A Cheat and a Liar, page 10
‘Tomorrow, I would like to book our travel in the names of Mr G. and Mrs C. Morris,’ he said.
‘Oh, I think that sounds lovely—very exciting, George, or do you want me to call you Doug?’
‘No, it doesn’t matter what you call me, as both are my names, but gradually I think I should be George again, perhaps once we are on the ship, but if you slip up or forget, it won’t matter,’ he said. ‘What is the one little thing you said we should put right?’ he asked.
She went quiet and looked down. ‘I purposely left my wedding ring behind where he would find it and know I had gone from his life forever. I think I should buy a little gold ring tomorrow. There is a pawn shop in Queen Street down towards the bottom. It must almost be opposite the Union offices.’
‘I can buy you a new one,’ said Doug,’ but I guess it doesn’t matter as long as it is gold and fits your finger,’ he said.
‘Well, I have this little engagement ring, which isn’t very impressive but was all he could afford at the time,’ she lied, ‘and I have been wearing it on my right hand, so tomorrow, I will change it to my left, and nobody will know any different.’
The night was getting later, and once the meal and wine were finished, Catherine said, ‘Do you want to stay here and talk for a while, or would you rather go to the lounge?’
‘Oh,’ said Doug, ‘shall we talk here for a while, and then I will walk you up to your room?’
‘That’s fine,’ she said. ‘I also have a little confession to make.’ They smiled.
‘That’s nice,’ said Doug. ‘Tell me,’
‘Well, she said, ‘I am here under an assumed name also, so I cannot be found.’
‘Wow,’ said Doug.
‘I am sure he will have contacted every hotel to see if anyone by my name is a guest, and every friend of mine in Auckland that he can think of to say I have run away. I think it highly likely he will even contact the shipping company to see if there is a passenger by my name due to embark.’
All Doug could say was ‘Wow’ again.
‘That is why, Doug, I want you, tomorrow, to go and book our travel in a first-class double cabin under the names you said before—Mr and Mrs G. Morris—pay for your fare, and as soon as you get back to the hotel, I will get a taxi to the shipping office and pay for my return fare. Also, Doug, I will give you my engagement ring and ask you to try and purchase a simple gold band of the same size from the pawn shop, and I will repay you on my return. I will get the taxi to wait for me, as I just need to withdraw some money from my bank account and make arrangements for access to funds in my account whilst I am away, so the taxi can take me to the bank, and then to the Union office and then return me back here.’
‘No, sweetheart,’ said Doug (for the first time). ‘Can I suggest we order a taxi to pick both of us up here and take us to the bank first? You go in, and I will stay in the taxi while you make whatever financial arrangements are necessary for you to pay for your trip, have money to be accessible via the purser’s office on the ship, and be available for you when we arrive in port. Once you are finished at the bank, we will get the taxi to drop us off at the shipping company’s office for us both to book our fares. When we are booked, we can then order another taxi so we can go and you can choose a gold ring, for you to wear, and taxi can wait and then bring us back here to the hotel’
‘That seems nice and simple,’ Catherine replied. ‘Let’s go to our rooms, and we can finish the conversations there.’
They reached her room, went inside, and held each other in a tight embrace, and then he put his hand under her chin and tilted her head back and kissed her firmly on the lips. The kiss lasted quite a while, and Doug, while their lips were still locked together, reached for the top button of her blouse and undid it. She still clung to him, so his hands moved to the second and third and fourth buttons until finally her blouse was open and ready to be taken off her shoulders. She pulled away, looked up at him quietly, and started to take off his coat and unbuttoned his waistcoat. Once his waistcoat was off, she reached for the leather belt around his waist and gave the end of it a firm tug. She looked up at him and, in a hushed voice, said, ‘Mr George, I’m going to turn off the light and take off my clothes. You are going to do the same, and then we are going to consummate our pseudo-marriage.’
