An Old Friend: Version B Part 18

Lisa sighed happily as she picked up one of the brochures and started reading it. Michael was next to her, reading several others. Safely back inside their hotel room, the awkward encounter with the rude fan was all but a distant memory. They had spent a good deal of time talking about other things which soon led to some kissing and cuddling on the bed.

“So? Has madame decided what our itinerary for the day shall be?” Michael suddenly spoke, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

Lisa's face cracked open in a huge smile as she opened a brochure and placed it in front of him. “Have you seen this yet? These botanical gardens look absolutely lovely. There's a bit of history behind it as well which I think you may find interesting; I certainly did just in reading about it.”

She turned and watched Michael narrow his eyes in curiosity as he studied the brochure. “Oh, it does look quite marvelous. I think you've sold me on this one, Lisa.”

She beamed as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Well, then it's settled … unless there was something you wanted to see today as well?”

Smiling, Michael shook his head. “Oh, no. There are some very interesting cave tours we can take,” he began, showing her several other brochures. “But I reckon we won't have enough time for them today. We can always do them tomorrow. If we've got a bit of time left today perhaps we could nip down to Bridgetown for some shopping?”

“Sounds perfect. I'd like to get something to bring back to Mum and Dad anyway.”

Michael nodded. “Alright, then. Our plans for the day are set! We'll head over to the main building and inquire about some transport to take us to the gardens. I reckon the bus should get us there alright, though.”

“We'll figure something out,” Lisa agreed. Grabbing her purse, she stuck the brochure inside and watched as Michael grabbed his camera.

A sudden, loud knock on the door stopped them in their tracks. Lisa felt her brow furrow in confusion. Glancing at Michael, she saw his expression matched hers.

“Perhaps it's the maid come to straighten up the room?”

Lisa gave a slight shrug. Given the time of day, it was the most logical explanation. Suddenly recalling the way that fan accosted Michael, a feeling of dread welled up within her. She really hoped it was just the maid.

She watched as Michael headed for the door and looked into the peephole. He appeared a bit surprised by what he'd seen and she watched his brow furrow in confusion.

“What's the matter?” she asked, half dreading the answer.

“There are three more girls out in the corridor in front of our room. In case you're wondering, that Cassie girl from earlier isn't one of them.”

Lisa allowed herself to relax slightly, although the situation still made her feel uneasy. Could these have been other fans? “Do you recognize any of them?”

“No, can't say that I do. I can't even be sure that they're fans, although I wouldn't be surprised. I wonder how they found our room?”

Lisa was perplexed about this herself, and beginning to get disappointed as well. She hoped their plans for the day wouldn't be ruined now.

Michael seemed to sense her discomfort and smiled gently at her. “Not to worry. I'll just have a polite word with them and send them on their way.” He leaned over to give her a small kiss on the lips, which made her beam as she sat back down on the bed. She hoped this was the end of it now.

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

Michael gave Lisa another reassuring smile and watched her sit back down on the bed before he headed back to the door. He took another glance through the peephole and, upon finding the girls still there, gingerly opened the door and stepped out. The first thing he noticed was the very evident excitement etched across their faces. Michael managed an awkward smile and nodded at them.

“Good morning, ladies. What can I do for you?”

“Mister Palin?” the shortest of the girls asked. She had dark brown hair that ended slightly above her shoulders and was swept across her face from a side parting. She had large, brown eyes and some freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. She appeared all of twenty-one or so. “I'm Millicent. I was wondering if I could perchance have your autograph?” She smiled shyly and held up a small notebook and pen to him.

Michael's smile grew. This girl's politeness was endearing, especially after what they'd just been through with Cassie. Her shyness almost reminded him of Lisa. Upon that last thought, Michael reminded himself of what he needed to do and shook himself out of his thoughts. His eyes refocused and he nodded at Millicent, taking the notebook and pen from her. “Yes, of course.” He opened the book, found a blank white page and signed his name before handing the book back to her.

“Thanks very much!” she exclaimed.

Her much taller friend had longer, light brown curly hair with barrettes clipped on each side of her head and seemed much more aggressive. “Now me next!” she cut in, nearly shoving her book at him. Michael regarded her curiously as he took the book. “Oh, m'name's Carole, with an 'e' at the end!”

