An Old Friend: Version B Part 17

The soft morning sunlight peaking through the curtains finally succeeded in waking Lisa up. Rising from the bed, she walked over to the window and drew back the curtains fully. The sunlight sparkled off the turquoise ocean water and created a glorious, early morning scene. A quick glance at the clock over on the bedside table told her it was 7 am. Opening the window, she let the warm breeze tickle her face and inhaled the exotic perfume of the local flora. After having slept quite well, she was feeling very rested and ready to take on the day. Her mind began reeling with ideas of what she and Michael could do.

Speaking of which, she had barely noticed that he was no longer in bed. Would he have left and taken a stroll down the beach without her? She certainly would not have thought so. She finally picked up the sound of running water and realized the it was coming from the bathroom. Ah, he was showering. Feeling silly for jumping to such ridiculous conclusions, a sheepish giggle bubbled up from her stomach.

As she gathered her clothes for the day and waited for Michael to finish, her thoughts drifted to the way they'd spent the rest of the day and evening. They'd explored the hotel grounds a bit more and followed it with a lovely dinner. The food was quite good, served with a tropical fruit salad on the side. It was definitely something new to her and she enjoyed it very much. She and Michael mostly chatted about previous holidays the two of them had embarked on, mostly with family, with some embarrassing tales mixed in of course.

They'd had a lovely time, but Lisa couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. Several times she'd turned her head and found a small group of young women seated at a table at the opposite corner of the dining room. She noticed that one of them resembled the woman she'd seen exiting the room on the floor below them just earlier.

“Lisa?” Michael's voice had suddenly cut in softly.

She'd turned back around and noticed him gazing at her, eyebrows raised in concern.

“You alright?”

She sighed, feeling silly again. “Yes, I … just had the funny feeling we were being watched.” She grinned sheepishly. “Perhaps I'm just being paranoid. I'm sorry, Michael. Forget I said anything. I'm going to make a point to enjoy our time here.”

Michael smiled happily, his smile suddenly twitching into a cheeky grin of his own. “That's my girl!” he exclaimed, reaching over to pat her arm before kissing her lips softly.

At that moment Lisa thought she heard a very faint, strangled cry of sorts come from behind them, but she dashed it from her mind and focused only on Michael.

They enjoyed the rest of dinner, followed by a little dessert and then finished off the evening with a moonlit stroll on the beach.

Back in the present, Lisa had barely noticed the sound of running water had long stopped and was suddenly thrown from her thoughts as she heard the bathroom door opening. Michael emerged from the room, smiling affectionately at her. He was wearing denim cutoff shorts and a white, short-sleeved polo style shirt. His hair was neatly groomed and … goodness, he had such a great pair of legs. Why hadn't she really noticed that before? Lisa rushed up to him, taking in his devilishly handsome features before throwing her arms around him and capturing his lips in a kiss. Michael squeaked in response, apparently a bit taken aback by her spontaneity.

Pulling away from him, she laughed gently. “Sorry I frightened you, there.”

Michael seemed to play dumb. “Frighten me? Oh, no, of course not. You didn't … frighten me.”

She laughed again, giving him another soft kiss on the lips. “I just can't get over how good you look, Michael.”

She caught a blush staining his cheeks as he briefly looked away. Turning back to her, she found him giving a slight shrug. “Well, if you say so, love. All I know is that I can't compete with you.”

“Well, I should hope not!” she replied, feigning outrage before giving him a wink and a slight grin. He chuckled affectionately in response and gave her another kiss back.

“I'm going to dash into the shower before we have breakfast. I shant be long.”

She barely caught Michael's nod as she gathered her clean clothes together and made her way into the bathroom.

************************************

Feeling very refreshed by the shower, Lisa dried her hair and dressed quickly, putting on a light blue, wraparound skirt that fell to just above her knees with a white, button-down, short-sleeved shirt that tied around her midriff, exposing her belly button. She then slipped into a pair of white, low-heeled sandals. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she caught Michael staring at her almost in shock.

“My God, you're beautiful,” he said in a quiet, husky tone of voice as she strode up to him. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

She unmistakably caught his eyes roaming down to her bare midriff before he started licking his lips.

“Don't you get any ideas,” she scolded him, pointing a finger in his face.

Michael's face fell and his lower lip stuck out in a pout, appearing like a disappointed young boy.

Lisa felt her lips spread into a naughty grin. “Later,” she amended her comment.

Michael raised his eyebrows. “Oh. Well, then. I shall be holding you to that, Missus Palin.”

