A~N Thank you so much for your reviews guys. They are much appreciated. I hope you like this instalment.
Chapter 3
Jonathan frowned as he looked up at the cheerful looking shop front with all it's colourful inflatables hanging up outside.
"No Jennifer come on. I'd feel like a fool."
"Ah come on. Who is here to see you. Ah please." She coaxed.
He looked over at her, she looked impossibly beautiful in white shorts and a lemon and white striped top. Her legs were starting to tan already.
"Ok then, why not," he shrugged with a grin.
And so shortly after they were both sitting in rubber rings floating on the water. They had such fun splashing eachother and racing their rings back to the shore line. A teenager in a swim suit watched them from the shore and looked on as if they were so childish. Jonathan saw her look of disdain and pointed at Jennifer.
"It was her idea, I have to look after her. She's not quite right."
Jennifer was rowing over to him with her hands scooping through the water.
"Now Jennifer, no violence." Jonathan said as he struggled to get away.
They then abandoned their inflatables to a bunch of children and took a walk around the island. They followed the path away from the sea front and found the Information centre and a beautiful park with picnic tables and torch lighting at each table. There were steps up to a higher plain and they walked for a good two hours through apple trees and wild flowers.
They smiled and said good morning to the many workers they saw all wearing the same green jacket and cap the young boy had been wearing.
"You know I can't help noticing Jennifer, as beautiful as this Island is, the workers don't seem very happy."
"I thought that was just me," Jennifer turned to him. "I tried to engage the guy in the restaurant in conversation and he was polite but he looked so tired."
"They all look tired," Jonathan agreed.
Jennifer suddenly turned and caught her breath. "Jonathan look at that."
They were standing on a hill and out before them were rows and rows of apple trees as far as the eye could see. They all stood as if in formation and all carried a weight of lovely red apples glistening in the sunlight.
"That is a stunning sight," Jonathan had to agree.
"Gill seems really nice though and she does run this place. I can't imagine her being hard on her workers." Jennifer mused.
"I don't know Jennifer, I've seen the nicest people treat their secretary like a piece of trash."
They were now walking towards another flight of wooden steps going downhill. Jennifer loved the beautiful ornate little houses dotted here and there. They made her feel like she was in a fairy story.
"Hello," Jennifer smiled as a man came out from one of the little gates. He gave her a look and walked on. Jennifer frowned at his rudness. Although he was wearing a tee shirt he was carrying papers and a clipboard. He didn't look as though he was on holiday.
"Come on Darling," Jonathan took her hand and led her down the wooden steps.
They were heading back towards the beach but Jennifer stopped.
"Darling can we go back to the house for a while, I have a headache with all this sun."
"Come on, that restaurant serves pizza at lunch time. I'll bring you back to the house and get some pizza and salad for lunch with a bottle of wine."
Jennifer smiled up at him. "That sounds great."
After their meal they both lay down on the bed. They had only meant to rest a while away from the sun but soon Jonathan was sound asleep. Jennifer turned to him and smiled. She couldn't remember the last time he looked so peaceful. Carefully she crept off the bed. She was too excited to sleep. As she came out of her bedroom she heard a low knock on the front door.
A lady about her own age was standing there holding sheets, towels and soap.
"Good morning madam, I am here to tidy your house."
Jennifer looked to the bedroom. She did not want Jonathan to be woken from his sleep.
"No thank you, not today. I'll just take the towels and soap and thank you."
As the lady handed them over Jennifer noticed the plastic bangle around her wrist. It was a pretty orange colour and said Welcome to Sonas Island.
"Oh that's pretty, can I get one of those?" she asked.
"It's for staff," the woman nodded nervously.
"Oh I see, well let me just get you something for your trouble,"
Jennifer went to get her purse. She returned to the door but the woman was gone. Jennifer frowned as she closed her purse. She was sure the woman had heard her when she said she would give her something. She couldn't imagine why the lady didn't wait for her tip.
Jennifer didn't dwell on it. She found her sun visor on the couch and took off for a walk down to the beach. The young children in bathing suits were running in and out of the waves screaming as the cold water splashed their ankles. Jennifer smiled as she watched their child like happiness. There were loungers dotted here and there along the coast line. Jennifer walked up to a group of women piling their already tanned bodies with sun cream.
"Your children are having a great time," she smiled.
"Yeah marvellous, do you want one of them?" the nearest lady said. The others laughed.
"Yeah, take your pick." Another lady grinned over at her.
Jennifer swallowed back the intense feeling those words gave her.
"It's a lovely day isn't it?" She smiled.
"What does your husband do for a living?" one of the others asked as she shielded her eyes from the sun.
Jennifer shrugged. "Oh this and that. He's into lots of things."
"Do you even know?" the lady asked.
The others exchanged glances and grinned to each other.
Jennifer, always the lady smiled at them and backed away. She knew what Jonathan did as many a long night she spent in his office helping him when he was late with an order. She knew alright but would never share details of her husbands business with anyone.
"Enjoy the sun," she said as she walked away. She looked out at the perfect blue waves and heard the ever present cheerful tune of the nearby farris wheel. She suddenly needed Jonathan.
H~H
He was still sleeping soundly when she got back. He looked so peaceful she didn't want to disturb him. As she sat in the living room she saw someone walk around the small house towards the wood shed. She quickly ran to grab her purse. She met him as he was leaving through the gate.
