The Rings

I tried to grasp the implications of that thought. "When did she wash up on the beach?"

The date James gave was twelve days after the reported date of the sinking. Could she have drifted so far?

The yacht had been owned by my brother and his wife. Julia had exams and I had a conference so Rachael had joined them a week earlier. We were due to fly out to Trinidad join the three of them but our flight was delayed due to the storm. When we got there, the yacht was missing. Simon and Angie were found half dead on a life raft a week later. They told me that Rachael never got into the raft after she fell overboard. They remember her getting hit by the mast as it went overboard. Then the rope holding the life raft to the yacht broke and the seas were too rough for them to get back to search for her.

The local coast guard had searched for over a week before they called off it off. Rachael had been declared missing, presumed dead six months later.

"Jul... Rachael woke up after a couple of months," Mary said. "But she had lost her memory, she spoke with what we thought was a faint American accent and when we suggested a few names she thought she recognised Julia. We've been calling her Julia ever since. She had nowhere to stay so I offered to let her stay with us."

"And I'm forever grateful for that kindness, Mary," Rachael said.

"We were friends with Amy and David and they introduced her to James. She was lonely, confused and a little scared. I think the pair of them hit it off straight away."

"Pete," Rachael said, "I'm sorry but I honestly didn't recall anything from my earlier life. The police and the hospital did an extensive search to see if I was a match for any missing person in the records. I wasn't wearing a wedding ring although there was a mark on my finger. So they thought I may have been divorced. But because they thought I was American they didn't check the foreign records."

"That was my fault," Mary said. "I told the police and immigration that she spoke with an American accent when she first woke up."

"We never visited the States, so there wouldn't be any record of her."

"The hospital helped me get my documentation. I became Julia Smith and my date of birth was the day I woke up. The tenth of April and they guessed I was thirty-five."

Then she looked at me, "Peter, how old am I, it was one of those things that really frustrated me, not knowing when I was born."

"Your birthday is November the fourth, and you are thirty-nine. You weren't wearing your rings because a couple of weeks earlier you broke your finger in an accident. The finger was so swollen they had to be cut off. They were at the jewellers being repaired. I was bringing them to you. I still have them with me."

I pulled the leather pouch on its thong from under my shirt. I dropped her wedding, engagement and eternity ring into my palm. They had been my only tangible connection to my lost wife, a symbol of our love and my loss.

She looked at them with tears streaming down her face. Then she looked down at her hand and the two rings that sat on her finger, and she sobbed.

"Oh God, what have I done?"

She saw me begin to put them back in the pouch and she gave a cry. "No don't, please can I have them back?"

I hesitated, they were one of my most prized physical memories of her and I only wanted to give them to her if I knew she was definitely coming back to me.

"Only if you are going to use them for the purpose they were bought for," I replied.

She bit her lip in indecision. Again she looked at the two rings on her fingers. "Am I still married to you?"

"In my heart yes, but I don't really know. The lawyers have begun the process of getting a death certificate, you were declared missing presumed dead, I don't know if that ends our marriage? I don't want it to. I still love you and want you."

We both looked around the room but I don't think anybody had a clue. I tucked the rings safely back. They were just too precious to me.

"I'll contact them in the morning and get them to stop or reverse the process. When that's done, I guess we still are married, because you're not dead."

"Crap," James said. "Being declared dead is the same as a divorce, so we are the legally married ones."

Amy asked me, "You have a British accent, are you British? Is British law different to ours?"

"I've no idea, but yes I'm British, so is Rachael." Her comment about accents triggered a thought. Someone had said that Rachael had spoken with an American accent when she had first woken up. Why would they think she was American?

I mused, "Rachael's mother lived in America for many years, before returning to the UK."

"Which could explain her faint American accent," Mary replied.

I nodded. "But it also means Rachael's not an American citizen unless you took American citizenship?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "Everybody just assumed I was American."

"She's my wife so she's automatically a citizen." James interrupted.

David shook his head. "It doesn't work like that Jim, if she's British, then she still has to apply to become an American even if she is legally married to you."

