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“You know, you don’t have to really pretend to be my husband. That was mostly for the couple’s massage.”
“I know.”
She blushed.
The staff brought us eggs Benedict with big bowls of fresh fruit. And as Addison slurped down a spoonful of passionfruit, I found myself imagining what her sweet mouth mixed with the tart fruit tasted like. Every part of her was delicious, satisfying, tempting. As I gazed at her across the table, I knew she was nothing like my ex-wife, Amelia. No, Addison had an air of purity about her innocence. Even as tempting as she was, there was an air of sweetness to her. Even though she would momentarily be consumed with deep sadness sporadically throughout the day, I could tell her normal state was more bubbly and light.
“I’m going to miss you when you leave, you know.” She said absentmindedly, gazing out at the ocean.
“You’ll be alright.”
“I hope so.” She scrunched up her face. “So, is this where we’re hanging out all day?”
“There.” I pointed to a cluster of rocks a bit farther out.
“There?”
I motioned for her to follow me, and we went back downstairs, where an assortment of snorkeling gear had been set up for us.
She smiled ear to ear and threw her arms around my neck. “We’re going snorkeling.” She said gleefully.
“Mhmmm.” I responded, feeling a tinge of sadness sprinkle through me, making me wonder if I should have stayed a few more days.
We spent the afternoon bobbing around in the water, dunking each other, and searching for exotic fish. When the food we gave to the fish caused much larger fish to swarm, Addison decided she had had enough, and she quickly climbed up the ladder and plopped sopping wet on the deck with a look of wide-eyed terror on her face.
I pulled myself up the ladder and collapsed next to her. The warm sun quickly dried us as we gazed up at the blue sky, with wisps of soft clouds going by.
“Tell me more about your life.” I prodded her.
“Let’s see.” She thought for a moment. “Really, the biggest thing right now is my business. It’s always been my dream to open a floral shop.”
“Is it the flowers specifically that you like, or owning your own business that you like?”
“Mostly the flowers. I just love it. They're not really a necessity, but they are so beautiful, and they make everything around them more beautiful.” She rolled over to her side and propped herself up on her elbow as the boat bobbed on the water. “Flowers are integral to life. You don’t really think about it, but they highlight so many occasions. Weddings for example.” She had a note of irritation in her voice. “But even things like deaths, or graduations, or ‘just because’ flowers, or ‘I love you flowers’. They serve so many purposes, and it’s an art form really, putting together a properly balanced bouquet.”
“I never considered that.” I mused.
“Yeah, you don’t really think about it until you have to make one yourself, and you realize there’s a little flower formula. It’s actually a lot more complicated than the average person realizes.”
She zoned out for a moment. “My parents gave me everything they had, to get it started and I just feel this immense pressure to not let them down. I can’t let everything they sacrificed go to waste, you know?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know a thing or two about trying not to let the people you love down.”
She scrunched up her face, shielding her eyes from the sun to look at me. “I’m really sorry about your friend, by the way.”
I nodded.
“Where did you serve?” Her tone was hesitant.
“Afghanistan.”
“Oh.” She rolled back over and stared at the sky. I could tell she was trying to be careful and not push me on the subject. I could tell she was turning over the question in her mind. Finally, she rolled back over and faced me. “What happened?” And in the same breath, she asked, “Is it okay that I’m asking?”
I took a deep breath. “Sure. The rule of the week is that we’re never seeing each other again, so we can tell all our darkest secrets, right?” I said with an air of sarcasm, trying to deflect the weight of this conversation.
“Yeah, right.” She looked at me intently, with a serious look on her face.
I rolled back over and looked at the sky while I recounted it. “We were delivering supplies to a nearby village.” I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “It was routine until it wasn’t. David was in the truck ahead of mine, and on the way back, we got stuck in a valley under enemy fire. So, we took an alternate route out, and when we were almost out, that's when it happened. His truck flipped, and when the dust cleared, half of it was just completely gone. I tried to get over to the truck… but, it was– I couldn’t– it was too late.”
