" We are about to arrive at our destination, Mr. Crane. You and Dr. Russell should buckle up.", the pilot said over the intercom.

Julian and Eve did as they were told.

" Are you going to tell me where we're going?", Eve asked.

" No. It's a surprise. You'll know soon enough."

Eve gave Julian a raised eyebrow, but then gave him a smile. In a few moments, the plane was on the ground, and there was a limo waiting for them at the private airport. As they sat there, waiting for the luggage to be loaded, Eve turned to Julian.

" No hints?"

" No hints."

" Hmm…from the driver's greeting, I can tell that we're in the South. That drawl is unmistakable. My curiosity is peaked."

" Good."

Once their luggage was loaded, the limo began its journey. Julian looked over at Eve.

" Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Eve nodded. " Yes. It's time, Julian. My children need me. And, I need them."

" Good."

The limo finally stopped and the door was opened by a doorman in his best outfit.

" Welcome to The Peabody, M'am."

Eve got out of the car and looked at Julian. " Memphis."

" Yes."

Julian and Eve went into the hotel, where a Manager greeted them. " Mr. Crane, I'm the Day Manager at the Peabody. Welcome to Memphis. Here are the keys to your suites. If there is anything that I can do…."

" I'll let you know."
 

Eve and Julian settled into their rooms. Eve looked out her window, and was in thought when the phone rang.

“ Hello?”

“ Be ready in an hour. I’ll be by to pick you up.”

Eve did as she was told, and there was a knock on the door exactly 60 minutes from the phone call.

Julian smiled as he took in Eve, dressed in a stylish black pantsuit that hugged her in all the right places.

“ You look beautiful.”

” Thank you, Julian. You look handsome yourself.”

” Shall we go?”

Eve and Julian went into the Lobby where they did attract stares- some direct, some discreet. She didn’t know what it was, them being an inter-racial couple, or some who recognized Julian. She knew that it could be both. Eve just chuckled and took Julian’s arm in defiance as they left the hotel.

” I thought we could walk it. Everything is pretty much in walking distance.”

So, they did. They walked through the streets of  Memphis, looking in store windows, and going into shops. Most of all just enjoying one another’s company. Julian had gotten the address of one of the better restaurants in town. Eve gave Julian a raised eyebrow as they walked into what could best be described as a hole in the wall. Once seated, Eve and Julian proceeded to have one of the best ‘Soul Food’ meals that either had experienced. For Eve, the tastes were of the best ones of her childhood. The smells took her back, to the few good times with her friend Simone and her family and the special times they had on holiday occasions.

“ You’re thinking about something from your past.”, Julian said in between bites.

“ Why would you say that?”

“ Ever since I’ve known you, I knew that there were parts of your life that you wouldn’t share. Most of them had to do with snapshots of your past. The same sad look comes in your eyes. “

“ Why did you never push me about it?”

” I didn’t think it was any of my business. You had chosen not to say anything, and I didn’t think that I should push. Everyone has something private they don’t want to discuss. Plus, I was scared.”

” Scared?”, Eve said confused.

“ Scared that if I asked too many questions that you would run away from me, and I couldn’t handle that. “

“ You were afraid ‘I’ would run away? So, you did it first?”

There was a silent air between them. They needed to talk about this.

” Yes, I ran away. I was wrong. I disappointed you and abandoned you.”

“ Yes, Julian, you did. You abandoned me.”

” Like everyone else in your life. I know. But, I’ve learned from my mistakes.”, Julian said quietly.

Eve looked at Julian. When she accused him of abandoning her, she had been angry. She was pissed. She could feel the anger swell up inside as all the old emotions bubbled up to the surface. But, she looked at Julian. Looked at his face. Into his eyes. She could see the regret. She could see the apology. She could see the sincerity, and she realized that they all were beginning anew.

“ I know you have, Julian. That’s the only way that I would be here right now.”

Julian looked at Eve. Eve looked down at the table for awhile, and then finally lifted her head.

“ Julian, I forgive you. For everything that happened between us. I forgive you. What happened in our past was unfortunate, but it happened, and we can’t change it anymore. What we can do is look forward. I wouldn’t be alive if you hadn’t of cared enough to check up on me. That’s a fact. An important one. Right now, is a new beginning for us. No regrets. Regrets are a waste for us. Neither one of us wants to be defined by our weakest moments; it would negate the positive ones. And, there have been plenty of positive ones for us, Julian. So many. I have no anger towards you, and I want for you to erase the guilt towards me. “

” Eve, what I did..”

” Can’t be changed. You  are better now. So am I. We’ve always been about accepting one another, Julian. I accept you for who you are. I think I’m lucky.”

” Lucky?”

” Yes. It isn’t often that you get to see someone’s redemption before your eyes. I’ve seen yours, Julian. The Julian that sits with me now is the embodiment of the Julian that I knew all those years ago. What I saw then, I see now. Older, and better yet – wiser, but the soul of the man I knew all those years ago is there. And, I didn’t see that man for YEARS. So, I’m happy to know you, Julian. “

“ Thank you, Eve.”

