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feeling suddenly vanished. I felt a bad taste in my mouth.
Gregor glanced over at us and waved. I avoided looking at him. The realization hit me
then that no matter what version of the movie got made, it wouldn t matter. I couldn t do it. I
couldn t spend one more minute near him. A stabbing pain seared through my chest as I got up
from the table. I mumbled something about not feeling well and practically ran out of the
restaurant.
On the beach, the water was churning, the wind was blowing, and the dark clouds were
pressing in on all sides. The tears were pouring down my cheeks, but the wind dried them
quickly. I walked closer to the water. It came up over my feet, and then my ankles, and then my
calves. I didn t care. I wanted it to swallow me up, carry me away. I thought of the line from
the poem I d quoted to Gregor: Oed und leer das Meer. Empty and waste the sea to Tristan,
waiting, waiting and dying for Isolde.
I was waiting. Waiting for something that would never happen. Waiting until I died.
I don t know how long I stood out there, listening to the thunder and the wind, seeing the
lightning spread across the sky, feeling the cold rain pelt my skin and soak me through. After a
while, though, I noticed that the rumbling had retreated into the distance and the rain had slowed
to a drizzle. I realized then that I was shivering, and completely drenched.
I heard a voice then, carrying across the sand to me,  Elise! Elise!
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Had I imagined it? Was Isolde indeed coming back after all? And not from the sea,
either.
I turned to see Gregor coming towards me. I couldn t see his face at first, it was so dark,
but then as he drew closer I saw he looked almost frantic.  Were you out here this whole time,
in this storm? he asked, stopping just short of embracing me.  Elise, you could have been killed
by lightning!
I shrugged and turned away from him, towards the sky and the sea.  What does it
matter? I mumbled.
Gregor put his hands on my shoulders and turned me back around.  It matters to me, he
said. He really sounded upset.  Look at you, you re totally soaked, and you re shivering. Come
on, come inside.
I clasped my arms around myself.  I-I don t want to, I said, but my teeth were
chattering.
Gregor took his hand off my shoulder and tenderly brushed some of the wet hair off my
cheek.  Am I flattering myself to think that this Ophelia imitation had something to do with
me? he asked.
I shrugged.
Gregor sighed and took off his jacket, placing it gently around me.  If it helps at all, he
said softly,  Clara is gone.
A few more drops of rain fell. But the clouds were slowly drifting off to the north,
leaving a black sky shimmering with stars in their wake.  What do you mean, g-gone? I asked,
pulling his jacket around my shoulders.
 I confronted her about what you told me, Gregor said slowly, looking up at the stars
before turning back to me.  She didn t try to deny it. She said that she was sorry, which was
obviously too little and too late. I told her it was over.
 You did? I asked, trying to keep the excitement from my voice.
 Yes. And you know, she tried to turn it around on me. Tried to tell me that she d been
thinking for a while now that it wasn t going to work out for us, and she was getting tired of
hanging around movie sets, and she had so many other male prospects that she really wasn t
even sure what she was going to do with them all. I let her believe that. I have no ego as far as
that sort of crap is concerned. He sounded, for the first time tonight, amused.
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I thought this over for a minute.  And she left? I asked, still in disbelief.
 She s catching a flight to London tonight.
I looked up at him, his eyes luminous in the reflection off the water.  Are you okay? I
asked.  With all that.
Gregor rubbed some sand off my nose.  With  all that, as you say, yes, he replied.
 What I am not okay with is you not being part of my life.
I didn t reply. I knew I couldn t say anything intelligent at that point, partly because I
was so cold, and partly because his nearness was making me woozy.
He slipped his arms under the jacket and around me, pressing me close to him, warming
me with his magnetic radiance, his aura, his whatever-you-want-to-call-it that made my skin
sizzle just being against his. He would have made one hell of a superhero. He could melt
glaciers with one finger.
 You haven t answered me, Elise.
It was my turn. I tilted my head back, looking up at him.  I don t remember the
question, I said, and then my lips were on his.
The last clouds finally scurried away, revealing the full depth and breadth of the summer
sky. The stars hung so low, you could almost pick them. Tonight, however, I didn t need their
help. Everything I could have wished for was right in front of me.
The next morning, I awoke in Gregor s arms, very early. I suppose I was too keyed up to
sleep any more, so I slipped out of bed and went over to the window of his cottage. It was a
beautiful, clear morning. I ordered coffee and pastries and sat outside on the patio, enjoying the
cool air and my own memories of the night before.
Gregor came out in his t-shirt and shorts, looking deliciously rumpled.  You were so
quiet, I didn t know you d wakened, he said, kissing me on the forehead and sitting down next
to me.  God, what a lovely morning.
I poured him some coffee from the pot.  Thanks, he said.  No, nothing in it. He
smiled suddenly.  Pretty soon I won t even have to tell you that.
I liked the sound of that.  I m the opposite, I guess. I like a little coffee with my cream.
 So Teo s calling a meeting today, Gregor said.  Guess he s telling us how things went
with the studio heads yesterday. What s your sense of what s going to happen with the film?
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Loyal to Teo, I just shrugged.  I don t know. I don t know much about the industry.
Seems to me they d at least want to get a return on what they ve invested so far.
Gregor rubbed his chin.  It would be awfully hard to do all over again, I mean,
logistically speaking. It would feel strange too, with Sheila and Houston out of it. But I ll do
whatever he wants me to. I owe him at least that.
As if he d heard his name mentioned, Teo came strolling along just then. He beamed at
seeing the two of us together.  Beautiful morning, no? he commented, taking a seat with us at
the table.
 Coffee? I asked, glad there were extra cups.
 Yes, yes.
We sipped for a minute. Then Teo said, with a sly glance at me,  I noticed Clara getting
into a hired car last evening.
 Yes, Gregor said, with a sigh that showed he was expecting the inevitable questions.
 She s flying back to London. We re through.
 Oh, I see, Teo said.  Well, I never found her to be your type, if you forgive me for
saying so, Mac.
Gregor threw his head back and laughed.  You are never one to hide your feelings, are
you, Teo? Well, I suppose you re right. And who exactly is my type, should I ask? He winked
at me.
Teo nodded.  Sitting right here next to us.
Gregor suddenly grew serious.  Teo, ever since we got to the resort, I ve had the
strangest feeling about that village up there. He pointed to the little cluster of buildings he had
spoken to me about yesterday.  I m pretty sure it s the village I used to come to with my mum,
when I was a boy. I m not positive, though. It s been nearly thirty years since I ve been there.
Teo didn t answer at first. He looked up at the hill and nodded slowly.  Yes, he said
after a minute.  It is Sagaval.
 What a strange coincidence. Gregor stared at him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]