, living our dream.

We made a few more stops along the way; mostly for sightseeing, food, and entertainment. But I think one of the biggest treats of all was to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It was an extraordinary experience. Yvette leaned back against my shoulder, held the camera at arm's length, and snapped a picture of us as we drove over the bridge. Despite the simplicity of the photo, it perfectly captured the reflection of our happiness together, our happiness at being in love. I came to love that picture more than any other in my life.

After two days on the road, we finally arrived at our destination, Long Beach, and it was time to tell Yvette about the surprise I've prepared for her. Mitch Goodman, the yacht salesman I'd met back in Jersey, was now living in Los Angeles—and he was going to meet us at the Long Beach Shoreline Marina to close the deal on the Bavaria Cruiser-36 I had fallen in love with a couple of years ago. She wasn't a brand new model, but Mitch assured me that she was in perfect condition and that her sole owner had taken very good care of her. After reminding Yvette about our little bucket-list pact, I told her that I'd thought this was the perfect way to start crossing those wishes off the list. Her reaction was exactly what I expected.

“I can't believe it! Is it really happening?” she asked, her voice shaking with emotion. “Is it?”

I found a parking spot at the gorgeous Hyatt Regency—the hotel closest to the Marina—and shut off the engine. Yvette was still waiting for my answer, so I turned to her and cupped the side of her face in the palm of my hand. “It's real. It is happening.” My voice was firm and sincere. “You were right, Yvee… You always were: Our real story is yet to be written. We'll soon forget the nightmare we've been through. I promise!”

Although her eyes dampened with tears, her smile was broad and genuine—and her reply was a passionate kiss that kept us in the car for a long, long time.

We were so eager to move things along that we decided to call Mitch right after we checked into the hotel—which, by the way, was absolutely gorgeous. The Harbor View King, as they called it, was a very large, modern room, filled with everything you could possibly need. The plush down duvets that fitted the king-size bed were so inviting that I couldn't help but jump in and get sucked in by them the moment we walked in. Yvette ran to the four horizontal-pane windows at the end of the room and gushed about how amazing the view was; the room overlooked the harbor and the city skyline. “It's breathtaking!” she said, beckoning me to come and take a look. But given the fact that we were on the fifteenth floor of a seventeen-floor building, I decided to just take her word for it. Flying was one thing...but looking down from a tall inanimate object still gave me the creeps.

“It's all right, Yvee. I believe you,” I chuckled, and picked up the phone to call Mitch.

Luckily for us, he was just finishing up with a boat auction at the Marina. He told me he couldn't wait to close this deal. Of course, what broker wouldn't be happy to close a cash deal and get his commission right away? Anyhow, he gave me the boat's dock and slip information and asked me to meet him in twenty minutes. “Just face the docks from the Pelican Pier Pavilion,” he said. “You can't miss me… Oh! And don't forget to bring your checkbook!” he joked—although I knew he really meant it.

“You got it, Mitch!” I agreed happily. “I'll see you in a few!”

I gave Yvette the good news and asked her to come with me. She couldn't hide her excitement. She gave her hair a quick brush and put on some lipstick, which I honestly thought was a waste of time and make-up. Her relentlessly straight hair would never stray from falling into anything but the perfect place, no matter how strenuous the surrounding elements were. And her lips… well, I guess I just thought it was unmerciful to make them look any more alluring than they already were.