Hope for All- chapter 29
The next morning, Tony woke up early. He opted to go for a quick run around the upper deck. He left a note for Angela and grabbed his running shoes. He missed his runs through Fairfield and it felt good to run, especially to work off all the food they had been eating. He loved the solitude of being one of the few people up at that hour and getting to see the beautiful scenery around the neighborhood. The sun was just rising over the island of Freeport, their port of call for the day. He knew she had booked another tour today that would bring them back again about half way through the day. After getting in about a half an hour run, he found the weight room and spent another half an hour working out. When he was done, he stopped on the way back to the room and grabbed two cups of tea.
When he opened the cabin door, he saw the bed was empty but the door to the balcony was opened. He could see her on one of the deck chairs reading a book about pregnancy he had bought when they first found out she was pregnant. He came onto the balcony and placed the cups of tea on the table, leaning over to kiss her good morning.
"Morning sweetheart! You sleep okay?" asked Tony as he started to sip his tea.
"Overall pretty good, minus having to get up every three hours to use the bathroom. I'm just over the half way point and I know it's only going to get worse from here. It already feels like one of them uses my bladder as a pillow!" she laughed as she rubbed her stomach.
"That just means you need to start to rest more during the day to make up for the lost time. After the excursion today, we will come back and rest again like yesterday. You read anything new and interesting?" he asked as he pointed to the book.
"This coming week they should be about a pound or so each, give or take. They are starting to form facial features including eyebrows. I wonder who they are going to look like…" she said.
"I bet they have your good looks, your eyes and your smile…" he said as he leaned in to kiss her again, causing her to blush.
"Well, they will look like one of us I guess! So how was your workout?" she asked as she picked up her tea and took a sip.
"It was good! It's no Fairfield at 5:30am but it did the trick. The workout room was really nice! Got in over an hour workout! Let me jump in the shower and then we can head up to get breakfast before we leave for the excursion" he said as he stood to head back into the room.
"I already ordered us room service. By the time you're done, it should be here!" she said as he smiled and kissed her one last time before heading in.
An hour later, all clean, dressed and full from breakfast, they packed their bag again and headed to disembark. The small ferry took them to the mainland of Freeport where their tour bus was waiting. The first stop on the tour was to a place called Garden of the Groves. The tour guide gave them some basic information about the botanical gardens on the drive. The garden is over 12 acres and has hundreds of different species of plants, flowers and wildlife. The bus pulled up and let them off at the garden gates.
"Oh wow Angela this is absolutely beautiful! Look at how green and lush everything is- it's stunning!" said Tony.
The tour had secured the group a tour guide who walked them through the first part of the gardens, stopping along the way to point out different species of birds, insects, trees, plant life and flowers.
After the tour ended, they walked through the gardens, stopping along the way to read up on more of the history of the gardens as well as all of the Bahamas. Years ago, Tony wouldn't have found himself interested in learning about different cultures and traditions but since starting college, he found he couldn't get enough of the rich history and culture. They stopped along the way to take photos in front of the beautiful tall, green trees, exotic flowers and some small waterfalls. Tony was able to find a fallen pink flower that he gave to Angela to put in her hair.
They continued walking through the gardens until they came upon some shops. They decided to walk through the shops, getting to see some authentic Bahamian goods and pieces of art. Once they had picked up a few souvenirs, they decided to stop at the Garden Cafe overlooking the waterfalls to give Angela some much needed rest. They ordered some drinks and some snack foods.
"This really is absolutely beautiful Tony! Look at those waterfalls! It makes me want to jump right in! Or at the very least stick my feet in the water!" she laughed as she sipped her water.
"By midday with this heat and humidity, you just might find me jumping in there!" he laughed.
"We still have sometime before the bus picks us back up. Do you want to stay here or walk some more?" she asked.
"I think stay here. The view is so beautiful plus the breeze from the waterfalls feels so nice. You should probably be off your feet longer too Angela, so I vote for just relaxing here" he said.
"No arguments from me!" she laughed as the waitress brought them their food. They ate their food, enjoying each other's company until it was time to head back to the bus.
"I wonder what the kids have been up to this week. Let's just hope Mother has been checking up on them from time to time. Although they do have Mrs. Rossini there so I'm sure she's been nowhere to be found!" she laughed as they got back on the bus and took their seats.
"I'm sure they are fine! I was half expecting to see Mona on one of these islands, deciding to take her own vacation!" he laughed.
