It has been so refreshing to have people comment on how nice it is that they are taking their time in this story. To be honest, I couldn't see it any other way. Jim and Catherine are the poster children for failed relationships, and at this stage in their life, I don't think they want to get hurt again.
Thanks for those that have stuck around from the beginning, and for those reading this for the first time- Welcome!
Once again, CSI is not my idea, it's CBS and I don't try to pretend otherwise. I don't own the rights to the Beverly Hillbillies or anything that Paul Harvey says. I just like using them from time to time.
Their visit to the Eco Park is going to be broken down to two or three parts, I haven't decided yet. I'll have to see how it pans out. If I am getting too details ya'll tell me right?
Be prepared to be wooed.
Catherine was not a novice when it came to dating. When puberty hit, she was dating, so going out with a man wasn't anything new. Now wooing, on the other hand, was a foreign entity that she had absolutely no experience on. That was something she would see on old movies or talked about on the Beverly Hillbillies. It sounded antiquated, something her grandparents did. Whoever courts nowadays anyway?
Jim did.
Jim saw her as someone worthy of putting his time into, she saw that now. He was considerate of her, holding a chair out for her, opening a door; everything he did for her showed the care that he had. She thought of past relationships: Eddie, Adam, Paul, Chris; she could keep going but it would be depressing. All attractive driven men; when they shined their affection on her it was flattering, she would get swept off her feet only to fall flat on her butt when they tired of her. They came in, took what they want, and left Catherine a little hollower than she was before she met them. All her life she saw dating as a means to an end, see what you could get out of a relationship.
Not Jim.
Since they set foot on Mexican soil, Jim showed what he could give, and so far it blew her away. It went far beyond just footing the bill of the trip. Every little detail was well thought out in order to bless her. He wasn't trying to sweep her off her feet so he could take what he could. He was too good for that. He ordered breakfast ahead of time, not just ordering what he liked, but remembering past breakfasts, ordering what she likes. Remembering her last time in Cancun, if they had breakfast, it was when she went down to get the continental breakfast for both of them because he was hung-over from the night before. The contrasts were startling.
As they rode in the shuttle bus, not much was said. It wasn't like they had to do the normal "date talk" to make it seem like they really cared about the responses the other gave. They already knew each other; they had been friends for years. Small talk wasn't necessary. They enjoyed each others company in silence.
Jim finally relented and gave her the brochure of the park that they were going to. The park was built in between a rainforest and the ocean. She could see several things that would be interesting to see, but she really just wanted to spend time with Jim. Putting her hand in his, she gave it a gentle squeeze. The bus pulled into the parking lot and stopping in front of the main entrance of the ecological park. Mayan architecture was evident in every building. Getting out of the bus, they were still holding hands as they walked up to pay for the tickets.
"So, what do you want to do first?" Jim asked.
Catherine knew right away what she wanted to do. Even though the sting of the sunburn was gone, she wanted to play it safe and not expose her skin to the sun just yet. The dances and games looked interesting, but there was only one place that she wanted go and have uninterrupted time with Jim.
"The underground river sounds like fun," she replied casually. "Are you up for it?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to do too," he said. "That was easy enough."
Walking though the park, holding hands with Brass, felt right to Catherine. She just wanted to be next to him, to touch him in someway. When they got up to the start of the underground river, they separated to change into their bathing suits. She made quick work of it, not wanting to miss anytime with Jim. Her bathing suit was a turquoise blue, nothing too flashy because when she packed for the trip she wasn't looking to impress Jim, but now wished she had packed a two piece that would have accentuated her body instead of the one piece that covered it up. She pulled her hair into a pony tail so it would be out of her face while they snorkeled, and also so she didn't look like a shaggy dog if she came out of the water the wrong way.
Jim was waiting for her when she emerged from the changing room. He wore red swim trunks splashed with white flowers- typical Hawaiian print.
"Yeah, we don't scream tourist now, don't we?" Catherine joked. "All we need is the goofy straw hat."
"We'll get that later," Jim smiled as he spoke. "Let's get our life vests."
The attendants at the desk were very helpful. In no time, they had their vests, and all their belongings went in a large nylon pink bag that was locked in a cabinet before us. Jim took the key that locked the cabinet and hung it around his neck. It looked pretty funny to see a hot pink lanyard lying on that grey haired chest, and Catherine couldn't help but snicker a bit. Jim batted his eyes at her in mock shock.
"What is it? You don't think hot pink is my color? I happen to be quite secure in my masculinity thank you very much!" He stuck his chest out in pride and Catherine laughed out loud at that remark.
"Oh yeah, Jim that is SO your color. Let's get out of here."
