Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter 51
 

Eve steps off the helicopter. She is close to Julian and watches their luggage being unloaded. An uniformed gentleman approaches them.

" Mr. Crane. Welcome to Necker Island. The staff and I hope you and Dr. Russell enjoy your stay here."

" I’m sure we will."

Eve and Julian follow the gentleman up to what seemed to be the largest compound. The gentleman turned to Julian and asked,

" Would you like the main house, or the guest house?"

Julian thought about it, and replied, " I will be staying in the main house. Dr. Russell will have the guest house."

" Very well."

They led Julian to his room, and then Eve was led out of the main house, to a smaller house.

" This is your quarters, Dr. Russell. Two bedrooms, dining room, living room. Anything you need, you call on the phone and we’ll be here in 2 minutes. Would you like for us to unpack your belongings?"

" No thank you. I can do it."

The gentleman bowed and left. Eve looked around her bedroom. It was larger than the entire upstairs of her house. She wandered through the house. It was very inviting. She felt relaxed. Eve got back to her bedroom and unpacked. She unpacked the suitcase that Julian had prepared for her. It was nothing but swimsuits, and other outfits that went along with this kind of weather. Eve decided on a deep yellow one-piece that accented the new body that daily workouts had helped shape. She had only lost 10 pounds in the months at the sanitarium, but the muscles she had built looked very good on her. Not too harsh…she had a more toned physique. She put in the suit, and a colorful sarong around her waist and went exploring back to the main house.  She found a servant and asked her if she had seen Julian, and she pointed Eve in the right direction.

Eve walked out onto a deck and found Julian, in a white polo shirt and khaki pants, lying in a hammock, sipping a martini. Eve laughed, and Julian noticed her for the first time.

" God, you don’t know how good it is to hear you laugh."

" It feels good." The waiter comes up to Eve, and she points at a colored concoction, which is delivered with an umbrella in the glass. Eve sits in a chair that the waiter pulls up besides the hammock.

" You know…there’s room for two in here.", Julian teases.

" Not yet, Julian. Thank you for bringing me here."

" It is fabulous. You haven’t even had the grand tour."

" Not now. I just want to sit here, and look at the ocean."

" Agreed."

They sipped their drinks in silence, and enjoyed  watching the sun set. After that, they sat in one of the dining rooms and had dinner. Eve didn’t know how famished she was until the food hit her mouth, and then it seemed she couldn’t stop eating. Julian stopped to look at her, and they both laughed.

" I’m sorry, Julian. I shouldn’t be such a pig, but, I haven’t had food this good in ages. I don’t know what you paid for that place, but the nourishment absolutely sucked."

" Well, glad to see you enjoying it.", Julian says laughing.

While they ate dinner, they lingered over dessert, taking only small bites, and drinking coffee.

Julian wanted to wait for her to open up to him ,but it seemed like he would have to ask the hard questions.

" Eve…why now? What happened?"

" What happened? I guess Chad happened. "

" Chad?" Julian looked hurt. Eve stretched out her hand and covered Julian’s with hers.

" Julian, please know that I appreciate all that you did for me. The way that you came to see me everyday. I don’t know what would have happened to me without your constant contact. But, it was Chad who reached me. He told me something disturbing about Simone."

" Your daughter?" Eve nodded. " What?"

" He said that she had gotten involved with the wrong kind of boy."

" Eve…..he probably is a little rough around the edges. You know girls that age like bad boys."

Eve shook her head. " Julian, if this wasn’t serious, Chad wouldn’t have spoken to me about it. He wouldn’t have wanted me to worry. But, Chad thought that I SHOULD be worrying about Simone. That it was my responsibility as her mother TO worry about her."

" He had no right to impose on you…"

" Julian, Simone is my DAUGHTER. She is NOT an imposition, and Chad was right. I’m the adult. She’s the CHILD. I AM supposed to look out for her."

" She has a father."

" Doesn’t matter. He’s not her mother. I AM. Chad grew up like I did, Julian. He knows a predator when he sees one."

Julian looks at Eve. He knew bits and pieces about her life before him, and what he knew made him furious and broke his heart.

" Eve…are you strong enough.."

" To go back? I will be, once this vacation is over. I have to think about my life, Julian. So much as changed. I’ll go back to little or nothing."

" Not nothing. You haven’t lost your medical career, and it’s obvious to me that our son at least wants something to do with YOU.", Julian said, getting up and going to the door, looking out at the wondrous site of the moon on the deep blue ocean.

Eve followed and put her hand on Julian’s shoulder. " Julian, I believe our son wants a relationship with both of us."

Julian turned to look at Eve. " How can you say that? He hasn’t spoken two words to me that didn’t involve you. It was the only reason he spoke to me at all."

" But, he DID come to you. And, he has kept the lines of communication open between you two."

" He hates me."

" Then, he hates me too."

" No, Eve. It’s not possible. He can’t hate you. You had nothing to do with what happened."

" Well, that’s not how he sees it, Julian. The last time we had seriously spoken, before he told me about Simone, was when he told me that I was nothing better than a handkerchief-wearing House Negress in the vein of Sally Hemings. "

Julian winced at the image Eve was painted.

" He said that?"

" Absolutely. So, you see, Julian, our son doesn’t have a high opinion of either one of us."

" But, it’s not your fault. NONE of this is your fault."

" Julian, it’s not yours either."

" I abandoned you when you needed me the most."

" Sure. But, I don’t believe for one second that you would have ever put me in the position that Alistair did. I can’t believe it and want our son to know you."

" I would have never hurt you like that, Eve. You have to know." Julian had a sense of urgency in his voice. A sense of desperation.

" I know  it, Julian. You could never hurt me that bad."

" Eve, I did so many things wrong. You have to know that what I did to you has haunted me for years."

" You know Julian, I really did need to hear you say that. For many years I was bitter about what transpired between us after I found out that I was pregnant. I wished you ill. But, I have to move on. We have our son back. He’s alive, and by some miracle, he’s a marvelous young man. I can’t believe how terrific Chad is."

" He is wonderful, isn’t he? Sometimes Eve, I look at him, and I get lost. I see so much of you in him. His innate goodness and strength. That strength he certainly didn’t get from me. I don’t think he got anything from me."

" He got your eyes, Julian. Your eyes and determination. You sell yourself short, Julian. When you want something? Really want it, nothing gets in your way. You allowed Alistair to undermine your confidence, because you really were something special."

Julian couldn’t believe such positive words coming to him from Eve. He could almost feel himself blushing. Eve chuckled.

" It’s been a long day, Julian. I need some rest. Why don’t you walk me back to the guesthouse. I believe I’m going to have a fantastic night’s rest. "

Julian put out his arm, and Eve took it. It was the most natural thing in the world.

" Julian?"

" Yes, Eve."

" Exactly how much does paradise cost?"

" Twenty-three thousand per day."

Eve stood there, staring at Julian, who only laughed.

" Come along, Dr. Russell. You’re worth every penny."

" Thank you, Julian."