The bus took them to their final destination, The Port Lucaya Marketplace and Count Basie Square. The bus let them off in the middle of the square. They were given a few hours to explore the area as well as having lunch reservations at a local restaurant. They walked through the area, stopping in a few stores for more souvenirs. Tony had a lingering thought they'd need to buy another suitcase to take home all the souvenirs they had bought this trip. They made their way to Count Basie Square. There was a band playing music as well as local vendors selling crafts and other merchandise. They stopped on a bench to watch the band.
After a few minutes, the band announced they were going to do karaoke and had a sign up sheet posted. Tony jumped at the chance and signed himself up, looking through the catalog of songs. He finally chose one and sat back down next to Angela to wait his turn.
"So what song did you choose?" asked Angela as she snuggled into the side of his body.
"You'll just have to wait and see!" he said with a smile. Soon, they called him up and he took his spot in front of the band. Angela knew immediately which song he picked as soon as the band began playing the first few notes of the song. Tears started to form in her eyes as she sat back and watched him beginning to sing.
"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it's cold out, I've got the month of May
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way
My girl
Talkin' 'bout my girl…"
Tony continued to sing the rest of the song, his eyes never leaving Angela's. Once the song was done, Angela wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up to meet him in the middle of the dance floor. They embraced as they met for a passionate kiss. All the tourists around them erupted in applause from the time he finished his song until they ended their kiss. They headed back to the bench and cuddled into one another as they watched others get up to sing.
After a while, they headed to the restaurant for the group reservations. This time they had to sit with the group. They ended up sitting next to a couple around their age. They had seen them off and on throughout their excursion as well as on the ship. Tony helped Angela into her seat and grabbed the chair next to her, leaving the couple to take the seats across the table.
"I hope you don't mind, but that song you sang to her was one of the most romantic gestures I've ever seen! You two make the most adorable couple!" said the woman.
"Seriously! You put the rest of us to shame!" laughed the man.
"When you're married to the most beautiful, amazing woman, it's easy…" he said as he leaned over to kiss Angela.
"Where are our manners? My name is Jane and this is my boyfriend Brad. We're on the cruise but originally we are from Connecticut" said Jane.
"That's too funny! We are also from Connecticut! My name is Angela and this is my husband Tony" she said as they reached over and shook each other's hands.
"Pleasure to meet you! How long have you been a couple?" asked Tony.
"Oh about five years or so. We work together!" said Brad.
"Same with us! Although we don't work together anymore" said Tony.
"What are you doing on this cruise?" asked Angela.
"Well we are both kinda workaholics so we decided it was time for a break! Brad found this great deal and here we are!" said Jane.
"My client gave me information and a great deal as well. It's actually our honeymoon! We were married a few months ago" said Angela.
"Congratulations! And congratulations on the baby! When are you due if you don't mind me asking" said Jane.
"It's twins actually and I'm due mid September. We figured this will be one of the last trips we will get to take for a while so we wanted it to be special" said Angela as she put a hand over her stomach.
"Twins? Way to go Tony!" said Brad as he leaned over and punched his shoulder. Tony and Angela exchanged a quick look, silently communicating Brad's awkwardness.
"So I'm assuming the babies were a… surprise then…" said Jane.
"Well we have two other children from previous relationships and had been wanting more children together. It all just fell into place…" said Angela as she was trying to figure out a way to switch seats with any other couple in the restaurant. Tony was sensing her discomfort and started to rub her back.
"Wow! Big family! You don't hear about those as often these days. Good for you both!" said Brad.
The main course was preordered by the tour and placed down in front of each of them. Tony and Angela were happy to end the awkward conversation as they started to eat lunch. Once they were done with lunch, dessert came right out. Tony and Angela shared their desserts, trying to engage in their own conversation to avoid talking to Brad and Jane.
"I'm going to see about paying the bill Angela and then we should get going. We wanted to head back to some of the shops before we head back" said Tony as he kissed her forehead as he got up. Jane also got up to pay their bill as well. Angela was so caught up in the lingering feeling of Tony's kiss, she didn't see Brad come over and sit down in Tony's seat until it was too late.
"Oh… hi Brad. What… what are you doing over here?" she asked cautiously.
"I figured we could keep each other company while they were gone. Just between you and I, I was thinking of asking Jane to marry me soon but seeing you two so in love, I think I might do it on the cruise! What do you think?" asked Brad.
