into the bathroom to brush your teeth and then I heard you mumbling
something. When I went in to check, I found you holding the showerhead to your
ear. You had this puzzled look and said: ‘Why can’t I get room service on
this phone?’ and then you passed out again.”
Ethan lets loose a charming, infectious laugh
and hugs me tighter than I can ever remember. He has this wonderful knack of
seeing the funny side of any absurd or mundane moment and quite soon you forget
what the conversation was and just end up laughing at his laughter.
I gaze up at
Ethan, wondering if he can sense how much I worship the bones of him. Then the
sheet suddenly slips away from his body and my mouth drops open in shock.
“Ethan! What the hell is that?” I
notice a large bruise on his chest, it was like a raging bluish-purple tattoo.
I impulsively press it, shocked by its severity and Ethan winces.
“Sorry”, I say sincerely.
“So you haven’t listened to my
voicemail then? I explained everything on there.”
“No, it was turned off all night.
Why? Tell me what’s happened, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry Pru, I have a confession.
For the past nine months I’ve been back on the boxing circuit.”
“Oh my God!
How could you?! You even said yourself it was barbaric. If you weren’t so
bruised I’d punch you myself!”
I suddenly
recall the times when Ethan had arrived home with bruises to his arms, cuts and
grazes to his hands and eyes but he had blamed it on the perils of his job. I pull
away from him to turn over and huff loudly in aggravation. However, it suddenly
occurs to me that maybe this could explain his perplexing behaviour; a small
amount of relief begins to lighten the load on my heart.
“So you’ve been doing it on the
side as well as working?”
“Of course, it was just a
temporary thing, my last fight was two days ago.”
“So you
being out the house so often, was that for training?”
Before he
answers, I think of other details that need clarification, quite a few details
actually, so I open my mouth to speak again.
“Yeh, some training
and some business, but Pru, just be quiet and listen,” Ethan instructs me
sternly. I always paid attention when Ethan spoke in an austere tone as I knew
he only used it when absolutely necessary.
“You’re
going to be 30 in four months. I did want to surprise you with these closer to
your birthday but when you accused me of an affair I knew I couldn’t wait any
longer.”
He reaches
out to the bedside table to pick up his wallet. I watch and wait as my mind
sprints ahead to figure out what the hell is going on, but I arrive at a
dead-end. He produces two tickets and hands them to me. I scour over it hurriedly
and the bombshell finally drops.
“They’re
tickets to Australia,” he explains, “I’ve used the prize money from the fights
to pay for it, a three week stay in spa resorts around Sydney, Ayers Rock and
The Barrier Reef and we fly first class both ways. My last winnings will be our
spending money.”
I look up
from the tickets, my mouth agape. Then I screech out loud like I haven’t done
since I was a child when my dad brought home a pet puppy. I kick my legs up and
down on the mattress and beat my fists on the sheets, unable to hold in my
jubilance.
As the
enormity of it all sinks in, I become subdued and my voice muted. “This must have
cost the earth Ethan, oh my God, I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“I hated the
secrecy; it killed me, and if I ever pushed you away, it was because I never
wanted you to see my injuries… looks I’m not as light on my feet as I used to
be,” he says in a most winsome, melancholic tone.
After a
second’s pause, I burst into laughter at his pitiful face and then I lovingly wiggle
the tip of his nose between my fingers.
“Mr Cassidy,
I do believe that you are a peach,” I say, smiling broadly at his
big-hearted gesture, “but I never thought you’d bruise like one.”
Ethan
something. When I went in to check, I found you holding the showerhead to your
ear. You had this puzzled look and said: ‘Why can’t I get room service on
this phone?’ and then you passed out again.”
Ethan lets loose a charming, infectious laugh
and hugs me tighter than I can ever remember. He has this wonderful knack of
seeing the funny side of any absurd or mundane moment and quite soon you forget
what the conversation was and just end up laughing at his laughter.
I gaze up at
Ethan, wondering if he can sense how much I worship the bones of him. Then the
sheet suddenly slips away from his body and my mouth drops open in shock.
“Ethan! What the hell is that?” I
notice a large bruise on his chest, it was like a raging bluish-purple tattoo.
I impulsively press it, shocked by its severity and Ethan winces.
“Sorry”, I say sincerely.
“So you haven’t listened to my
voicemail then? I explained everything on there.”
“No, it was turned off all night.
Why? Tell me what’s happened, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry Pru, I have a confession.
For the past nine months I’ve been back on the boxing circuit.”
“Oh my God!
How could you?! You even said yourself it was barbaric. If you weren’t so
bruised I’d punch you myself!”
I suddenly
recall the times when Ethan had arrived home with bruises to his arms, cuts and
grazes to his hands and eyes but he had blamed it on the perils of his job. I pull
away from him to turn over and huff loudly in aggravation. However, it suddenly
occurs to me that maybe this could explain his perplexing behaviour; a small
amount of relief begins to lighten the load on my heart.
“So you’ve been doing it on the
side as well as working?”
“Of course, it was just a
temporary thing, my last fight was two days ago.”
“So you
being out the house so often, was that for training?”
Before he
answers, I think of other details that need clarification, quite a few details
actually, so I open my mouth to speak again.
“Yeh, some training
and some business, but Pru, just be quiet and listen,” Ethan instructs me
sternly. I always paid attention when Ethan spoke in an austere tone as I knew
he only used it when absolutely necessary.
“You’re
going to be 30 in four months. I did want to surprise you with these closer to
your birthday but when you accused me of an affair I knew I couldn’t wait any
longer.”
He reaches
out to the bedside table to pick up his wallet. I watch and wait as my mind
sprints ahead to figure out what the hell is going on, but I arrive at a
dead-end. He produces two tickets and hands them to me. I scour over it hurriedly
and the bombshell finally drops.
“They’re
tickets to Australia,” he explains, “I’ve used the prize money from the fights
to pay for it, a three week stay in spa resorts around Sydney, Ayers Rock and
The Barrier Reef and we fly first class both ways. My last winnings will be our
spending money.”
I look up
from the tickets, my mouth agape. Then I screech out loud like I haven’t done
since I was a child when my dad brought home a pet puppy. I kick my legs up and
down on the mattress and beat my fists on the sheets, unable to hold in my
jubilance.
As the
enormity of it all sinks in, I become subdued and my voice muted. “This must have
cost the earth Ethan, oh my God, I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“I hated the
secrecy; it killed me, and if I ever pushed you away, it was because I never
wanted you to see my injuries… looks I’m not as light on my feet as I used to
be,” he says in a most winsome, melancholic tone.
After a
second’s pause, I burst into laughter at his pitiful face and then I lovingly wiggle
the tip of his nose between my fingers.
“Mr Cassidy,
I do believe that you are a peach,” I say, smiling broadly at his
big-hearted gesture, “but I never thought you’d bruise like one.”
Ethan
Similar Books
