Chapter 8
If one were reading a brochure describing Bowen Island off the Vancouver coast, it would tell one this small blob on the map was a mere twenty minutes away from the port of Horseshoe Bay, and its escarped landscape only allowed for a few clustered houses to be built along the shores or in the more accessible meadows. Main Street ran from the ferry’s dock up the hill to a crossroad, where one of the streets would take the tourists to a park descending gently toward the marina. Many beaches skirted the pine-covered hillsides, some easier to get to than others, some strewn with rocks and pebbles while others were covered with coarse, grey sand, but all of them were nestled in delightful coves at the end of the few roads crisscrossing the island. Typical of the chain of isles populating Howe Sound, Bowen Island was one of the favourite hideouts for the rich-and-famous who wanted to escape the hassles of the city.
Aziz knew Talya had spent many a weekend on Bowen Island during the first summer she had returned from a lengthy stay in Australia. She and he had spent their vacations there, before the troubles started and before Talya had become the pawn in a deadly chess game of intrigue.
He wanted to take her away, not to Second Beach, but to Bowen Island.
In his mid-thirties, Aziz was an earnest soul. He was devoted to the well-being of his numerous patients and anxious to make their lives easier as much as possible. His father had passed away when he was in high school, leaving him and his mother with enough to live a comfortable life and for Aziz to go to med-school. He was a good-looking man. He had inherited his mother’s dark, wavy hair and his father’s hazel eyes and chiselled face. Standing tall at nearly six-foot, beside Talya, walking down the street, they would turn heads. They always felt comfortable in each other’s company. Like socks and shoes, they fitted well together.
That night, when he passed the threshold of Talya’s apartment, Aziz felt disappointed, not to say frustrated. Khalid, once again, had not shown up. His resentment toward the man had grown now into utter disgust. He had abandoned her in Miami, which unaccountable move had provoked a series of incidents that saw Talya knife a man and the FBI chase her across the States. As far as Aziz was concerned, Khalid was a typical Arab, in only for money, women and grandstanding appearances when the chips were down. Granted, he had saved Talya’s life on several occasions, but since his unexpected disappearance from Cayenne, where he had evaded yet another of Slimane’s devious schemes, and his admission that he knew of his uncle’s involvement in a drug and arms’ trade in the Middle East, Aziz no longer trusted the man.
Talya was sitting at her desk. She had not neared that corner of the apartment in weeks.
Aziz couldn’t contain his amazement or joy at seeing her in front of her computer, typing away. “Hello, milady,” Aziz said, kissing the top of her head.
She only acknowledged his presence with a mumbled, “Hi!” which told Aziz to retreat. If Talya was concentrating on her writing, she allowed no one to disturb her. Yet, before making his way to the kitchen to prepare their evening meal, he looked quickly at the screen. What he read sent him down a stream of recollections, which he didn’t want to visit. Talya was recounting the events that ultimately landed her in that wheelchair.
Maybe she needed the release. Maybe she would find solace in pouring her memories onto the pages of a book. Maybe distancing herself from the experiences, by describing them and reliving them through a fictional character, would get her back to the present and move her out of her lethargic state. And maybe… there wouldn’t be any need for Khalid to intervene, which thought delighted Aziz no end.
Opening the fridge, Aziz’s reaction was one of wonder. He couldn’t believe it. There were fruits, vegetables galore, yoghurt, flax bread, a bottle of orange juice, and other items that he knew the nurse would not buy. She was there every morning only to bathe Talya, administer the daily meds, dress her and take her out for a half-an-hour. They would fetch Talya’s racing wheels from the garage, and take a stroll along the beach promenade, that would be all. The nurse was not to go grocery shopping with or without her charge. She would prepare lunch for Talya and if some things were missing from the cupboard, she’d leave a note for Aziz to purchase them.
Taking an orange and a banana out of the fridge, Aziz walked back to Talya’s desk and deposited the fruit under her nose. “What’s this?” He grinned, as Talya lifted her gaze to him.
“I’d say this is an orange and this looks like a banana.” A veil of joy had draped over her face. “I could give you a more accurate or detailed description of each if you like.”
“But where did they come from…? That’s what I’d like to know.”
Giggling and even laughing, Talya shook her head. “From a tree and from a plant...”
“I don’t believe it!”
“What? I tell you that’s where these two came from…”
“Stop it, Talya! Did you go shopping?”
“Why yes, I did, my dear Aziz, and I must say, it’s much easier now than before. I don’t have to carry the grocery bags anymore.”
Aziz was still incredulous. He couldn’t believe the change that had occurred in the last 24 hours. Talya must have been coaxed into returning to normality. He couldn’t believe that such a drastic, yet most welcomed transformation had taken place without someone’s intervention.
“Did Khalid call you?” Aziz hazarded to ask.
“How could he? And why would he? The phone plug is still off the wall.”
His butt resting against the desk, his arms crossed over his chest, Aziz looked at the opposite wall. “So it is…, but something must have happened between last night and today. You are different. Did someone come for a visit or something?”
“Well, yes, something did happen…”
“What?” Aziz blurted, suddenly worried. For an instant, he thought Khalid had gotten in touch with her somehow and “ordered” her to get ready for his arrival, and told her he wanted to see her the way he remembered her. Such an imposition would have had the desired effect, knowing Talya. In the past, she would have done almost anything to please him.
“Remember, I asked you to turn on the TV in the room before you left last night?” Talya asked.
“Yes…, so?”
“Well, since I couldn’t sleep, I watched a program where a woman in a wheelchair was abusing her husband…”
“Doing what?”
Talya glared at him. She didn’t appreciate the interruption. “He was responsible for putting her in that wheelchair and she was taking revenge on him by abusing of his kindness. She literally transformed him into her servant. I didn’t want that to happen to us, Aziz. You’ve been a model of kindness and generosity since I came out of the hospital and I could not see the two of us living a life of resentment. That’s when I decided to use my racing wheels this afternoon after the nurse left and get some groceries for the fridge.”
Aziz was all smiles now, the smile turning quickly into uncontrollable laughter. He bent down to her and kissed her feverishly. Talya, for the first time since her accident, didn’t push him back. On the contrary, she responded excitedly and had to take a breath when their lips finally parted.
She looked up at him. Tears glazed his eyes. He turned away embarrassed, grabbing the orange and banana from the desk, and walked back to the kitchen. He was overwhelmed.
She followed him.
He took some veggies out of the crisper and asked, “How about we go to Bowen Island this weekend?”
“Yes! Yes, yes… Please!” Talya screamed with delight.
He dropped the potatoes and carrots in the sink and went to kiss her again.