Kiss On The Bridge (5 page)

“Good luck in your fishing tonight.”

The man stopped to stare at Wade. “She’ll be
right. Me and me Mrs will be having fish for breakfast. If I don’t
catch anything there’s always room at the café. While I have your
attention is your name Wade?”

“Yes.”

The old man shuffled over. He gave Wade a
toothless grin before handing over a note.

“Who gave you this?”

“Some dame back at the start of the wharf;
she must be loaded; gave me a hundred bucks to deliver a piece of
paper.”

“Anneli will be at a disco,” said Wade
reading the note out loud. Glancing towards the beach he saw no one
loitering around.

“Have a good night sonny.”

“You too,” echoed Wade. He waved casually at
the man before slipping the note deep inside his pants pocket.

Marching off the wharf towards the main
street, Wade heard music coming from the closest disco nightclub,
noting a small group of late teenagers who were picked up either by
boys or girls for the night emerging from the doorway. Before
walking off the girls scoffed at the throng of people queuing at
the entrance to the night club.

Wade slipped behind the last person, tapping
two young ladies standing in front of him on the shoulder. Both
wore skimpy sequenced mini skirts which sparkled from the light of
the street light behind him. Long thin legs, feet sitting snugly
into stilettos were twirled as the young ladies, no older than
seventeen, turned to face him. One leaned closer battering her
eyelids.

“I apologize in advance,” Wade started. “Have
you seen the young lady in this picture? Her name is Anneli.” He
thrust the photo under their noses, waiting for a response.

The two girls shook their heads.

One of the girls leaned closer, whispering
seductively. “You don’t need her. You and I can dance all night.
After plenty of Tango we can watch the sunrise in the morning.”

Wade raised his hand at the young lady.
“Thanks for the offer. I respectfully refuse your request.”

Focusing on the bouncer, Wade watched the
stocky man usher the next six couples into the nightclub which made
the queue rapidly dissolve. The girls gave Wade a cold shoulder and
went back to gossiping. Feeling happy they didn’t insist on
chatting him up, he turned his attention to a few others now
standing in the queue behind him. After shaking their heads at the
photo they quickly brushed him aside.

Eventually the bouncer tapped Wade on the
shoulder. “You have four seconds to enter before I send you to the
rear of the line.”

Wade faked a grin, paid the entrance fee and
stepped into the building. Moving about the carpeted area close to
the dance floor searching for Anneli, he could feel the
reverberating thump of the upbeat through the floor. Wade stopped
numerous times to flash Anneli’s photo. Everyone he talked to shook
their heads

Disappointed, Wade moved onto the next disco
directly across the street then onwards to the next. By midnight he
stood loitering near the ladies powder room searching the sea of
faces on the dance floor in a disco situated up a side lane.

Two young ladies walked past in a rush to get
back to the dance floor. They didn’t notice Wade’s gaze glued on
them. One of the young ladies started to giggle at what the other
said. The tone in the voice of one of the girls forced Wade to zero
in on her walk. She wore a white blouse, a black mini skirt which
clung to her tiny waist and black stilettos on her feet. Her left
hand clutched a small shiny black bag. Wade watched them step onto
the dance floor. Both girls looked stunning. Wade focused on the
dark brunette more than her blonde haired friend. Two burly
security guards grabbed him by the shoulders. Wade jumped,
instantly losing sight of the girls.

“You not here to cause trouble?” spat the
first bloke.

Obviously the guard used his broken English
to make his voice sound more threatening. Using the push pull
method the guard spun Wade in a half circle. The two men glared at
each other almost nose to nose.

The security guards were the shape of
gorillas. They looked to have the strength to match. Wade glanced
over the shoulder of the first man. He saw the second guard
brandishing a two foot long metal rod.

“I’m here only to have a good time,” advised
Wade, confidently, hoping decorum might help defuse the scene.

“I’ve been watching you closely from the
moment you stepped into this homely establishment,” spat the first
bouncer.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” replied Wade. “This
place does make you feel at home.”

“So far I’m not impressed over what I’ve
seen.”

