The Fare: Part 2

He shoved the paper in his pocket just as Cecilia opened the cab door. For the first time Jeffry caught a glimpse of her in the rearview mirror.
“Do you need more time, Ma’am?” he asked.
“No, I’ve had enough. But I do have one last stop to make.”
As they left, Cecilia watched as the lighthouses reflection grew smaller and smaller in the mirror until it was out of sight. Their final stop was not too far from the Key, at Alice Wainwright Park. A small collection of rocks stood at the water’s edge, and Jeffry stepped out to help Cecilia walk across them. The sun was halfway past the horizon, but the water’s image made it look whole as it cast its last bit of warmth across the city. The skyscrapers in downtown were just beginning to light up as the last few catamarans made their way to shore.
Cecilia smiled. Her eyes were filled with a glow that was not the sun but all her own.
“I met my husband Daniel when I was 16 years old, standing in front of the Little Theatre. Many years later I went on a scavenger hunt that took me throughout the city, retracing the places Daniel and I had visited the very first night we met. Both times my journey led me to this very spot. The first night, he asked me to be his girlfriend. The second night he asked me to be his wife.”
And with this she walked up to the water’s edge and from her purse removed a letter, the name Daniel written in a silvery ink on front. And she bent down and placed the letter at the water’s edge and watched as the waves slowly picked it up and carried it to sea.
“You left all those letters for him?” asked Jeffry.
“In case he wanted to find me, now that I’m away from home.” she said.
The drive to Margate occurred mostly in silence. Occasionally Cecilia would request a song to be played a little louder, and the music was the only noise between them. They arrived sooner than expected, but residents of the home were already on their way to bed. Out front an old man clung tenderly to an IV pole as a nurse helped him through the front door. Another nurse stood expectantly, waiting for Cecilia to exit the cab.
“This appears to be my stop. What do I owe you dear?” Cecilia asked.
“Well it seems as though this old meter finally gave out somewhere along the way. I haven’t the slightest clue what to charge you, so this ride is on me.” Jeffry stepped out to open the door for her, and brought her bags up to the front of home. “It’s been a pleasure, Miss Cecilia.” And he tipped his cap to her one last time, and headed home.
But he had just one last stop.
Jeffry arrived home at a quarter to 11. The lights downstairs were all dim, but he could see a small glow from his daughter’s bedroom telling him she was already asleep. He tiptoed up the staircase and creaked open her door, and sure enough she was sound asleep. He clicked off the night light and tucked a teddy bear under the covers and kissed her goodnight.
As he entered his bedroom, he found his wife writing at her desk.
“Is that love note for me?” said Jeffry as he entered.
“Yes, but you’ll have to come to dinner sometime to read it.” Emile replied.
“Will flowers persuade to give it to me now?” He said, and she laughed she took the bouquet he had been hiding behind his back.
“What’s the occasion?”
He paused for a moment, and then said “The only occasions is that far too much time has passed since I’ve brought you flowers. And as for dinner…How does breakfast tomorrow morning sound? I know the perfect little diner to take you too.”