Six

Tall, dark, and handsome. Sandy had to look up to talk to him. His skin was pinkish after a short exposure to the Bhorma sunlight. He was sweating underneath his motorbike apparel. He took off his helmet and his shades, he greeted her politely with a firm handshake. She noticed his black, unruly hair, his thick beard had a few gray hairs sticking out. He looked exactly the way he did in the movies, only much real.

"Please, follow me, let me give you a tour of the cottage and the security details," Sandy lead the way. She could smell a hint of sunlight as they walked side by side and a soft scent of his perfume. She looked over to Andrea who was tongue-tied from being so starstruck, she couldn't find words to say.

The moment they entered the cottage, John Brady's eyes were wide in delight, he gasped, "Wow ... you have a really nice place, I really like it."

Sandy smiled, "This will be your place for the next six months, Mr. Brady, you can use it as you please, I can assure you that it's very secure and private, but if you need anything, there's an intercom directly connected to my cottage, or the landline to call anyone you want ... the emergency numbers are on the files." She walked over to the dining table and took a folder.

"All the information is here, I suggest that you keep it to yourself because there's a password for the CCTV monitor that you can access from your mobile and also my mobile number is in there too ... just in case you need it, I'm sure your crew has all my details too," she said.

John took the folder, he looked tired from the long flight. He said he will go through the files later. Sandy showed them all the rooms, the kitchen, bathrooms, and the private pool at the back.

John stopped and stared at the scenery that welcomed him when they opened the door to the back. It was facing a vast green grassy field and a view of a mountain far beyond the horizon. The clear blue sky was opened up, as if there were no boundaries between them and nature.

"The island of the gods ... I think I'm beginning to see it," he commented with a smile.

One of his crew came in with two large suitcases and asked him where he wanted them. He nicely said to leave it there and that he will be taking them to his room later. He was surprisingly nice, and from that brief first encounter, he didn't strike her as a movie star at all, apart from his strikingly good looks.

"I guess that'll be all from me, I won't be taking much of your time, Mr. Brady ... you might want to relax and enjoy your first day here," Sandy was about to retreat to her place.

"John ... please call me John ... Sandy, right?" he remembered her name.

"Okay, John, have a pleasant stay, if you need anything ..."

"I will ... thank you very much," he shook her hand with both hands.

His crew spread around the cottage to do their procedural checking. They went through every inch of the place to make sure there was no unfavorable angle for paparazzi shots or easy access for obsessive fans to lurk because John's home was broken into by a stalker awhile back when he was sleeping in the middle of the night. But he was nice enough to offer the woman a drink and told her to relax in his living room before he called the police.

Sandy left the main cottage while they were still setting up the place for John.

Andrea was jumping up and down in excitement, "Oh my God!! I think I've died and gone to heaven!" she screamed. "He's GORGEOUS!!" she added.

Sandy was amused by her reaction, but she agreed with Andrea, John Brady was gorgeous.

**********

The crew left the premises after thirty minutes or so. The cottage was quiet. Andrea stayed for coffee and ranted about what a great day it was to have met John Brady in person. The sun was almost set, and Andrea had already left when there was a knock on the door.

John was in front of her door with a bottle of wine. "Hi ... sorry to bother you, I just finished unpacking my stuff, and I brought this for you," he handed her the bottle.

He looked a lot fresher than before, she can smell the shower gel she included in the toiletries package she left for him.

"Oh my God, that's so nice of you ... you really shouldn't have," she exclaimed.

His smile was wider than before, it wrinkled the corners of his eyes. Even though he smiled a lot, she caught a glimpse of sadness in them. "Oh, no, it's my pleasure, I really love what you did with the place, I really appreciate the hospitality ... I've never felt more welcomed in a strange country before."

Sandy offered him to come inside but he declined. He said he was on his way to stroll the streets, he wanted to try the local food. So she gave him a few recommendations and a couple of advice on what to do and not to do. He was very appreciative of it and went on his way.

She watched him mount the bike and drove away. She put the bottle of Chardonnay on her countertop, she thought for a second, she might never drink it. She put it on her display shelf instead. A gift from John Brady.