‘So, is that why you had your wife’s art on board? And how you have blue crockery, which seems to be your favourite colour? What about all that business about checking with your boss to see if we could go on the yacht?’
‘Yup. I know. It looks bad, but I’m not a flashy man. I almost feel embarrassed about the win. I know that seems strange to someone who went out and bought a yacht with some of the money, but look, my wife had cancer. I had a heart attack and a huge operation… You probably noticed the scar when we were… well…’
I nod my head.
‘My wife knew I needed to take things easy. I always used to say, “If I win the lottery, I’ll buy us a yacht and sail around the Med.” She dreamt of painting landscapes of the ocean, and we had this dream that one day she’d paint on board, and we’d sail away into the sunset. But life doesn’t always go to plan. As we saw today…’
‘No, I understand that bit, for sure.’
‘So, the thing is, my wife was a very kind woman. She always thought of everyone else, even when she was dying. She was more worried about the boys, how I’d manage and organising her own funeral to save us from doing it.’
‘She sounds very special. What a selfless woman.’
‘She was. And we did the lottery numbers for years. Even when she was dying, she’d remind me to do them so I could dream of retirement. And then they came up. She died a fortnight later, and it felt like the universe was telling us that you can’t have everything.’
‘Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.’
‘It was the most bittersweet moment of my life. Before she left us, she made me promise to buy a yacht and sail around the Med. Of course, the first thing I did was buyLady Jane. She happened to be advertised in a sailing magazine I subscribe to, and I knew she was the one.’
‘And your wife’s name? Was it Jane, by any chance?’
‘Exactly.’
Elias starts to cry, and I realise it has been an incredibly emotional day for both of us in different ways. Yet, I’m still hurt that he may have considered me a gold digger all this time. Why did he not feel he could tell me the truth earlier?
‘Look, it was all supposed to be a dream. Win the lottery, become the happiest man on earth, and sail around the world. It just didn’t work out like that. My wife died and I was all alone. When cousins I hadn’t seen for years heard rumours about the lottery win, they all came out of the woodwork. The only thing people seemed interested in was what I could give them. Anyone who knew started treating me differently. I wanted to be the old me again. I loved the way you treated me as a normal guy who worked for a living. I didn’t want to spoil that, and so I didn’t want to tell you the truth. I thought once you found out then you might treat me differently. I didn’t want that to end.’
There’s so much I want to say, but it doesn’t feel appropriate to interrupt, so I let him continue.
‘Money doesn’t buy happiness. I worked hard all my life. I come from a family of grafters. I’m not used to a champagne and caviar lifestyle. I’d rather have fish and chips and mushy peas with a pint of lager, to be honest. Although I am coming round to all these French wines.’
I smile at his confession. ‘Hah. You and me both, but swap the lager for a Pinot. Soraya loves all that stuff, but I much prefer the local chippy. I want you to know that I’d never have treated you differently if I’d known the truth.’
‘I know. I could see you and I were cut from the same cloth. But people judge you differently when they think you have money. I don’t mean this to be a sob story, but they take advantage of you, even my boys do. Not that I’m saying you’d ever do that. This makes me sound terrible. I just mean that I wanted to be the old me. Those evenings on deck with no preconceptions, just the two of us relaxed in each other’s arms, will always be a beautiful memory.’
‘Yeah, I know.’
‘So, that’s why I lied. I’ve been lying the whole time, and I hated having to do that. But I won’t need to any more because my beloved boat is gone, and now you know the truth about me.’
Elias smiles and moves his hand through my hair, which is still wet.
‘What a day.’
‘Well, I’m just glad I know the truth because I really don’t like lies.’
‘I know. I can’t apologise enough. It’s just that once I started, I couldn’t find the right time to tell you the truth. I’m so, so sorry.’
Elias looks drained and tired after the unexpected events we have encountered. I begin to accept his apology as I think of all the nice things he has done for me since we met, although I still have my guard up.
‘The police said they’d call this evening once they’ve got the other boat’s statement together. I’ve given them the name of this place, seeing as I don’t even have my phone with me. All that stuff we had to leave on board. What a nightmare.’
‘I know. Even my laptop is on there. Hey, why don’t I run you a nice bath and you relax for a bit while we wait for the police to call for an update?’
‘That sounds very nice. Thank you.’
‘Don’t mention it. We’re a team, you and I. You’ve helped me out of my scrapes, and now it’s my turn to help you. It’s your turn to be the damsel in distress.’
Elias laughs, and I kiss his cheek, closing the bathroom door behind him as I think about one of the craziest days I have ever had in my life. If only I had my laptop, there would be no shortage of inspiration for the book today.
