Tell Me I'm Dreamin' (37 page)

Through the open window Nadine listened to the symphony of cicadas and other insects that always began to play as darkness approached out in the country. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She wondered if she would have another dream involving the cliff dwellers, Ulysses, and Melanie. The images always presented Melanie as the dark one. She did not understand why in her dreams, Melanie, as kind and generous as she had been toward her, would be represented in such a way. But night after night the message was always the same. The darkness of hatred, ignorance, and greed would eventually be obliterated by the light of love, truth, and understanding. Nadine thought it was a beautiful message. She hoped for the world's sake, someday it would come true.

Then the dream would take an erotic turn, and Nadine was ashamed to admit she found physical solace in the passion, although the effects often spilled over into her waking hours. It was in the daytime when the dream became a burden.

There was such stark vividness surrounding the lovemaking she and Ulysses shared while she slept, that afterwards, during the first moments of her waking hours, she felt either totally satiated, or aroused to the point of frenzy. It was a burden because even on the nights she did not have the dream, it was most difficult fighting Ulysses' presence in her daytime thoughts.

Nadine believed during the day she was winning the battle by filling her time with the art camp, the farm, and Grandma Rose's antiques. But at night she was totally helpless, completely swept away by the inner workings of her mind and heart, revealing to her what she knew to be true. She loved and missed him terribly.

Chapter
33

“Ulysses. Look at your hair, and your face,” Madame Deane said, her voice weak. She patted the bed beside her child-thin body. “Sit here and tell me, where did that handsome nephew of mine go?”

Ulysses smiled slightly as he followed his aunt's instructions. “He is here, Aunt Helen. I have been waiting for you to come back to us. You have been . . . sleeping for nearly two months now,” he said, holding her bony, cold hand. “Do you think you have had enough rest?” he teased, relief over her miraculous awakening apparent. The strain of her coma had left its mark on his face. Ulysses looked over at Catherine and Clarence who were standing quietly by the hospital door.

“Two months. Has it been that long?” she asked, her eyes seeming to go out of focus. “I guess I am in need of my rest,” Madame Deane said, her words barely audible. “But let's not change the subject. I want to talk about you.” Her weak eyes focused on his face. “Look at you. Your hair is too long. You have not shaved in days and your clothes look as if Catherine has not had her hands on them in God knows when. Why are you mistreating yourself so, Ulysses?”

“I have been worried about you, Aunt Helen,” he replied, touching her cheek.

“Now that is a half truth. It is not a lie,” she raised her index finger a bit, “but it is not the whole truth either.”

Ulysses sat quietly watching her.

“I wonder if your father and mother have been made aware of why the Five Pieces of Gaia were so important to our family and the cliff dwellers.”

Ulysses listened, thinking his aunt's mind was more unstable than ever. Still the mention of the Gaia set brought a sparkle to his dull eyes.

“Oh, I do not know why I asked that.” Madame Deane closed her eyes. “I know they know.
She
told me they were aware of it.”

Ulysses' eyes searched her face.

“Verda told me.” She opened her eyes again. “And I know for sure that I am not losing my mind.” Her lips turned up in a thin smile, her eyes lucid. “Your father knew the cliff dwellers would be important to you and to the island of Eros. Even though he did not know about the manuscript, he knew the Five Pieces of Gaia were connected with them and that's why they were the most precious of his treasures. I did not know about the manuscript inside the stones until Verda told me, right before I confronted you in the library.”

“Well, somehow the Gaia set ended up back at Sovereign, but the manuscript had been removed. The bronze case was sitting by my bed when I woke up the morning Nadine . . . left.” It took effort to say her name out loud although he had thought about her more times than he cared to remember.

“Nadine.” Helen Deane repeated the name. “I was right. She was the woman who was prophesied to come after Lenora. I was right.” Her voice trailed off.

Ulysses leaned closer.

“Yes.” The word sounded like an exhalation. “My brother knew the Five Pieces of Gaia would be important to you,” Madame Deane continued, her speech slow. “Somehow he knew through them you would find love, Ulysses.”

