Rewriting History (18 page)

Epilogue

The hot air is forming tiny beads of sweat on my forehead, but it’s the stifling humidity that makes me want to return to the air-conditioned confines of my hotel.  Even in a tank top and short khaki pants, sweat is dripping down my back to cool my body.  The lace-up boots on my feet aren’t helping. 

Walking within a group, I’ve tuned out the ramblings of the tour guide as I study the archaeological remains of ancient Greece in front of me. 

I’m absolutely blown away by not only the architecture but the sheer size of the Acropolis of Athens.  The sun barrels off the chunks of limestone, creating a glare off the structure.  My mind is working out how I can sneak away from the group to run my hands along the subtle curves of the workmanship. 

“Come on, hon… we came all the way here and you’re not even listening.”

I look behind at Eli, who’s wrapping his hands around my waist.  He’s smiling sweetly at me and I know he doesn’t care whether I’m listening or not.  We both know I could recite Ancient Greek History in my sleep. 

Turning toward him, I hug him.  “Thank you so much for this trip.  I’m so lucky.” 

We started planning this trip months ago for the summer break of my second year of college. 

“Oh I think I’m the lucky one.” He kisses my nose.  “I’m going to be even luckier tonight,” he winks.  He told me he’s planned something for tonight but he won’t tell me what.  My mind runs wild with some pretty kinky thoughts.

“C’mon…what are we doing tonight?” I beg.

He ignores me and I’m pulled along to catch up with the tour group.  As fascinating as it is, the guide is rambling on about history they talk about in elementary school.  No wonder I’m not listening.

Nudging Eli to the point of being annoying, he swats me on the ass and whispers in my ear, “It’s a surprise, but keep that up and I’ll lock you away in the hotel room all night.”

I smirk at him. “That wouldn’t be such a bad thing now, would it?”

“Trust me baby, you
want
to go where I’ve planned tonight.” He walks off to catch up with the group before I can interrogate him.

Walking through the front door of the hotel, we are blessed with air-conditioning in the extravagant foyer. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Anderson,” gushes the bellhop, a big smile on his face. “I trust you had a wonderful day.” He winks at me and I laugh at his odd greeting.

Although technically we’re not married, I’m impressed the staff remembers the surnames of all the guests—well, Eli’s at least.

“Thanks, but it’s Mr. Anderson and
Ms. Wilson
,” he says pointedly. The bellhop flushes and mumbles an apology before hurrying off. Eli rolls his eyes at me and I nudge him.

The suite is a welcome sight.  Little chocolates have been placed at the end of the tightly tucked bed, the fridge has been restocked with fruit and alcohol, but the best thing to me is the towels that have been replaced and modeled into the shape of a heart. This is the most perfect getaway for me: history and romance. 

Standing, I walk over to the glass window that stretches the entire length of the suite. I’m so fortunate to be blessed with this trip. With the sudden passing of Eli’s father, the family received a seven-figure settlement from the insurance company. 

Eli continued teaching Senior History; however, he changed to a private school a year ago after they offered a package he couldn’t refuse. So to say he’s doing okay financially would be an understatement.

Sitting outside the restaurant, the deck on the top of the hill is lined with lounges overlooking the ruins. Dancing shadows of hundreds of candles scattered sparsely are creating a suspenseful ambience. The humidity tonight has me wearing a light floral dress with slits up the sides. Eli’s hand is resting on my naked thigh as the citrus flavor of Savatiano white wine slides down my throat.  I could move to Greece just for the legal drinking age of eighteen, though it’s only a few more months until my twenty-first. 

“Come closer.” Eli nods toward his open arm on the back of the couch.

I scoot closer to him, taking in his signature scent and his warm body. He’s wearing the white button-up shirt I bought him for his birthday with a pair of khaki shorts and his open-toed brown leather sandals. 

“You’re looking very Italian tonight. Very sexy,” I wink at him.

“And you look gorgeous as always, my darling.” He kisses my bare shoulder.  “Is this trip everything you thought it’d be?”

“It’s amazing. Being here is so surreal.  I’m in love with this place,” I grin, my mind fantasizing about living us here.

“Just this place?” He raises his eyebrow, a glint in his eye.

“You know I love you too,” I chuckle, kissing his cheek.  “But only a teeny bit more than this place,” I smirk. That earns me a dazzling smile and a kiss to the temple.  

The exquisite smell of fresh local seafood is making my mouth water.  The waiters have laid little plates of marinated octopus, salt and pepper calamari, grilled prawns, warm green olives, pita bread, and an array of dips in front of us.  My stomach grumbles as my senses move into overload. You can’t get Greek hors d’oeuvres anywhere better than the country of origin. 

“Oh my God, do we have to leave tomorrow?” I pout, talking with my mouth full. 

Shaking his head, Eli feeds me another calamari.  “I wish we could extend another week.”

“If you wanted to bring me back here, I wouldn’t complain.”

“I suppose that’s one of the perks of me being a teacher and you being a student,” he laughs. “Though teaching was much more fun when you were my student.”

I narrow my eyes at him, but my smile gives me away.

“Come on, pretty girl, we’ve got one more stop before we can go back,” he says as he signs the credit card slip.

In a state of bliss from a full stomach and a few glasses of wine, we walk from the restaurant to the main part of Athens is brisk.  The night is still light and children are playing soccer in the street while doting mothers try and get them inside. Everything is white in Greece, and the country looks so clean. Locals have painted the streets in color with towels hanging over the balconies and potted flowers lining the windows. 

Arriving out front of a museum, we start walking up the steps. I recognize it immediately. We tried getting in several times but the lines were so long and the museum was so full that they had to stop people from entering. 

“We can’t go in there, it closed at eight,” I tell him suspiciously.

