She hummed to herself as she stood at the porch door overlooking the pool.. It felt so good to get away from the cold bleakness of the Minnesota Winter. The salty smell of the evening breeze wafting in from the Gulf filled her nostrils as the cries of Seagulls feeding at the tide line assailed her ears. She still couldn't believe they were here. Answering that silly little trivia question the Disc Jockey had asked had won the two of them a weekend on Sanibel Island, a tourist resort on the S.E. coast of Florida.
Dried from countless hours of exposure to the heated, re-circulated air from both home and office, her skin seemed to come back to life as it soaked in the moisture from the semi-humid air. Her senses were almost overwhelmed at the variety of delicious aromas which emanated from the abundant flowers which seemed to be in bloom everywhere around her. With an audible sigh she turned and walked back into the room.
Her husband lay upon the bed. It had been an exhausting day and the toll it had taken was readily apparent upon his features. She knew she too should be feeling tired but for some reason she was full of energy. Without knowing why she felt an urgent need to go out and walk along the beach.
"C'mon, honey. Let's go for a walk," she said as she reached out and shook his foot.
"Aww, Baby, I don't really feel up to it......" He groaned.
Opening his eyes he saw the look of disappointment that crossed her features.
"You can go if you like, Linda. I'm gonna just lay here and try to recuperate some," he said with a small grin.
"OK, I will," she replied after only a moment's hesitation.
She knew him well enough to know that if she forced the issue he would accompany her, but only reluctantly, and she did not feel like having her mood lessened any by his lack of enthusiasm.
By the time she had donned a light sweater to ward away the chill of the evening air he had fallen asleep. His gentle snores echoed in the small room.
Softly, she closed the screen door behind her as she let herself out into the moonlit night. She stopped as she reached the tide line. She turned to her left and began walking down the beach toward several of the other hotels that sat at the water's edge. Abruptly she stopped and turned to walk in the other direction. This way led to the private residences that lined the shore. Not as well lit, she none-the-less took off in that direction. She knew not what drew her this way but for some reason she felt compelled to follow this course.
With a start she realized she was feeling giddy; like a school-girl exploring something new and wondrous that also might be forbidden to her if the truth were known. After about a mile she came upon a wooden bench that was set in the sand and stopped to rest and splash her bare feet in the little tidal pool that had collected in front of the ancient piece of furniture. Feeling totally at peace, she gazed out over the water which glistened under the clear night sky. The gentle waves that folded then broke softly was the only sound other than the soft strains of classical music that faintly reached her ears from the house which sat behind her a couple hundred feet from the shore. Tranquility pervaded her soul while somewhere deep inside of her she felt as if she were waiting for something. It was a most peculiar feeling and one that made no sense to her, yet it was almost as if she were waiting for the curtain to open and the play to begin. Deciding to ignore the feeling for now, she shrugged her shoulders and leaned back on the bench and closed her eyes.
* * * * *
The day had been a smashing success. After a week of proposals, counter-proposals and negotiating, they had finally reached an agreement and he had the signed contract to prove it. The document that sat quietly on the coffee table represented one of the biggest accounts he had ever landed and to make it even better, the time-share he was standing in was his for the next three months. It had been most fortuitous that his Uncle had fallen ill and couldn't make it down here for the Winter as he usually did. All in all, the events had come together as if planned. The contract would take about three months and having this place to live while working here on the West Coast only made it that much better.
After dropping Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto #2" and Ravel's "Bolero" into the CD player, he walked back over to the table and picked up the small basket which he had sat there upon his entrance. Reverently, he removed the bottle from its cushiony nest. The label on the bottle read, "Chateau La'Fitte Rothschild - 1989". A gift from the President of the University as a reward for his patience and perseverance during the preceding week, it was a measure of the esteem the August gentleman held for him and Mike was most appreciative of the gesture as well as the gift. He savored the moment before moving to carefully extract the cork from the bottle. A fine wine best taken at room temperature, he allowed the bottle to sit and breathe while he went to procure a wine glass from the wet bar that resided on one wall of the living room.
Returning to the table he held the bottle under his nose and inhaled the fragrance which had collected over the opening. He then poured a small amount in the glass and gently swirled it around, noting the smoothness of the film it left on the glass and the lack of any sediment present in the liquid. Bringing the glass to his lips he took a sip and allowed the fluid to coat the inside of his mouth. He smiled as he swallowed then poured a half glass of the wondrous beverage. Carrying the glass in his hand, he sauntered out the back porch to stare at the reflection of the moon over the calm sea of the Gulf of Mexico.
As he looked out across the expanse of beach between where he stood and the water he noticed a figure seated on the old park bench he had placed out there a couple of years ago.
"This is much too fine a wine to hoard. Would be much better to have someone to share it with," he mused aloud as he sat the glass down on the table by the door.
Never one to hesitate, he strode out into the darkness and approached the seated figure quietly. He stopped right behind the bench and spoke.
"I have just opened a bottle of fine Chateau. Would you care to share it with me?" He inquired of the silent form on the bench. With a little squeal, Linda bolted off the bench and quickly turned to regard the person who had rudely startled her out of her reverie.
"Wha....Who are you?" She asked with a tremor in her voice.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just saw you sitting out here on the beach and thought I might invite you to partake of some fine wine with me," Mike responded innocently.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think............." Linda said as she regarded the man before her.
Moving so she could see him better in the moonlight, Mike smiled warmly.
"I know I am being forward and presumptuous, but I simply hate to drink alone. I understand if you refuse but I assure you my intentions are nothing more than sharing a little wine and conversation on this lovely night."
Linda started to walk away and make her way back to the resort hotel but as she turned her back upon the stranger she paused.........Something about that smile............
Spinning about on her heel, she once again regarded the man who hadn't moved and was still wearing a disarming grin.
Peering into the half-light she thought something was strangely familiar about him. Cautiously she edged closer to him.
"Do I know you?" She inquired nervously.
"I don't know," he replied as he moved closer to her.
He too felt there was something disturbingly familiar about the woman who stood before him. As her hair was blown away from her face he froze.
"Linda??" He asked hesitantly.
For a moment she didn't reply. He knew her name and she felt she should know him but just couldn't place the face. This made her even more nervous but curiosity prompted her to stay and at least find out who he was.
"Sir, you have me at a disadvantage," she finally blurted.
"DV8," he said with a chuckle. "You know - CU-SeeMe?"
