Cafe Romance (44 page)

When dusk set in Yvette stretched out on the sofa bed directly behind Kurt's captain's chair. After a quick nap she returned to the kitchen, poured herself a hot cup of coffee, from the coffee maker, and sat down at the table and thumbed through a fashion magazine she had brought along. "How are you doing up there?" she cried out, stirring her cup thoughtfully. "I'm fine," he answered alertly.

Returning to the front of the motorhome the two conversed. With little reserve, she told him about her childhood, about her shattered world when her father passed away, and about her struggles as a single parent. Her triumphs were compelling and inspiring and Kurt told her so.

After receiving a quick, but heartwarming kiss by him, she retreated to the Queen-sized bed in the bedroom, at the rear of the motorhome, where she fell fast asleep. Kurt spent the time driving and chatting on the CB radio. When she woke up she found that they had already arrived in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Reaching over, she turned on the radio. She smiled as she recognized the upbeat melody. It was an old Jeffrey Osborne tune when he was the voice behind the R&B group
LTD
. The name of the tune was
Jam
. Rising up, she glanced out the rear bedroom window and stared at the tall palms and pastel colored buildings. It had been a while since she felt this blissfully happy, fully alive. As she hummed along with the tune, joyful thoughts filled every corner of her mind. Rising up off the bed, she headed for the bathroom to freshen up and compose her hair. 

Fifteen minutes after arriving in the area, Kurt guided his huge motorhome off of the four-lane and onto the RV resort property. Turning his head, he greeted Yvette, who had arrived at the front of the motorhome just in time to read the name of the resort, the Lion Country Safari Koa, which was engraved in large block letters on an overhead wood entrance sign. He had camped there before on a prior visit.

After hooking up to the park facilities he took a cool refreshing shower. He was stiff from the long drive. Yvette eagerly joined him seconds later and soaped him down. One thing led to another. In the end, they found themselves lying across the wide bed in an embrace. An hour into an HBO original movie, the tired couple fell fast asleep in each other's arms.

The following day he released the Corvette from the tow lock mechanism, secured the motorhome, and the two set out to shop, eat, and visit the sultry ocean beach. Overhead, a flock of pelicans flew in a tight formation.

It was a beautiful day to be in love. The weather was sunny and tropical, the gift shops were reasonably priced, the food was delightfully delicious, and though the sand was warm, the surf was cool and refreshing. The two examined everything from seashells and post cards to spring fashions, lingerie, and sexy nightwear. Whatever Yvette wanted he bought for her. There seemed to be no limit. On one occasion, she cautioned him about his spending, but he quickly assured her that he had everything covered. If she only knew, he thought. 

At one point, during that afternoon, he was about to tell her about his windfall. They were sitting at an outdoor eatery conversing, but she cut him off after two sleek looking limousines passed by. That was when she turned the subject to power banker Bob Gates.

“You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bob Gates was riding in one of those limos. It must be wonderful living in a world of wealth and luxury while others are struggling to make ends meet.”

Damn!
He thought. Once again, he backed away from telling her about his windfall. What was it with Yvette and rich people? He pondered. Was she not aware of the time and capital one has to invest in building up a successful business, the hard decision-making, dealing with a business unfriendly tax code, and the added responsibilities? There was a lot of that in being very wealthy. Not that he was a CEO or anything near that, but if he were his decisions would often mean the difference between a profitable business year or an unprofitable one, expansion or downsizing, continued employment or unemployment for his workers. Now that's responsibility. If only she knew how lonely it gets at the top, he thought.

With that part of her conversation finally behind them, the couple enjoyed a refreshing swim. For that moment they were like teenage lovers splashing about in the pool - hugging and kissing, laughing, diving, and chasing one another. They did not seem to mind drawing attention to themselves. Frankly, they could have cared less.