“Yes, thank you,” Michael muttered as he quickly signed a page of the girl's notebook and then gave it back to her. “May I ask how you ladies knew I was here?”

All three girls appeared thrown for a moment, as if not sure what to say. “Um …” the third girl of medium height with eyeglasses and long, straight blonde hair down to her bum, piped up. “Our friend saw you earlier and mentioned that you were here.”

“Mm, of course,” Michael muttered to himself, believing he had an idea who this friend was. “Is your friend perchance called Cassie?”

Carole nodded, giving him a toothy smile. “Yes, yes, that's her!”

Michael groaned inwardly. Well, at least these girls didn't seem quite as rude as she was. Still, he didn't approve of them stalking him and taking time away from his honeymoon with Lisa. He suspected Cassie had put them up to this, even though he didn't doubt their admiration was genuine.

Before he could ponder any further, he felt someone shoving another notebook and pen into his hand. The very action irritated him, perhaps more than it should have. He and Lisa were on their honeymoon, for heaven's sake. How would they like it if he were to barge in on whatever important plans they had? 'Oh, no, they would be absolutely thrilled,' he thought sarcastically. 'Don't be such an idiot.'

Turning abruptly toward the blonde, he shot her an expectant look.

“Janet,” she clarified, pointing to herself.

“Mm … Janet ...” Michael muttered as he hastily scrawled her name and his signature onto the page of the notebook. He had a look at the finished product, realizing it was quite sloppy and practically illegible. As cold as it seemed, he couldn't be arsed. He had to send these girls away and get back to Lisa. This whole situation was ridiculous. They had the whole day planned and he wasn't about to let this ruin it. Nodding and forcing a smile, he returned the book to Janet, who gushed her thanks to him.

“Of course. Have a lovely day. I hope you enjoy your stay here in Barbados,” he said, forcing a tight smile and biting his tongue to keep from exploding at them. Hopefully this was all they wanted and they'd be on their merry way.

They didn't seem to be budging, however.

“Well, we certainly will now,” Carole suddenly piped up, grinning. The other two erupted in girlish giggles as she winked at him. If Michael didn't know any better, he'd swear she was hitting on him. He bit his tongue once more to keep from groaning and instead turned to head back inside his and Lisa's room.

The girls remained in one spot.

Michael whirled around, eyes widened in exasperation. “I gave you the autographs. What more do you want??” That last bit came out a bit more forcefully than he'd intended, but they really were getting on his last nerve.

“Well, it's not every day you meet your favorite television and stage personality, especially in a place like this!” Janet replied, sounding almost insulted by the question. “What are you doing now? Perhaps we can join you.”

Her tone and the way the other girls nodded seemed to evoke a great sense of entitlement, which only irritated Michael further. He was not some sort of trained monkey ordered to dance and perform for their amusement. He was quite taken aback by their boldness at first, but given Cassie's behavior at breakfast, he probably shouldn't have been surprised.

“I'm afraid not,” he replied in a quiet, angry tone. “My wife and I are on our honeymoon and we don't wish to be disturbed. We've got plans for today and we're about to go out.” He once again turned and grabbed the doorknob, about to reenter the room.

“Your honeymoon ...” Carole nearly screeched, her face contorted in what appeared to be a mix of disbelief and anger. “Where are you going, exactly?”

Michael's cheeks felt as if they were on fire as he finally lost his patience. He whirled around, glaring at them angrily. “Yes, that's right, my honeymoon!” he shouted. “Didn't your fellow groupie report her newly discovered little fact to you?! My wife and I were trying to have a nice, lovely breakfast all to ourselves when she practically threw herself at me, fussing over my hair and making rather rude requests. She assumed my wife was another fan with whom I was merely having a simple 'meet and greet.'”

The girls stared at him, appearing surprised by his reaction. Michael was far from done, however …

“And for your information, it's none of your business where we are going! This is the rudest request for information I have ever received! How else can I make you understand: We're on our honeymoon and don't wish to be disturbed!!”

Goodness, he hadn't meant to shout so loudly. He was glad no one on this floor seemed to have heard him and had opened their doors, finding a madman with a (most likely) beet red complexion and a vein nearly popping out of his neck.

