The tailor's shop in the marketplace had an old swinging door with the bell above it that announced the comers and goers. It was easy with some of the heavier work, leather work and that sort, to be too engrossed to hear a new customer enter. Plus, Harvey was getting abit hard of hearing in his age.

Harvey was Shane's boss. He wasn't much like Shane at all. Where Shane was a friendly extrovert who enjoyed a drink and company, Harvey was happy to stay in the shop all day and never venture out. He was satisfied with the two friends he had left and didn't feel that he should make anymore. His hair had gone mostly white and the slouching he'd done over his work had become a permanent one. More stern in expression, more precise in his examination of people than Shane was. Perhaps hiring Shane was much like buying a puppy for the old man. A younger rascal who made mistakes but caused joy, worked hard and wanted the approval of his boss.

Harvey was working on the hem of a wedding dress when Shane came in. He turned his head, lowered his thick glasses. Shane wasn't suppose to work that day, so he kept his gaze on the Irishman expectingly.

"Hey Harvey."

"Good morning, Mr. Michael."

"Harvey, I had a question for you."

Harvey turned back to the wedding dress and tied off the end of the white string before looking back to Shane without a word.

"I was hoping I could have about five days off next week. I haven't taken a single day off with you so far so it's not a bad habit I am getting into or anything."

"Vacation?" he got up and went to the record books of their orders. There was a wedding fad going on, after all, but Harvey wasn't the only guy in town who could alter a wedding dress. Several others were getting plenty of work. The schedule looked tight. Without Shane it was sure to be a long week. He pushed his glasses up his nose, "What do you need a vacation for?"

"Uh," he blinked, not expecting to have to validate himself, "Jacinta and I wanted to go on a vacation."

"Oh, that redheaded woman."

"Yea! Her. Isn't she lovely?"

Harvey's glasses had fallen down his nose. He looked over the top of their rims to him, "Isn't she sick."

It was perhaps the first time Harvey had deflated Shane. He paused like he wasn't sure if he should lie or come clean. So he said, "Yea, she is."

Harvey shut the record book and dismissed Shane with a wave, "Then I hope you make your five days worth it."

"Harvey!!" and he ran up to the old man and squeezed him in a bear hug, "Thank you thank you thank you!!" and kissed him on the cheek. Harvey made a disgruntled noise, shooing Shane out of the tailor shop.

Shane couldn't contain his excitement. He rushed home to Jacinta and exclaimed loudly, like he were talking over the audience, "My boss gave me those five days off. I got Monday through Friday next week off and then we also got the weekend. Did you decide where you wanted to go?"

He chuckled when she looked astonished at his gaiety. Then, moving over by her he looked one arm about her waist and kissed her on the cheek, "New Zealand, I'd rather!!"

Gauge was happy at them both being there. He jumped up, front paws on Shane's leg and whining for attention. He dropped a hand on the hound dog's head and gave his ears a good push around.

"Oh, did you ask Gem about watching Gauge? If not I'll try and catch Chase. Both of them are normally about."

He grinned, eyebrows arching upward, "You need to talk to work about being out a couple of days so they don't think I did you wrong and fled the scene."

"Hey, Jacinta!!"

He;d just gotten home from the bar and hunted the few spaced of his home to find where she was, "I ran into Gem before you and she said she would do it. I didn't have the spare key on me, though. I figured we could leave it under the matt or yold give it to her directly."

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her, "I also found some tickets. It's completely up to you but we could leave tomorrow if you like or in two days. Those are the soonest times for the boat's departure. I know it's sort of last minute and I don't know if you've packed but I just found out today."

Deep breath in, "So what do you think?"

"Okay, the ship is gonna leave with the tide so be here prompt. Don't rush yourself too much!!"

After she had left to go pack and send Gem the letter, he went to his room to fold up his belongings. He had this large, old canvas bag that he had been given in his short, two year mandatory service in the military. It was something every guy had to do when he was sixteen to eighteen. It'd been the same bags he used when he packed up and left home without much notice to his family.

That was the last purpose of these bags. Getting away from home.

He unfolded it and placed it on the bed, putting in some select clothes for the trip. A sweater if it got cold. Shorts if it got hot. He was pretty sure he'd recognize the New Zealand weather, that it would be a derivative of his homeland's. Maybe it was just that they were both islands that sent his mind along that track.

Of course he was excited. He tried not to think about the larger picture of what the trip meant or that it was a bookmark of anything. He tried to think about it as being the only vacation he'd ever been able to take with a woman. That it was the first time he thought about a vacation as something fun instead of a desperate want to get away from the problem.