“Of course. But we certainly won't be having any fun if we don't get some nourishment in us, so shall we head down for breakfast?” Never taking her eyes off him, she grabbed her purse and started making her way toward the door.

“Indeed we shall,” he smiled, joining her and opening the door, motioning for her to go out first. He locked the door behind them and suddenly turned back to her, looking as if something important were on his mind. “Hang on. You didn't specify when 'later' will be.”

Lisa bit back the urge to roll her eyes and instead answered him with a cheeky grin. “It's whenever I say it will be.”

“Oh, so now I'm going to spend the whole day languishing, wondering when we'll finally get to satisfy our primal urges! How very cruel.” There was that 'sad little boy' face of his again.

“If you don't stop whinging, I'll call it off completely.”

He gasped theatrically. “You wouldn't!”

Her evil smirk melted as she dissolved into giggles. “No, of course not. You shant have to wait long, Michael. I promise.”

He giggled back before pulling her close and giving her another kiss on the lips. “Good. I reckoned you weren't being serious. If you were, I'd really have cause to worry.”

“Well don't give it a second thought,” she smiled, kissing him again. With that, they started down the stairs and toward the main building. This time, Lisa didn't see any strange ladies or otherwise staring at them. She heaved a sigh of relief and silently admonished herself for what was obviously a touch of paranoia.

*******************************

Taking a sip of tropical fruit juice, Michael sighed contentedly, taking in their surroundings. It was a beautiful morning and he and Lisa had decided to eat breakfast outside. Their table was situated near a lovely stone fountain. Its gently cascading waterfall provided a soothing atmosphere and there were some large, colorful fish swimming at the bottom. The terrace overlooked the beach where they had a front-row view of the amazing, sparkling turquoise water. It was a beautiful scene, one he was so happy to share with her.

In addition, the food was delicious. Michael had quite the appetite and partook of a full English breakfast. He had to admit they served it up quite well here. The only difference was the addition of the tropical fruit juice, which Michael surmised was a mix of papaya, mango, and perhaps pineapple. Whatever it was, it was a lovely complement to the meal.

Lisa, on the other hand, seemed to want to try something different after having a look at the menu. She ordered two thin crepes which were called 'pancakes' on the menu with some strawberry jam, as well as some bacon on toast on the side. Michael had to admit it looked quite good and, after she'd let him have a bite of it, decided it'd tasted quite good as well.

“Michael?” Lisa suddenly spoke up, piercing the relative silence of their surroundings.

“Mmm?” he answered around another mouthful of food.

“This was a really lovely idea,” she smiled. “It's beautiful out here. And the food is really delicious.”

He'd swallowed his food and gave her a smile. “I'm glad you're enjoying it, love.”

She smiled back. “I think I could stay here forever ...”

She was suddenly cut off by the sound of a chair being scraped along the ground somewhere behind them, as if someone were moving to stand up. It probably wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but Michael couldn't help turning his head in the direction of the sound.

What he saw surprised him. A young woman (he surmised she had to be early- to mid-twenties in age) with straight, honey-colored hair down to her shoulders and a long nose was making her way in their direction. At first Michael thought there was someone on the other side of them or behind them whom the girl was seeking out, but they were the only ones in that particular area. Perhaps one of them had dropped something and she'd seen, and was attempting to return it to them. In that case, he'd admire her for being so honest.

However, as she drew closer and he caught the wide smile on her face, that didn't seem to be the case.

“Michael Palin??” she nearly squealed. “From Python??”

Michael felt his eyebrows nearly leap off his forehead and his eyes widened in shock. He quickly turned to Lisa and noticed she looked quite stricken as well. This woman was a Python fan?? He thanked his lucky stars there weren't many people seated in this area. Still, he really hoped no one had heard her ….

He finally noticed the girl was staring at him expectantly. He had to do something to get rid of her quickly. “Er … yes, that's right,” he said quietly.

“Blimey, I can't believe my luck! Never thought I would ever see you here!”

“That makes two of us,” he nearly whispered under his breath.

“I'm Cassandra, or 'Cassie' as most people call me,” she continued brashly. She stuck out her hand, apparently wanting Michael to shake it. Just to be polite, he took her hand and shook it weakly. He hoped the girl wouldn't be disappointed, but this was an incredibly awkward situation.

“I'm from Leeds,” she added. “I saw you and the rest at your stage show some months back … at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. D'ya remember that?”

