Predominance (35 page)

We headed down to the lobby as soon as she said the word. Once there, we asked the front desk agent where we could find this Pelican Pier Pavilion. “Rainbow Harbor,” said the tall blonde behind the desk, showing us the direction to take right outside the door. “Just follow the signs for Shoreline Village,” she added politely. “It's just a short stroll from the hotel.”

“Thank you,” Yvette said before I could even open my mouth to do so myself. She grabbed my hand and, before I knew it, she was leading the way toward the shore.

When we got there, we thought we'd accidentally taken a wrong turn into a harbor-front carnival. There were games, rides, restaurants, shops, arcades—you name it. The colors were so bright and ubiquitous they were almost overwhelming, and everywhere you turned there was something fun and exciting to do. It was like a great big party, thrown unintentionally just for us. As we walked along the promenade, Yvette looked at me and smiled. She was probably thinking the same thing.

Yvette and I held hands and walked happily through the crowd until we got to the Pelican Pier Pavilion. From there we began to scan the docks, looking for Mitch, whom we soon saw waving eagerly from the foredeck of a beautiful white Bavaria Cruiser-36. The boat was securely anchored at one of the slips of the P Dock.

“Is that him?” Yvette asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “And that, my love, is our boat of dreams.”

We both laughed and ran toward the boat, impatient to meet our new friend Mitch, who proceeded to give us the grand tour of our soon-to-be love nest.

The interior was solid oak, with chestnut floors and a faux leather-covered paneled ceiling. She was nicer than I could have possibly imagined; no picture or catalogue could ever have done this beauty the justice she deserved. Yvette was in awe. She kept giving me this cheerful smile as she slid her fingertips over the smooth surfaces of the bright, shiny wood. I remember how her eyes kept gazing around avidly as she walked through every compartment of our new boat. She was in heaven, and so was I.

“You cook?” she asked, grinning, as she saw the interest I directed towards the three-burner stove and oven that I found in the galley.

“I'm Italian-American, baby!” I said proudly.

She laughed and hugged me from behind. “I won't fight you there,” she said, pulling my face towards her bee-stung lips, landing a soft kiss on my cheek.

“Ahem!” Mitch said as he suddenly walked in. “So, should we get down to business?”

Yvette and I exchanged a glance and responded simultaneously, “Absolutely!”

***

Our motivated broker led us back onto the main deck and opened his leather briefcase on a small pedestal table, whereupon he proceeded to lay out a number of papers for me to sign. I asked him for a pen and signed them all with little more than a cursory glance at each page. Everything was in order; my enhanced senses now apparently included photographic memory and comprehension. When I’d completed the last flourish, I pulled out my checkbook and cut the check for the asking price, which was less than expected—yet more than I've ever spent on anything in my life. But what the hell. You only live once.

After jamming all the paperwork back into his briefcase except for my copies, he took a set of keys attached to a red floating keychain from a special pocket in his jacket and held it up in his hand. “Before I give you the keys, I should tell you about a minor hiccup,” he said. “The sale won't be final until we have the seller's signature on the contract. But don't you worry! He'll be here tomorrow afternoon to sign the paperwork. He only insisted on meeting the lucky couple buying his baby, that's all. He said he's got sentimental reasons…” he added. “But he did say to give you the keys and to tell you to make yourself at home. He'll meet you at the Hyatt tomorrow at 3PM, all right?”

My face was less than happy.

“I guess it's all right.” Yvette said. “I don't mind staying an extra day in Long Beach—do you, baby?”

“Uh…” I hesitated for a second. “No,” I finally answered, knowing that we didn't have much of a choice. “I guess not.”

“Can we use the boat?” Yvette asked guardedly.

“Of course!” Mitch answered quickly. “You can sleep here tonight if you want! Go ahead and check out of the Hotel. That'll save you some money. And tomorrow you'll be off to…” Mitch waited for me to finish the last part of his sentence.

