Chapter 17 Someone from the past

Cairns, 18 years later

The late afternoon sun was caressing the guests in the garden chairs and on the terrace. Time to get some refreshments. Waiters ran from and to with drinks to the guests.

The young tall blond pretty woman stood in front of the open window and held her glasses in her hand and was tapping the specs against her teeth. She was looking dreamily at the scenery in the garden. She was wearing white cotton trousers and a fresh green blouse and high heeled sandals. She preferred to wear her hair just below her neck. Her appearance fitted perfectly in her function as hotel manager.

Hopefully the weather would stabilize for the coming months because the last two weeks had been very bad with thunderstorms and an awful amount of rain. So bad that our boats couldn't sail. Now, it's ok again. That's the business. Sometimes you lose some, sometimes you win some. She smiled with that thought.

Inside it was still calm, but not for long. Waiters were busy preparing the tables for dinner. Her eyes swept with a monitoring glance over the tables. This is ok. But her check stopped at a menu card that lay on the ground, probably blown away by a breeze.

She bent over to grab the card and she smiled again when she read the name of her hotel: The Hammersley Hotel. If it had been her choice she would have chosen another name, like the Coral Sea Hotel or something, but it was the wish of her parents. After all these years it became a trade mark. So be it.

She put on her glasses again and looked outside to one couple in particular. Two older people, she guessed they were a bit older than her parents. He had something over him, that made her thinking that she had seen him somewhere. On the other hand she had never seen the woman with silver grey hair. It was a strange encounter with them. Especially the questions he had asked her.

He pretended that he knew me and he asked me for my name. No other guest who checks in does that. 'Stephanie McGregor,' I had answered. He did a guess for my age and that was right on target. 24. How did he know that? Then he got all of a sudden an extreme cute glance over his face, something I don't expect from a hotel guest. Next he had asked if my family was ok. I was completely surprised and stammered that it was. He couldn't keep his eyes of me and he seemed to be a million miles away. His behaviour was clearly not normal because his wife asked him if he was ok. He stammered that he was and they left to go to their room. Afterwards I looked at the name of the couple, but it told me nothing: Mr and Mrs Michael Morell. And now they are sitting in the garden. When I see mum and dad, I'll ask them.

She stopped thinking when she heard someone very familiar whistling a song at the entrance of the hotel. She walked towards him. "Hey dad, so you're happy?"

"Great Steph. I'm just back from the wharf and the Southern Star 2 is back in the water. Completely restored, just like new. Now, our fleet of eight boats is complete again."

"Question - one of our guests is a certain Michael Morell and his wife, do you know them?"

Dylan was rubbing his face. "Nope, it doesn't ring a bell to me. Why?"

"It's weird. He asked me some personal questions and he looked at me like he had known me for years."

"You'd better ask mum. She will arrive from her inspection tour to the other hotels within…" He looked at his watch. "…an hour or so."

"Ma'am? Phone call for you," one of the waiters interrupted them.

"Yeah, coming!" She answered and she mouthed "Sorrry" to Dylan.

He nodded, watching as she walked into reception and he smiled.

She walks exactly like her mother. How's that possible? Furthermore she's theperfect mixture of Kate and Mike. She's taller than Kate, Kate's hair, his eyes, but Kate's characteristic nose. And what from me? Hehe, I'm technically not the father, but I do consider her my daughter. I think she adopted my way of talking. That's what Kate always says, but I haven't noticed that yet.

One hour later Kate arrived from the airport like a mule. She was wearing a cream coloured suit and high heeled sandals. Her hair was in a knot and her handbag was slung diagonally over her shoulder. In her hands, she was carrying a laptop bag and a small suit case. Stephanie came to meet her mother.

"Hey, mum, how was your tour? You look like you need a shower."

"Hey darling. Pfft. You're right. It was exhausting. After the past wet weeks, it's all of a sudden very hot. But the other hotels are doing well. That's the most important thing. Is dad in?"

"Oh yeah! He's in the clouds with his renovated boat."

She smiled. "Yeah, that was to be expected. And the paperwork will always be for poor Kate. First on the Hammersley, now here, the papers will always find me. Anyhow I'll take a shower, then I'll find dad and we'll have a drink in the garden."

"Mum?"

Hmm, she's already gone. Never mind. That guy will not run away.

Somewhat later they both returned. Kate had her hair untied and switched her suit for a sundress that gave her more room to breathe and wore heeled mules. Before they went to the garden Stephanie stopped them.

"Mum, a question. One of the new guests seems to know me, us. He and his wife have booked under the name Michael Morell. Do you know them? I asked dad, but he didn't know."

Kate lifted her eyebrows. "Hmm, when I consider the names apart then yes, but together, no. Michael could be Mike, you know, your natural father, and Morell could be Ursula Morell, his first lover before me."

"Do I have to know him?" Stephanie asked.

"Depends on how much you remember."

"How so?"

"Do you remember when you were six, that trip we made with Maxine, with the boat to see those waterfalls?"

"Nope, not really, but I can't forget that moment when that man hit you. It's like it's etched in my memory," she said annoyed.

"Well, that was Mike." Kate said plainly.

"What? Should that bastard even be in my hotel right now?" she almost shouted.

"Listen Stephanie, that's overreacting. Afterwards, he made his apologises. It's been 18 years, so, if it's really him, I think it's really the past."

"Come on honey, I'm thirsty. We can talk better with a drink. Steph, can you ask the waiter to bring us our classic medicine? And get yourself something also."

"A beer, and a glass of white wine?" Stephanie replied with a smile.