Michael bit his tongue to keep from replying 'of course' in a very biting, sarcastic way. “Ah, yes,” he replied instead, nodding.

“I made that journey just to see you!” Cassie gushed, causing Michael to blush furiously. His gaze briefly flitted over to Lisa, who looked quite uncomfortable. How he wish there was something he could do to make this girl go away, or at the very least keep her from making such a fuss. He knew that was nearly impossible, though, given his notoriously affable nature.

Instead, he forced a wan smile. “Well, that's lovely of you to say, but --”

The girl suddenly moved closer to him, standing mere inches away. “It's amazing to see you up close like this,” she said. Michael groaned inwardly, suddenly feeling like he was put on display in a museum. Before he could say anything, she reached out to touch his hair and brushed her fingers across his forehead. “Oh, you've got a nice fringe going on there.”

Michael chuckled awkwardly, hoping it was enough to make her see how very uncomfortable she was making him. Alas, it was for naught. He watched her silly, toothy grin fade into a frown.

“Where did your sideburns go??”

Michael's gaze surreptitiously darted over toward Lisa once again, whose dagger-like stare made her look as though she wanted to kill this girl. He really needed to do something to get rid of this intrusive fan. Why was that so difficult to do? Perhaps killing with kindness wasn't the best approach. Sadly, it was the only one with which he was comfortable. If only he could be more like John, or even Eric.

He gave a slight shrug. “Well, I just got tired of them,” he replied quietly. “Plus filming obligations required me to get rid of them.” Oh, shit. He had said too much …

The girl's eyes widened. “Filming??” she exclaimed excitedly. “Are you lot making another film? Or another series of Flying Circus?”

Michael sighed, really wishing he hadn't opened his big mouth. “I don't want to give anything away, but yes, we've made a film but we're not sure when it will be done. Now, I'm sorry but we really have to -”

“Well I shall be looking forward to it, then,” she smiled, apparently not realizing she'd overstayed her welcome. “The Drury Lane show was marvelous. I love the Lumberjack Song, but I was so disappointed that you weren't singing it then! You had Idle doing it! Whatever for?! I mean, he is quite a good singer but that is your song!!”

Michael's cheeks felt as if they were on fire as he felt his patience ebb further and further away. Lisa herself seemed to be trying not to lose her patience, evident from the way she was gripping her fork and nearly stabbing her own hand with the end of it. This Cassie girl seemed totally oblivious, however. “Would you sing it now for me??” she asked sweetly.

Michael sighed heavily and, after giving a cursory glance at their surroundings to confirm no one was around, he began to sing very softly:

“I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay

I sleep all night and I work all day …”

“No, no, sing it louder!”

Michael sighed again, trying hard to keep his composure and not upset the girl. “Look, I appreciate my fans, but perhaps when I'm back in London you can look me up at the Python office or send me a nice letter ...”

“But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” the girl sputtered. “I told you I'm from Leeds! I don't get to travel to London often, except for some job-related commitments. Besides, what about her?” She pointed to Lisa. “You can't make time for one more fan?!”

Oh, dear. She really assumed that Lisa was only a fan of his? Michael quickly glanced at his wife who had appeared shocked at first and then quietly seething in anger. Was this going to turn into a battle royal? Why did this girl have to start something in the first place?

Before he could stew over it any longer, Lisa suddenly cleared her throat and sat up straight in her chair. “Sorry, but I like to think I'm more than just a fan,” she said bluntly, holding up her left hand to show off her wedding ring.

The girl's mouth dropped open in shock and her face seemed to turn pink in embarrassment.

“I'm sorry, but we're trying to enjoy some leisurely time alone,” Michael added with a disarming smile, hoping to smooth things over a bit. Deep down, he was grateful to Lisa for speaking up, if a bit surprised by her candor. Hopefully this Cassie would now take a hint and leave them be.

“Oh, I didn't know you were married. My apologies,” she said flatly before turning and slinking off in the direction of her own table, not bothering to look back at them.

*******************************************

Watching this arrogant fan finally make her way back to her own table, Lisa dropped her gaze to the tabletop and heaved a sigh. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She never would have thought they'd run into an actual Python fan here in Barbados, especially one bold enough to accost Michael.

She tried to remember if she'd seen her before. She certainly didn't look anything like the young woman who had stared at them yesterday after they'd first left their room. She also wasn't sure if she was one of the girls seated at that table on the other side of the dining room where they'd eaten dinner. Perhaps she was, but Lisa hadn't really looked at them closely.

