“I don’t think we both would fit. Besides, you looked too peaceful.” She sipped the warm auburn liquid and allowed its robust aroma to revive her senses. Tony said they would be landing on Oahu in Honolulu in an hour. It would only be about three in the morning, but they would deplane, find some breakfast and walk around before continuing their flight. “Continuing, we aren’t staying in Hawaii?” She sounded disappointed.
“No, Hawaii is just a fuel stop, but we will need to revisit sometime for you to sightsee. It is a lovely place.” His eyes taunted. “But not as lovely as where we are going.”
“And we are going where?” Claire asked, intrigued. Tony’s eyes sparkled, the black almost completely overtaken with the soft chocolate hue. His grin mischievous, he didn’t answer. “And how much longer until we get there?”
“Mrs. Rawlings, you are very inquisitive. What if I told you that we wouldn’t reach our destination until tomorrow?”
Claire thought about that. Twenty-four more hours of flying? She realized he wasn’t talking about twenty-four hours. “Well, Mr. Rawlings, I would say it sounds like we are crossing the International Date Line.” She smiled smugly.
He looked at her with admiration, and addressed Eric, who was refilling their coffee cups. “My wife is not only beautiful, she is also incredibly intelligent.” He kissed her head as he stood. “I believe I will freshen up before we begin our descent.” With that, he disappeared behind the wall at the back of the cabin. Claire noticed his laptop open on the table. The screen was, of course, locked. A quick Google search of land west of the International Date Line would’ve been beneficial. She would just need to rely on her memory. But then she wondered if they were staying in the northern hemisphere or heading south? Sighing, she sipped her delicious coffee. She would have to wait, she didn’t have a choice.
Before they left the plane Tony told Claire to get her purse from her overnight bag. Jokingly she asked if she needed it to pay for breakfast. No. She needed her passport. “When did I get a passport?” He reminded her they’d discussed it months ago and Brent had filed the necessary paperwork. Apparently, this all happened while she was recovering from her accident. She couldn’t remember any of it, yet there it was, her picture, her signature, and her name Claire Nichols. Tony promised they would apply for a new one with her real name, Rawlings, as soon as they returned, and a new ID. He smiled. Her new credit cards had already been requested.
Hawaii was anticlimactic. She smelled the humid sea air as they descended the steps to the solid ground. The gentle tropical breeze enticed her skin. But they didn’t see anything other than the inside of the Honolulu International Airport as they searched for and found a restaurant that served breakfast.
After eating they needed to pass the TSA desk. Eric handled the inspection of the plane and bags, Tony and Claire needed to show their passports. When they were with the TSA agent she asked their destination. Claire didn’t know. Tony answered, “Fiji. Nadi, Fiji.” Claire remembered that Fiji was a group of islands, she wasn’t sure how many, in the South Pacific. As they walked back to the plane she squeezed his hand and smiled. He wasn’t pleased his surprise was spoiled, but she knew where they were going and it made her happy. They had six more hours of flight.
They landed in Nadi, Fiji at ten thirty in the morning Monday, December 20, after flying over eighteen hours. As their plane approached Nadi, Claire watched out the window, mesmerized by the turquoise water and sparkling white beaches. If Tony were upset about the TSA agent, witnessing Claire’s anticipation returned his own excitement.
Once they landed Eric loaded their luggage onto a small plane with a propeller and pontoons. He wished them an enjoyable honeymoon and promised he would be waiting when they returned. Apparently, their final destination could only be accessed by air.
Tony and Claire then took a forty-five-minute flight to a private island. Their altitude was low, allowing them to enjoy the sights: dolphins swimming, gorgeous secluded white sand beaches, palm trees, and tropical rain forest vegetation. Outside the open windows of the plane was a true paradise, an oasis away from the rest of the world. Claire had never seen anything like it, and told Tony over and over how amazing it all looked. Her childlike delight amused him. They landed on a crystal-clear aquamarine lagoon lined with a horseshoe of pristine white sand.
Waiting on the beach was their personal staff: two chefs, maid, hostess, and boat captain. Claire had become accustomed to being waited upon, but these individuals lived to please Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings. The staff gathered their luggage as they walked a winding path to their bure, a Fijian word for straw hut. The humid tropical breeze blew Claire’s hair as her sandals sank into the white sand. Holding her husband’s hand, they approached their temporary dwelling.
It was the most luxurious straw hut Claire had ever seen. Situated on a cliff above the water, they had stunning views of the ocean. First they entered a gracious living room with a cathedral thatched ceiling, woven bamboo covered walls, and polished mahogany floors. Each room of their bure contained ceiling fans as well as the possibility of air conditioning. Claire couldn’t fathom why anyone would possibly want air conditioning. There were huge bi-folding doors that opened the entire frontage to private decks overlooking the water or tropical vegetation. Each deck contained lounge furniture for relaxation. The front deck even had a private infinity pool. As they stood in the living room and looked, it appeared to extend into the lagoon and beyond into the ocean below. The staff took their luggage to the large master bedroom with a four-poster king-sized bed. Looking around, Claire found a luxuriously designed bathroom that opened to a private outdoor lava rock shower and generous soaking tub designed for two. Thankfully, surrounding the outdoor shower and tub was a lush private tropical garden.
After the tour of their temporary home, their hostess, Naiade, asked if they were ready to dine. Claire was famished. Tony informed Naiade they would be pleased to dine on the deck.
The only thing missing from their bure was technology, which was just fine with Claire. She was accustomed to the lack of connectivity. Tony, however, was relieved once he learned he had access to the Internet with his laptop. He explained that he needed to stay in contact with Tim, Brent, and others from his businesses. He reminded Claire that she only needed to stay in contact with him. Grinning, he promised to help.
She pressed herself against his body and kissed his neck. “I think I can handle it.”
Tony whispered in her ear, “Be careful, Mrs. Rawlings, we may miss our meal.”
Claire smiled. “I believe we have plenty of time for that. Right now, I am hungry!”
Apparently, they could make suggestions to their chefs at any time. Tony and Claire decided that for the next ten days seafood would be the entrée of choice. They both enjoyed trying native dishes. Naiade told them about some activity options. They had unlimited access to a boat with a private captain and could enjoy a ride to watch marine life, island hop, or snorkel. A living barrier reef was nearby. They could also kayak or hike into the jungle.
The dining deck had an amazing view of the ocean, with a wonderful sea breeze. The chefs prepared yellow fin tuna, fresh fruit, organic vegetables, and freshly baked bread. It all smelled and tasted scrumptious.
It was early afternoon locally when they finished their meal and Claire was exhausted. She’d just traveled over eighteen hours, lost an entire day crossing an imaginary line, and gotten married. It was enough to tire anyone. Tony recommended they relax in the outdoor soaking tub which opened to the endless blue sky. Over the next ten days they would discover it was even more enticing under the stars and moon. Tony may have suggested the tub as a place to relax but Claire anticipated he had other plans. The tepid tub water, gentle sea breeze, sound of the waves lapping the beach, and romantic atmosphere combined to help increase Claire’s energy level. Tony understood that they’d been traveling a long time, but to him it wasn’t tiring, it was confining. He wanted to release some of that penned up energy. Appreciating the amorous setting, Claire knew she would’ve been disappointed with anything less.