The sky was getting shaded with the fall of the sun. His bag was like a backpack strapped to him. He'd already fed gauge and locked the door behind him and the hound dog, noticing the bag and the air about Shane, whimpered in confusion and slowly wagged his tail. He grinned down at the pup and gave his ears a good rubbing. The dog was somewhat reassured but knew that they were waiting for something.

What were they waiting for?

Her affection was a sugary surprise. So far, she had not been very bold with him and quietly, without noticing, he had become accustomed to it. There was a certain level of expectation that she fell between and when she strolled right up and pulled him in, it was delightful but equally surprising. Arms circled around her lower waist as he enjoyed the exchange. Then, the witching hour was announced.

"Let me get that for you."

With that said, he shouldered both their bags and they stepped out, locking the door behind him. Gauge was tied up on a long lead outside and he petted the hound dog affectionately, but not with too much abandon because of the bags he balanced on his back. To the docks.

When they arrived at the docks he pulled out the tickets for the ride. It was for a ship called Queen Catherine. This was the final of three ports where it picked up its customer crew. A fairly big, white ship whose belly disappeared well into the water. They had to go through the typical chaos of getting on board with others. Once they got to their room he laid down the bags and let out a sigh, "That was crazy. Some people are just off." he shook his head, grinned and leaned down to kiss her, "But we made it. All in one piece and starting the journey! It's nice. You want some water or something?"

"Sure, we have a while to check everything out."

It was a huge, luxury boat with a lot of entertainment. It was just there to ferry their way to New Zealand. While she laid on the bed he unpacked their clothes a little. It was only a two day trip so he wasn't prepared to get everything out and in place. Just enough so that the room felt a little more like it was their's.

When there was more of an order to the room, their order, he moved and laid on his back beside her, looking up at the ceiling. All around them seemed to be the sound of feet. Some people shouted and now and then you heard a kid wail. She was right about the crowds, though. It seemed an hour passed before the boat lost some of its chaos.

"So we have two eating options tonight. We can join everyone in the dining hall and pick between a couple of options, OR we could stay here and order up whatever we want. It's up to you." He grinned and nuzzled her cheek just before kissing it.

Rosy cheeks and after a kiss that left an impression, she encouraged that they should go out and eat. It had been a while since he saw her as lively as that, as warm and wanting to explore and push outside. He grinned at her, doubling down to give her a kiss like her's, the sort that pushed the lips back so that his tongue brushed her's. Then, grinning, he withdrew and got to his feet, hands dipped low for her's to help pull her to her feet.

"I don't think it's a very formal thing. We'll just go as is." eclipses her hand with his and draws her with him, down the corridor to the dining hall. It was a modest room, packed with an assortment of people. Nothing luxurious or in squalor, a strange sort of middle point.

Afterward he guided her to the top of the deck to catch sight of the sunset.

When she said that, he laughed outright, arms tightening around her a bit. Was it not as tragic? That two people could really enjoy one another's company until... until the story became just more tragic? Until life decided that the reality was that there was a tragedy on the boat and just the two of them would share it. Of course, their boat was not nearly as large. Or luxurious.

When she mentioned the part about dieing-- he did what he always seemed to do-- look completely unafflicted by what she said. Was it avoidance to do so? Perhaps, but that's how Shane worked. There was to be only the one conversation about Maria and life at home. He liked to go out and drink and flirt and joke around and no one at the Inn knew that the girl he was crazy about was dieing. He just didn't let anyone inside to see that. Everyone he cared about could have been killed by a forgotten field mine and he'd still be out, laughing and drinking. Some people liked to wallow in what was the matter. Some people liked to push it as far from their mind as they could without forgetting.

"Come on, let's get inside."

It wasn't so much as to end the kiss and get more serious. Oh, he planned on continuing those spurts of affection-- just in their room where he intended on it going much further.

In the morning the ship was a creaking, groaning vessel of people. Everyone was packing their bags up again. They were there. It was time that they, too, got together, endured the crowd and got out. Some would go to the same place as them. Most of them would go to the island's bigger brother, Australia. He was still lounging in bed and looked at her.

"How about we be a little tardy to avoid that monkey house crowd?"

