catching up... after eight years...

By the time I came out of the fitness club, the mall had closed. Benjamin stood at the entrance to the fitness club, smoking a cigarette and speaking to one of the sales persons he was working with, Kevin, his young apprentice at the engraving shop. I held out my hand to shake Kevin's hand when Benjamin introduced us. The young man gushed, obviously impressed that Benjamin had an ex-girlfriend who shook hands and spoke English.

"Where can we sit down and have coffee?" I asked them, although my question was actually directed to Benjamin.

"Everything's closed," Benjamin said. "It's well past nine. Unless you want to have a beer..."

Kevin patted Benjamin's shoulder, said goodbye and walked away.

"I don't drink beer, but I can have some wine," I said, as I waved goodbye to his friend.

"Wow, you're a class act now. Wine!" he teased, grabbing the large shopping bag I was holding.

"Let's go the Inter-Continental. The coffee shop there is open 24 hours," I suggested. He chuckled and shook his head, as if in disbelief.

"Are you loaded?" he asked in a teasing tone.

"No," I said, "but I'm not broke either." I laughed.

"You looked the same as when you went in the club," he said on our walk towards the Inter-Continental Hotel. "Except your hair is wet." He lightly touched the back of my head, then the hand slid down the small of my back, a very light, but very powerful touch. My spine shivered, and he knew it. I reached for his hand and our fingers intertwined.

"It's been years..." he said quietly.

"Yes," I said, "eight years since I last saw you and yet you still have the same effect on me." I dared not look at his face. We were silent for the rest of our five-minute walk to the hotel.


We sat at a corner table overlooking the now quiet swimming pool. He wouldn't order any food so we ended up drinking, beer, for him, and a Mai Tai for me.

"I'm so glad you finished your studies. You were very smart, as I recall." There was a hint of poignancy as he talked. It was evident that we were both hurt by what fate had handed us. It was obvious we were still in love even though we had both moved on. He took my hand and noticed I was wearing a wedding band. "Who did you marry?"

"I'm not married," I said, lowering my gaze to my Mai Tai. I withdrew my hand and played with the little umbrella of my drink. "I can't marry anyone." After a short pause, I said, "I don't want to marry anybody. There's only one person I wanted to marry, and you know who that is. But it's all moot and academic now."

The coffee shop had a few occupied tables far away from us. I let the din of conversations linger.

Finally, I said, "I'm living in with my boyfriend. His name's Lee Cashman; he's American. And Lee wanted me to wear this ring. I like it though." I tried to lighten my voice as I stretched my hand to survey the glittering jewellery on my finger. "It took a while for me to get used to wearing jewellery."

"Is he married?" I felt his intense gaze. I took a sip of my Mai Tai. Both our pains were palpable in the short silence that ensued.

"Yes," I said. "But they're separated. And I didn't cause their breakup, if you must know."

"So what do you do? What kind of work, I mean," the smile on his face returned, albeit forced.

"I'm an executive assistant. I never practiced being an accountant. I can't even balance my own bankbook!" We both laughed and he said a joke that had now skipped my memory and we laughed some more.