March 22nd
My Date with Destiny?
I returned to the abbey around 5:30, giving myself enough time to prepare for dinner and my encounter with Elijah, but not too much time for thought. As I didn’t know exactly when Brenda’s brother was expected to arrive, thinking he could already be in the abbey, I avoided walking through the foyer to get to my room. Although Fate apparently already decided we’d be together, I didn’t want to tempt it by showing up without adequate prep time.
After I showered in the community use bathroom and stood in front of the mirror to apply my make-up I found myself smiling. (Good thing no one else was in there with me at the time.) To my surprise, I actually looked forward to this meeting, but how could that be? When did it happen? How could I even think about another relationship? Maybe I felt I had no choice; the abbess and the glasses prophesied it. And I could no more reject Fate than tempt it. For whatever reason, when I walked out of the bathroom I knew the turn I took into the dining room represented more than just a physical act.
The lift in my step slowed a bit as I neared the dinner table. Brenda’s lot and her brother occupied the end closest to me. I noticed an empty seat next to Brenda, opposite from Elijah. Several other men, I suspected the husbands of the rest of the group, sat among the women. As I approached, both Brenda and Elijah stood to welcome me.
“CeeCee, I was beginning to wonder if you skipped out on us. I hadn’t seen you all day. Heh, nice haircut,” Brenda said.
“Oh thanks. I desperately needed one. And no, I didn’t skip out, I just spent the day in town.” Up to now I’d avoided eye contact with Elijah.
Brenda introduced us, “So, this is Elijah. Elijah, this is CeeCee, the woman I spoke to you about.”
“Pleased to meet you.” He extended his hand and I shook it. When he gripped my hand, something metal pressed into my palm. A ring? What? My future husband’s engaged and not to me? I turned my head and coughed to hide my flushed cheeks. And I kept coughing to allow myself recovery time. Okay, maybe it wasn’t an engagement ring. Whoever heard of that, a man wearing a ring? I told myself that it was just a coincidence that he wore a band on his right ring finger.
“Are you okay? Do you need a drink of water?” I felt Brenda’s hand on my shoulder.
“No, I…I’m fine. Sorry for that.” I turned to look at Elijah, “Pleased to meet you as well. Your sister’s told me so much about you. And I hear you’re traveling with Brenda to Ireland; have you been there before?” The cool reception in his eyes forced me to look away before I finished my sentence, no sparks, no sputters, not even a glimmer of interest.
“…last trip my fiancé will let me take,” I heard him say. “We’ll be getting married in September.”
“Oh,” I managed to say, “Brenda didn’t tell me that. Congratulations. I’m sure the two of you will make a wonderful couple.” When at a lost for words, fill the void with clichés.
Thank goodness the food came in at that point. We stood in the way of the servers, which forced us to separate and take our seats. Otherwise, my seat would be the ground because somewhere in the last five minutes my legs turned to gel.
I went through the motions of supper, but made no great contributions to the conversation, although no one seemed to notice. Most of the couples just reunited for the first time in a week and there was much catching up to do. Evidently Brenda couldn’t tell me about the engagement because she didn’t know either, so she spent most of dinner learning about Elijah’s relationship. I heard glimpses here and there, but only feigned interest. I felt like a wallflower at the prom, observing everyone else’s fun.
Once the shock of Elijah’s revelation wore off, I started wondering where I went wrong. How could I be so mistaken? I thought back on my meeting with the abbess and I remembered her words exactly; they’d replayed in my head so many times they were permanently etched on my brain: “I can assure you that a man will be entering your life within the next several months, a man who will play a significant role in your future.” If he wasn’t to be my husband, than what was it? All a bunch of malarkey?
But once I moved beyond my embarrassment, grateful I shared my premonition with no one, an iota of relief crept in. As time wore on that speck would grow to a bit, and then to a great deal, until it took over my mind allowing me to look back on all of this and laugh. Not an overnight invasion, just a gradual and welcome infiltration. With the pressure of an impending relationship removed, I looked forward to moving on. For the first time since Keiran’s death, I felt a change in attitude. I needed to stop looking back and start looking forward to the life in front of me. To heck with Fate and those darned glasses. It was time to get back on the cruise ship and sail ahead!
