Slips Of The Tongue
Aziel gives me a strange look as we all sail to the yacht.
I'm snugging against him, enjoying his warmth as the cold wind beats our faces. He probably senses the storm raging inside me. I'm on war, either Michelle or Kaylah will know who Aziel belongs to.
The men get on the yacht first when we arrive, and Aziel helps me out. Immediately I hear a scream and before I realize it, I am in the arms of two women. “Loraine! We were so worried. Thank God you're all right," sobs a black-haired one, who continues to hold me close. The other grabs me from behind and rests her head against my shoulder. Surprised, I look at Aziel, begging for help. “Ahem, ladies, ladies, get a grip on yourself”, Aziel corrects them and turns to me. "Loraine, this is Kaylah and this one behind you is Michelle." He glares at the women.
Andre jumps in to save the situation.
“They have heard how you went out to sea in the night to save Aziel, Loraine. We are all so grateful to you,” he explains. But the doubt has already been sown in me, these women have clearly known me for much longer. “Do you know me? I have the impression that you are my friends who are thrilled with my return”, I inform anyway. The two stare nervously at each other. “It's just what Andre says, Loraine. We are simply grateful, these last days have been a nightmare for us,” explains Kaylah. Michelle continues to stare at me, her face red, eyes wide.
“Shall we eat something? The cook is on board and has prepared all of Aziel's favorite dishes. I couldn't stop him, ever since he heard you've been found, he's been banging pots and pans in the kitchen like crazy," Andre suggests as he walks inside. The cook is indeed waiting in the large dining room. He takes Aziel in a tight embrace, there are tears in his eyes. “Man, those were the worst days of our lives. Thank God for this angel who went out to you,” he says emotionally and gives me a soft hug too.
“Come sit down. There are already some snacks”, he invites us all.
I sit next to Aziel, Kaylah comes right to my side. She seems a bit clingy, always stays close to me. She takes a plate, puts some snacks on it and hands it to me. “Look, he made you those Italian meatballs, just the way you like them with lots of tomato sauce,” she says, happily pointing to the plate. She also pours me some red wine. "I think you'd rather have the red wine now, white is too cold for now," she adds, holding the glass up to me. I wonder how she knows all this about me.
“Kaylah!” Archer calls her to order. “Forgive her, Loraine. Since we have another little one, she has really become more motherly. The businesswoman in her is really reserved now," he apologizes to his wife. Kaylah looks dazed at first, before she seems to remember anything. “Ooh, sure. I like meatballs myself, so I thought you would like them too”, she tries to correct herself nervously.
Michelle sitting across from me is also staring at me.
“Are you feeling well, Loraine? This was a tough adventure for a woman. And Andre says you have taken a lot of medicines lately. I'm curious what Danner has on his plate again," she says bitterly. Rick punches himself on the forehead, Archer shakes his head in disapproval. “It was a terrible idea to take you two along,” he sighs. “Would you like to keep quiet now? I'm getting confused about you too, let alone Loraine."
But her words have already caught my attention. “Do you know Danner then? Did you meet him at the hotel?” I ask curiously. Andre shakes his head too. “Listen Loraine, I think you better go ashore with Michelle and Rick. Danner is waiting for you there. Aziel and I will enter the hotel later so we don't run into him," he suggests. I nod, this is good. I intend to immediately pack my things and leave the hotel.
“Loraine has decided to break up with Danner and come with us to Barbados. So, I suggest we get our stuff from the hotel right away and wait here on the boat for her. We'll leave as soon as she's here," Aziel suggests. Everyone now smiles broadly nods furiously. “Our stuff is here because we stayed on the boat. I'm going with Loraine, Danner doesn't know me, so I help her pack," says Michelle.
I'm really confused right now with all the things Aziel's friends are suggesting. It's a relief that everything is well planned for me, but their comments confuse me. They know what my favorite dishes are, know Danner and more of those ambiguous comments. Not to mention the behavior when one of them slips, as if revealing a secret. Later when we are alone, I will talk to Asiel about this, they are really strange to people who just met me.
To relax the atmosphere, I put the tray with the roasted meat of the water pig on the table. I open the lid with a chuckle, all eyes are on the contents. “What is that, Loraine? Roast meat?" asks Kaylah curiously. She takes a fork, pricks a small piece and places it in her mouth. All eyes are on her with interest. “Goodness, there is no salt in this meat! Is this what you have eaten every day?” she asks with a sour face.
Aziel and I laugh exuberantly. “You must be used to tenderloin and steak, aren't you?! The herd sacrificed a pig for us so that we could live, and this is how you appreciate then?” I joke.
The cook just comes in with some dishes and sees the meat on the table. “Water pig? Wait until I make it into something sweet and sour”, he says, taking the bowl. And indeed, when he returns fifteen minutes later with the bowl, the meat smells heavenly. Each of us tastes a piece of Aziel's roasted catch.
“Divine taste. Why don't we go back and get the rest of the pig?” suggests Archer. We are all laughing our butt out as the yacht sails into the harbor...
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