"Oh wow… that's wonderful! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!" said Angela.
"Thank you Angela!" said Brad as he reached over and hugged her tightly. She tried to pull back from the hug, but he kept her in an awkward embrace. His hand slowly came to the front of Angela and started rubbing her baby bump. Angela immediately pushed his hands off of her stomach and stood up, taking a few steps back.
"I'm so sorry Angela! I… I don't know what came over me!" said Brad. Some of the other guests who saw the incident came over to Angela to see if she was alright.
"I think you'd better go find Jane because if you are here when Tony gets back, it will not be pretty…" she said as Tony came running over to Angela. He saw the small crowd of guests around her and assumed something had happened.
"Angela! Are you alright? Is it the babies?" he said with an overwhelming amount of panic in his voice.
"I'm fine Tony. I think we need to go… now!" she said as she picked up her purse and grabbed Tony's hand, pulling him to the exit. Once outside, she took a few deep breaths and steadied herself against Tony.
"Angela what happened? I know something happened in there. Are you sure you are okay? It wasn't contractions was it?" he practically shouted.
"No we are all fine I promise. Let's just walk over there under the tree in the shade and I'll tell you what happened" she said as she held on to them as they walked away. They found a bench and took a seat.
"Okay can you please tell me what happened" pleaded Tony.
"It's not that big of a deal, it just shook me up a bit okay? Brad was telling me he was planning on proposing to Jane on the cruise. I congratulated him and he hugged me. I thought it was just going to be a regular hug but he didn't let go. He… he moved his hands from my back to my stomach and began to rub it. I immediately moved his hands, stood up and took a step back. That's when the other guests came over, I'm guessing they saw me step back quickly. It all happened so quickly…" she said.
"I'll kill him! Where is he?" shouted Tony as he looked around for Brad. He went to stand up but Angela pulled him back down.
"Please Tony just let it go. I'm fine. I don't want this to ruin our trip. Please let's just head to the beach before the bus comes to get us" she said as she placed her hand on his chest. She could see the anger in his body slowly start to subside. She stood up and grabbed his hand to pull him up to stand. She folded herself into his body as he wrapped his arms around her body. She pulled back and took his hands, placing them on her stomach. The rest of the tension left his body and a smile formed on his face. He caressed her baby bump, eventually bending down and placing a kiss on her stomach.
"Let's go Tony. I think I saw a swing under a tree by the waterfront. C'mon let's go" she said as they walked down by the beach. Tony helped Angela sit down on the swing and then joined her, putting his arm around her shoulders. They sat there until it was time to head back to the bus. Tony and Angela were the first on the bus and took a seat closest to the door. Tony became very protective of Angela as they watched Brad and Jane walk onto the bus. Tony stared down Brad as he tried to avoid Tony's eye contact. Angela tried to keep him calm, but he kept trying to turn around to find Brad. Finally, she took her hand and placed it on his face, gently turning him to her, placing a passionate kiss on his lips. Her hands moved from his face to the back of his neck and then down his back. His arms found her hair, gently running his fingers through her blond locks.
The bus came to a stop at the pier. Tony and Angela were the first ones off the bus and made it back on the ferry, then on to the ship. They stopped off for some drinks before heading back to their room. Once in the room, they both collapsed on the bed. Tony pulled down the covers as they both snuggled into one another. Tony couldn't shake the need to be extra protective of Angela and pulled her as close to him as possible. He rubbed her bump with one hand and ran his other hand back through her hair until she was sound asleep.
He knew he should try and sleep as he was tired, but his mind wouldn't stop running a million miles an hour. He still had the strong urge to beat Brad up if he ever came close to Angela again. Five or more years ago, that's exactly what he would have done. That is until he moved to Connecticut. Angela has had such a profound impact on his life, on who he has become as a person- this is just one more example. He looked down lovingly at her, gave her one of his smiles and cuddled in even closer. Soon, he was asleep too.
They woke up tangled in one another a few hours later. Neither one of them felt much like leaving the room for the rest of the night. They opted for another bath to relieve any of the remaining tension from the afternoon. The relaxation soon turned into something more as they relocated back to the bed, spending the remainder of the afternoon expressing their love to one another. Room service was ordered and served just as the sun was setting on the balcony. They held hands and watched the sun set as the ship headed for the third and final port.