Wait Until The Sun Goes Down
Wait Until The Sun Goes Down
Beneath a parasoled table on the beach, the young couple sat dripping in their swimsuits when the waiter brought two drinks, one with a tiny umbrella in it. The young man signed the check and removed his sunglasses to squint at the woman's blue-colored drink as she took a sip. She looked a few years younger than him and her brown hair was cut shorter than his.
"Any good?" he asked.
"Delicious. You want a taste?"
"No thanks."
"You're a drink snob."
The young man cracked a smile. "I've never seen a blue cocktail before."
"It's just food coloring or something. I think the drink is made with rum."
"I hate rum." He took a long drink of his Scotch and soda.
"There's no end to the list of things you hate, Ricky-ticki-tavi."
"I also hate that nickname."
The young woman stared at her glass. "It's called a Blue Hawaiian."
"Elvis has left the islands," he said, slipping his sunglasses back on.
"You're a funny man. Not ha-ha funny, just strange."
"Look who's talking."
All morning they had snorkeled around a large bay fronting the hotel, following schools of small golden fish among the motley-colored coral reefs. The water was calm and lapped gently at the white sand beach.
"The ocean looks like a lake," the woman observed. "Hard to believe they get fifty-foot waves here."
"That's on a different island."
She laughed sarcastically. "Two days and he's already an expert on Hawaii."
"I can read."
"I'll bet you researched every facet of the islands before we left."
"What if I did?"
"You're too damned organized for me."
"Now there's an intelligent remark. It wouldn't kill you to read a book once in awhile."
"Don't you ever do anything on the spur of the moment?"
"I'm not like you."
"You can't blame me for this so-called problem. It takes two to tango, Ricky-ticki-tavi."
"I don't want to argue."
The young woman finished her drink in a series of gulps. "Let's have another round!"
"Keep your voice down, please."
"Who gives a ****? We don't know any of these people."
An older woman sitting with her husband at an adjacent table stopped eating lunch long enough to cast a glance in their direction.
The young man shrugged at the gawker. "Sorry, my companion can't seem to hold her liquor."
"His companion! He might as well call me a whore!"
"You're embarrassing me."
She glanced around, looking for the waiter. "I want another drink."
"Why don't you go to the room and take a nap? You'll feel better."
Her eyes appeared almost grey when she glared at him. "You son of a *****. Have you already found some sweet young thing at the hotel?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Go on, you need the sleep."
"Like hell I will."
"I mean it, Julie."
She stood up suddenly. "I hate you."
"I'll wake you in an hour or two. Go on."
"Don't bother, I might not be there."
He watched her trudge through the sand to the rear hotel entrance and
disappear into the dark interior. When he lifted his glass to take a drink, he noticed that his hand trembled.
In the elevator a balding man stole glances at Julie.
"Nice suit," he said, smiling. "What there is of it."
"Would you like me to take it off so we could do it right here in the elevator?"
"I only wanted to --"
"I know what you wanted."
"Okay, I'm shutting up now."
"Good."
After taking a shower in Room 361, Julie lay down naked on the bed and reached for the telephone. She punched in a number and waited for five rings before someone answered.
"It's me, mother."
She listened for a moment before she spoke again. "You're lucky I called at all, so don't start complaining."
She shifted the phone to her other ear. "Listen, it's not going to happen. If you'll shut up for a second, I'll tell you why. Rick said his parents would freak out and disown him. I told you he worships his father like a god."
After listening again, she said: "This is the twenty-first century. I can't force him to marry me." Another long pause to listen. "No, he hasn't laid a hand on me. Not even in the good way." She twisted the phone cord in one hand. "I don't want to talk about that. I'll hang up if you keep badgering me."
She heard a knock at the door. "Look, I have to go. I don't have a stitch of clothes on and someone is trying to barge in." She sat upright on the bed. "Didn't you hear what I said? I'll call again tomorrow."
She hung up and slipped into a bath robe, then opened the door. An attractive young woman with red hair stood in the hallway grinning.
"I must have the wrong room," she said.
Julie detected the hint of a blush in her face. "Are you looking for Rick?"
"Rick who?"
"Just tell me the truth."
"Look, I'm sorry I bothered you. I made a mistake in the room number."
"I don't believe you."
"Have a nice day."
Julie watched the red-haired woman walk to the elevator. "Good luck with Rick," she called out. "You'll need it because he's a pig."
She went to the bathroom and looked at her face in the mirror. She considered herself cute in a pixieish way, but not beautiful like the read-haired woman. A moment later Julie saw her pixie face distort in the mirror as she began to sob.
She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her bath robe and returned to the bed, where she telephoned the same number.
"It's me again. I want to know one thing and please don't lie. Did you ever love me?"
Late in the afternoon Julie was in her bathing suit when she found Rick stretched out on the beach with a glass balanced on his stomach.
"I'm going snorkeling again," she said.
"Let me finish my drink and I'll go with you."
"I don't want you to go with me."
He lifted his glass with one hand and sat up. "Why not?"
"I want to be alone in the water."
"See those people swimming?"
"Not out there," she said, nodding. "Beyond the point."
"It's a long swim and there's no lifeguard here."
"You know I'm a good swimmer. Do this one thing for me, will you?"
He studied her face for a moment. "All right. I'll keep an eye on you."
She twisted her face into a sarcastic smile. "My hero."
He watched her walk to the water's edge, plop down in the wet sand and force her feet into a pair of swim fins. After donning her snorkel mask, she waded out until the water was waist deep and began swimming. She headed straight for the rocky point at the right side of the bay while Rick ordered another Scotch and soda. The sun was low in the sky and by the time the waiter brought brought his drink, Rick could see Julie moving beyond the lava outcropping where the deep water turned a dark blue color.
Rick saw her dive and kick with her legs in the air before she disappeared beneath the water. He waited for her to surface, sipping his drink and glancing at his wristwatch. Two minutes passed and then three minutes and there was no sign of Julie. After five minutes, he carried his glass and started walking along the beach, keeping his eyes fixed on the spot where Julie had dived. He reached the end of the beach, climbed up a barren lava flow and started toward the rocky point. He made his way slowly, taking care not to trip and spill his drink. In a few minutes he came to land's end and sat on a rock overlooking the ocean.
He took off his wristwatch and tossed it into the clear water, watching it sink to the bottom. It's too late, he thought. No one can hold their breath so long. He recalled this part of Hawaii was known for its spectacular sunsets. He surveyed the ocean horizon, unbroken by a single splash or wave, and sucked in a breath of the humid sea air through his nose. It smelled of salt and seaweed. I'll stay here, he told himself, and wait until the sun goes down.
