“Casey where did you say you found this man?” Anna asked as she cleaned the ugly gash on Brad’s forehead Casey was standing on the other side of the bed with a glass in her hand. She swallowed hard, she knew this was coming; surely she would not get away this time.
“We were gonna look for… um turtles” she looked up to try reading her mother’s expression; it was unreadable, “and then we saw this guy on the rocks, we went over to help him out.”
She stood there waiting for the moment of terror but her mother only nodded and with a far away expression sent her to breakfast. She was relieved and wasted no time in leaving, the last thing she wanted was for her mother to come to her senses. As she pulled the door behind her she took her puffer from her pocket and took a long drag.
Brad’s eyes fluttered open, and he found himself staring up at a beautiful bright eyed woman, or was she an angel, that seemed to be happening to him a lot lately. He smiled up at her, this angel above him looked a little familiar though, but like the girl that had saved him he could not quite figure it out. Anna smiled down at him and laid a warm hand on his forehead, turning briefly to rinse the cloth in the bowl of warm water.
Brad looked at her closely, she had a golden complexion, what his wife would call a perfect tan, big bold light brown eyes, her straight hair was pulled back; dark brown sun streaked hair. He continued to stare even as she turned back to him, he noticed she had freckles dusted across her tiny nose and a tightness around her mouth, that worried him, maybe he was in really bad shape.
“You’re a bit hot still” she said, he liked her voice, it was a bit hoarse, but gentle, soothing, just what he needed. He could still hear her calling out to Casey that morning, and could still feel her touching his face in gentle assurance.
“You’ve had a tough time, but you’ll be alright,” she said with a smile.
Beautiful, he thought and he returned one of his best. She rose from the bed and returned with a bowl.
“Here, have some soup. It’ll help you get your strength back” she said as she helped him sit up.
“Where am I?” he asked, he was still very hoarse.
“You’re in La Sagesse,” she replied.
Brad frowned, “What country is this?”
She frowned as though she thought his question ridiculous, “Grenada.”
Brad’s eyes grew wide, as wide as they could given the swelling, “Grenada? How in the world did I get here?”
“I don’t know, that’s a question only you could answer” she replied.
Brad was shaking his head in disbelief, “this island was way off the course we were traveling” he said thoughtfully, “they took great pains to dump me here.”
Anna was looking at him worriedly; she was hoping he had not gotten into trouble again, “who dumped you?” she asked as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
Brad tried to think, he was getting flustered and Anna noticed it. Something terrible had happened to him and she wasn’t about to push him to lose his mind. She needed him to keep a clear head, after all, she had her own questions.
“It’s alright you can talk about it whenever you’re ready” she patted his arm as she spoke,
“I’m Brad by the way” he said.
He noticed the change of expression on her face through his swollen eyes, but could not guess the reason for it; she was a stranger to him after all.
“And I’m uh… Casey’s mother”
Brad looked confused.
“The girl who found you,” Anna explained “she’s my daughter, her name’s Casey”
“Oh yes” he grinned as he remembered the tiny, bright eyed girl who saved his life. “I want to see her again, if that’s alright. I must thank her, and you as well….for your kindness”
Anna nodded, she was afraid to speak. It was awkward seeing him again like this, he had changed a lot since that day on the docks. She listened to him speak and despite what he had been through and the fact that his voice was not really his own, she could still make out the well known accent, though he spoke with a greater level of clarity and intelligence. Then without thinking she said his name, the name she knew him by, the name she had whispered to herself at day and night with so much love, a name from the life he had probably forsaken and the woman he’d clearly forgotten.
Brad was looking pointedly at her now, not sure what he had heard. Anna noticed the look of unbelief he had in his eyes.
“Raj, that’s your name isn’t it” she repeated, with more certainty.
This time he almost jumped out of bed, how did she know that name? He looked her right in the eyes, frowning, panicking even.
“I know you probably don’t remember me, but I couldn’t help noticing it was you,” she explained
“How did you know? What’s your name?” he asked desperately.
Anna looked pained, her eyes bright with unshed tears, but she refused to let him see how his ignorance was hurting her. She reached over and placed the bowl of soup on the bedside table, her movements were slow and exaggerated, but she was really giving herself time for composure. Anna then leaned toward him, she was real close. Brad met her gaze and held it, the tip of their noses almost touching, and Brad tensed.
“Look at me,” she whispered.
Brad could feel his heart speeding up, he could hear the blood pumping in his ears, it was as though she were casting a spell on him, he waited for the part where she would start speaking in a strange language and would yank his heart from his chest. As though Anna had read his mind she pulled away a little, just enough for him to catch his breath but without breaking the connection, then she spoke again.
“You said you could never forget these eyes Raj, don’t you remember?”
Brad was trying to think, those eyes were familiar and it was easier now to think without worrying about becoming some kind of religious sacrifice. Anna could not stand it anymore; maybe it was better if he did not remember.
“It’s alright” she sighed, and made a move to get up, but he had grabbed her wrist.
Anna could not help noticing how soft his hands were, they were trembling slightly and she looked down at him again. Brad stared at her, he had remembered but he was afraid to say it out loud, he was not sure what he would do if he was right.
“I remember” he said, after a long pause.
Anna’s breath caught in her throat and she fought for control. Brad noticed the play of emotions on her face, and suddenly everything seemed familiar, everything started to make sense. Her voice, her eyes, her smiles, the layout of her freckles, he knew it all, he’s once loved it all.
“Anna” he whispered, it was so low she could hardly hear it. He stifled a sob as he said her name again; it felt so right saying it.
“My Anna.”
A tear tumbled down Anna’s cheek, and Brad pulled her down into his arms and she rested her head on his strong chest, emptying her salty dam in the crook of his neck, it all felt so natural. Yet, it wasn’t; she pulled away. She got up from the bed and turned her back to him, silently trying to get a hold of her emotions. It was never like her to breakdown like that but Brad was crying too, it was a powerful moment for both of them, they had found each other again after all these years.
It was a while before Anna spoke again but when she did her voice was very controlled but she dared not turn around.
“It seems you found what you were looking for” she said.
Brad tossed off the covers and started to get up but she was back at his side, “no, you need rest,” she said as she urged him back into bed.
She pulled the covers over him and handed him his soup. He was still looking up at her, but her eyes were clear now and her lips were steady. Anna combed her fingers through his thick curly hair like she had always done, Brad was of Indian descent, he had dark brown eyes that were so kind and expressive, even as he looked at her she could decipher what he was trying to say. She continued to look at him, taking in the fea
tures that were forever embedded in her mind, features that she had not allowed herself to forget, that she would never be able to. He had seen to that and he did not even know it.
She traced her hand down his arm to his fingers and played intently with his ring, his wedding ring, he did find what he was looking for and more it seemed. She lifted her gaze from his hands to his face and without another word she got up and left the room, just as she’d suspected, seeing Raj again brought with it an ocean of pain.