CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

Elena slipped her shoes off at the top of the stairs and held her long skirt up as they raced down the steps to the beach. They held hands as they jogged across the sand and onto the dock, laughing with relief to finally be able to enjoy some freedom to celebrate their marriage, alone but together.

Urs jumped in the boat and reached up to lift her in, holding her in his arms for a moment then casting off and easing the boat out from the dock.

Elena stood beside him as he slowly headed out into the bay, turned on the running lights, then turned the motor down to idle and let it drift with the outgoing tide. He turned and again put his arms around her, nestling her against him.

“Happy, Frau Buhler?” he asked.

She sighed. “That sounds so wonderful. ‘Frau Buhler’…it sounds so right, like I’ve been living with an alias all my life until this moment.”

She turned her face up to him and even in the moonlight he no longer needed an answer to his question….. her sparkling eyes and smile were answer enough.

“Will you tell me where we’re going now?”

He grinned and let her go to take off his suit coat.

“Yelapa…. I’ve rented the Tea House for us.”

“OH, Urs!!! How perfect!! I’ve always wanted to spend time there. I’ve talked to people who stayed there and they say it’s so lovely and private. Thank you!”

‘We may be a little over dressed for it… do you care?”

She laughed. “No…I’m so happy to be alone with you that nothing would bother me.”

“Then let’s go… the quicker we get there the sooner I get to struggle with all those buttons on your gown.”

He grinned at her and opened the throttle on the boat to send them skimming over the water to the west. Elena lay back on one of the bench seats and watched him as he stood at the helm, guiding the boat, watching for any obstructions in the water, the moon and starlight glinting off his shining dark hair and the light shirt that billowed in the breeze from their passage.

He was so stunningly beautiful, a strange word, she thought, for such a virile man, but it suited him, much like a Greek or Roman statue was beautiful: finely chiseled features, slanted expressive eyes that screamed of sensuality, the strong sculpted body and all the things you couldn’t see….loyalty, strength of character, gentleness, intelligence and a soul so full of music and love that at times it had to spill forth….like now, she thought as she heard him begin to sing then let his voice flow without check, an aria she thought she recognized from Johannes Passion.

Soon, in the distance they could see the lights of Yelapa, the fishing village that had become a destination for tourists who wanted more than the artificial delights of crowded resorts, craving the quiet and seclusion of places with no roads and few of the amenities that so many thought necessities: telephone, television, pools, cars. Yelapa had few of these. There were no roads except in the village itself and only a few vehicles for the short drive up the hillsides to some of the bungalows…and the only pools were at the spa or natural ones at the foot of a few waterfalls.

They drew closer and pulled up to a jetty, tied up the boat and where greeted by two young men who helped them from the boat, collected the 2 small travel bags and a hamper that Elena only now noticed and guided them to an open vehicle, much like a large golf cart. Urs lifted Elena in and sat beside her with his arm around her shoulders as they went along the wide village street past a few restaurants and some strolling people and up the winding path on the hill toward their destination.

In only a few minutes they reached the Tea House, their belongings had been taken in, the hamper disappearing into the kitchen area and the guides left them on the huge stone patio over- looking the harbor and the twinkling lights of the village.

Urs stood behind her with his arms wrapped gently over her chest and his chin on the top of her head, watching the sky, the flickering village lights and a few boats far out on the silver streaked water.

She turned and took his hand, both of them looking into the dimly lit interior. The bedroom was at the edge of the patio looking out over the magnificent view, softly decorated in pastel peaches and splashes of deeper orange that blended into copper and soft red, the bed, King sized and hanging by covered chains from the low ceiling, swathed in white curtains that had been tied back. Urs picked her up and carried her into the room, set her down beside the bed and began working on all those buttons, tasting her mouth, her skin, her neck, each special place as it was revealed to him and Elena tried to get his shirt off, though she was slightly distracted. He stood back as the last button succumbed to his fumbling fingers and the gown slid slowly to the floor.

He moaned as he looked at her in the soft light, feeling as if he had never seen her partly dressed before. Tonight she was even more beautiful, more sensual, dressed now only in a lacy bit of cloth with garters to hold up the sheer white stockings, a lacy strip of cloth that could be mistaken for panties and the high heeled sandals she had slipped back on when they left the boat. Starlight flashed off her rings as she raised her hands to loosen her hair, letting it cascade on her shoulders and back.

