Choice or Chance...Chapter Three

The air at customs was cool and Talia didn't mind waiting in the
line for her turn to arrive. She was waved through without a problem
and went to stand by the exit door. She stretched her back right to
left and felt all the bones grind against one another. The muscles in
her back groaned and she pictured that 'Silent Scream' painting as she
resettled herself. It had been a long flight.

While waiting for a familiar face to appear at the door, she glanced at
her watch. Surprisingly, the flight had gotten in early and she was
grateful for the few minutes before Greg was due to show up. He hadn't
told her where they were going from the airport. As she stood there
watching life move at lightning speed around her, she wondered for a
moment what she would do if he didn't show up.

Talia had handed her store over to her sister for a month. It was off
season for women's fine clothing, jewelry, and gifts and it had been
two years since her last vacation. She felt a twinge in the ribs as she
remembered the snow and the ski patrol that pried her out of the tangle
of trees. The timing for vacation was perfect. Greg sent her the ticket
with a note stating that he would pick her up at four o'clock. It was
all she had heard in the last two weeks from him.

The immunizations she had been required to suffer through in order to
keep her safe from a number of tropical maladies had given her a fright
at first, but she did it anyway. Now she was standing in an airport
where most of the people were speaking a language she couldn't begin to
decipher and while some smiled at her, she didn't quite look the same
as any of them and her status as a foreigner was further compounded by
the fact that once the United States had left this part of the world,
there were less and less Americans to befriend.

She stared out the window at the heat that was threatening to rush in
each time the electric door moved and wondered for a moment what she
would do if he didn't show. She would have to rent a car and go off on
her own. Maybe she would buy a ticket for somewhere else. Talia started
to feel a bit queasy at the thought of abandonment in the Far East when
she saw a green jeep careen around the corner and stop in front of the
door.

A very tan Greg, sporting a goatee and Cleveland Indians baseball cap,
jumped out and dashed through the door. As usual, when he was on the
move, he moved. In about three seconds he had hugged her hard against
his sweaty chest, grabbed her bag, and was pulling her into the
jeep.

The blast of tropical air was exactly as she thought it would be and
the heaviness of it made her glance back at the air conditioned
terminal. He slammed the door and they flew out of the airport exit as
if they had been shot out of a cannon. Talia scrambled to pull her
seatbelt on and grab the rollbar, the only thing seperating them from
the brilliant blue sky above and possible neck injury from blurring
pavement below them.

"So, how was your flight?" His voice sailed off into the wind, but his
even wide smile was contagious.

"Long, but it got me here. Where are we headed anyway?"

Greg looked off into the distance; flat scrub around them with crystal,
blue winking at them from the distant ocean. He reached his arm between
them and rested his arm on the dashboard and pointed. She leaned over
his arm to line up the target on his impromptu and inadequate scope. At
the tip of his index finger was a cluster of white buildings surrounded
by at least a few miles of palm trees, high bushes and little else. The
road was a strip of black ribbon laid flat within the depth of
green.

"What will we do there?" Talia yelled over the sound of the air rushing
by her face.

"I want you to meet a friend. You'll love this guy. He's going to go
with us for a while. He knows his way around the Phillipines better
than I do. Are you having fun yet, Talia?" Greg sped up a bit.

"Slow down. You promised me no more fast cars.

Greg cackled and put both hands on the wheel. He slowed down to a speed
where they could actually hear one another.

"Anything for you."

"Thanks. Now come on, give me details. Where are we going? I don't want
to be kept in the dark about this."

"I can't tell you the first part. It's a surprise." He threw a wicked
grin her way. "After the first place we are headed out to six islands.
One of them will be the one that brought us here. The others are icing
on the cake."

Talia shook her head. "You're talking like ground fog at Heathrow. I
want details, details."

"All in good time my pretty, all in good time."

"I hate it when our conversation is a script from a movie. Talk to me
in something other than cliques please."

Greg pulled over to the side of the road then and the lack of hot wind
become the instantaneous pounding of hot sun on their shoulders and
legs. Talia could feel the heat between her body and the seat and sweat
began slowing trickling down the base of her neck.