The light went out, there were fumbled moves, clothes were strewn about the room, the cover and blankets on the bed were pulled back, and two passionate lovers came together for the first time in the sort of union that neither could remember themselves ever being part of before. They kissed, they made love, they dozed, they made love again and again, until finally, with a never-ending passionate kiss, they fell asleep. Catherine woke up. She was cold. She pulled up the sheet and a blanket. Why couldn’t life be like this forever? she wondered. Well, it might be for the period of the journey, she thought. How good will the next six months be? It can’t be better than this, she decided and dozed off again amongst her exciting thoughts.
Dawn broke, and a sliver of light shone between the curtains indicating a beautiful November day outside. They both awoke at about the same time. Catherine lay close to Doug. ‘I guess we get up, get ready, and go to breakfast,’ she said.
Doug agreed and added, ‘Once breakfast is over, we can book our passage, buy you a ring, and we are sorted.’ He squeezed her. They kissed, and then both got out of bed. ‘You look even nicer without clothes than you do with them on,’ he said.
‘Oh, now I know you tell lies; that is the first time you have lied to me—I’m hurt,’ she replied. They laughed, got dressed, and Doug made himself look reasonably presentable before he made the fifty feet walk to his room. ‘Nobody will take any notice of you,’ she quipped. ‘They will just think this is your room. Nobody will realise it is mine.’ They kissed, she opened the door, and Doug went to his room. He sorted out clean underclothes and shirt and then locked his door and made his way to the bathroom.
Doug had filled the bath with a fair amount of water, undressed, and then submersed himself. He got the flannel, soaked it, and put it on his head. It was just bad luck he didn’t have time to lie there for an hour or so. But I’ve got business to do, he told himself, so once he was washed, he pulled out the plug and stepped onto the floor. Doug felt great. He was clean, refreshed, and once he was dressed, he did his hair, brushed his teeth, gathered up his dirty washing, his facecloth and towel, and returned to his room.
A short time later, he knocked on Catherine’s door. They talked for a few minutes and then made their way down to reception. They decided they would just have a cup of tea on the lower level before they ordered a taxi. They were excited and soon were seated, waiting for a waitress to take their order.
They talked and eventually drank their tea and then asked at reception if a taxi could be called to take them to the bottom of Queen Street. It arrived eight or nine minutes later, and they left the hotel, heading first for the bank so Catherine could arrange funds for her for the entire trip. She returned to the taxi, where the driver and Doug had sat talking about the ever-increasing number of motor vehicles that were starting to fill the streets. ‘Right,’ said Doug to the driver, ‘if you can please drive us to Union Steam Ship’s office, we will pay you and send you on your way.’ They left the taxi, crossed the road, and went inside. There were no others waiting, so the staff member, who was putting new brochures into the relative racks, stopped, introduced himself, and asked how he could help. ‘Ah, my wife and I are here to enquire about berths on the Marama, which I think sails next Thursday,’ said Doug.
‘Yes,’ said the man, ‘what would you like to know?’
‘Well, first, cabins,’ said Doug, ‘first-class cabins.’ That seemed to brighten the young man up, they thought.
‘Going to Sydney?’ he asked.
‘Yes, but we will probably be wanting a cabin through to Vancouver,’ said Doug.
‘Lovely’ was the reply. ‘Oh, that’s a wonderful trip.’
‘Have you done the same cruise?’ asked Doug.
‘No,’ said the young man sheepishly, ‘but many have told me.’
Nothing seemed to be moving very fast, so Doug said, ‘Right, so can we fill in details, get the paperwork done, and then get out of your way?’
‘Oh, you’re not in my way, sir, but, yes, if you and your good lady could please step this way,’ and he ushered them into a small office, ‘I will just fetch all we need.’ With that, the young man disappeared but was soon back, happy smile on his face, with a large pad with what looked like carbonised pages so multiple copies could be made. They all sat down at a small round table.
‘Right!’ said Doug. ‘Just a few questions first. An outer cabin with porthole?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said the young man, ‘all our first-class passengers enjoy a porthole view.’
‘Good,’ said Doug. ‘Now, the fare includes . . . ?’
