Chapter 3

MANGROVE DREAMING
By Kerrie Bygrave

Chapter 3:

The next evening, Matt was true to his word, and came home from work early so that he could take Sam out for dinner. He was a handsome man, and Sam had thought it had been love at first sight the first time she saw him. He was just over six foot tall, had sandy blonde hair, and a physique that showed he liked to look after his health. He went running most mornings before work.
Matt had noticed Sam straight away too the first time they met. He had been drawn to her white blonde hair that hung in natural curls about her face, her slender figure, but most of all, he had been captivated by her brilliant blue eyes and her smile which lit up her whole face. He’d been unable to take his eyes of her the first night they met. He quickly learnt too that she had a heart of gold and would do anything to help anyone. Matt really admired that in Sam. In the early days, she used to be so happy almost all of the time, but now days she rarely smiled. His heart ached for her. He knew she was still feeling a lot of pain, but he was at a loss of how to help her anymore. She seemed to shut him out any time he tried to be there for her.
‘So, wear something nice’ Matt called out to Sam from the ensuite as he got out the shower. ‘I’ve booked us a table at Matso’s. I thought we should spoil ourselves.’
‘Are you saying I don’t always look nice?’ Sam called back from their bedroom. ‘You don’t normally complain about the way I look.’
She sounded annoyed. ‘No, not at all.’ replied Matt. ‘I guess I meant to wear something extra nice. Come on, I just thought it would be fun to get a bit more dressed up than normal.’ He walked into the bedroom with his towel wrapped around him and walked up to her from behind to put his arms around her waist. ‘That’s all I meant. You know I think you’d look gorgeous in a hessian sack.’
But she still pulled away from him and walked over to her wardrobe. She didn’t look at him. She just said in a dull tone ‘Yeah, I know. I guess I’m being oversensitive again. Sorry.’ She started flicking through her wardrobe, and pulled out a bright summery dress she had bought from one of the clothing boutiques in town when they had first arrived. ‘How about this?’ She turned around and smiled at him, but they both knew that the smile was forced.
‘That will look great’ he said and he left it at that while he started getting ready. He didn’t know what to say nowadays. No matter what he said, it seemed to be the wrong thing.
They decided to drive to the restaurant. Even though it was walking distance, they had both had a busy day. When they arrived, they went inside to wait to be seated. Matt had requested a table on the veranda facing the ocean. The wide, spacious veranda wrapped around three sides of the restaurant, and most people preferred that seating to the tables that were available inside, despite the fact that there was air-conditioning inside. They were quickly shown to their tables. They had been to Matso’s a couple of times for dinner since they arrived, and the service was always good.
Despite the fact that it was now dark, they could still see lights on the bay from some of the boats out there. In the day light, this spot offered an amazing view of the turquoise water. Sam had come down a few times for morning tea. She would order a coffee and bring a good book with her. Even if they were busy, the staff never made her feel like she should leave because she hadn’t ordered a main meal.
When they were seated, the waiter gave them their menus and asked them if they would like to order drinks. Matt ordered one of Matso’s own brewed beers, and Sam ordered a glass of white wine. While they waited for their drinks, Matt started to talk about his day at work.
‘We got a new project we’re about to look at.’ he started. ‘We’re investigating ways to improve the town beach area for families’.
‘I thought it was already a pretty nice area.’ Sam said as she browsed through her menu. ‘What with the playground near the café, the toilet blocks and the family picnic tables.’
‘Oh yeah, we’re not saying it isn’t a nice area, it’s just with the increase in tourism, we figure that it’s worth looking at some other ideas. We’re not sure what we want to do yet, or even if we’ll do anything. We’re just looking at possibilities. One suggestion has been a water playground for kids. You know, the type that has water spouts for children to run through, and small slides with water coming down them. That way, during stinger season, or when the tide’s still out, families can still bring there kids down to cool off.’
‘That does sound good.’ said Sam as she took a small sip of her wine.
There was an awkward pause, but they were saved by the return of the waiter. ‘Are you ready to order yet’, he said in a thick Irish brogue. He addressed the question to Matt, but he was clearly looking at Sam.
It didn’t bother Matt. He knew his wife’s beauty attracted the attention of other men. But despite the fact they were going through a rough patch, he also knew that Sam would never cheat on him. It had made him very jealous when they first started seeing each other, but when he mentioned it to Sam, she had merely laughed softly and asked him whether he would rather be with someone where other men questioned his taste in a girlfriend. She had advised him to take it as a compliment and he learnt to do that. It wasn’t hard to do. Sam had made it obvious where her heart lied.