"Exactly!"

They took a place at a table in the middle of the garden. The waiter brought their 'medicine' and a glass of sherry dry for Stephanie.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Dylan was smiling and he was stretching in the comfortable garden chair. "Taking a break at the end of the day with a sparkling beverage."

"Yeah, indeed. It has been a tough three days. Flew in, flew out, cab in, cab out, with all that heat. Splendid here, with that breeze; it's relaxing," Kate said before sipping from her wine.

"How's Rebecca doing?" Stephanie asked after she took a sip of her sherry.

"She was extreme happy to see me. She feels like a queen in her hotel on the island. It was a very good decision to send her to that hotel managers training course five years ago. I still can't conceive that I started the expansion of the South Pacific Discovery Cruises with her. These 18 years have passed so quickly. She also wished that I could pop over more frequently," Kate said with a smile.

"Yeah and her husband is the cook of the hotel," Dylan added.

"Mum, that's that couple," while she pointed.

Kate turned her head slightly and got startled. "Oops, yes, indeed that's him, Mike and she's Ursula. Hmm, they found each other again after all."

At that moment the waiter came to them. "Boss, the lady and the gentleman over there are asking what you want to drink, from them." He was pointing to Mike.

"The same?" Dylan asked and both nodded. "Yeah, the same."

After they received their drinks they made a 'cheers' signal to Mike. Both stood up and walked to them. "May I congratulate you on your hotel. It's splendid." he said more or less in the direction of Kate.

Kate pointed to Stephanie. "She's the manager."

Dylan offered them to take a seat. "Ow, I didn't know, well the compliments are for you miss."

"Thank you," she replied.

"Sorry, I thought it was you," he said to Kate.

"Hmm, almost correct. We…" she pointed to Dylan "are the owners of the resorts and the boats."

"Nice achievement. May I present my wife Ursula?"

They all shook hands.

"It's a long time, isn't it? I see you're doing well?" Mike started.

"Yeah, 18 years. And yes, we're happy. And you? I noticed you're under another name?" Kate couldn't hide her curiosity.

"Well, the facts of my stupidity 18 years ago left scars. I left you…" He pointed to Stephanie. "… Behind in the hands of Bird and I was on the run. I had no criminal record but I guessed I was being searched for everywhere. I went underground on one of the small islands of Micronesia. I got a job there as captain on a salvage vessel, and one day I came ashore in New Caledonia and there I met Ursula again, by accident. She was still in witness protection, and since I was on the run, it worked for us both.

We were happy we found each other again and we moved on. Looking back at the situation, I took over her name. Thus, I'm now Mike Morell. The last 10 years I've been a captain of a cruise vessel from Melbourne to New Zealand.

I'm still happy you opened my eyes in that container with those last sentences you shouted at me. They are still crystal clear in my memory: "You're right for once. He was the biggest idiot I've ever met in my life! Remember that! Mike, she's six! Remember? Six years!' You were damn right, I'll remember them forever. Later on the boat, I started realising what they meant." He looked at Stephanie. "I'm happy to see you again. You've became a gorgeous woman, just like your mother."

"Thank you," Stephanie answered.

"Mike," she said. "I know that you are my natural father, but you must also understand that you are, for me, someone who my mother knew and that I consider Dylan as my real father, yes?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah, that's logical, I understand, no problem." He looked again at Kate and Dylan. "And what about you both?"

"I started to rebuild the company after my skipper was blown into the hospital and the boat into 72-pieces. The Navy arranged it, so I was reimbursed so I could have a new boat built," Kate answered.

"Meanwhile we married and I finished my term in the Navy. Then I also started in the company, and we grew it bit by bit until now. We have four hotels and eight boats," Dylan continued.

"Nice, I'm happy to hear that," Mike answered.

"How did you find us?" Kate asked.

"We wanted to have a break and our attention was immediately attracted by the name of the hotel, Hammersley. Obvious, isn't it?" Mike said with a smile.

Then Ursula tapped on his arm."Darling, these people are taking a break after a full day of working. We will let them and we will take a small walk before dinner, ok?"

"Uh? Yes, ok, we will probably see each other again before we leave."

Ursula and Mike left and the three others were quiet for a while enjoying their drink and were reliving these 18 years.

"Does it do something to you?" Dylan asked a bit worried.

"No, nothing. It's the past, we have our life now," Kate answered with a shrug.

Dylan chuckled all of a sudden.

"What's up?" asked Kate.

"Well we were lucky - they all could have been together here! Last week we had Maxine and her friend, and last month we had Nikki and her family here on vacation."

"Don't remind me of that, dad!" Stephanie replied.

"Oh yeah," he laughed. "I still see your face when you discovered that her two sons wanted to play baseball here in the garden between the other guests."

Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Nikki can command a war ship, but she has no control over her two sons," Kate added.

Stephanie stood up from her chair. "Right. Mum, dad, I have to go inside, there's work to do. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you."

Dylan was looking at her until she went inside. "Mike is right, she became a gorgeous woman," he said to Kate.

Kate gave him a tap on his shoulder and said smiling. "Mullholland, you have to look at me, not at her."

He grinned. "Come, McGregor, let's go home. While you made your leisure tour, I…"

She gave him a slap on his shoulder, "You're naughty", she muttered.

"…I bought some food, and I'm going to prepare you a dinner."

"Yeah, come on, I'm hungry. Moreover, tomorrow is another day for the customers, but this evening, and the night, is for us."

She slapped her arm around his waist and he did the same with her and they were heading to their house.

END

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