Eli ignores me and continues pulling me toward the front door. A short, plump man in his sixties is standing at the door.

“Welcome to National Archaeological Museum, Jill, I’ll be your personal tour guide for this evening,” he says in his heavily accented voice.

I turn to Eli and gasp as he smiles back at me proudly. I can’t help myself; I jump on him, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as my lips find his.

“Oh my God, Eli, really?”  I laugh as he grins at me. “How the fuck did you manage this?”

“Elijah volunteered here when he was a young man living in our amazing country,” our tour guide replies. “My name is Marcel, I was a university professor and Eli was my star student many years ago.” He smiles kindly at Eli. 

“It really is great to see you again. We had a lot of fun back then,” Eli says, patting Marcel on the back.

The museum is silent as we walk through, and it’s an eerie feeling when you’re surrounded by exhibitions that date back as far as 500BC. I marvel at the ceramic antiques and the stories on Greek civilization that go with each collection. Hand in hand, we spend an hour walking through the museum with Marcel directing us. Tugging on my hand, Eli pulls me toward an exhibit.

“Come over here, I want you to see something.”

Lit up in a case is a sculpture of a man.  He’s holding a plate, and the definition of his muscles is evident. I’m amazed at how far civilization has come since this age. The structures they’ve built and the way they lived is just phenomenal. I could spend days exploring this museum alone. I glance down to read the description.

WILL YOU MARRY ME, JILL?

    My lungs stop expanding as I hold my breath, my heart beating in my ears.  With widened eyes, the tears are starting to form as I watch Eli kneel down in front of me. I gasp as he opens the black jewelry case he’s holding. Resting on a black pillow sits a delicate diamond ring set in white gold.  The diamond is stunning. I cover my mouth with my shaking hands as he begins to speak.

“Jill,” he begins. I can hear the nervousness in his voice.  “We fit so perfectly together and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life making you happy.  Will you do the honor of being my wife?” 

I laugh through the wet tears that are streaming down my face. Eli is waiting patiently for my answer. We’ve been inseparable since we met, and I know there is nobody else for me.

“Yes,” I whisper, not even needing to think about how I’ll answer the question I’ve wished to hear for a long time. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

Taking the ring out of the box, Eli slides the ring onto my shaking finger. 

It’s perfect.
He’s
perfect.

“I’m going to make you the happiest wife in the world,” he mumbles as he hugs me tightly.  “God, I love you so much Jill. You have no idea how nervous I was.”

The smell of fresh pine and sight of the familiar surroundings of the town brings comfort on our drive home.  The three-stop flight was exhausting and both of us are itching for the comfort of our bed—or Eli’s bed, but I stay over at his house so much that I call it our bed now.

“You missed our exit?” I ask, pointing to the sign.

  “Oh yeah, I’ve got to make one more stop,” he replies, not taking his eyes off the road.  Eli picks up my hand and kisses the back of it.

It’s not even ten miles down the road when we pull into the paved driveway of a two-story brick and timber home.  It boasts a wraparound porch and large window panels at the front, a manicured garden lining the porch. Eli steps out of the car and walks around to my door.

“Come on, come inside,” he says, offering his hand.

The keys are jingling in his hand as he unlocks the large timber door. There’s a slight creak as he pushes the door open; the house feels empty.  No furniture sits along the painted hallway, nor are there memories or abstract art hanging from the walls. My hand still sits in Eli’s as I’m led past a couple of closed rooms, toward the back of the house.
Why are we here?

The view opens up to an open-plan kitchen with dining area.  My heels are clomping on the timber flooring as I stand at the sliding door that looks out over the covered patio. It’s the perfect area for entertaining.

Turning back to face Eli, who’s standing there watching me, I raise my eyebrow. “Why are we here?”

Eli lifts himself off the black marble kitchen counter he was leaning on and makes his way toward me.

“What do you think of the house?” he questions.

I glance around the room again. “It’s beautiful,” I say, shaking my head. I’m still confused as to what’s going on.

Eli reaches me, pulling me in for a quick kiss on the nose. “It’s our house Jill,” he smiles, waiting for my reaction. 

“You bought this house?” I ask shocked.  “Wha…” My voice trails off as I hear commotion in the hallway.

Sophia, Alice, Mom and Dad, his mom, Jules, and Aaron come barreling through the house into the kitchen wearing party hats and wielding champagne. Mom and Dad are the first to hug me. 

“I’m so happy for you Jill,” Dad whispers in my ear. 

“Congratulations, honey,” Mom adds, tears in her eyes. 

Looking at them both, I laugh. “How did you know?”

Looking at Eli as he chuckles, I turn back to Dad.

“He asked our permission before you left on your trip.” Dad smiles at Eli. “And he also asked for our advice on buying this place. You’ve got a good man here, Jill.  He’s a keeper. But don’t think I won’t get out my gun if he hurts my baby girl.” Everyone cracks up laughing, although knowing Dad, there’s more than just a little bit of seriousness in that statement.

I grin as Alice and Sophia as they fawn over my ring. 

“Oh my God, was it romantic?” Alice demands.

“Very,” I laugh, retelling the story of him proposing.

Alice is still studying Art at UC, and she has won several breakthrough artist awards, one of which involved having her work showcased in a gallery in New York.  She and Sophia have been roommates since the start of college, and much to Alice’s dismay, Sophia has been seeing a really nice guy for a few months now.

The two of them dated throughout the first year of college, but their relationship turned to friendship. I think Alice really hoped Sophia would be serious about them, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’m lucky in that the three of us have remained strong friends throughout the last couple of years.

Mom and Dad are still together and Dad is still working at the National Guard. Having him around more has done wonders to their relationship. I watch as Dad shakes Eli’s hand and gives him a pat on the back. Eli looks up to my dad and my parents absolutely adore him.