“An undisclosed location,” I answered with a wry smile.

“Of course,” he added, catching my drift. He gave me the keys and shook both our hands. “Very well, then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow to get that signature. Other than that… Congratulations!” He smile warmly and left the boat, turning back once to wave before he stepped onto the dock.

Yvette waited for Mitch to disappear around the corner before she started jumping up and down. She wrapped her arms around my neck and began to kiss me, like she had back on the highway. “Should I go check out?” I tried to ask between her kisses.

“Unh-unh!” she refused, and began to pull me though the companionway and into the cabins below.

“Should I go get our stuff?” I kept chuckling between her kisses; my insistence obviously a playful front. 

“Unh-unh!” she refused again, this time bumping her head on the overhead hatch. “Ow!” She laughed, embarrassed, rubbing her head.

I did my best not to laugh, but I'm sure she could see it in my eyes. “Maybe I should go get you some bandages?” My smile broadened.

“Shut up!” she laughed, running her fingers through my hair.

Her playful smile suddenly disappeared, replaced by a penetrating stare that disarmed me completely. I'll never forget how she leaned forward and pressed her trembling lips against mine, or how her body began to quiver in my arms then. The light in her eyes not only reminded me of that little girl who had once vowed to love me no matter what, but of the woman who'd fallen in love with me unconditionally. The woman I had fallen in love with, with all my heart—the woman who was now telling me, “We've made it! We're together. And we've made it!” The woman who was telling me, “I love you. I love you. I love you…” The woman I loved, the woman I had loved since childhood, the woman I would love for the rest of my life. Maybe even after.

We held each other and let our love take over completely. No more restraints, boundaries, or limitations. Our love needed not know of such things; they were things our love couldn't understand anyway, much less abide by. God, I loved her! Forgive me, I pleaded to God, Forgive me for loving her so much.

Needless to say our powers kicked in, allowing us to read and feel each other in an otherworldly way. But not even this ethereal feeling was a fair match for the feeling of our love, which had proven to be more powerful than any mere supernatural force. An exchange was made that night, one that allowed us to become one in body and in soul. Her heart for mine, and mine for hers. An exchange only possible for soul-mates like us.

I thanked the all-merciful God for allowing us to experience that lifetime of love in one night. I still do.

***

A loud thud woke me from a dreamless sleep in the darkest depths of the night. At first I thought it was just the beginning of a nightmare that my brain had averted just in time; but then I realized the noise had not only awakened me, it had prompted my senses into full alert. Confused and disoriented, I tried to get up—but something derailed me. Yvette lay on my bare chest, her long tresses of shiny black hair covering most of her face. Gently, I tucked some of the errant strands behind her ear so I could see her angelic features again. A not-so-faint smile touched the corners of her lips. I could only assume a blissful dream was now in progress, soothing her battered mind.

The last thing I wanted to do was disturb such serenity, but something was compelling me to get up and check on that noise. I just couldn't stop my senses from going haywire, as if they were trying to alert me of some sort of danger in the midst. Though my senses were reaching toward whatever had alerted me, I couldn't quite grasp what was wrong. It was almost as if something were blocking me.

As I finally decided to unbundle from Yvette's tight embrace, I heard a similar thump strike the side of the bed. The sound was not the same, however, and neither was the reaction of my senses towards it; but it made me scan the floor nonetheless. When the thump happened again, I was able to pinpoint its exact location. I chuckled in disbelief at my silliness; I had forgotten we were no longer on stable ground. The subtle sway of the ocean was rocking the boat back and forth, and a loose Coke bottle had been wondering around the floor, knocking against everything on its path.

I smiled silently as I aimed my hand towards the empty glass bottle, stopping it right before it hit another compartment wall. It levitated at my command, moving across the cabin and finally landing right into the trashcan next to the bed. You have to pull yourself together, Victor, I told myself, letting out a deep sigh of relief, somewhat upset. I couldn't understand how a simple noise could have caused me to become unglued like that. A soft moan from Yvette made me turn back to her. I pressed her head back against my chest, and decided to forget about the incident and go back to sleep.

