“Where are the wings?” she asked.
I told her to turn off her cell phone and that I’d explain why later. She complied. “I thought we could go to the Tumby Bay hotel,” I smiled.
She was surprised, “that’s a long way from here, Mr….”
“Call me Jo-el.”
“Jo-el”, she pronounced the -el emphatically with a broad Australian accent.
“Follow me,” I gave her my hand, she didn’t take it, but she followed me along the foyer and around a corner into a vacant corridor. I stopped. “I need to hold your hand.”
She hesitated, then reached out with her right hand. “Don’t be frightened, shut your eyes.” She did what I asked.
We bounced to the Tumby Bay Hotel, across the road, behind a wall. I told her to open her eyes. She let out a silent burst and pulled immediately away from me. She raised her arms defensively and searched around, the two-story hotel was to her right, she recognized the red roof. Her mouth opened and remained that way. She looked at me then back at the hotel.
I watched as she fought off a myriad of urges to object. Then she said calmly, “did you make reservations?”
My heart melted, it was fantastic, I grinned from ear to ear. Then I heard Sally in my ear. “Oh God, another one.”
“Of course.” I said and led Adrianna by the hand across the road.
We were seated at a table for two in the back, as I had requested, a little away from the busy main area. Our walk past the tables solicited many glances, we were a little overdressed for Tumby Bay, but no one seemed to recognize either Adrianna or myself, I assumed the inference was hard to assimilate.
I ordered mineral water when the waiter arrived.
“Mustn’t drink and fly,” commented Adrianna, quietly.
“You weren’t fazed?”
She held her glass in mid-air. “You want to really know?” she said. I raised my eyebrows. “My stomach is doing bloody loops from here to the outback, I’m struggling to hold it together.”
“You’re doing great,” I said. “Most people would have fainted.”
“I’m close, believe me.”
And then the usual questions. How? Who are you?
“Well you know my name.”
“Look, mate, I know that’s not real.”
I loved her Australian idiom.
We both ordered seafood salad, generous portions and wonderfully prepared.
I explained that I was human and had been given technology way ahead of what was currently available on earth. I told her about my ability to bounce anywhere in the world. I told her I’d met with various agencies in the US and they distrusted me. That was the real reason for the commotion at CNN in New York. I described what happened to Cathy Vogel and her boss, Stewart Nolan. Then I revealed that it was me behind all the information that led to the arrests of criminals and terrorists in America and England and that I’d now given similar information to all the remaining authorities in Europe.
“Why not Australia?” she was offended. I said Australia was on my list.
She told me about the call from Vogel, that her station was an affiliate of CNN. She grew more and more excited during my narration. She realized that the person sitting across the table would make her famous.
I asked her if she believed me.
“I’m in Tumby bloody Bay, aren’t I? Not sure I have a better explanation how I got here.”
“Adrianna, I can’t tell you everything. It’s too much to absorb right now. But I plan to tell the world everything, eventually. I want to do a live interview.”
“When?”
“As soon as you can be ready.”
“Then I need to get back. I assume you’re not going to leave me here?” I smiled kindly. “Good. I love this place but it’s not Sydney.”
“How about we take a detour on the way back?” I asked.
She hesitated for a moment, “what have you got in mind?”
“Joey, what’re you up to?” Sally.
“Come on.” I led her outside and away from prying eyes then bounced her to the top of Ayres Rock. It was spectacular in the daylight, the views into the outback went on forever. Adrianna said she’d never been there but as a kid she always wanted to. I could see people milling around the base, so I bounced her to an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, palm trees and clear blue sea surrounded us on all sides.
“Hold my hand,” I said. She took it without hesitation. I took off into the air, gently. Adrianna looked down, fear swept across her face, she gripped me tighter. We flew with our arms outstretched, like birds, above the small island, swooping up and down, the warm wind caressing our bodies. There was a small beach on the east side with a curve of rocks on one edge that created a natural pool without waves. You could see right to the bottom, maybe twenty-five feet. Brightly colored coral shone in the sunlight, small multi colored fish picked food from the rocks. We landed on the beach, the sand was a soft yellow, the water at the edge lapped peacefully along the shore.
Adrianna looked at me and said, “let’s swim.” Before I could object that we didn’t have swimwear she was removing her dress.
“Oh please, the little tart.”
“Let me be, Sally.”
Adrianna was naked, I was mesmerized. Her body was perfectly formed, tanned and firm without an ounce of fat. She clambered gently into the pool, then turned around and beckoned for me to join her. I stripped instantly, which brought a shriek of laughter from Adrianna, and joined her in the warm water.
“I might have guessed you could do that,” she wrapped her arms around my neck. I was hard, I pulled her closer, she didn’t resist.
“She a relative, Jo-el, you’re going to do your cousin.”
“Shut-up, Sally.”
We made love in the water, then again on the beach, in the little waves washing along the edge. The sun caressed our skin, the sand was cool against our naked bodies. Then we lay still on the beach, listening to the ripples washing the sand and staring up at the clear, blue sky.
“I could get used to this, Jo-el,” Adrianna said.
“Me too.”
“It’s a fairytale. I shut my eyes and I marvel at what’s happened in the last few hours. It’s doesn’t make sense and no one would believe me. I must have died and this is heaven.” She turned to look at me, her face a question.
“No, Adrianna, you didn’t die.”
“Oh good.” I felt Adrianna’s hand reach out to hold mine in the sand.
“I could fix that, you incestuous slut.”
“Give it a break, Sally.”
“Tell me about your name, Adrianna.”
She twisted her head to see me, “simple, my dad is Irish and my mum Polish. Both second generation Aussie, my grandfather left Ireland for a better life, my grandmother escaped the Nazis.
“She’s your cousin, Jo-el, I checked. Sixth cousin, once removed, only a couple of years older than Maggie.”
I ignored Sally, hoping she’d give up.
“Can we stay here forever?” said Adrianna.
“Gets my vote.”
She rolled over on top of me and kissed me hard on the mouth. “Want to go again?”
I stared into her bright green eyes, her long blond hair, tangled and wet, hung in my face. “I might need to remove some sand first, you know….” I laughed. She stood up and dragged at my arm and pulled me into the sea. We washed away the sand then fell back onto the beach, Adrianna on top and made love once more.
“How long have we been gone, Jo-el?”
I had no idea, “Sally, what’s the time?”
“I’ll tell you, but I’m not telling her,” was the reply.
“Jesus, Sally, are you jealous?”