He took off his glasses and his blue grey eyes were serious. He turned
in his seat to look at her. Talia recognized the serious look and was
grateful that he was finally showing it to her.

"Alright, I'm not joking around. We're in paradise." His hand swept the
horizon and he looked at the scene. It was one he knew well; blue sky
and tropical ocean, sunshine and island breeze. "We both know it's
impossible for me to live on a beach for a week and stare at the surf.
I wanted to be here with you. I hope we can find a happy medium.
Nothing dangerous or too fun, because I know having too much fun seems
hazardous to you. Let's just chill, see the sights, and I promise you
will enjoy yourself." He crossed his heart with his sunglasses. He
reached over and kissed her gently then and it was with a tender
familiarity that was reminiscent of so many other moments that hadn't
revolved around a seat of the pants adventure. This was mutual
appreciation and attraction. She fell into the comfort of the kiss and
lingered there briefly. Pulling away, she gave him the ghost of a
grin.

"Let's get going then."

Greg returned the glance and in a few turns of the engine they were
sailing across the blistering concrete toward the ocean.

The white buildings which had been a cluster on the index finger,
became a small marina and a half dozen lean to type structures that
sold a variety of necessities; fishing equipment, souveniers, fresh
fruits and vegetables, bottled water, liquor, cigarettes, and fresh
seafood.

Greg pulled up to the one on the far end with a counter and gigantic
fish mounted over the top of the sign, Paddy's Excursions. Paddy was
unmistakable. Weighing in at no less than three hundred and fifty
pounds, his ample girth was covered only by a pair of dark swim trunks
and a pair of boat shoes. His curly gray hear sprung from his head on
the breeze and fell below his shoulders. Had he been in the north, it
might appear as though Father Christmas had been stranded in the
islands. His beard hung below his chin and the smile he flashed to them
as he stepped out, revealed his personality before a word was
spoken.

Greg met him in the space between the two of them and they exchanged a
bear hug. The force which they slapped one anothers' backs echoed in
the hot sun. Talia stood back smiling at their comaraderie. Greg looked
back at her as their hug ended and then gave a sneaky grin to Paddy.
She felt as if she were suddenly an unknowing party in a conspiracy and
shrunk back as they approached.

Gred nudged Paddy then and nodded. "See, she knows I've told you about
her." Talia glared then and Paddy extended his hand and she tentatively
placed her small hand into his baseball mitt sized hand. He gently
brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers in the place
between the knuckles.

"Milady, It is with the utmost pleasure that I greet the most lovely
thing to pass these shores in years."

Taken aback, Talia could feel herself flush in the heat. Greg went to
place his arm around her then and whispered in her ear, "A finer man
you will never meet."

She looked between the two of them. Paddy released her hand and smiled
at them. He clapped his hands together then and bellowed. "Sweet
lovebirds. Ready to go?" Talia stared in confusion. Greg pointed to a
very African Queen kind of vessel parked at the dock.

"Our barge on the Nile."

"Doesn't look like we have a choice does it guys?" Talia wasn't the
least surprised.

Paddy started walking down the dock and they followed. As he walked,
words streamed over his shoulders in a deep baritone and Talia thought
of Zeus and thunderbolts for some reason.

"My dear woman, this is not about choice. This about chance. Choices
are as prevelant as beads of sweat falling between your very beautiful
breasts. This is about chance." He repeated the comment and Greg
glanced at her with one eyebrow raised, his eyes moving from her face
to her chest. Paddy continued, "Are you willing to take the chance that
the next four weeks of your life will teach you how to live?"

As Talia stepped onto the wooden bow, she found that words seemed
unnecessary. This choice had been made. It was, as always the word
chance that made her skin crawl. Greg moved along side her as Paddy
kicked the engines into reverse and headed out onto the calm of the
sea. He gently kissed the small burn scar on her shoulder and her
thoughts were those of relief at that moment. There were no
motorcycles, skis, or hand gliders in the immediate vacinity. She
winced as he kissed her again in the same spot. This chance seemed to
be about the unknown and that was unsettling, to say the least.