Celine should barely realize the time when she found herself in the stranger’s room, a small and simplistically decorated villa similar to the style of its owner.
He told her his name was Martin and that I should shower to wash off the seawater. Soon after, one simple white t-shirt and short trousers were handed to her. The clothes were clean; they smelled like a morning in summer.
He seemed to be a man of modest means and talked only when necessary. To her, the silence was unbearable, but she didn’t know what she should talk to him about.
“How long will you stay on this island? When do you plan to go back?” He asked as soon as he saw her come out of the bathroom. She dried her hair with his gray towel while answering.
“Err, two weeks. I planned for a long holiday.” She answered softly. The initial plan of a spontaneous trip alone was more appealing before now when she was alone with only a stranger whom she took a shot at trusting to turn to and depend on.
“Which hotel will you be staying at after this?”
Whoa… Isn’t that too soon to ask me this? I just got robbed. I don’t have any time to catch my breath, let alone plan.
“Martin… hmmm… Sir, I only knew less than half an hour ago that all my things were stolen and I have to change the place I stay. Can’t you just give me more time to think?”
“One hour and a half.”
“Huh?” She looked at him quizzically.
“I don’t know precisely how your watch keeps track of time. Since we left the hotel, you spent one whole hour complaining to me about what happened and another half an hour showering.” He again turned indifferent and said it frankly.
“….” Celine could only blink after she heard his explanation.
“I could only imagine that you spent your time either lost in your thought during showering or in complaining to me. My apologies if I said anything untrue to reality.” He nodded his head slightly as a small gesture of apology. Celine stood still. She was speechless.
“Anyways, if you haven’t thought about where you will be staying, there is a hotel nearby, they should have one or two room vacancies. If you are ready, let’s go and ask them?”
Once she heard his suggestion, she simply nodded her head, her eyes shined with hope, the gesture similar to the time her papa gave her a snack when she was a kid. In a blink of an eye, she thought she saw him smile faintly. Could the man really be capable of smiling?
She walked awkwardly beside him. Because she was not used to the clothes, she was wearing and losing half of her confidence. Not being able to wear the clothes she had just bought was unthinkable. She was furious again at that idea.
She frowned and followed behind Martin. There was nothing much she could do at this point. At least today, if she gets a new hotel, she can relax in the room and maybe take a hot bath to forget all this disastrous day. She could go shopping tomorrow and buy new sets of clothes. She was lucky to still have credit cards.
These five credit cards had saved her life countless times. Once she heard that this new hotel accepts credit cards, she smiled with glee. She handed her favorite card to the hotel receptionist after inquiring about available rooms. But something unexpected happened.
“Madam, your credit card is declined.” A handsome olive skin receptionist told her and inquired about another card and payment options.
What? That’s impossible. Just impossible!
“Err…try this one?” She handed him another card.
This one was also declined.
Another one… Also declined.
Another one… She barely used this one… Also declined.
What the hell is this?
She was busy trying to pull out all the cards she had. But it didn't work... the five cards... her five knights that had been through the thick and thin of life together in every season. This time... nothing worked.
She instinctively buried her face against the marble counter and covered her face with her hands. Celine wanted to scream, and she wished more than anything that all this nightmare would end. But she knew full well it was impossible.
Suddenly, she thought of her father. She picked up her phone to call her papa. She hoped he could help her explain the reason for the credit card declined incident because, in fact, all these cards belonged to him.
Once she looked at her phone, one message caught her eye. A message from her dearest papa, but what he wrote was something strange and long.
“I got multiple notifications that you spent almost a hundred pounds in one day. My lovely Celine, this spending spree of yours is the most unadorable habit yet. I propose that the first step of adulthood is reasonable frugality and money management. To impose the change in your character, I have temporary freeze all your credit cards for one month. I believe the cash I gave you in your account should be sufficient. Much love. And oh, your mother and I will go on a ten-day silent meditation retreat. No electronic devices are allowed. You can contact my secretary for anything urgent.” And he ended with multiple heart emojis.