“I mean no disrespect,” said Wade quickly.
“This is my first time in here. So far the scenery is amazing.” He
held his breath in an attempt block out the smell of raw fish the
man reeked of.

“I think it might be wise if you exit this
place. At the other end of the main street there’s a building. Take
my advice, enter it. I’m sure you’ll find someone real nice to talk
to.”

“I’m only here for a good time,” advised Wade
repeating himself. He took a punt, gambling the two-gorilla sized
men won’t remember he said the same sentence twice.

“Have a good time somewhere else.”

Wade certainly didn’t want to be tossed out
into the street. He continued his elucidation. “Please, I’m looking
for a woman to pick up. If you’d be kind enough to give me thirty
minutes and I don’t have any luck, I’ll leave.” Wade checked his
watch. “It’s now exactly 11:35pm.”

“We’ll give you fifteen minutes,” growled the
second guard, stepping forward. Using his left hand, he squeezed
Wade’s right shoulder.

The vice like grip wasn’t a flippant gesture.
The act signaled, ‘if the receiver caused trouble of any sort he’ll
be taken through a side exit. A few broken bones may accompany the
receiver’s body into the closest dump bin.’ Wade’s inmate friend
tried to tell him to be extra careful if it ever happened.

The bouncer let go of Wade’s shoulder. He
sent him a snappy grin before stepping back.

“To make life easy for the three of us, what
do you say to a trade-off?” quizzed Wade. “Can we agree on midnight
as the kick out time; it’s a nice even number. It’ll help to
overcome any confusion on my part.”

Both guards snorted at each other before
giving a sharp nod. They walked off to stand at the door, watching
the clock.

Wade stood observing their military stance
before refocusing his attention on the dance floor. He scoured the
faces and the variety of coloured heads of the multitude of young
ladies bopping to the rhythm of the newest song being played. In
the middle of the floor he spied two ladies. Both were dressed to
impress. He knew any man at the disco will be more than happy to
escort either of them home.

Wade stepped onto the polished wooden floor.
The young woman he walked towards looked to have long slender legs
which were partially covered by a black mini skirt. Her long black
hair glistened under the mirror ball. He boldly started to march
over. The closer he got the weaker his knees felt. His nerves were
trying to get the better of him. Sweat broke out between his
shoulder blades. A trickle of water worked its way down to the nook
of his back.

The young lady he’d focused on glanced his
way. Almost instantly she stopped swaying to the beat of the music;
a smile not only swept her cheeks, her widening grin never waned.
She tapped her female dance partner on the shoulder, raising her
eyebrows to signal; ‘I’ll see you later.’

“Bonjour Anneli Vandenberg,” announced Wade
stepping up. “At long last I’ve tracked you down.”

“You’re here.” Anneli stared up into his blue
eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. “You don’t strike me for a
person who can speak French.”

“It’s the only word I can actually say,”
confessed Wade, giving her his usual friendly luring
expression.

The young lady dancing next to Anneli slipped
away to the other side of the dance floor. She found a seat at the
bar to watch.

Anneli grabbed Wade by the hand and led the
way off the dance floor to a dark corner, never once looking to
where her dance partner went.

The DJ cranked the music up at the start of
the next song. Wade yelled to be heard. Eventually he raised his
hand signaling a halt to the attempted conversation. Ushering
Anneli towards the main entrance, Wade gave the two security guards
who were gathering their jaws up off the floor a casual wave. They
waited for Anneli to retrieve a pair of black runners and a light
jacket from the cloak room before politely escorting the two
outside. Both guards wished Wade and Anneli a good night. They
winked at each other before stepping back inside the disco.

“I finally found you,” Wade started, praying
Anneli still wanted to know him.

“You picked a strange time to show yourself.
It’s been almost a year.”

Wade could feel tension building between
them. His high emotions were plummeting fast. If he didn’t change
the direction of the meeting he knew the night will end in a
disaster. He’d wiped the word failed out of his vocabulary years
ago. He needed to work harder if he ever wanted to win Anneli’s
heart.