After their meal, they took a cruise along the Mississippi River. They enjoyed the boat, and spent the night talking and playing cards. The next day was filled with more of the same touristy stuff, including being there for the daily procession of the ducks in the Peabody’s lobby. They went to other monuments in Memphis, and returned to the hotel to prepare for a ‘wonderful nights ahead’, Julian had told Eve with an air of mystery.

Eve was ready on time, and her eyes lit up when she and Julian arrived at their destination. It was a club. From her days at the Blue Note, she had heard of this club with its rich blues history. Julian smiled at Eve and they went in, where the manager met them. “ Mr. Crane, I’ve got your table ready.” Eve and Julian sat down at a table right at the edge of the stage.

” I asked for the best table of the house.”

” Who’s singing tonight?”

“ Koko Taylor.”

Eve could feel the goosebumps forming on her skin. She loved Koko Taylor. There was something about her singing that touched Eve. Eve looked around the club, and could feel her heart racing faster.

” Julian…I think I should leave. I think I’m not feeling well.”

” Bullshit, Eve. You’re afraid of the music. You’re going to face your fears.”

Eve thought about trying to make a break for the door, but she realized that Julian had hired some ‘help’ – big men strategically placed near the exits. Eve knew she had to stay put, so she gripped the end of the chair and held on.

The manager got up on stage at the microphone. “ Ladies and Gentleman, I know you didn’t come to see me. So, let’s get to the real deal. Miss Koko Taylor. “ The crowd went wild with applause.

Koko Taylor signaled for the band to begin playing, and she began to sing. By the time two hours had ended, Eve’s hands were gripping the chair so hard Julian thought she could pull it apart with her hands. She was close to a breaking point. Julian was getting nervous himself, wondering if this was a good idea. He wanted Eve to forgive herself. He knew she told him that she had forgiven him, but she hadn’t forgiven herself. He could see the self-loathing in the corners of her eyes. In order for her truly to make a recovery, she needed her own breakdown, a catharsis. One of feeling all the pain.

“ This next number is an oldie, first sung by Billie Holiday. I hope you like it.”

GHOST OF YESTERDAY
Irene Wilson / Arthur Herzog Jr.

Ghost of yesterday
Stalking 'round my room
All night long you stay
Walk around profound gloom
When the darkness falls
When I've gone to bed
Weirdly come your calls
Mournfully, scornfully dead

Folly of a love I strangled
Pulsing heart I thought was gone
Gives no peace
Will not cease
Prowling 'round till dawn
Ghost of yesterday
Every night you're here
Whispering away
"Might have been, might have been, oh, my dear"
Foolish heart must pay
Ghost of yesterday
Yesterday
 

Julian looked over to Eve, who was no longer on the chair. She was kneeling on the ground. Julian went over to her to try and help her up, but she motioned for him to leave her alone. Eve was hugging herself, and the sobs were getting louder.

Eve listened to the rest of the set from that position. The fact was, she was feeling. Feeling with no control. The music was pouring into her, pricking her like a needle. All over her body. She felt it…..felt for the first time. It had been building the entire night, and now the damn had burst. By the time Koko Taylor left the stage following her encore, Eve  was staring at the stage. Julian gently picked her up and they walked out of the club, to the limo. They were silent in the limo, up to her hotel room. Julian took Eve’s purse and pulled out her key and opened the door, leading Eve to the couch in the living room of her suite.

Julian left Eve there and went back to his own suite. He undressed and put on his pajamas. He was reading the Wall Street Journal and drinking a brandy, when he heard a knock at his door. He went up and answered the door.

“ Eve?”

Eve didn’t say anything, but just came into the room. She went over to Julian’s couch and he followed.

“ Why are you here?”

Eve answered him with a kiss. Julian was shocked, but that didn’t deter Eve, who deepened the kiss between them. Julian responded, but then pulled away.

“ Eve, what are you doing?”

Eve responded by unbuttoning her top and taking it off, and then slipped out of her skirt, to where she was standing before Julian in her underwear. Julian couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked. The toning from all her daily exercise at the sanitarium, combined with the sun she had gotten during her time on Necker Island made Eve look devastating. Julian was mesmerized by her and felt himself paralyzed with desire. Eve went back over to Julian and kissed him once again, but with such a passion that it took his breath away. Julian couldn’t think. All he could do was feel, his body responding to the visual.

Before he knew it, the two of them were in the bedroom. Eve was kissing Julian, who was already hard for her, as she undressed him. With every touch and kiss, Julian went further away from his rational mind. They were soon in bed, with Eve straddling him and kissing Julian everywhere that she remembered drove him crazy. She loved to tease him, recalling from long ago where Julian was sensitive. Julian took as much as he could, but he was like an alcoholic who had been dry for years, and was drinking again. He couldn’t take it and in one swift move, he moved Eve under him and he was on top, thrusting hard. Eve wrapped her legs around Julian in response, and the only sounds to be heard were their mutual moans. They kept on drawing one another in, deeper and deeper until their bodies could take no more and they climaxed together. Julian withdrew from Eve, but their bodies were close. Being close, Julian didn’t want to let Eve go. He began to slowly explore her body once again, taking pleasure in it, taking his time, and she did her own exploration. They took their time to learn about one another once again as minutes turned to hours in the night.