"Christ, why did you marry him," I spat out in frustration.

Rachael said, "Because I was scared and alone, Pete. I knew something important was missing from my life. I had no past, I wanted a future. Then I met James, he was kind and fun to be with. We dated for six months and when he asked me to marry him, I said yes because what he offered seemed to fill that void in my life."

She gave me such a sad look and continued, " Now, you don't know how much I wish I'd not said yes. I'm so sorry, what do we do now that I've fucked it all up?"

Jim grunted in pain at her words, and she quickly said, "Jim I didn't mean to say it like that, I still love you. But Peter's my husband and I still love him. I feel all my old emotions and commitments flooding back to my memory."

I held my arms out and she wrapped hers around me sobbing gently. Her hand sought mine and that familiar spark shot between us.

James said, "Jules, what's going on, I love you, and whatever he says we are still a couple."

She stepped over to him and held him close. She slipped into his arms with a degree of familiarity that I found very unsettling. His eyes were fixed on me, if looks could kill I was doomed.

"James I love you too, but less than an hour ago my life completely changed - again. I have a husband who thought I was dead. I have a daughter and parents who still believe I'm dead. She needs me and I need to see her. I need to see my parents and where I lived."

Oh God, I thought, is she's talking about come home just for a visit. Could she be going to leave me a second time? I started to panic again. She's going to go back to him and she's going to take our daughter as well!

She saw my face and stopped talking and came back to me.

She took my face between her hands and kissed me. "Peter, I may not have remembered everything yet but the first thing I did recall was how much I love you. I promise I'm not going to hurt you or Julia. But this is so confusing."

I looked around the little conference room and it depressed me. It was far too clinical for what we needed to talk about.

"I have one of the villas, can we all go there and, at least, be comfortable while we talk? My laptops there and in a couple of hours we can make a FaceTime call and you can see as well as talk to our daughter."

"Please," she said, "I'd like that."

There was a general round of agreement although Jim didn't look too happy. They asked for a moment to talk together so I stepped away. I took the opportunity to speak to the duty manager privately. The name on his label was Michael.

"Michael, do you know who I am?"

"I'm sorry sir I don't, I gather you arrived yesterday and are staying villa two."

"My name is Peter Rodgers; I work for Rodgers Holdings."

The duty manager gasped. "You're THAT Mr. Rodgers." I nodded. He should recognise the name of one of the directors of the company that owned the resort.

"What are you doing here Mr Rodgers?"

"It was supposed to be a unannounced inspection." I gave a dry little laugh at that. "So let's make sure everything goes smoothly please."

He nodded as Amy said they were ready.

We headed out of the main building and out through the gardens towards the beach villas.

The path to the villas was only wide enough for two to walk side by side comfortably. So with Jim glaring at us, Rachael walked beside me and we carried on talking. We held our arms around each other in a warm move that showed me we both still carried the torch for each other.

As we walked towards the villa, Rachael asked me, "How is it you are here, what are you doing at this hotel, Peter?"

I gave an ironic laugh, then murmured. "Because you decided to have your anniversary at a resort that is owned by the company I work for. I'm one of the directors of the company that owns this resort. I was on an unannounced inspection, which I've now completely blown."

She looked at me with an open mouth, "That's why I thought the name sounded familiar." She spoke in the same quiet tones I used.

"We were in the process of buying the resort when you went missing. You were working on the deal."

Rachael asked, "Were you a director when we were married."

I sighed, "Rachael, we are still married, and yes I was a director then, so were... are you, as is my brother and sister. It's a family business. We own this and two other resorts in the Caribbean."

"I'm sorry, this is really hard for me. I don't mean to sound like we aren't married."

My villa was one of a small group of eight luxury two-bedroom VIP villas we'd opened this year. They were the main reason I was there. I'd done a quick anonymous inspection of the resort in the Bahamas last week and next week I was scheduled to visit Antigua.

