They'd had an extraordinary day, more so for Ruth who had been picturing a nice hotel or maybe a cottage overlooking the sea, but a boat and one that was theirs, never in a million years would she have guessed. It was designed for a family with two double berths and a single for occasional use. The galley was compact and designed to be functional, whereas the living area was spacious and comfortable with masses of cupboard and drawer space and every conceivable gadget. More importantly and one of the reasons that Harry had chosen it, was that it was designed to go into coastal waters which would enable them to have family holidays and weekends, exploring and mooring in the dozens of small coves and harbours such as the one they were in now.
Malcolm had pointed them in the direction of the Harbourmaster and with a cheery wave had promised to see them later. To Ruth it felt totally surreal and as though she'd stepped into an alternative universe and to Harry as long as Ruth was happy, then so was he. The paperwork now completed and signed and a year's mooring paid for, the rest of the day was their own.
'Shopping,' he said, squeezing her hand and grinning at her in an effort to get her attention. 'Malcolm and June, I think they'll be expecting us to feed them this evening.' She'd been pretty much in a daze since they'd arrived not surprisingly so and Harry understood that, but it wasn't far off lunchtime and he was starting to get hungry again and they needed to stock up on food for at least a week. 'How about we go back to the boat and make love,' finally got a reaction and Ruth back from her dream state, as she looked at him with a smile that said I really want to, but hadn't we better go and do that shopping?
Back in the here and now, they unloaded the car and whilst Ruth unpacked and stowed the shopping and prepared their lunch, Harry laid the table. It was a beautiful sunny day and plenty warm enough to eat on deck.
'Forgiven?' he asked, pouring the last of the wine into her glass, in a voice that implied so much more.
'Maybe,' she answered with the same twinkle in her eyes and a voice that matched his suggestion.
The air such as there was, was crackling, so Harry saying that they should go to bed because they'd had very little sleep the previous night, had Ruth finishing the washing up at breakneck speed and following him. Unfortunately for Ruth, by the time she got there he was breathing steadily and appeared to be asleep. He certainly wasn't asleep, but he was genuinely tired and had been struggling to stay awake during lunch. When Ruth spooned herself in behind him and ran her fingers the length of his thigh, it took all of his resolve not to turn over and ruin the last of his plans that was for bedtime that night. He could have sworn that the last thing he heard before he gave in to sleep, was a small voice saying 'bugger.'
They had no idea as to the nature of the relationship that had developed between Malcolm and June and they certainly weren't going to pry, but Harry insisted that they should spend their first evening with them, if for no other reason than he wanted to say thank you. It wasn't only Ruth who was hanging on to his every word, so was June. She had known from the first day that she had been employed to look after him that all had not been as it seemed but had kept her counsel, done her job and by the end of the five months had become very fond of him. Ruth too had shown immense courage through what she had come to learn had been extraordinary circumstances that had resulted in the four of them sitting where they were that evening. What she didn't know until Harry started speaking, was that Malcolm had been the catalyst, gentle and unassuming but immensely determined were the words that Harry used had when he thanked him and outlined the number of times that he had stepped in to help them.
'When Ruth had been away, it was Malcolm that had held him together, never letting him give up hope that she would return. Who was the first person that Ruth contacted on her return and who was it that had ensured that Nico had been spared to be part of lives? It was Malcolm again. He was a true friend and they would forever be in his debt,' ended what Harry had wanted to say for a long time, after which they settled down to their meal and the start of an enjoyable evening.
'Well we'd better leave you two lovebirds to it,' Malcolm said, looking at his watch and seeing it was close to ten. 'I'm sorry about last night's accommodation,' he told Ruth for a second time, 'but I'm sure you'll find it a lot better tonight.'
'Love birds,' she whispered in his ear as she gave him a huge cuddle.
'Of course you are,' he whispered back.
'Promise me you'll come and stay with us, Nico would love to see you again, you know that.'
'Then I'd better make sure that I do,' was said quietly, but with such sincerity that Ruth was sure that he would.
'Alone at last,' breathed Harry against Ruth's neck as they stood on the deck and watched Malcolm's car disappear into the distance. It was a carbon copy of the previous night with the sky teeming with stars and the moonlight dancing on the water, but this time apart from the water lapping against the side of the boat there wasn't a single sound, bar their breathing.
Have you any idea how much I love you said the voice his head, as Ruth turned round to face him and smiled. Once he kissed her he knew he would be lost and there was something exquisitely beautiful about standing there and drowning in her eyes. Ruth had been drowning for hours, gazing at him at dinner and just listening to his voice had been enough to make her want to drag him away from the table and onto their bed, and now she was close to begging point. Still Harry waited, his body reacting as it had been throughout the evening to the closeness of her, the smell of her and every inch of her body that was waiting to be explored. In what was the last of his plans, they had never been destined to make it to their bedroom. Slowly, almost without Ruth realising it, he had manoeuvred them to the prow of the boat and down onto the mattress and the rugs that were designed for sunbathing. Cunning and pre-planned it may have been, but this was their real wedding night and Harry had been determined that was going to be memorable. Ruth was way past analysing, her body was on fire and the moment that he touched her it blew her mind. There were no nosey neighbours, there was no Nico to walk in and interrupt them they could take as long as they liked. As Ruth surrendered beside him, that was exactly what Harry did.
Some hours later when the earth had stopped moving and they lay curled together in each other's arms, Harry had opened his eyes. Sweet beautiful Ruth, his wife, still something that he needed to pinch himself to believe, was sleeping peacefully beside him. The sky was still carpeted with stars, he had truly died and gone to heaven. Pulling the blankets more tightly around them so that Ruth wasn't cold, he buried his face in her hair and disappeared back into sleep, his mind free of plans for the first time in weeks, it was up to Mike and Sue now.