“Love.” Ulysses mouthed the word, the look in his eyes distant.

“Yes, love,” his aunt proclaimed, softly. “You love Nadine Clayton, Ulysses, and she is worthy of it.”

The room grew silent and Ulysses noticed his aunt's paper-thin chest was barely moving. “Aunt Helen. Aunt Helen,” he called gently and picked up her hand. Catherine began to sob softly in the background.

Madame Deane's eyes opened again. “Let me go, Ulysses.” Her voice was barely audible. “I will be happy with your father and mother, just as you will be happy if you go to Nadine,” Aunt Helen declared before her eyes shut for the last time.

Chapter
34

The wind caught the tail of Nadine's skirt, and threatened to blow it up around her waist. She held the material down, forcing it to billow up between her stiffened arms. The warm breeze felt wonderful on her face as she leaned against the railing of the catamaran. Nadine secretly used the rail to keep the garment under control.

The line of patrons was diminishing as they climbed aboard the boat for a late-night ride along the downtown shoreline of Miami. Most of them, couples like Gloria and Larry, had already settled down on the long cushioned seats outlining the twin hulls of the boat.

At first Nadine had been reluctant to go on the five-day trip to Mexico. She felt as if she would be the odd man out traveling with Gloria and Larry, without a partner. But Gloria had been her old persistent self. She told Nadine the cruise was free. She had earned it through a frequent traveler program. All Nadine had to do was come to Florida.

So here she was on the beautiful ocean-trimmed, palm-sprinkled peninsula. Her room in the International Omni was tasteful but not extravagant. It faced the bay, and further out the Atlantic Ocean.

Nadine had felt like a true woman of the world as the porter brought up her richly colored tapestry luggage. Not Gloria's taste in travel gear, of course, which her girlfriend voiced to her in no uncertain terms, but solely her own.

Gloria was in particularly high spirits as she waved the pear-shaped diamond engagement ring about whenever she talked. She and Larry planned to tie the knot in her hometown of Atlanta four months in the future.

“Isn't this just marvelous, queen?” Gloria's softly accented voice crept into her thoughts.

Nadine looked out over the bay, at the diverse Miami skyline, and finally at the sky littered with stars.

“It really is beautiful.”

“Almost as beautiful as the Caribbean . . . but not quite.” Her friend's voice trailed away as soon as she realized what feelings and memories her words evoked for Nadine.

“What do you mean, not quite? Nothing compares to the Caribbean, especially the island of Eros.” A deep sultry voice pressed its way into their conversation.

Nadine turned. Her brownish-jade eyes enlarged with disbelief to find Ulysses, black curls longer than ever, blowing wildly in the nighttime breeze.

“Well, it's about time, Ulysses, I was wondering if you were ever going to make it,” Gloria exclaimed. “They nearly scared me to death when they said you hadn't checked into your room. The last time I asked was before we came down here to the catamaran.” She was so relieved to see him that all her clandestine actions were forgotten as she spoke openly.

Nadine looked from Gloria to Ulysses, her heart pounding. Gloria's words were a blur as she wrestled with Ulysses' presence beside her in the United States.

“Hello, Nadine.” His dark gaze focused on her flushed face.

Breathless, Nadine managed a barely audible “Hello.”

“I'm going to leave you two alone. I know you've got all kinds of things to talk about, and I'm not one to stand in the way of progress. I've done all I can do to get you two back together; the rest is up to you.” Gloria sauntered back to Larry, a satisfied look on her face.

Ulysses' unexpected appearance unnerved Nadine to the point where she had to take a seat on the cushions; her wobbly knees would not hold her. She turned her face toward the shoreline and the water beyond. Nadine was so full of emotion she felt as if she might explode, and she dared not assume too much. She knew if she looked into Ulysses' face for any extended period of time, her eyes would tell everything she was not prepared for him to know.

While they sailed within the bay, Nadine and Ulysses carried on a conversation like two tourists just getting acquainted. They kept the conversation to the sights and sounds around them. Nadine did not realize it, but they both felt comfortable with this approach.