“Michael?” he suddenly heard Lisa's voice faintly calling from inside the room. Deep down he breathed a sigh of relief as it would give him an excuse for ending this rather awkward situation.

Turning back to the girls, he glared at them once again. “And in case you thought I was having you on, that's my wife now. And with that I shall bid you good day, ladies,” he said, bitingly sarcastic as he laid his hand upon the doorknob and opened the door, shutting it quickly behind him. Whether or not the girls had taken the hint and had finally left or still remained in the corridor, he didn't care.

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

Lisa watched Michael reenter the room and loudly shut the door behind him. She hadn't seen or heard all that had taken place, but it must have been a lulu. When he had first left the room, she was able to get a quick glimpse of the three girls in the corridor. Her eyes had widened in surprise as she recognized the shorter girl with the dark brown hair as the one who'd stared at them upon exiting the room on the floor below them yesterday. Initially she'd found the encounter a bit odd, but now it was starting to make sense.

Just moments ago, she'd heard Michael going off on these girls and although she hadn't heard the conversation, she assumed they were as rude and intrusive as Cassie was. She wished she'd taken a more active role and had joined him outside the room herself, although after what happened with Cassie she was concerned she'd lose her temper as well. Hopefully Michael had taken care of the situation once and for all.

She was thrown from her thoughts as she heard Michael approaching the bed. Her gaze refocused on him and her heart overflowed with pity. His face was flushed and he looked as if he were trying to calm down and regain his composure. Perhaps it was her imagination, but there seemed to be a tinge of guilt to his expression as well. She watched as he took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his fringe, tossing it back to the side of his face before he sat down next to her.

“Michael?” she asked him tentatively once he appeared to have relaxed a bit. “What happened?”

“Our suspicions were correct: more fans,” he replied tiredly, failing to look at her.

Lisa already knew that, of course, after recognizing one of them, but she wasn't about to tell him that just yet. She softly touched his elbow, causing him to finally turn and look at her.

“They were hounding me for autographs. At first they seemed rather shy and polite, or at least one of them did. The other two were more aggressive. They admitted that Cassie told them I was here, so I'd assume the four of them are friends traveling together.”

“How were the other girls aggressive?”

“They shoved their notebooks and pens at me, and one in particular appeared to be, er, trying to chat me up ...”

Lisa bit back a grin as she watched Michael blush furiously upon that last statement. A part of her couldn't blame a girl for being attracted to Michael and attempting to flirt. However, this girl should have known they were married and shouldn't have wasted her time.

“They also pressed me for information on where we were going. They even wanted to join us on our travel plans.” He shook his head incredulously. “And they seemed to justify it by saying it's not every day you meet one of your favorite television or stage personalities, as if they were entitled to have me bend to their every whim.”

Lisa felt a spark of anger grow inside her. Even though these girls admired Michael, he was on his own leisurely time and they had a lot of nerve to demand such requests of him. It sounded almost like the behavior of stalkers. “I'm sorry they did this to you, Michael. And I'm sorry that I didn't say anything myself. Perhaps that Cassie didn't tell them we were married and they just assumed you were here alone. If I'd come outside, perhaps they would have got the message and gone away.”

Michael gave her a smile that seemed a bit sad in nature. “No need to apologize, love. To be perfectly frank, I don't know if it would have done any good. These ladies seemed quite persistent. Perhaps now they've got the message after the way I shouted at them. Actually, the more I think of it, the worse I feel.”

Lisa felt her brows draw together in confusion. He was now regretting the way he'd acted? “What do you mean?”

“I wonder if I carried it a bit too far. I won't deny their behavior was very rude, but perhaps I shouldn't have shouted the way I did. If we perchance see them again, I wonder if I should apologize ...”

Lisa's eyes widened in disbelief. “What?? Why should you apologize? Michael, you had to do something. They were beyond rude in what they were up to. Who knows what else they could have done? Surely you remember how crazed some of the Beatles' fans were! These girls could have ended up stalking us the entire time we were here. I don't know about you, but I would be very uncomfortable feeling as if I were in a fish bowl.” She regarded him sternly and then felt perhaps she was overdoing it. She allowed her stern countenance to soften into one of concern.