Oh my, papa, I will not have a roof over my head, didn’t you know that? There was no need to freeze my cards at all!
Celine started to unfeelingly bang her head on the marble counter as if in a trance. She didn’t care about the hotel staff staring in confusion.
She couldn’t contact her papa. And she didn’t want to contact his secretaries, they would help, but of course, there will be some panic. She couldn’t predict what they would tell her papa. He will be mad for sure, and he might not allow her to go out on her own again. This will not be good for her in the long run.
Maybe she could get a small concussion that totally numbs her, or she could tease out some impossible ideas of how to proceed with her life from this point. Suddenly, she ceased all movement; her forehead still rested on the cold marble surface, then the first sight she turned to after she lifted her head was looking for him.
“Martin…” She confronted the quiet man she had just met today, calling his name softly. He was reading a newspaper while waiting for her in the hotel lobby.
“Yes?” He was being so attentive to the news that he didn’t hear all the commotions at the counter. He raised his brows questioningly, put down the newspaper, and walked closer.
“My credit cards have been suspended… I have no cash on me. I don’t know where the ATM is, and it’s already dark outside. I have no money to pay for the hotel.” She explained in a pleading voice. She studied him as his eyes began to close as if to process what she had just said.
She furrowed her brows and tried to come up with what to say. There is no room for much dignity because she had no choice. Beggars can’t be choosers, after all.
“Would you allow me to stay with you for two weeks? Please, please!"
“There is only one bedroom at the villa, so you can take the bed. I will change the bed sheet for you. I can sleep on the couch.” He told her while we were walking back to the villa. Martin wasn’t surprised when she asked permission to stay with him. It was difficult to comprehend what was on his mind when he was silent for the whole 30 seconds before agreeing. “Martin…” She reached out to touch the hem of his shirt. There was something we had forgotten. And it might sound funny, but before she goes to live with him and sleep in his bed, Celine thinks that she should tell him this. “Hmm?” “You don’t care to ask me this, but err, my name is Celine.” And that was the first official introduction between her and the man who saved her from this trip crisis. We both stood still and looked at each other. Dumbfounded. He stared at her and blinked exactly three times. A light flickered in his eyes as he thought it was such a silly situation. They we
Celine kept the doubt. She knew in her heart that she shouldn't ask him. What made Martin look so stressed was probably very personal. And she didn't want to meddle in his personal matters. The king-size bed was so wide and comfortable that she was surprised she was able to wake up early. Perhaps it was because of the sunlight that shone through the windows.She woke up to the smell of the ocean and the gentle breeze from the ajar window. The sound of seagulls chirping was typical for this small town on an island. But then she heard other noises—utensils on pots and pans and something sizzling and boiling from right outside the room. And soon, the smell of the delicious food prompted her to get up from the bed.As Celine walked into the kitchen, she saw a tall man turned his back on her and cooking. He wore a tight workout outfit showing his athletic figure. She guessed that he had just gone jogging in the morning.Martin was still wearing wireless headphones. He cou
Later that day, Martin brought her to buy new clothes despite her insistence to go alone. He said he had all the time to spare anyway. It didn’t hurt to walk around and do some sightseeing. From our conversation, she found that he had been staying on the island for two months already and intended to enjoy this ‘long holiday’ and rest from work. He told her he hadn’t taken a break for many years after postgrad. Celine didn’t ask him questions; she didn’t know what to say. We walked around the bay where the yachts were lined up, and there were a lot of shops there. Old buildings are painted in bright orange and yellow colors, typical of the city's art. She felt that this area was the most active tourist destination on the island. Otherwise, she could easily mistake the island for being deserted. With little cash left, she had to borrow Martin. She promised that as soon as the money was transferred in two days (the poor girl finally gave in to talking to her pa