The cry of the greedy seagulls fighting over their morning meal woke me up again. Sunshine filtered through the portholes, creating beautiful shafts of light that pierced the stateroom. Apparently, the relentless rocking of the boat had worked better than any sleeping pill. We had slept like babies all through the night—with the exception of my silly confrontation with an empty soda bottle, of course.

One of the greatest moments of my life occurred when Yvette finally awoke in my arms. And although the sun had already illuminated the inside of the boat, it was Yvette's dazzling smile that really brightened my day. “Morning,” she said artlessly, a twinkle in her eyes.

“Morning,” I answered, trying to tame the stupid grin on my face. “Did you sleep well?”

“Wonderfully.” She twirled, stretching on the bed, her face alight with a huge smile. “I had the most wonderful dream,” she added, sticking her toes out of the covers, “and you were in it!”

I smiled. “Well, I got news for you, Ms. Montgomery… It was no dream.”

She laughed, embarrassed, throwing the covers over her head. “I'm not talking about that!”

“No?” I prompted.

“No!” she said, laughing, peeking out from under the covers. She threw a quick glance at me and then turned on her stomach, crossing her ankles in the air. “I'm talking about afterwards.”

“Really?” I purposely tried to sound jealous. “Well, that's not fair! How come you get to dream and I don't?”

Her face turned serious, profound almost. “Maybe it's better if you don't,” she said. “You always have nightmares.”

My grin died as my brows knitted in confusion. “What makes you say that?”

“I don't know.” Her eyes suddenly seemed lost in space, just as they had in Lena's car. “I don't even know why I said that. It just came out,” she added, with her eyes alive again. “But is it true?”

“Yeah…” I confirmed suspiciously.

“How did I know that?” Her face was thoughtful for a long moment. “…Anyway!” She shook her head, returning to her last, happy thought. “You want me to tell you my dream?”

“Sure,” I said, still shaken by her unexpected comment.

“Do you remember that recurring dream I've told you about?” she asked, and I nodded. “Well, I had it again,” she began with a spellbound look on her face. “But this time was different… My Mother was no longer alone in the audience; your father was seated next to her. And I could see other people, too, faces I recognized even though I've never seen them before. And then, as the music was about to end, the main doors flew open and I saw you enter the theatre. But your face was changed. Your eyes were no longer… soft. But I didn't care. I just kept dancing, even more motivated than before because now I knew I was dancing for you. Then you threw an invisible lasso around my waist and pulled me towards you. I flew above the audience and into your arms, and then we kissed and hugged just like we did last night.”

“That's quite a dream you had,” I said, enthralled by her words. “I can't believe you still remember what my father looked like.”

“Yeah…” she whispered, holding that blank stare again, “But he looks happier now.”

“What do you mean?”

She shook her head again, suddenly looking dumbfounded. “I don't know.”

Before I could respond, an urgent knocking at the main hatch ended our conversation. I jumped out of bed, slipped into my clothes, and hurried to see who it was. As I opened the hatch, I found Mitch standing on the deck. He seemed nervous; even his rehearsed salesman smile couldn't make
up for the sweaty forehead he kept dabbing at with his handkerchief. It wasn't that hot out. “Are you all right?” I asked, concerned.

“Yeah!” he said emphatically. “I'm great! I'm just here to let you know the owner's arrived, um… well, a little earlier that anticipated. And he wants to finish the transaction as soon as possible.” His voice became edgier with every word. “He says he'll meet you in the hotel lobby in twenty minutes to sign the rest of the paperwork, and he also reminded me that the radio on the bridge needs to be replaced. So I just called a technician, who's coming around the same time. It shouldn't take that long, but it'll be better if someone stays in the boat during the switch.” His eyes flew to Yvette, who was now standing next to me, grinning.