To make matters worse the life vests were also hot pink. A safety precaution, I'm sure, she thought. With goggles on and snorkels in their mouths, they entered the river. The water was a brilliant blue, and its chill caught Catherine off guard at first, but she adjusted quickly. There were two directions that you could go; they went into the left path of the river. The current pushed them along so they chose to float and check out the fish in the river.
Swimming in an underground tunnel took some getting used to. At times it got dark and it felt a little claustrophobic to her, but just as she felt overwhelmed by the darkness, Jim would touch her hand. It reassured her, even if at times he was trying to spook her by pulling on her fins.
"Jim! Stop scaring me like that!"
"I couldn't resist hearing you squeal. Come here, I'll protect you from the big bad fish." The sarcasm was dripping off every word as he pulled her to him.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed on to his vest. "My hero." If he can be sarcastic, so can I, she thought to herself. She could barely make out his features, but she could tell that he had a goofy grin on his face. Before he knew it, he was dunked. He shot back up quickly.
"Now my dear, don't be starting anything you are not willing to finish," Jim was laughing as he said this, then dunked Catherine underwater.
Really, with the snorkel and goggles on, dunking didn't really affect her too much. But it was goofy fun, and she liked it. She got a snorkel full of water and when she popped back up, she blew the water in his face. He sputtered and shook his head. He moved his goggles to the top of his head and had to wipe his face after she blasted him with water. We're acting like a couple of kids, she thought; who cares, it's not like anyone can see us. Then she had an idea.
She lifted her goggles off her eyes and perched them on the top of her head. Pulling him to her, she did what she wanted to do last night, but didn't have the courage. Dripping wet, and half blind she pressed her lips to Jim's. She felt him surprised at her lips on his, but that momentary shock passed and the passion that she felt last night was there. It didn't matter that they were floating in an underground river. It didn't matter that they probably looked ridiculous in their hot pink life vests, snorkels and goggles, desperately trying to cling to each other as the current pushed them on. She was kissing him, and it felt like time stopped just for them. Was it a corny thought, sure, but it never felt better. He returned the kiss with equal fervor, his arms drawing her closer to him as they floated down the river. She didn't know how long that kiss was, but light started invading their space and soon they saw an attendant shivering at the edge of the river with a waterproof camera.
"Would you like a picture sir?"
They cheesed for the camera, got the information they need to get the photo at the end of the trip, and resumed their trip, half swimming half groping for each other down the river. They were giggling like loons. The goggles and snorkels back on, they went exploring the river. At times she marveled how deep the river got. She didn't see much as far as fish, but the rock formations were amazing and when the light shone on the water, it was so clear she could see straight to the bottom of the river. Looking at the markers as they floated, she noted that they were almost at the end of the trip. She was amazed how fast the time flew. She was sad that it was ending, but at the same time, she was tired and could really use a drink.
Entering the bay where they started, they slowly got out of the water and headed to the bag claim area. They turned in their vests and snorkel gear and received their belongings.
"What do you say that we grab something to drink and rest a bit? That river took a little more out of me than I thought it would." Jim was toweling off as he was talking to her.
How does he do that? It's like he can read my mind.
Catherine smiled, "I think that would be a fantastic idea. I'll meet you out her in 5 ok?"
"Deal."
She tried to seem casual as she went to change, but as soon as he was out of sight she raced to get dressed. Toweling off quickly, she changed her clothes, rolled her bathing suit into the towel and started brushing her hair. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was relieved to see that she looked pretty good for someone that just got through a 45 minute swim/snorkel/makeout/dunkfest. She took her hair down out of the ponytail and brushed it carefully. She wanted to look good for him. The more she was with him; the more she wanted to show him how much she appreciated him. They might look like tourists, but she was making sure that they were going to be the best looking tourists around. Looking at her hair, she decided to put it back up again. Satisfied with the end look, she met with Jim outside.
Jim had in his hands a packet. In the packet were two pictures. Apparently the attendant taking the pictures saw a little more than she bargained for. The first picture was of them kissing. She would have laughed out loud at how goofy they looked trying to hold on to each other, snorkels and goggles forgotten; but the memory of that kiss made her cherish that picture even more.
"I guess we weren't as alone as we thought."
"Nope, I was told that normally they only took one picture per group, but the guy saw this and had to take a picture." Jim showed her the second picture. "This is what he's supposed to take."
The picture of them posed and smiling those cheesy grins made both of them laugh. It was a nice picture for sure, the guy did good work. Most likely that will be the picture they show their friends, but the first picture that showed, as Paul Harvey would say, "The rest of the story" will be kept to themselves.
"Do I have to choose which one I want?" she asked hating the decision that she would make.
"Naw, I got duplicates. You have to have both. One you can show Lindsey now, and one you can show Lindsey when she gets older."
Catherine punched him in the arm. "Let's go get something to drink."
So how is the date going so far? Let me know what you think! I appreciate all reviews.