Michael was gazing at his lap almost the entire time when she finally heard him sigh as he returned his gaze to her. “You're right, love. I'm sorry. I'm being rather silly, aren't I?” He chuckled sheepishly.

“Yes, you are,” she grinned, giving him a wink. “But it's alright. I should be used to this, given your pathologically nice personality.”

“What? 'Pathologically nice'? You say that as though it's a … defect of some sort!” He stuck his lower lip out in a pout, giving her a pair of sad eyes.

Lisa couldn't keep from laughing. “Alright, perhaps it's not in 'defect' territory, but at times it comes quite close.”

Michael suddenly glared at her, his jaw set. “You're cruel. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

“I believe you just did,” she retorted, trying hard not to laugh at his indignant expression. Her grin widened as his act faltered and she found dimples starting to peek out of the corners of his mouth and he started to chuckle.

“Actually, you're a fine one to talk, Missus Palin,” he joked with a playful smirk. “You're just about as 'pathologically nice' as I am.”

“Perhaps, but I do know where the line is and am not afraid to confront someone when they're about to cross it.” Laughing gently, she moved some of his hair away from the side of his neck and gave him a gentle kiss. She returned her gaze back up to his face and found him staring at her affectionately. “Look, if you do feel that badly for shouting at them, perhaps you could just leave them a little note apologizing, but still making it clear we're on our honeymoon and would like some privacy.”

Michael seemed to consider this for a few moments and then nodded. “Yes, I reckon that's the best course of action.” He smiled again and hugged her loosely. “Thank you, darling.”

Separating from him, Lisa returned his smile. “Of course.”

“As we're heading for the main building anyway, we can ask reception for their help … perhaps the manager may be able to assist us in whipping up a note and having someone deliver it to their room.” He suddenly trailed off and furrowed his brow in confusion. “...Wherever that happens to be.”

“Well, I take it you've got their names – given names anyway – as well as Cassie's. That's something. Plus I did recognize the shortest one with the dark hair. When we first arrived here and were leaving our room, I saw her exit a room on the floor below us just as we were about to leave the building and explore the grounds.”

“Really … Did you happen to catch the number of the room?”

Lisa thought for a moment and then shook her head in frustration. “No, I wasn't too focused on that detail. I do know roughly where it was in relation to the staircase and the main doors, though.”

Michael smiled. “Well, we've got several clues and I'm sure they can help with the rest. We'll take care of that before leaving for our first full day of exploring this island.”

“As long as it doesn't take too long,” she grimaced before glancing at her watch. “It's already gone half past nine, Michael.”

Michael chuckled lightly before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Don't worry, it won't take long. I'm sure of it.”

Lisa nodded and tried to think positively. She really hoped these girls would leave them alone and not try to ruin things further.

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

A cool breeze tickled Michael's face and ruffled his hair ever so slightly, causing him to sigh in contentment. Their day of sightseeing having come to an end, they were now on the bus ride back to the hotel. The botanical gardens tour was very lovely. Afterwards, they had visited the gift shop and Lisa had bought a small bottle of perfume which he admitted smelled quite nice. The visit didn't take as much time as they'd initially assumed and they were able to squeeze in one of the cave tours he'd read about. It was quite interesting and the scenery was just breathtaking. Michael was glad he'd brought his camera with him and was sure he'd taken some lovely photos. Hoping he was right, he couldn't wait to have them developed.

They had also spent a bit of time in Bridgetown, visiting different shops and having a bite to eat. The local cuisine was quite a treat and Lisa seemed happy that she'd found a few nice gifts to bring back to her parents.

Perhaps the best part of all was how stress-free the day was. They weren't chased down by those troublesome ladies from earlier, nor any other people claiming to be fans. Every so often he'd caught Lisa glancing about or looking back over her shoulder, as if to make sure of that fact. He felt bad she had to do this and wished they'd never entered into this predicament.

Before they'd left the hotel, he had asked the manager for help in crafting a note to deliver to those ladies. He was worried the other man would find him daft. Luckily he seemed to understand and in fact apologized for the trouble. He'd given Michael a nice piece of stationery and a pen. In drafting the note, Michael tried to think of the perfect combination of politeness and firmness, with Lisa's input. He apologized for reacting so angrily, but had been honest about being on his honeymoon and if they are indeed fans, he would appreciate them respecting his and his wife's privacy.