‘Ah yes, for an entrée, I’ll have the garlic chilly prawns please. And for the main meal I’ll have the Kimberly steak, medium rare, with vegetables and mushroom sauce thanks’ he said ‘and for my wife…’
Sam took one last glance at the menu before handing it back. ‘I’ll have a ceaser salad for an entrée.’ she told the waiter. ‘and for my main meal, I think I’ll try the soft shell crab dish’.
The waiter took both menus and walked away. Matt sipped his beer, and then asks Sam ‘So how was your day today? What did you get up to?’
Sam started telling him about how she had finished unpacking the last of the boxes. She didn’t mention the boxes which remained untouched in the spare room. Instead she went on to tell her about her trip into China Town. ‘The other night in the storm, I let this older lady from down the road take shelter from the rain on our veranda. We had a cup of tea while we waited for the rain to pass.’ she said.
Matt smiled. Letting someone take shelter from the rain in their home and offering them her hospitality was just the kind of thing he expected Sam to do.
‘She was a very nice woman actually.’ Sam continued. ‘We got along quite well. But anyway, she was telling me about the Yuen Wing store in town, so today I decided to go in and have a sticky beak. That store is amazing. It looks so small a pokey from the street front, but inside it has all these different rooms with all sorts of stuff for sale.’
Matt laughed at her enthusiasm. He rarely saw that in her anymore. ‘So does that mean I should watch out for next month’s credit card bill?’ he teased her.
‘Not at all.’ she replied. ‘I didn’t actually buy anything today, but I’ll definitely go back again. They had everything from specialty Asian foods, towels and linen, to camping and electrical equipment. You could even buy the latest Play Station in there.’
‘That’s it.’ said Matt. ‘I’m taking my cheque book in there tomorrow.’ and they both laughed out loud.
They continued to chat light heartedly until their entrée arrived and then started to eat. When they received their main meal, they each tried what the other had ordered as well. Matt held his fork over for her to try some of his steak. A couple of drops of sauce dribbled down her chin. He quickly grabbed a serviette and tenderly dabbed the drops for her. She smiled tenderly at him, and his heart soared. It had been so long since she had smiled at him like that.
A few minutes later, he carefully tried to broach another topic. ‘You know Sam, we do have to talk about it sometime.’
‘Talk about what?’ she asked absent mindedly.
‘You know what I mean.’ he replied.
She had been about to take another sip of her wine, but her hand froze half way. ‘Why can’t you just give me time?’ she demanded.
‘Come on, Sam. It’s been six months now.’
‘Oh, and six months is the magic number, is it? It’s been six months so I should be able to forget about it now.’
‘That’s not what I meant and you know it’ said Matt in frustration. ‘We started getting counselling in Melbourne Sam, and I thought we were starting to deal with it. But ever since we got to Broome, you’ve acted like nothing happened. You won’t talk about it, and you shut me out every time I start to talk about it’
‘Well, I tell you something.’ Sam said vehemently. ‘I sure as hell don’t feel like talking about it here and now. So please, just drop the subject’.
Matt went to say something else, but decided against it. It was no use. She just wouldn’t open up to him. He then became annoyed at himself. Even though he felt they needed to talk about what had happened, they had been enjoying themselves for the first time in ages, and now Sam was staring out at the Bay with a stony silence.
She picked up her knife and fork again and finished the last of her meal. Matt did the same, but they finished their meal in virtual silence, whilst the restaurant patrons around them chatted away.
Soon, their waiter arrived again to remove their plates. He asked them if they would like to see the dessert menu. Before Matt could reply, Sam jumped in and said ‘No thanks, we’ve had enough. Can you bring us our bill please?’
The waiter walked away. Matt was slightly annoyed. He had been planning to try the sticky date pudding. But he didn’t say anything. Instead he tried to lighten the mood again. ‘I tell you what. Why don’t we go for a drive out to the port on the way home and go for a walk on the wharf? The fresh air will do us good.’
‘I don’t think so.’ Sam said quietly. ‘I’m feeling pretty tired. I’d rather just go home.’
‘No worries.’ replied Matt. When the bill arrived, he got up to go inside and pay.
Sam rose from the table too. ‘I’ll wait for you at the car.’ she said, and she walked off.
Matt watched her walk away, and then went inside.
When they got home, Sam walked inside without a word and went straight to the bedroom. Matt followed her in and locked the door behind him. He went to the kitchen and got himself a drink of water. He stood at the kitchen sink and stared out the window. Even at night, the garden was illuminated in a soft light from the street lamp nearby. He took a deep breath. He didn’t know how much longer he could cope with Sam freezing him out.