That evening they agreed to dine out semi-formally. As Yvette stood before the mirror, drawing a brush through her hair with long, careful strokes, she entertained the thought of what it would be like being married to Kurt. She could definitely get use to this resort lifestyle, she thought. The two drove off in his Corvette Stingray for the third time that day.

A few miles later, they entered an eight block area on Kennedy lined with gift shops, restaurants and hotels. Yvette wanted seafood; Kurt had a taste for steak and potatoes. The two worked out a compromise. But they would have to drive back two blocks to a restaurant they had passed minutes earlier named
Blue Harbor Seafood and Grill
. The aroma of charbroiled steak and butter seared shrimp signaled their arrival.

It was an enjoyable grilled sirloin and savoring broiled seafood platter the two dined on. They topped their meal off with dessert and margaritas.

An hour later they were heading over to St Petersburg. After a romantic stroll, they stopped by a beachfront discotheque where they danced and had a few cocktail drinks. The music was soulfully vibrant and the partygoers high-spirited. Just as vibrant and as high-spirited as their two beating hearts. The highlight of the night came when they joined about sixteen other merry couples on the dance floor to dance to
Funk’n for Jamaica
, by famed trumpeter Tom Brown.

Remembering his infamous night out with Roxanne, Yvette decided this was as good an opportunity for her to erase any memory he had of her that night at club
Neptune’s Reef
. Together, the two danced the hours away. With every dip and sway and smile she tossed his way, she managed to erase away any lingering memory of his past lover.

With a silvery moonlit sky above, the two found a secluded area and made wild passionate love on the beach. Caucasians weren’t the only ones who could be one with nature, they had jested before lighting up their passion.

As they recovered, Kurt gazed down upon this lady of elegance and smiled. Yvette was everything he had envisioned her being. "You know, you're the greatest." 

Rising up on her elbows, she smiled back and thanked him. Then there was a pause.  "Kurt," she began earnestly. "I was just wondering."

"Just wondering what?" he injected, as another wave crept closer to his feet.

"Would you say, you know…that you’ve made love to a lot of women in your life?" she asked, instinctively lowering her voice, slightly ashamed to be guilty of prying.

Shaking his head, he smiled, wondering what brought on this line of questioning. “I wasn’t really keeping count Yvette. What do you consider a lot?" he asked, looking both scandalized and fascinated.

"Oh, six or seven women, I suppose," she said as she examined a lemon size seashell.

His reply was slow coming, but when it came it hoisted Yvette off of her bed of sand. "Try sixty-nine!"  He announced, with a straight face.

"Sixty-nine women!" she sighed back in startled disbelief.

No longer able to hold a straight face, he broke into laughter. "I'm just kidding, Yvette."

Grabbing her floppy hat she struck him playfully on the shoulder, laughing along with him. "You really had me going there, for a minute."

Reaching out to her he took her hand and pulled her onto his lap, his arms wrapped loosely around her. They kissed and necked. When her mouth found his ear she whispered, "Well, Kurt...how many?"

"How many what?" he chuckled, feinting naiveness.

"You know. How many women?" she repeated gently as the bright moon illuminated her face.

"Oh, about four, perhaps five,” he speculated. “Why?  Why do you ask?"

"Because you seem so experienced," she said, rising up.

Reaching for her reticule, she withdrew a comb to even her lively hair.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked with uncertainty, his eyes following her movement as she circled him.

"Oh, I like my men experienced," she jested playfully. "And you're one experienced man, though I honestly can't see how you got that much experience from just four or five women."

"Well, maybe that's because they are the only ones I can recall at this time," he grinned.

"That may be, but baby, I’m gonna put something on you that will make you forget all of the others," she cooed.

“Yvette, don’t tease me, just please me, baby," he said.

"Then consider it said and done," she whispered, as they embraced, then pondered,
why am I afraid to tell this man I love him
, she pondered?
And why hasn't he told me he loves me
?

"As you wish," he said smiling. God, how I love you so, he thought.