‘Yes, yes, of course, you want to know what is included. All meals, and for you as one, or should I say two of our distinguished first-class guests, you receive fruit compote with fruit juice, choice of three, followed by a hot breakfast, generally bacon, sausage, eggs, with croissant or toast, white or brown, baked daily on board, and again a choice of coffee, black or white, or tea, again with or without milk, all free of charge!’
‘Included in the first-class fare,’ said Doug, correcting the attendant’s statement.
‘It does seem from what you have just said that meals are of a high standard, so I don’t think we need you to go through the respective menus for lunch and dinner, do you, love?’ he said, turning to Catherine.
‘Not at all,’ she said, ‘that sounded very nice.’
‘What else can you tell me?’ asked Doug.
‘Each first-class cabin has its own bathroom,’ said the young man. ‘When I say bathroom, there is a lavatory with flushing cistern, a handbasin, and a shower, but there is no bath.’
‘I understand,’ said Doug. ‘Is there anything else?’
‘Yes,’ he was told, ‘a housemaid will clean your cabin every day and make your bed; bed linen is changed weekly, and your bath towels every day. We have a laundry service, but there is a small cost for that. Clothing is collected from your cabin in the bag provided by the housemaid when she cleans and delivered back to your cabin before 5.00 p.m.’
‘Excellent!’ said Doug. ‘Are you happy, Catherine?’
‘Very happy,’ she replied.
‘Right!’ said Doug. ‘Let’s make our booking and get on our way.’
The attendant turned to the large pad he had brought with him at the start. ‘Names first,’ and Doug hesitated and then said,
‘George Douglas Morris, and . . .’ There was a slight hesitation as Doug turned towards Catherine and beckoned her to say her name.
‘Catherine Nina Morris,’ she said, and they both smiled.
‘Very good. Now, do you have any further questions?’ said the man.
‘Baggage, where and when do we deliver it to the boat, and when do we have to have it here by? What time does the ship depart, and how soon before must we be on board?’ asked Doug.
‘I will have tickets all ready, a timetable for you, giving you deadlines, etc. as to when things must be in place, etc. by the end of the day tomorrow. We will require payment in full when you collect the tickets and so on. You can collect everything anytime the following day. I will go through all your documentation then, answer any question, and, Mr and Mrs Morris, you will be all ready for the adventure of your life. Have either of you been to Australia or Canada before?’
‘No,’ they both said almost together.
‘We’re very excited,’ said Catherine, ‘and thank you for your help, that’s wonderful.’ With that, they stood up, shook hands with the young man, and left the office.
‘That was good,’ said Doug. ‘Let’s walk up the street and buy that ring, and then we will get a taxi back and have lunch.’
Catherine grabbed his hand and squeezed it. ‘Exciting, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘Buying a wedding ring, booking a world trip, all in the same day, oh, I love it!’ They crossed the road and walked about two hundred yards, and there was their ‘next port of call,’ Traders Pawn Shop. They stepped inside. Doug told Catherine to say nothing.
‘Now here’s a couple with an eye for value’ was the commercial welcome they received from the broker.
‘You and I may not agree, but we will see what’s meant to be,’ said Doug, thinking, Let’s fight fire with fire here.
‘Very good,’ said the other. ‘What are you after?’
‘Well,’ said Doug, ‘my sister here has recently lost her wedding ring. Her husband is returning tomorrow, and she needs one as close as possible to what she had so he may not realise.’
‘Smart thinking, ma’am,’ he said. ‘Just come across here where we have quite a few,’ and as he started to place two boxes on the counter, he said, ‘What was it basically like?’
Catherine moved forward but said nothing. Doug said, ‘She said it was just a plain gold ring,’ and he turned to her and said, ‘That’s right, isn’t it?’ She nodded, still not speaking. Doug said, ‘Pick up one or two that are similar to what you had,’ and Catherine moved some of the rings, picked up others and put them down, and finally took hold of a plain little gold ring.
‘Take your little engagement ring off and give it to me to hold while you try that one on your hand.’
‘We have two or three, I think, very much the same, if the first one doesn’t fit,’ said the broker.