He finished his water, put his glass in the sink, and headed into the bedroom. Sam had already changed into her pyjamas. She always wore long white cotton pants and a matching button up top. She never used to wear anything to bed, but Matt knew that now it was her way of avoiding intimacy.
Matt stripped down to his underwear and climbed into bed beside her, before turning out his bedside lamp. ‘Goodnight’ he said, not really expecting a reply.
After a short pause, Sam turned on her bedside lamp. She sat up and turned to her husband. ‘Matt, I’m so sorry.’ she started.
Matt sat up too and looked at her. ‘You don’t have to be sorry. I know it’s hard for you. I shouldn’t push you.’
‘It is hard.’ continued Sam. ‘But I know it’s hard for you too. And I feel selfish when I act like it’s only me going through this.’
Matt went to say something, but Sam put her finger up to his lips. ‘No, let me finish.’ she continued. ‘I promise from now on, I’ll try not to shut you out so much. I’m not saying that it’s going to be plain sailing from now on. And I’m not saying that I won’t have my moments, but I will try.’ She paused. ‘You know I love you, don’t you?’
‘Oh Sam, honey, of course I do.’ He took her in his arms and held her tight. She put her head on his shoulder and relished the feel of his arms around her.
After a minute, she pulled back slightly and looked up into his eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, he brought his lips down to hers and kissed her gently. She parted her lips and allowed his tongue to dart in with a sweet tenderness. He kept the kiss slow and tender, not wanting to overwhelm her. He brought his hand up to her face and caressed her cheek.
She pulled away slightly, reluctant to break off their kiss. ‘Oh Matt, make love to me, please’.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked.
Sam didn’t answer. Instead she guided his hands to the buttons on her top. Matt held her gaze, while he slowly undid each button. After the last button, he slid his hands up under her top and over her shoulders, causing her top to fall away behind her.
He then expertly reached behind her and unclipped her bra strap. He pulled her bra away and gazed for a minute at her full breasts. He felt himself harden. ‘They’re so damn beautiful’ he whispered half to himself, but knowing Sam would hear him too.
This time it was Sam who reached up to him and enclosed his lips with hers, but the gentleness of the first kiss was replaced with a more eager passion. They wrapped their arms around each other and fell back onto the bed. Matt broke off their kiss to emit a hungry groan before kissing a trail from her lips, down her throat and to encapture one of her hardened nipples in his mouth. She arched her back to meet his hungry response.
Whilst he transferred his attention to the other breast, he trailed his hand down her side to the elastic of her pyjama pants. He placed the palm of his hand flat to her skin and slipped beneath the fabric to feel for her sweet intimate place. Matt thought he felt her pull away slightly, so he took his hand back out to caress the small of her back. Before long, they were kissing ferociously again. This time Matt’s tongue had an urgency about it that he could barely contain. He went to tug on her pyjama pants and pull them down the length of her long slender thighs.
But suddenly Sam moved away from him. She pulled her pants back up and sat upright. She didn’t look at him. She just blurted out in an anguished voice ‘I’m sorry Matt. I thought I was ready, but I’m not’.
He was still panting from unspent passion, but he managed to reply ‘Forget it. I understand.’ He got up and walked towards the door.
‘Where are you going?’ Sam asked.
‘Just out to watch some TV.’ Matt replied without looking back. ‘Get some sleep.’ he said, and closed the door behind him.
Sam didn’t hear the TV come on. After putting her top back on, it took her a long time before she was able to close her eyes and fall asleep. She awoke some time later and realised that Matt still hadn’t come back to bed. She padded softly out to the lounge room and found him sound asleep on the lounge.
Sam thought about waking him and getting him to come back to bed, but she didn’t want to disturb him. So she went and got a light blanket from the linen cupboard and covered him up before returning to bed herself.
The next morning when the alarm went off at 7.00, Sam got up to go and wake up her husband. She planned to make his breakfast while he got ready for work. She knew it wouldn’t make up for what happened the night before, but it was better than nothing. She got out to the lounge room, but Matt wasn’t there. The blanket was folded up neatly on the back of the couch. On the kitchen bench was a short note saying ‘Busy day at work, thought I’d make an early start. Matt.’
Sam sat down at the dining room table and put her head in her hands. She couldn’t blame him. It must be hard for him to put up with her behaving this way. And he had been so patient with her. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but she knew something had to change. The last thing she wanted was to end up losing him…