Chapter 13: Celebration

We had scheduled our trip for the Monday following commencement and Dory was ready and champing at the bit when I arrived to pick her up early that morning. Her mother and father were both there to see us off and she obviously had their blessing for this adventure.

I had made a reservation for the 8:30 ferry and we made it in plenty of time. It was cloudy, but calm and fairly warm that morning, so it was an easy crossing to Nanaimo. I had checked the long range forecast before we left and it was predicting cloudy with sunny periods and south-westerly winds up to 15 knots on the west coast. We should be all right if the weather service knew what they were talking about.

We made a pit stop in Port Alberni for lunch, then rolled along Highway 4 to Ucluelet through some amazing rain forest scenery. We were in no rush and, since I had brought Dad's camera once more, we stopped to take some pictures. Dory proved to be a good photographer, just like Pam had been and that was a relief. I was a snapshot photographer, just hoping for focus and not much more. Pam and Dory took the time to compose the picture and the results showed.

We arrived at our motel late that afternoon after exploring the town and the surrounding area. That's when I got a surprise.

"I'm sorry Mr. Black. We only have one room reserved in your name. Could it be under another name?"

"Oh, sure, try Paulson."

He was shaking his head. "Sorry, but nothing under that name either."

I was frustrated and about to get angry when I turned to Dory and saw an evil grin on her face.

"Did you cancel the other room?" I asked her.

"Sorry. I just thought it was an unnecessary expense." She was having a hard time to keep from laughing.

I shrugged to try a pretend it was no big deal, but that was a long way from the truth. This was a very big deal. A very, very big deal.

I took the key from the desk clerk and we went back to the car to unload our bags.

"You could have told me, you know," I said, trying not to sound too critical.

"Why ... and ruin my fun," she giggled. "You and Pam coexisted in one room. I'm sure you and I can do the same."

My stomach was rippling in tension at that moment. Just what was going to happen in that room over the next two days? I desperately wanted it to be the breakthrough I was hoping for.

After we'd put our bags in the room and worked out which bed and drawers were whose, I made a suggestion.

"Why don't we go down to the kayak rental and reserve a unit for tomorrow. It's supposed to be a lot like today, so we can take advantage of it and save the whale watching for the next day."

"Sure," she agreed immediately.

We strolled hand-in-hand along the main street and down to the end of a small inlet that contained a marina. The kayak rental was along one side and we walked down the access road to a shed and found the attendant. It was a matter of five minutes to reserve a craft for the next morning and have the guy show Dory what she would be facing. I don't think she realized these were larger kayaks than she was imagining.

"I didn't realize they were so big," she said as we walked back toward town.

"Look out there," I said, pointing south toward the water. "That's the Pacific Ocean. Nothing between here and Japan. This town is mostly on a peninsula, so the inside water is sheltered. Tomorrow we'll be going outside and around the headland to the Broken Islands. We want to make sure we can handle a bit of wave and wind, so you need that kind of kayak."

"It's not dangerous, is it?" she asked, showing some concern.

"If it were, I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't put you in danger for anything, Dory,"

"That's good to know," she smiled.

"You hungry?" I asked, noticing it was past six o'clock.

"Yes. Where should we go?"

"The Whale's Tale is a great place and we're celebrating, remember," I grinned.

"Let's go, then," she laughed and I led the way. We had been holding hands since we left the motel and it felt good, just as it had when we were at the suspension bridge that day.

We didn't have any problem getting a table for two in the dining room with a view of the inlet. There was a bit of broken cloud, and now and then the sun broke through, making the setting something very special. That nervous feeling in my stomach was coming and going and I anticipated what might happen this evening.

Our waitress approached our table and handed us menus, asking if we'd like something to drink. Before Dory could answer, I spoke.

"Would you bring us a wine list, please?" I asked.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'll need to see some identification. It's the rules I'm afraid."

"No problem," I said, pulling out my wallet and showing my photo I.D. driver's license.

"Thank you, sir. I'll bring the list right away."

"Just what do you have in mind?" laughed Dory.

"I told you, this is a celebration. It calls for something special."