Each villa stood on pilings set over a reef and featured a glass floor in the lounge. Assess to each was via a private walkway. The group of villas had their own dedicated staff and I saw Michael talking urgently to the two on duty.

We sat down on the rattan furniture on the large veranda that wrapped around my villa. Beneath us, the waves lapped at the pilings and flashes of phosphorescence flickered in the dark water. I arranged with the manager to have a selection of drinks and food delivered. I don't know about everyone else but I needed a strong drink.

The manager left us to go back to the front desk. Plus, I guess he wanted to warn the rest of the staff that I was there. Well, that right royally stuffed my idea of further inspections at the place.

Rachael sat down on a sofa beside me. Jim sat opposite us and the others found places to sit where they could watch the three of us. I watched as they looked around at the villa.

Amy seemed to be their spokesperson and it was she that broke the silence.

"Peter, what's going to happen now? I mean what do you hope is going to happen."

"I want to resume my life with my wife and daughter, I want it to be as it was before the storm. We were in love and could barely stand to be apart for a moment. We were a family. Julia was so close to her mother, too. We were in a great relationship with Rachael's parents, who we saw often. I want that all back."

Jim interrupted, "Well I want the same thing, I want my wife, my life to be back the way it was before he turned up."

"Jim, let him talk, we know what you want," Amy said sharply.

I was about to start talking when Rachael stirred, she seemed to have come to a decision and we all watched as she pulled off her wedding and engagement rings.

"Jim, until we find out what the exact situation is I don't think I should be wearing these." She placed them in his open hand he was holding out to her.

I saw a tear trickle down his face but I drew no satisfaction from seeing it. He'd had his whole life turned upside down in the space of a few minutes. He'd come here to celebrate their first wedding anniversary only to find that his loving wife had a past now coming to the fore.

"Please don't do it, Jules," he sobbed.

She took hold of his hand. "I'm not Julia, Jim I'm Rachael and you gave these rings to Julia."

"Can I have my rings please," she asked me.

I didn't hesitate, this time, I handed them to her and she turned them over and over in her hands, she read out the inscription on the inside of the eternity ring. "RR ten years of love."

"Oh, that explains the R, P, & R on my cross. Rachael, Peter and Julia."

I nodded. "I bought it for you after Julia was born."

Then she gasped, "Oh that's right, Julia had a glandular fever that year, that's why she was late taking her music exams and why you weren't on the boat."

I grinned at her, "That's right, you flew over earlier, we didn't want to spoil the start of your vacation. Simon and Angie were already here, sailing between the islands. I had a conference, so I offered to stay in London so I could fly over with her when she'd finished her exams. We were all going to spend the next four weeks on the yacht."

She looked at James and gave him a sad smile as she slid our rings back onto finger they'd come off three years ago.

Both women were giving Jim sympathetic smiles as they watch Rachael look at the rings on her finger.

"That's what was wrong," she said. "Every time I'd see my hand I'd think that something felt off. There were only two rings instead of these three."

Jim looked at both of us, "What do we do?" he asked almost pleading. "She is my wife just as much as she's yours. We have nearly two years of happy memories that just can't mean nothing now..."

"Don't try playing the guilt trip with me. We have over seventeen years of memories and a daughter. Rache may not be able to remember everything but it will all come back to her."

He stretched out his hand to Rachael. "Please Jules, don't leave me. I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you."

I bit back the bitter words that formed in my mouth. Welcome to my life for the past three years I thought.

I was surprised that it was his own sister that rebuked him. "That's not fair Jimmy you need to give her time. Whatever happens, nothing is ever going to be the same after tonight. You can't just expect her to walk away from her family now that she's starting to recall them. Mary told you that there was always the risk that she'd get her memories back and she would have another life. There's going to have to be compromises all around."

"But we only have his word that they were happy together. Was it her mind that was trying to protect her from a failing marriage. Is that why she has amnesia?"

His words struck a chord with his friends.

Rachael shook her head, "I had amnesia because I was hit on the head. I would remember if my marriage had been bad. There's just too much love coming from him for that to be true."