"Here a tip for you," she smiled as she held out ten dollars.
The man shook his head "No thank you."
"Please, I insist,"
He clanked the gate closed and hurried away with his bucket in hand. Jennifer frowned. Slowly she turned and walked back inside.
"Sorry darling, I didn't mean to sleep this long."
Jonathan ran a hand through his tossed hair as he entered the living room.
Jennifer was putting the money back in her purse.
"What do you want to do tonight?" He asked.
"Oh, I don't know," she shook her head with a smile.
"Well that's not very affirmative. You must wanna do something?"
Jennifer shrugged as she closed her purse.
"Are you Ok?"
She couldn't help it. She put a hand to her face as tears began to spill down her cheeks.
"Perhaps I have had too much sun, perhaps I had too much wine last night." she sobbed.
Jonathan came over and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Perhaps you don't like it here," he said.
"Jonathan...I don't like it here," she sobbed into his shoulder.
"No, I don't like it here either," He told her as he rubbed her back.
"Jonathan, I love you. You irrationally hate the things I hate for no reason."
They both burst out laughing.
"This place is just weird," Jonathan said as he hugged her.
"There is this weird energy here," Jennifer agreed.
"You've always been susceptible to bad energy,"
"I know, it's actually a curse rather than a blessing. You just dislike a place or a situation and you don't know why." Jennifer took a tissue from her purse and wiped her nose with it.
"All better now?" Jonathan asked.
"Yeah, I'm sorry Jonathan. I don't want to spoil your evening."
"No it's ok, I've been in there crying all afternoon," Jonathan said, putting on a feminine voice.
She swatted him with her purse.
Jonathan took her in his arms. "Look this place is a little weird but it's only for a week. Lets just see it as an adventure."
He could feel Jennifer nod into his shoulder. He looked down into her tear stained face.
"What's say I ring reception and ask for a couple of steak dinners and a bottle of soda and then when we finish we can go for a stroll down the beach together."
"Oh Jonathan that sounds lovely."
A young nervous looking Asian girl brought the food and a bottle of orange. Jonathan frowned as he noticed she was wearing the same Welcome to Sonas bracelet as everyone else here.
"I do like those bracelets," Jennifer told him later.
"They are cheerful colours and they don't look like cheap plastic. They look like they are made from some class of stone or something. I might get one before we leave here."
"You've cheered up," Jonathan grinned at her.
"I was actually starving," Jennifer said around a mouth full of garlic bread.
After their meal they put on light jackets and set off for the beach. Jonathan looked very handsome in a white jacket and light faded jeans. Jennifer was proud of this handsome man on her arm as she headed past the group standing at the open air restaurant.
"Jennifer, Jonathan," Gill called out to them.
"Do come to the dance in the park. There will be a barbeque and a nightclub singer."
"No thanks," Jonathan smiled. "We're just going for a walk."
Gill watched them go, her brother Uri came up beside her.
"I want her," he said.
"All in good time," she answered evenly.
The waves crashed and rolled on the perfect sand, the sun was setting over the horizon leaving a splash of red and purple in its wake. They walked together hand in hand in companionable silence for a while. Jennifer carried her sandles between her fingers and allowed the water to caress her feet.
"What do you think Max is doing now?" Jennifer asked.
"He's below in our celler picking out the best wine to have with his steak," Jonathan said.
"Good luck to him, I never want to see Apple wine again."
Jonathan laughed "it's rotten isn't it. It's lovely going down but after an hour you feel like it's sitting on your stomach."
"Yeah and it has an aftertaste," Jennifer agreed.
She let out a sigh. "I'd love to make love to you right here on this beach."
"Are you sure about that?"Jonathan asked. "Remember when we did that in France."
"Oh God yeah, what was that rash I got," Jennifer winced as she remembered.
"It was from the wet sand,"
"Yeah try explaining that to your 65 year old male doctor," Jennifer picked up a shell and examined it as she spoke.
"You never went to him with that in the end did you?"
"No, I'd be embarrassed. I put cream on it and sat on a soft cushion for a week."
"It looked for all the world like I'd spanked you or something," Jonathan said.
"I know...and I didn't even have that pleasure."
Jonathan straightened up and looked at her. Jennifer burst out laughing at his disapproving face and took hold of his arm.
"I'm quite sure I did not come on this trip to be spoken to in that sordid fashion. I will be seeking alturnative accomodation." Jonathan joked in a fake posh accent.
Jennifer was about to answer when they both noticed a burning torchlight in the distance.
"What is it?" Jonathan asked. He took her hand and they both ran towards it.
"Welcome lady and gentleman," the waiter said.
He gestured to a candle lit table up on a small platform by the sea shore.
"Please take a seat. Would you like some wine."
He was holding a bottle of red wine and two glasses.
They both looked at eachother and shrugged. At least it wasn't apple wine. They took a seat at the table and the waiter called on two others to help serve them.
They ended their evening sitting at the table eating tasty swiss cheese on crackers and drinking a fine house wine. The torch light flickered in the darkness as they sat in eachothers arms laughing about old times and looking out into the endless ocean. Maybe Sonas Island wasn't so bad after all.
~~~~The Harts will soon find out that...all that glitters is not gold. Stay tuned next time for more of their strange prize winning holiday~~~~