Doug put his hand out. ‘Wait,’ he said, ‘how much is that ring?’
‘Two pounds, five, to you, sir,’ said the broker.
‘No,’ said Doug, ‘it’s not to me, it is to my sister. She does not have a lot of money,’ and he opened his left hand to reveal the ‘engagement ring’ he was holding for Catherine. ‘Look, sir, this has been her engagement ring. A man of your experience can see that what I have in my hand is not worth two pounds, five today, is it? Would you give my sister two pounds, five now?’
‘No,’ the broker said loudly, ‘I don’t need that ring.’
‘That’s probably true,’ replied Doug. ‘Look, Catherine,’ he said, ‘you told me you could afford thirty shillings if we found a ring that looked the same. Will you accept thirty shillings, sir?’
‘No, I won’t, but give me two quid,’ said the broker.
‘What say we see if it fits first, and for seconds, what say we split it down the middle?’ chipped in Doug. ‘She’s got no more money. Here’s five bob more,’ he said and put two half-crowns on the counter. ‘Get your thirty shillings out, Catherine, and give it to the man, and once you’ve got it on your finger, here’s your engagement ring.’ Catherine tried the little gold ring on, and it was a good fit. She put her engagement ring on beside it. ‘Looks how I remember seeing it. Does it look near enough to you?’ said Doug. She nodded and smiled. ‘Get your money out and give it to the man,’ he said.
‘Oh, you’re a hard man, sir,’ the broker said at last, ‘but I appreciate you are trying to help your sister avoid an argument, no doubt, when her old man comes home and finds she’s lost the ring he gave her.’
Doug thanked the broker and shook his hand, and Catherine smiled and said to him, ‘Thank you very much.’ They left the shop and started walking back towards the hotel. About one hundred yards or so from the pawn shop, they crossed back over the road quickly because there was a taxi delivering a couple outside a shop. Doug waved to the driver and indicated he wanted to go with him. They both climbed up into the back seat, and about five minutes later, they had paid for their fare and were walking towards their hotel.
Chapter 8
The day had arrived, 22 November 1913. Doug and Catherine had not slept well. They were excited. Today, they were on the move— together. It was 6.05 a.m. A sliver of light between the drapes was enough to indicate a beautiful day was in store for everyone in Auckland including those about to leave.
They kissed, and soon they were dressed and both were ready to go to their respective bathrooms and ready themselves for the big day ahead.
They had planned that they would bath before most others had arisen, dress ready for departure, except, of course, for accessories—hats, coats, gloves etc.—and then meet in Doug’s room before going to breakfast together.
Doug sat on the bed for a couple of minutes and then went to his small suitcase and took some money to pay for the last few meals that he had charged to his room. He then decided to take another thirty pounds, which he put into a different pocket, and said to himself, That has to pay for drinks and incidentals on the ship and in Sydney, and then added, and in Hawaii. He realised he must find work as soon as he could after they arrived in Vancouver. They would need to find somewhere to stay, and it could no longer be a hotel. It is going to have to be something small, clean, and cheap, he told himself.
Then there was a gentle tap on the door, and it opened. It was Catherine, and she looked lovely, and Doug told her. ‘That comment deserves a small kiss on the cheek,’ she told him and with that pouted her lips so as not to leave lipstick on him and then said, ‘Come on, then, Mr George, who is called Doug. Our last meal in New Zealand for a while, so let’s go and enjoy it.’
They left the room and, holding hands, walked to the dining room. At the door, they stopped, and she pulled her hand from his and placed it inside his arm. Doug bent his elbow, so it felt more comfortable and said, ‘Why did you pull your hand from mine and put it on my arm?’
‘It looks more correct,’ she replied.
He smiled. ‘If you think so,’ he said, and a waiter came to the door and invited them to a table. He pulled the chair out so Catherine could be seated and then did the same for Doug and then passed each a menu, as was usual, and announced the breakfast for the new day. ‘Could we please have two teas with milk, and we will decide on what we will eat this morning by the time you return?’