I interjected, "Talk to your parents. They were always amazed at how loving a family unit we were. Ask your daughter. There was nothing in your life for you to hide from."

The waiters with the food and drinks appeared and set them down on the table. While they fussed about serving us, I think we all took stock of the situation. I know I did.

The grim reality was that whether I like it or not, Rachael had created a new life for herself. Could I expect her just to walk away from Jim when she obviously still had feelings for the man? But was I wrong in wanting my happy life back? We had been together since our late teens. I hadn't just lost my wife when she'd died, I'd lost my best friend, my lover, and my reason to live. Only the thought that Julia would be alone had kept me from killing myself.

Rachael sat still and I could feel the uncertainty and distress that was racking her. I saw her glance at her watch and then give me a quick hopeful look. It was nearly one in the morning.

"Can we call her?"

I nodded and knew what I had to say to the rest of them.

I announced, "Rachael and I are going to talk to our daughter and we are not going to do it in front of an audience. Nor am I going tell my daughter that her mother's married to someone else. That's something we need to do in person."

I stood and Rachael took my hand and rose to stand at my side. Jim went to move.

"No, you all can either wait here or leave, I don't care which. But this is just for my family - no, OUR family."

He stood, "She's my wife, I have a right to know what you say."

I just lost my cool, I have no other excuse for what I said next.

"You have no fucking rights as far as this is concerned," I snarled. "Every time I look at you I want to punch you. You made my wife break our wedding vows, we promised we would be faithful to each other. I kept that promise even when I thought she was dead."

Rachael looked at me with a shocked expression.

"FUCK, FUCK YOU," I cried out at him, and then I swallowed hard and tried to relax.

"Rache," I sad apologetically, "I'm sorry I know it's nobody's fault. How could you be faithful to something you didn't even know existed?"

I sank back down on the seat and took my head in my hands. "Christ," I sobbed, "You don't know how much I've missed you." My tears flooded back: all the pain and anguish at her loss

I felt her arms go around me and I looked up to see her kneeling in front of me, tears streaming down her face.

"I know, I missed you too. That was the void in my life. I knew there was one; I just couldn't find the memories or the words."

She turned around to her husband and friends. "Can you all please go. Jim, I can't stay with you while we sort all this out, I'll get the hotel to find me another room. And no, I'm not going to stay with Peter either. Amy, can you pack my things and leave them for me at the front desk?"

Rachael went to Jim and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and murmured "I love you."

"I love you too, but you need to go now."

~~~~~~<<>>~~~~~~

Jim:

"I'm not Julia. Jim, I'm Rachael and you gave these rings to Julia." Her words echoed hollowly in my ears. She held out her hand and dropped the rings she'd just taken off, into my hand.

I looked down at the rings in my palm, had she actually just given them back to me. The rings that only a couple of hours ago had meant so much to her. I watched in horror as she asked for her rings from that bastard who called himself her husband.

He handed them over and she looked at them turning them over and over.

I held my breath. Please, Jules, I thought, please don't do it, don't put those rings on.

Her eyes opened wide, "RR ten years of love." She said the words softly. Then she added, "Oh that explains the R, P, & R on my cross. Rachael, Peter and Julia."

Peter said, "I bought it for you after Julia was born."

I glanced at the cross around her neck, it was the one thing that she'd had on her when she was found. She loves that damn piece of jewellery, and never took it off. When she broke the chain I wasn't allowed to buy a replacement, the old one had to be repaired.

Then Julia (I refuse to think of her as Rachael) gasped, "Oh that's right, she had a glandular fever that year, that why she was late taking her music exams and why you weren't on the boat."

He was talking to her but I didn't hear the words. I just watched the rings as she moved them around. Again all I could think was, don't do it.

Jules slipped the rings onto her finger and my world imploded.

She was going on about how the rings felt right on her finger when my stomach stopped twisting.

I needed to know, "What do we do?" I asked them, interrupting their conversation. "She is my wife now, not yours. We have nearly two years of happy memories that just can't mean nothing now..."