He ended it with a bit of silly Pythonesque humor before signing his name. Despite the scant information they had on the girls' whereabouts, the manager was able to locate their names on the guest register and confirm the room in which they were staying. He'd also added a handful of locally-made sweets and had a staff member bring it up to their room.

Finally arriving back at the hotel, they disembarked the bus and started making their way toward the west building, which housed their room. They were nearly halfway there when Lisa came to a sudden stop.

“What's the matter, love?” Michael asked curiously.

“I nearly forgot... That second cave tour we decided to take tomorrow? I wanted to double check some information regarding the bus we'd need to take.”

Michael feigned surprise for a moment before he shrugged. “Awright,” he teased in a Cockney accent with a lopsided grin.

She returned his grin and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “I won't be a moment. I'll meet you back at the room.”

Michael nodded and watched as she hurried back in the direction of the main building. He couldn't stop the affectionate smile that spread across his face as he gazed at her retreating form. God, he loved her so much. He felt partly responsible for the trouble with the girls and hated seeing her uncomfortable. He wanted to make it up to her, but how? He had to come up with something.

His mind began reeling with ideas as he strode over to the west building. As he stopped in front of the doors, his thoughts came to an abrupt halt and he suddenly got the feeling that something wasn't right. It was as if that feeling came out of nowhere. It almost didn't make sense. Michael chuckled softly and talked himself out of it, almost scolding himself for being paranoid as he laid his hand upon the handle of one of the main doors and pulled it open.

He'd just entered the building and sighed in relief as the cooler air-conditioned atmosphere greeted him.

His relief was short-lived however and he yelped upon the sight in front of him: four familiar-looking women greeting and crowding him. It was the three girls from earlier this morning, now joined by Cassie. It was a veritable ambush. Michael's earlier relief had now been overtaken by a sense of dread.

“Oh, er … Hallo, ladies,” Michael said, trying hard to mask his discomfort. He obviously wasn't doing a very good job.

“Hello, Michael,” they all said in unison before Cassie took the lead. “We wanted to thank you for that lovely note and the sweets, which we really enjoyed.” The others nodded.

“Of course we much would have preferred if you'd delivered it in person,” the one called Carole added, adopting a sexy tone of voice. Michael tried very hard not to let them see him cringing.

Janet suddenly turned and glared at her. “Stop it!” she admonished Carole quietly, gritting her teeth. “We're not doing that, eh?”

Michael quirked an eyebrow curiously, wondering what exactly was meant by that before once again scolding himself for acting paranoid.

“Sorry about that,” Janet continued, turning to Michael and smiling. “We thought it was really lovely of you to do.”

Nodding absently, Michael had to admit he was caught a bit off guard by that sentiment. “Er … yes, of course. I'm not usually one to lose my temper, but I was not expecting all this and was really desiring some privacy with my wife on our honeymoon.”

“Yes and we're very sorry for acting that way,” Millicent said shyly. “We will try to be better fans and treat you with more respect.”

Her sentiments seemed genuine, which again surprised Michael and, truth be told, left him feeling a bit relieved. Still, he was really hoping Lisa would come back soon to put an end to this awkward situation. “Well, thank you,” he replied, managing a ghost of a smile. “Have a lovely evening.” With that, he turned back to the door of his room, key in hand. He risked a quick glance behind him, hoping the girls had taken the hint and had left.

That was not the case, however.

'Not again,' he thought, groaning inwardly. “What are you doing?” he asked, trying not to sound exasperated but that was proving more difficult by the second.

He watched all four of them pull sad faces. “Well, it's our last day here and we were hoping to have a little chat with you before we go,” Janet said forlornly. “We admire you so much and we'd not have another opportunity like this. None of us live very close to London, you know.”

Whatever ounce of pity Michael had for these girls quickly evaporated once he felt one of them grab his hand. Shifting his gaze, he found Cassie attempting to lead him toward their room. “Come with us, just for a little while, alright?”

Michael's jaw dropped, shocked at how cagey and aggressive these so-called fans were. “Please let go of me,” he said awkwardly. Either they didn't hear him or they weren't intent on respecting his wishes as Cassie's grip on his hand remained as tight as ever. Michael tried to wrestle free, but she was surprisingly strong as she dragged him across the floor. Here were these women, all a bit younger than he and quite a bit smaller, and he was unable to overpower them. He couldn't help feeling just a bit small at the moment.

