It was a long day, and I was finally home. I stepped into the doorway and put my key in the latch, opened the front door and entered the house. Without turning on the lights, I could see that everything was just as I had left it two weeks before. The main room was awash in a soft moonlight that streamed in from the large half moon window high on my living room wall.

I walked to the door leading to the water, opened it and headed straight for the dock. It was a warm and quiet evening and it was easy to hear the familiar and lonely honking of a Canadian goose somewhere in the distance. I stared down into the dark still water of the lagoon, and thought about my vacation and the churning deep ocean I enjoyed with my friend just twenty-four hours, but now seemingly ages, ago.

A boat slowly passed by the front of my dock, and my eye caught the motion of moonbeams dancing in its wake. I raised my head to look where the moon was situated, and lost myself in thought about how life could change, perhaps forever, for two people who met for only a snapshot in time under a full moon sky.

I considered how lucky it was that I had decided to take a Caribbean cruise after visiting some friends in Florida. I wanted some rest and relaxation before getting back to work and looked forward to the warm sea air and doing some writing.

I met her quite by chance. I was inexplicably attracted from the very first moment I saw her. She had caught my eye on two separate occasions while I explored the ship, but I was not able to engage her at either time. When I finally did have an opportunity to approach her, we might never have shared a moment further had it not been for a mutual interest in getting away from the noisy crowds that were roaming the ship’s passageways and meeting places. After an initial rejection to join me for a drink, she accepted the more natural invitation to look at the ocean and moon from a unique vantage point near the back of the ship.

The memory of the fleeting hours of that first meeting and the warm spontaneity we shared under our first blanket of stars brings a smile to my face whenever I think of it... and I think of it often. I remember how her eyes sparkled every time she looked at me. I remember how surprisingly my heart openly responded to her laughter and her wide and honest grin. I also remember how she hesitated, and contemplated as we grew closer. It was not until our second meeting that I learned why. Then I understood, and I hesitated too.

That same full moon on our last night together was also witness to our wish for a friendship that will "last beyond the stars" - and perhaps more. The true testament of our conviction now lies quietly and forever on the bottom of the Atlantic- two plastic juice glasses used in our simulated toast, then craftily, albeit noisily, dropped from the stern of our cruising ship. We laughed at our botched attempt at secrecy, but we were content in the fact that we had accomplished our goal.

Throughout our days together, we talked of personal goals and aspirations, and the values we shared. We crammed weeks of knowledge into fast hours, and our minds uniquely and easily coupled, and with seemingly little effort we could look deep into each other’s eyes and ultimately touch each other’s soul. We dreamed sweet dreams and talked of places and things not yet shared. We silently considered, and maybe hoped, that these sweet imaginings might be the catalyst that could change our destiny.

As all good things seem to end, the time finally came when we had to separate our dreams and physically part for an indeterminable time. However, we agreed never to say goodbye, and perhaps we never will.

I’m home now, and she is no longer at my side, but I can feel her spirit within me because she has left an indelible impression on my soul. She has allowed me to re-enter a place in my heart where I have not been for a very long time. I know she has similar feelings. I wonder if we will ever share more than our wonderful Caribbean memory. We both have so much to consider, but one thing is certain, we will try. We will surely try.

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Biographical Profile on Wayne Bayliff

Mr. Bayliff is the recently retired President & CEO of the National Automobile Club and National Motorist Magazine.   Mr. Bayliff has traveled extensively and documented his adventures in several articles. Mr. Bayliff has also added fiction and poetry to his versatile writing portfolio. His first novel, a political thriller, 'The Osiris Graves' is expected to be completed and published soon.

Also read another short story by Mr. Bayliff at The Cowboy & the Mustang Mare.

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