The waitress returned with the wine list and I immediately turned to the white wine section.

"Would you bring us a bottle of Kalamalka Ridge Brut, please?

"Certainly, sir," she said, placing the list in a holder on the table and moving quickly to the back of the restaurant.

"What did you order?" Dory asked, wide eyed.

"On the advice of a knowledgeable friend, I have ordered a very nice sparkling white wine from the Vernon area. It will be our version of champagne for this evening."

"Oh, wow, you are really going all out, aren't you."

"This only happens once in a lifetime, Dory. I'm celebrating a number of things tonight. I'm celebrating getting my degree. I'm celebrating being here with you. I'm celebrating being happy. There's probably some other things I should celebrate, but I can't think of them just this minute."

"You're celebrating being happy?"

"Yeah. Happy. It's a good feeling. I've got a lot to look forward to."

"I'm glad, Steve. I'm glad you're happy," she smiled.

The wine arrived and I opened it immediately, pouring a glass for each of us.

"Here's to graduation, to the future, and to being happy," I said, holding the glass toward her.

She picked her glass up and touched mine lightly before testing the wine.

"It's nice, Steve, really nice. Thank you for this. Here's to us."

To us? Wow, another surprise. I wondered if she meant it the way I took it?

"To us," I replied, clinking the glasses once more.

We finally got around to ordering our meal and both of us decided that local fish and seafood was appropriate. The meal was just as good as it had been on my previous visit. I had fresh Albacore tuna while Dory tried the Dungeness crab salad. We decided to share a dessert and chose something chocolaty that we devoured in seconds.

The wine had disappeared, and as we sat after finishing the dessert I signalled the waitress, ordering a Baileys for Dory and a Benedictine for myself. My father loved Benedictine and mother preferred Baileys. It turned out Dory did as well.

We were pleasantly buzzed as we walked off our meal along the main drive. We made a detour along a side street down to the harbour once more and found a bench to sit on. It was dusk, and would be dark soon, but the scene was perfect. Not a ripple on the water and only the cry of the odd seagull to interrupt the quiet of this evening.

We were holding hands again, and I was completely at peace for once. I wasn't thinking about what might come tonight with Dory and I wasn't nervous or worried how I would respond to whatever happened. She was leaning against me now, and it felt comfortable and natural. We had made real progress in restoring our relationship, and if the fates were with us, we would make it all the way back.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said, gazing out over the harbour.

"Yes. Perfect. They make postcards from scenes like this."

"Thank you, Stevie. This is wonderful," she said.

She had no way of realizing what I felt at that exact moment. She had said the "magic word," and it was at that moment I was sure we were going to be okay.

"It's even more perfect than you realize," I said softly.

"How?"

"Do you remember my telling you about a certain thing that would tell me we were back to where we wanted to be?"

"Yes. What was it?"

"You are the only person in this world that I allow to call me 'Stevie.' I haven't heard you call me that in a long, long time. But just now, it was back."

"I didn't know that. I didn't even realize I was doing that. Jeez, is that ever Freudian."

"I thought you were pretty close to saying it earlier today, but it wasn't until just now that you did. I waited a long time to hear it again and it sounds fabulous, Dory."

"It was really that simple?" she asked in wonder.

"That simple ... and that complicated. But it was also that important."

We sat quietly on the bench for a while and I could see that Dory was thinking, trying perhaps to understand just why such a small difference in my name would mean so much to me.

"Let's go back to the motel, Stevie," she smiled. It's getting dark."

I rose and helped her up. She wrapped her arm around mine and we walked slowly back to our room.

I turned on the main overhead light when we entered, then the smaller bedside lamps before turning off the overhead. I drew the curtains closed and sat in one of the two chairs. I did not turn on the TV. Whatever happened next was in Dory's hands.

She walked over to me and leaned down and kissed me. Another surprise. I reached up and she folded herself onto my lap. We kissed, deeply, longingly, passionately. When we broke, she leaned forward and pulled her light cotton sweater over her head, throwing it on the bed. Next was the bra and I was now holding her naked upper body in my arms, gently stroking her back.