“Oh, good morning. You woke up even earlier today. Do you want to sit here with me?” Martin greeted her in this early morning.Celine looked at him suspiciously. He was the kind of person she didn't understand. At times he would be so quiet that she thought he was half mute. Since we are just on good terms, she could tell he was more used to ordering people around rather than being nice to them. And the experience yesterday was kind of odd for her. After eating ice cream together for a while and she told him that she wasn't angry anymore. It was as if Martin had already concluded in his head that she wasn't angry, and he should cease all further effort. Like a switch, his nice kind words spoken in a gentle tone stopped there. We return to speaking normally as if in his head; convincing her to forgive him was like some sort of a mission he had already accomplished. And what he should do was to move on to something else.And that something else was to go back to the villa and work. She
“Martin! Come here. The weather is great today!” Celine smiled and laughed cheerfully and quickly ran past the white sand, hoping to swim in the ocean as quickly as possible.“Hey, be careful not to fall!” Shouted the man following behind him without haste.Martin refused to go shopping for new swimming gear. He didn’t like to buy new things, so he just wore his black shorts and simple white shirt. He said, "Don't make it a big deal." He then went to get some towels and made sandwiches for lunch on the beach. He was still bossy, though, telling her to find sunscreen and scowling at her when she forbade him to take his work papers and a book. “Will you read in water?” She asked him, who hurriedly put the book down. But no matter how dissatisfied he seemed, Martin did as she asked. It was at this point that she thought Martin was trying to adapt himself to living with her. Although he was unlike other people who have pampered her in her entire life—he was too quiet and even reprimanded
“You accused me of being too quiet, and now you don’t say anything.” Martin made a note of her silence. She stole a glance at him after taking a small bite of a sandwich. He was drying his hair with a towel. After we swam together for a bit, Martin went out and swam separately. He was intensive in his sport as if doing an Olympic practice, leaving her alone to gradually enjoy the cold water. What kind of person is this serious? Celine was deep in thought—a feeling was slowly emerging inside her heart. She didn’t know what it was. The feeling that every attention is drawn to one thing...one person... She suspected it was not an admiration. No, he was not even her type. He was not a charming speaker. He lectured her on everything. How could she like someone like that? “Is it delicious?” Martin asked, and he smiled at her causing her heart to skip a beat again. …But he was kind… Celine shook her head without looking at him but quickly turned away after catching only a glimpse. She
“Because of you! Because of all of you, my family has to face this fate!”“…should we do something to help?”“Nothing is truly right or wrong, black or white; nothing is that easy to judge, Martin. You really don’t know that, my boy?”“…but…”“You choose this life; you live with the tradeoffs. It’s necessary.” Gasp! Martin woke up early. It was six in the morning, the time he always woke up for a jog. He shook his head to shake away the grogginess and slowly massaged his temples as he thought of memories that had been haunting him for months. Until he could finally make a decision, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life. Or maybe what the people said was true—he was a coward. The sounds of chirping birds in the morning and the cool breeze calm him down. He loved the morning. He had to go out and run to clear his head at dawn when the weather was this comforting. But as soon as he tried to get up... Incredibly small arms pulled him into a tight hu
By the way, what do people do when they are on holiday? For the past two months, Martin had been doing either research or reading. In an attempt to be more sociable, he tried to go out, eat out at restaurants and talk to some locals. But Martin still wondered if that was what people call ‘being on holiday.’ He didn’t know what time for relaxing was supposed to look like. “Celine, do you want to go swim again today?”Looking prim and proper, Celine wore a casual dress today. She was startled as soon as she heard Martin invite her. This morning after eating breakfast, she could be spotted sitting on the patio, looking into the distance. He thought she didn’t seem like herself.He had questions to ask her. The mundane questions of what people do on holiday. She was his hope in enlightening him on the topic. She knew how to enjoy life. He had so much fun yesterday because of her. He never thought swimming could be fun. If he was to properly go on holiday, Martin t