Around noon, the following day, the two had lunch at a trendy Italian restaurant, the kind with the candle-lit tables, then returned to
Moonbeam
for a quick nap. By three they were ready to depart the West Palm Beach area. Heading back towards Tampa Bay they discussed travel plans for the following weekend. After such a great outing, an encore was in order. The two decided on visiting a state park not far from Tampa.

Satisfied that she was comfortably settled in at her condo an exhausted Kurt swung
Moonbeam
back onto the road and headed home. She had some paperwork she needed to wrap up, otherwise, she would have spent another night with him.

After a quick snack Kurt walked upstairs to his bedroom and turned on the television. As he replayed the events of the weekend over and over again in his head, he remembered something Yvette had asked him. On the way to West Palm Beach, as the two were talking, she had asked him how much his motorhome cost him. Not an area she was knowledgeable in, she had assumed
Moonbeam
cost around sixty or seventy grand. She was very surprised when he told her that it cost him over two hundred grand. In that one defining moment she became quiet and thoughtful.

He knew she was putting two and two together about the cost of the motorhome and his finances. He played it off by saying that he had put a substantial down payment on the loan, from his savings. In actuality there was never any savings or loans involved. The purchased had been covered by a single check written for the full amount by him, to the dealer's complete astonishment. No long-term payment plans or installments for him.

C
hapter 26

K
urt was engrossed in reading the jacket of a newly released action DVD when his former neighbor and friend Vanessa strolled up beside him at the local video store, which, by the looks of things, was very pregnant. The two friends glowed admirably when their eyes met. It had been nearly five months since they last talked in person.

Leading her gently by the arm, the former neighbors huddled off to the side of a vacant cashier counter to talk. She explained that her pregnancy stemmed from a failed relationship, months before Kurt invited her out on their first date. She told him she was unaware that she was nearly two months pregnant when he last visited with her…that it came as a complete surprise to her. Kurt assured her that he understood that these things do happen. The two stood chatting for an additional five minutes then he wished her well. He also asked her to stay in touch, especially if she found herself wanting for anything. The two hugged, exchanged farewells, and went their separate ways.

R
oxanne sat aloof and estranged from the other acting students as she took advantage of their lunch break to eat a Greek salad she had picked up from a local deli. In class now nearly a month, she was excited and happy to be doing something she had always wanted to do. With Kurt’s assistance, she had enrolled at Universal Studios Performing Arts School in Orlando. She was having the time of her life at the school, up until the point her estranged husband managed to locate her. Since his reemergence in her life, she had become a nervous wreck. Though she inquired about it, he stubbornly refused to tell her how he came to know of her whereabouts. Still, it did not come as a surprise to her for she knew that Don had connections outside the oil business as he had inside it. At first she wasn’t going to bother Kurt with this new development. She was going to try to handle it herself but her focus and concentration just wasn’t there. After fumbling badly through the week in class she knew it would be a matter of time before she washed out of school. Rising up from the table she retrieved her cell phone from her purse and placed a call to Kurt’s office.

“Hello, Kurt,” she spoke nervously into the mouthpiece. 

“Hello Roxanne! It’s good to hear from you. How’s acting school coming along?” His voice was vibrant and soothing to her ears.

“It’s coming along just fine Kurt.”

“And may I ask if you are doing fine?”

“Well, I was, that is up until Monday a week ago. Oh, Kurt. I think I need your help again.”

            “Anything, Roxanne,” his concerned voice responded. “What’s up? You need some extra cash?”

“Kurt, it’s Don,” she said, her voice trembling. “He dropped by my school yesterday and made a scene. He insisted that I come back to him. I’m so afraid of what trouble he can cause me. I don’t think I can concentrate on my studies and deal with his harassment. I’m just not that emotionally strong at this time.”

“What about a restraining order?” Kurt asked.

“Yes, I could get one but I still wouldn’t feel any safer.”

“You’re right,” he reasoned aloud. “There are no real guarantees with such orders.”

“None at all,” she quipped.

There was a pronounced pause.