Speaking of her appearance, Lisa couldn't help thinking how unfortunate this girl looked. She had very thin, straight hair with a short, choppy looking fringe that looked as though it had been cut by a small child. Actually, it almost reminded her of the haircut Terry Gilliam had during the filming of Holy Grail. She also had very crooked, broken teeth and a very long nose. She almost resembled a witch; all that was missing was a huge wart on her nose or face. Lisa chuckled at the notion although couldn't help feeling a little badly.

Her thoughts finally turned to the way she got rid of the girl. She didn't think she had it in herself to react so bluntly the way she did. She could only imagine how wonderful it must feel to meet someone you idolize, but the girl was being rather intrusive and she could tell Michael was getting uncomfortable.

She finally lifted her gaze to find Michael gazing at her in concern.

“I'm sorry, Michael. Perhaps I was too blunt there?”

Michael gave her an affectionate smile and laughed softly. “No, you weren't, love. I'm glad you came to my rescue. To be perfectly frank, I feel like an idiot. I should've got rid of her promptly.” His expression turned sheepish for a moment before his smile returned. “Anyway, don't worry about it. Hopefully that girl will now leave us alone.”

Lisa nodded. A certain thought suddenly nagged at her, making her grimace. “I honestly can't believe she thought I was just a fan of yours.”

“Mm. Well …” Michael suddenly turned to her and she caught a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Come to think of it, you are, in a way.”

She was about to swat him across the chest when she suddenly pondered his words and realized he was right. “When you put it that way, yes, I suppose you're right. I'm the official chairwoman of the 'Michael Palin Fan Club,'” she purred, giving him a wink. “And as such I'm entitled to all the wondrous perks therein, am I right?”

“What sort of … 'perks' do you have in mind?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows at her.

“Shouldn't you already know the answer to that question?” Grinning naughtily at him, she closed the space between them and covered his lips with her own, initiating a deep kiss.

Finally after several minutes of what felt like sheer ecstasy, they parted and she found Michael looking as if he were trying to catch his breath, even though she was sure he was having her on.

“Ah! Yes, well, that was certainly one of those. If you're looking to redeem the rest I suggest we move to the hotel room, eh? This way you'll get to enjoy the full experience with no prying eyes.”

Lisa felt her cheeks grow warm as she looked around and realized that, though the area wasn't quite so busy, they were still very much out in public. She giggled sheepishly. “Yes, I reckon we'd both enjoy it a little more in that setting.” She moved to stand up and watched as he did likewise.

Michael nodded. “On that note, shall we head back? We can decide what to do with the rest of the day, sight-seeing, shopping, walking the beach and all that. And, if time allows for it, a few … er … extracurricular activities.”

She batted her eyelashes playfully at him. “Oh, yes, well I think we shall start with those --”

Michael teasingly wagged his finger at her. “Ah, ah, ah! I said 'if time allows for it.' Don't want to embarrass the maid when she comes in to straighten up the room, yeah?”

“That's why there's a 'Do Not Disturb' sign to hang from the door, you silly boy,” she teased. “You think I would allow a maid to be privy to our moments of intimacy?”

She watched Michael's face suddenly go from a boyish, playful nature to a serious, almost lost, expression. It seemed as if the gravity of the situation had finally hit him. That assumption made her realize it as well, and had conjured up hints of a slight fear deep within her. Shutting her eyes she quickly shook her head as if to dash these heavy thoughts from her mind.

“Lisa?” Oh, great, he must have noticed. She turned to find Michael eyeing her curiously. “You alright?”

She felt herself blush again but covered it up with a grin and a slight laugh. “Yes, I'm fine.”

His curious expression lingered for a moment before he finally smiled at her. “Alright. Come on, let's head back.” He put a hand on her back, guiding her down the paved path toward the building their room was in. Whatever unnerving thoughts she had quickly faded as she felt Michael's loving touch.

Lisa suddenly turned back toward the main building and found a solitary figure watching them. Squinting a bit, she made out the unmistakable face of Cassie, the girl who had rudely interrupted them. She wasn't completely sure, but the girl seemed to be sneering at her. Lisa forced a slight smile at her, if only to be somewhat polite, but the girl's expression remained unchanged. As they headed further away, she forced herself to ignore Cassie's uncomfortable stare. She wondered if Michael had seen her. Whatever the case, she hoped this was the end of it. She was determined to enjoy their honeymoon and didn't want anything – or anyone – to ruin it.