Ulysses dared not press his position too far after the uncertain reception Nadine had given him. But it was obvious to both of them—a man did not travel from the Caribbean to Florida just to talk about skylines and sea breezes.

The slow gliding catamaran ended its round within an hour, and the two couples disembarked and made their way back to the hotel. As they approached the towering building, Larry announced he could use a Bloody Mary, and automatically the foursome began to drift toward the bar.

Something inside Nadine would not allow her to walk contentedly at Ulysses' side as they strolled toward the outside entrance of the hotel lounge. Gloria and Larry's lackadaisical acceptance of Ulysses' presence had become an irritant. Everyone had known he would be in Florida! Everyone but her, and within one hour her life had turned topsyturvy because of it! Not being able to bear the incredibleness of the situation any longer, before they sat down at a table, Nadine excused herself from the cozy group. She needed space to explore how she really felt about Ulysses resurfacing.

She was not in her hotel room for long before a bold knock shook the door. When she opened it a somber Ulysses was standing outside.

“Well. May I come in?”

Silently, Nadine moved to the side.

“Mmmm . . . you do not have anything to say to me? Any kind of welcome?” Ulysses asked, his voice low.

“What do you expect from me, Ulysses? Three and a half months have passed and I didn't hear a word from you. Not a phone call . . . letter . . . not even a card.” The pain and bitterness of her loneliness crept more openly into her voice.

“Now you pop up here in Miami on a catamaran and everyone tells me we're booked on the same cruise ship for Mexico. You've always been presumptuous but how do you know I want you back in my life? How do you know I haven't arranged to meet some man tomorrow at the dock?” She threw up her arms in desperation.

The few minutes alone in her hotel room had helped to clear away the cobwebs of surprise and confusion. Nadine had finally adjusted to the idea that Ulysses was actually here and sailing to Mexico with them on the
Princess,
but somehow it still felt threatening.

“I knew there was no man, and there would be no man, Nadine, Gloria has told me everything.” His seductively accented voice reproached her.

“Good old Gloria. The mouth of the South.” She marveled at her girlfriend's audacity.

Ulysses understood her frustration. He could see resistance in every part of her body. He needed to make her understand why he had come, and why it had taken him so long.

“Let me tell you why I have stayed away. At first, after you left, I had made up my mind to forget you. I thought you had betrayed me with Basil,” he looked down at his large hands, “then I found out the truth. You had gone to him because of your love for me.”

His words were a knife, opening an old wound. A deep, naked hurt appeared in her shimmering eyes as Nadine remembered and felt the pain of his rejection. “You should have trusted me, Ulysses. I had given you all of me. Bared my soul and body to you . . . and you still did not trust me. How can I believe you can trust me now, or ever?”

The question hung between them.

Ulysses had prayed during his entire trip to the United States that he had not waited until it was too late. Now as he looked at Nadine he still was not sure. “First I had to truly trust myself,” he confessed. “Nadine, when my parents died, a part of me died with them, even though I was very young. Then I met you. And feelings I had never felt made themselves known to me. Life began to change drastically as we shared some extraordinary experiences. I realized it was my ability to trust and love that died that day on the path to Sovereign.” He watched her fold her arms protectively across her chest. Ulysses saw her arms as a barrier between them, just like the one he had erected, but at least she was listening, and at the moment he felt he could not ask for more.

Ulysses walked over and leaned against the television stand. “As I grew up, whenever I felt even the slightest hint of love or caring coming alive in me, I would will it away. To say it plainly, I was afraid.” He paused. “Loving and trusting made me remember, and I could not stand the pain of it, or the memory.” Ulysses sighed. “Then as a grown man, I learned to seek my pleasure with many women. It provided a sense of satisfaction, but I made sure I never gave them my heart. I never gave it until I met you.” His dark, thickly fringed gaze burned with intense feeling as he continued. “It was not my intention, Nadine, to love you. It was my fate.”

Numbed by Ulysses' fervent pronouncement, Nadine did not know what to say. All she had dared to hope for had been fulfilled by his words. She trembled with relief as she stared at his open features.