“Look if you don't let me go I'm going to report --” he started to say. His objections were cut off by Carole suddenly lunging forward, grabbing his face and planting a huge kiss on his lips. Michael felt his eyes widen as he gasped for breath, completely shocked by this turn of events. He felt her sucking at his lips and trying to force her tongue into his mouth. As he tried desperately to break free, he could hear one of the other girls say something to the effect of: “Don't be such a hog, Carole. I'm next!”

Oh, God, how he'd wished for a distraction. Any kind of distraction. Hell, he wished he could just break free of this trance his shock had put him under and get the upper hand.

As if someone had heard him, the confusion was pierced by the sound of the doors opening and footsteps coming through. He caught an audible gasp from the other girls, followed by the sound of a bag dropping and falling to the floor.

Carole finally let go of Michael and he gulped in several deep breaths before turning his head toward the sound. His heart ached at the sight in front of him: an absolutely mortified Lisa staring at them, her jaw practically on the floor.

“What are you doing with my husband??!!” she shouted.

Michael couldn't be more relieved that she was here, but was also still shocked over what happened and upset to see the absolutely stricken look on her face. She looked as though she was living a nightmare, much the way he himself was feeling.

“Perhaps if you'd stuck by your husband more often, he wouldn't have come crawling to us for love and companionship,” Cassie said, folding her arms across her chest and assuming a challenging stance.

Michael was absolutely stunned she had the audacity to utter such nonsense and he hated that Lisa had to be dragged into this whole thing. Turning to his wife, Michael thought he saw her eyes fill with tears just before they narrowed in anger. “You lying, little cow. I can't believe my husband actually apologized to you. You are the ones who should be apologizing. You've been trying your hardest to make our honeymoon a living hell, all because you're – what? Fans of his? If you were any sort of decent fan, you'd grant him the respect and privacy he deserves.”

“And if you were any sort of decent wife, you'd understand that your husband is a very nice bloke and you'd let him do whatever the hell he wants!” Carole said spitefully, approaching Lisa.

Lisa's eyes widened briefly and she looked as though she was going to explode. She rushed up to Carole and drew back a balled-up fist, as if she was going to pop her one. Michael looked on fearfully. He hated getting in the middle of any sort of conflict, and he certainly didn't want either woman to do anything they'd possibly regret. He made an attempt to stand between Lisa and Carole, but Carole nudged him out of the way and grabbed a hold of Lisa's arm.

“Let go of me!” Lisa hissed. She managed to get her arm free of the other girl's grip, but Carole still seemed intent on brawling.

“Listen, leave my wife out of this,” Michael suddenly piped up, fearing where this was going.

“She should have stayed away,” Carole replied, not taking her eyes off Lisa. Michael never really took into account how tall this girl was. She was at least several inches taller than Lisa – who was five-foot-three – and had a rather large, athletic frame. His face contorted in worry as he watched Carole take a swing at Lisa, who ducked.

A sudden, quick thought occurred to Michael and, seeing the other girls completely distracted, grabbed his small camera and surreptitiously snapped a photo of Carole attempting to hit Lisa. Perhaps it was somewhat irrational, but if the hotel management were to get involved they'd only have hearsay to go on and he wanted some proof that this girl initiated the brawl.

Before they could see what he'd done, he put the camera away and moved closer to Lisa, attempting to block Carole. Panting, Lisa had made her way closer to the door and was glaring angrily in their direction. “Don't think this is over,” she finally said over her shoulder before pushing the doors open and rushing outside.

“Yes, run away, little girl!” Cassie called after her nastily.

Michael snorted, finding it quite ironic of her to say that when this girl was actually smaller and younger than Lisa herself. He turned to them, narrowing his eyes dangerously. “My wife was right. What on Earth was I thinking, apologizing to you in the first place? You're the sort of fans I'm embarrassed – dare I say horrified – to have. Believe me, you shall regret this.”

Without another word, he turned back to the main doors and stormed outside, his destination the main building and, ultimately, reception. It was time to put an end to this once and for all.