The Retreat (A Clean and Sweet Romance Novella)

Chapter Eight

  "You look different."

  Thomas was sitting with his father, having their regular weekly lunch. He'd missed the week before because of the retreat, and it was quite nice sitting with his father again. He'd thought a lot about him in that week and how much he took him for granted.

  "I do? What do you mean?"

  "Well? are you hung over?" his father asked.

  "Hung over?No, not at all. I don't think I even had a drink last night."

  "Well, there we go then. Do you realize that this is the first time in probably a year that I've seen you looking this refreshed? You normally arrive with dark circles under your eyes and the unfortunate stench of alcohol coming through your pores."

  "Surely not every time? I'm not always hung over."

  "Honestly, Thomas - this is a first for me. You look? well, you look really good."

  Thomas smiled. "Thank you. Actually, I feel good."

  "How was the retreat? I was very surprised when you told me you were going to it."

  "Tell me about it; I was surprised to go to it. It was all Geraldine's idea. She just booked me, without even asking me. You know what she's like. She had this grand idea that it was something I needed to go on."

  "And? Was she right?"

  Thomas smiled. "She was. I hate to admit it, but she was. I'll be honest though, Dad? I hated it so much in the beginning. I didn't want to be there. And I thought that everyone was just so boring. I mean, they only spoke about healthy eating and about yoga and all this nonsense. But I promised the teacher that I'd give it a go for one full day and participate in everything. After that, I sort of started to enjoy it. My head felt clearer, and I felt better about myself. I think I needed something like that. And I thought a lot about you, Dad, and how much I take you for granted. Tamara taught me more about myself in one week than anyone has in a very long time."

  "Tamara?"

  "Oh, yeah. She was the teacher. She's a yoga instructor and does all these health courses. It was her first retreat, so she was very nervous, but she did such a good job. I kept telling her not to worry. She's so hard on herself, but she's one of the best people I've ever met. She just doesn't see what everyone else sees," Thomas stopped and looked at his father. "Uh? why are you smiling at me like that?"

  "I've just never heard you talk about a woman that way before."

  "What? Well, I mean she's a nice girl. That's all. She taught me a lot about myself. But that's her job."

  "And nothing else?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Oh, come on, Thomas; be honest with me and with yourself. You obviously like this girl a lot."

  Thomas didn't say anything for a while. He just sat there thinking about what his father was saying. Since coming back from the retreat, he hadn't stopped thinking about Tamara. She kept popping into his mind, and sometimes, he found himself lying in bed, thinking about her. She really was the most beautiful girl he had ever met - inside and out. He just wasn't used to falling for girls like that, and the whole thing confused him. "I like her," he said finally.

  "I know you do. So why don't you phone her? Or go see her?"

  "I don't know? I'm scared, Dad. She's? well she's not like the girls I'm used to dating."

  "You mean, for the first time, you actually found someone that you like? Because let's face it, Thomas, those other girls were never something you were serious about."

  "Yeah? Tamara is different. I wouldn't want to hurt her."

  "And you don't have to. I've never seen you look so happy. For the first time in your life, do something good and follow your heart. You're a great man, Thomas. But you've lost yourself over the years."

  "I've been an idiot," Thomas said.

  "You have been," his father agreed.

  Thomas laughed. "You sound just like Tamara. You are both far too honest for your own good."

  "Oh, I like this woman already."

  After lunch, Thomas walked away, thinking of nothing but Tamara. He bumped into an old fling that he had hooked up with recently, and after chatting to her briefly, he was even surer that Tamara was the right person for him. He'd never felt more sure about anything in his whole life. Why had he never noticed how superficial these other girls were? Instead of going straight home, he found himself walking to the park. He needed to think, and he'd always thought best when he was out in nature. He walked and walked until he had formulated a plan. He knew Tamara would be the sort of woman that would appreciate a well thought out plan.