He didn’t remember removing his shirt, boxers and pants but must have for when he moved toward her, they were gone, along with socks and shoes. Her eyes swept over his body as he neared and he saw them darken and a slow smile start on the lips he longed to kiss as her hands reached out for him.

They came together gently, reverently, a first time that would lay the foundation for a love that would last a lifetime, the moon and stars caressing them as the bed swayed and the gentle breeze wafted the scent of nearby blossoms over the lovers while they became one.

**

David and Janet arrived at the bottom of the hill in Boca de Tomatlan, David pleased with himself for following Urs’ explicit instructions on how to get here, Jan still wondering where they were going. He made a left just before the parking area for the dock and drove a short way until he spotted a tall young man lounging under a hand painted sign that announced the Pedestrian Bridge to villa Lagunamar, parked and came around the Jeep to give Janet a hand out of the vehicle.

The young man approached, certain that this must be the party he had been waiting for, not many other tourist had arrived through- out the evening wearing wedding dresses and suits.

“Buenos Noches, Senor Y Senora Miller. Ven aqui, por favor.” He lifted the small bag out of the Jeep, took the large wicker basket in his other hand and grinned at them as he nodded toward the bridge and headed out.

David and Jan followed him, both grinning like children at the surreal picture they must make, neither really caring at the moment.

Fifty feet below the bridge the tide was in and the sand was flooded, the river smoothly murmuring a slow path to the bay. Both shore lines were studded with flickering lights, some obviously from lanterns, a few the fairy lights on the deck of the one really good restaurant. On the bay a few lights were moving as fishermen went out on their evening run and far off in the distance the lights of Puerto Vallarta glistened against the starry night sky.

The air was heavy with the clean salt air, mingled with the orchids in the nearby jungle and vines that crept over the bungalow that they wound along a path over the bluff to reach.

There were lights on at the entrance of the soft yellow painted building, the door just a few steps up and their guide opened it, took the luggage inside and the hamper to the kitchen, came back a few moments later to interrupt a tender embrace on the landing, smiled and bid them a good night. At last they were alone.

As tradition demanded, David carried Janet into the building, not sure what to expect as he had made the reservation on blind faith, assured by Neto that it was a perfect place for a Honeymoon.

They entered into a large open area, small Kitchen, roomy Lounge and an arched opening to a bedroom that was built out on a deck that jutted out over the bluff on stilts, the canopy for the roof rolled back on this pleasant night to allow the stars and moon to light the room, the view of the bay unobstructed except by filmy curtains that had been tied back in swags to corner posts. Up two steps a huge tub dominated the space, ringed with candles in glass sconces and branches of flowering shrubs stirring overhead. There was a door off to the side to a separate lavatory but the newly weds found their eyes drawn to the King sized bed that had been placed on a platform, soft, wide and inviting, draped with netting and placed for a perfect view of the sky and the bay. The soft yellow of the outside had been carried inside the bungalow, accented with white and a vibrant sea blue in pillows, linens and Mexican bowls.

They could hear distant music as they stood at the railing of the deck and looked out over the water, imprinting the memory of this view, this night on their minds, to be pulled out and felt again over the years that stretched ahead of them.

David was behind her and chuckled lightly.

“I’m nervous…. We’ve been together for three years and tonight I’m nervous like it was the first time for us.”

Jan turned and snuggled up against him.

“Me too. I guess it is a first though….the first time we will show each other how much love we have, as a married couple.”

David sighed and held her closer, as always thrilled with how perfectly she fit against his body, her face at the perfect angle to kiss her full lips, every curve aligned with all the angles of his body. He touched his mouth gently to hers and let his hands wander to the 3 buttons, {he had counted them} on the back of her dress, slipped the thin straps off her shoulders and let the dress fall to the floor. The next few moments blurred until they paused for a breath, on the high soft bed, wrapped together, hearts racing.

“I love you, Janet Miller,” he whispered in her ear and she shivered as she brushed her hands over his long, smooth back.

“And I love you, my Davey. Now and forever.”

He laughed. “Thank God, ‘cause I think that guy in the white robe married us.”

Janet laughed aloud and he caught her laughter with his mouth, turning it into a moan as he turned the world off and began their journey into a future full of love.

**