"You've been waiting a long time for this, haven't you?" she whispered.

"A very long time, but ... it was worth it."

"You deserve a reward for that, Stevie.

"We didn't really need two rooms, did we," I said.

"We didn't need two beds, either," she smiled. "I want you to make love to me again, Stevie. I want what we used to have. I'm not afraid any more. If you want me, then I want to be with you too. All you have to do is say so."

"I want you, Dory. I've wanted you right from the beginning. I've never wanted anyone else and I never will. I've been waiting, hoping that you'd understand that. I guess my wait was worthwhile."

"I needed to grow up," she admitted. "I needed to realize I couldn't do any better than you. I tried, but no one compared to you. No one gave me what you gave me ... unconditional love. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it."

"You are worth the wait, Dory. I'm just so happy you're back with me. I want to prove to you that you've made the right decision."

"That's easy. Just love me the way I know you can. Just love me, Stevie."

I was a trembling mess getting us undressed and into the bed. I had waited for this moment so long and now it was upon me and I was a borderline basket case.

"This is going to be over quickly, Dory. I'm so wound up I'm surprised I haven't snapped."

She smiled and held me closely. She was a whole hell of a lot calmer than me.

"Let's get the first one out of the way. Then you can relax and we can really enjoy ourselves."

That's how it worked, just as she said it would. The first time was almost over before it started. The second one, though ... well ... I almost had tears in my eyes it was so good.

"Better?" she whispered.

"Oh, you can't know how much better."

"You've proved yourself, Stevie. You've proved that I was the only one for you. All I had to do was prove to myself that you were the only one for me."

"So, if I asked you to marry me sometime in the future, you might say yes?" I tried tentatively.

"No ... not might ... definitely yes," she grinned. "And sometime can be anytime in the next year."

"I guess the next step is to buy a ring to make it official," I said, kissing her over and over again.

"It already is official. You asked and I said yes. That's official. The ring is just decoration and letting everyone know we're permanently joined."

"This is going to be a surprise to our families, I think."

"Well, some of them, anyway. I don't think your grandmother and sister will be surprised."

"Why not?"

"I think they've been conspiring to get us to this point. Not that I'm complaining, you understand. I love them both, but Pam is about as subtle as a rhinoceros and your Nana is the devious type, dropping hints and suggestions quite regularly," she giggled.

"Well, for a while there I needed all the help I could get. I almost completely gave up, and there was many a time when I wondered if we would ever find our way back to where we once were."

"We've had time to really understand what's important to us, Stevie. The time apart was important for me. I'm glad you didn't quit on us. I gave you lots of opportunity, I know."

"Dory, that time when we were apart ... after Vernon ... was there anyone else?"

"No. I thought about it. I did date a couple of times ... but ... I was always comparing them to you and there was always something not right or not good enough. When I was honest with myself, I knew you were more important to me than I was willing to admit. When you stopped that day and came and got me from the bus stop ... after I got over the shock of you coming to get me ... I guess that's when I knew it was time to make up my mind."

I released the breath that I'd been unconsciously holding as she explained.

"Now," she whispered, "if you've had enough rest, I'd like to continue our catching up on what we've been missing."

It was sometime in the early morning hours when I awoke to feel Dory holding my growing member in her hand. Apparently our three lovemaking sessions last night didn't tire her out. I was in a sleepy, semi-conscious state when she mounted me once more and this time, laid out on me and used her hips and internal muscles to drain me one more time. If I was going to go, this would be the way I wanted it to happen.

We were slow waking that morning and when Dory made her naked way to the bathroom, I could see she was walking somewhat awkwardly. Small wonder. I lay back, waiting my turn and thinking very pleasant thoughts. Despite all the trials and tribulations that we had gone through along the way, it had turned out the way I dreamed it would.

It was after ten when we finished our breakfast at the motel's restaurant and made our way toward the kayak rental dock. It was sunny, but there was a north-west wind blowing and I wondered if it might not be too rough for us, especially for Dory who had no experience in kayaks. The last thing I wanted to do was to make her sick, or worse, put her in danger.