Making sure the tone in his voice flowed
slower than a seductive Rumba dance, Wade continued where he left
off. “I’ve been working hard to find you. I only knew your first
name.”

Anneli wore a sheepish expression. “I
happened to be drunk up to my eyeballs the night we met on the
bridge. I couldn’t remember if I told you my full name or not. For
nearly a year I’ve lived in hope I actually did. I apologize. I’m
deeply sorry.”

“It’s okay. The only thing I’m concentrating
on right now is you. Please accept my invitation for a walk?”

“Yes, the idea sounds nice.”

Anneli slipped her feet into her runners and
placed her dance shoes into a small bag. Grabbing hold of Wade’s
hand, her eyes sparkled at thinking what the rest of the night
might bring.

CHAPTER FIVE

Ten hours before cyclone Tracy hits.

WADE AND ANNELI walked past few people on
their lazy stroll along the main street of Darwin CBD.

“Everyone must be at a disco,” murmured Wade,
breaking the ice.

Anneli looked sideways at the man walking
next to her. She knew it to be an awkward moment. The first few
minutes of any new relationship were always the hardest. Only the
right questions should to be asked and answered. The chemistry
between the couple must to be brewing. Both needed to be open to
the other. Being too open could be dangerous. If one revealed too
many personal secrets, the other might be scared off which in turn
could make the night end in a, ‘thank you for the evening and a
goodbye forever handshake.’

Although they hadn’t seen each other for
almost a year, to Anneli the chemistry she felt when Wade kissed
her on the bridge seemed to be more intense. In fact, her feelings
for the man seemed to be growing stronger. Could he be the one to
save her from the pathetic miserable future life? The last of her
questions before any relationship could even begin needed to
include facts on finance. She made up her mind at the time of
writing the note and sealing it in the bottle with a kiss no matter
what, poor or rich, it didn’t matter. Now the man she dreamt about
nearly every night since they met was walking next to her. She
certainly saw holes in her ideas of financial security.

“A dollar for your thoughts?” whispered
Wade.

Anneli looked up into his eyes. “I don’t mean
to be rude, where do you live?”

“You’ve asked an off the cuff question. I
thought you might be thinking how much money I earned.”

Anneli’s face went bright red. “If you must
know I’ve been enthralled in the evening walk.”

Wade looked ahead, whispering gently. “I did
expect our reunion to progress a lot smoother than it has.”

“Meeting each other after such a long time is
awkward,” hinted Anneli.

“I’d have to agree,” replied Wade. “I live in
Melbourne.”

“If I were to guess I’d say Melbourne is at
least two thousand miles from here.”

“It’s well over four thousand miles.”

“I’m impressed at the dedication you used to
find me,” blurted Anneli, stopping outside a general goods
store.

“Every second I spent on the search was worth
it. Tell me, what’s the Goss on the wedding?”

Anneli looked shocked at hearing the words to
her plight spoken out loud. “How did you know about the plans?” she
asked slowly.

“I have friends in high places.”

“You have been misinformed. It’s supposed to
be an engagement.”

A lazy smile presented itself on Wade’s face.
“I’ll have to reprimand my informant.”

“For the record, I detest the idea. My father
has organized for me to meet my future husband.”

“Sounds barbaric,” said Wade.

The pair heard footsteps approaching and
quickly restarted their walk.

An old man wearing dark blue coveralls, a
tattered wide brimmed hat pushed firmly on his head, stopped
running when he came close enough for Wade and Anneli to hear his
shouts. Pointing at the sky, his long grey beard twitched. “You two
love birds should take shelter. There’s a cyclone forming. Where
ever you’re headin’ get there sooner than later. There’s not much
time. Not much time at all.”

He hurried off into the darkness. Wade and
Anneli could hear his voice some distance away warning others of
the imminent danger.

Wade’s mind flashed back to the falling
barometer needle. The only hint of a cyclone came from the slight
cooling of the temperature.

“I feel uncomfortable at what the old man
implied,” confessed Anneli. “Maybe we should be looking for safer
ground just in case.”