He grinned into the pillow like he didn't hear what she said before his arms strengthened their circle around her. That's how it was for a couple of hours. The ship quietly docked, its sway occurring now and then as reminder under the footfall of everyone else who was aboard that they were still at sea. When the pattering sound above and below eased he kissed her atop the head and carefully sat up. The lions yawn before he pulled their things back in their bags. It didn't take long and before long he had their bags packed, had changed into something more public friendly, and awaited her to be prepared as well. Shane was patient with her, careful to make sure she didn't feel rushed. He assumed, sometimes, that there were days where getting ready could be slow going.

Getting off the ship involved boarding another small boat with their bags and that one, in turn, pulled them up to the docks. He always waited for her to step up first and followed behind with the bags. The man who dropped them off pointed down the dock to another boat. That one was substantially smaller but better taken care of. It was called the Zesty Fish.

Currently they were at Australia's busy docks, where many more unloaded. It took them getting on the Zesty Fish to begin departure to New Zealand. When they boarded one of the crew members told them there was little sense in unpacking. That they would be there by nightfall.

It was more exhausting than he thought it would be-- but the crew member was right. The smaller ship swayed and got knocked around a good bit more, but the journey was a much quicker one. Zealand came into view just a couple hours after being on board and when they finally arrived, late with the tide coercing the ship in further, he smile at her in encouragement. Their group had dwindled now to ten, and they followed in that small herd to the cabins, nestled in the roll of a hill, where they'd stay.

He held the key just at the keyhole. With all the knocking around and travel he thought if the door doesn't open, I might just cry. So it was with a baited breath that he stuck the key in and turned. When the locking mechanism gave a positive series of clicks he exhaled and pushed the door open further.

"We made it!"

The four days that they stayed were spent doing some leisurely things.

Such as horse riding. True, that they had both already done it in life several times, but now it wasn't to get anyway. It wasn't for work or a mandatory sort of thing. No, with her seated almost on his lap in the saddle, they just slowly plodded along as the countryside opened up its face to them.

The mountains were green and lush, with a full face that greeted them with strings of small clouds clinging on. This was a special time of year. The penguins were in town and on their rocky shore they talked to one another and wagged their stubby tails. The pathways to walk on were cleared and windy paths that there were. It was calm and cool. It was as though they had joined some land where meditation was key.

For a little while, anyway, he felt subdued. Like he were on a vacation from himself. It wasn't long that their stay was drawing to a close.

The way home was one that filled up both of their minds. Shane, despite how extroverted he was, seemed to only be superficially so. If he was concerned about her health or what rumors repeated, it didn't show upon his demeanor or countenance. He was ever smiling, ever teasing her.

When she wasn't there, when he looked over the scape of the ocean-- he did think about things. Oh, never about his flirting. That had, well, never concerned him. Never felt like it was any point of contention worth worrying about. But that was Shane, he wasn't a sweet, as sensitive as Jacinta could be. It was perhaps the reason he enjoyed her so much, that she had that innate, other sensitivity that would remind him that, hey, there were feelings in the world outside his own.

Sometimes he was like that. If he felt nothing was wrong there was a great inability to understand why another might perceive an issue to be there.

When he looked at the ocean, he thought of home. The real home, back where he thought he must have been a different person. Yea, a lot of people in Ireland got married young, mostly cause they didn't think that they were gonna live long enough to have a choice any other way. He thought, though, that it wasn't the right way to do things. That now, in his twenties, he was a man completely different from the one that lived with mom and dad. But he didn't have the heart to tell them that. All the money he sent back home with his family never had the disclaimer that Shane wasn't going to a good catholic church. There were so many disclaimers that he didn't include. He was still 18 yr-old Shane when his family heard from him. This, person who he was now, more honest, more real onto his heart, was possibly completely unacceptable to the loved ones he left behind. He sighed.

Was there something in him that sought out damaged women? Was it possible to have the sort of luck to go through Maria, and now Jacinta? He couldn't discern if it was accidental or on purpose and the more he thought about it the fewer questions he got.

What was the point in pondering these things? In the present there was the slippery ocean breathing the boat along as they returned home. Back to jesting and cuddling and grinning around town. Wasn't there something great to that?

They were about to dock when she came up to him, came in close to him like something had hurt her suddenly. He smiled weakly and wrapped his arms around her. Had he been actly strangely to bring this on? Arms wrapped around her and he kissed her on the cheek, "Come on, let's go home."

When they finally reached his one story home, Gauge shot out from under the bushes and nearly toppled them both. A drooling, happy face to see them. Shane put down his bag, chuckling, and crouched to give the dog's face and playful rub all the way back to the ears. Then, he unlocked the front door and stepped in. Whew.

It was good to put their bags on the ground. He immediately stripped off his shirt and smiled at her over his shoulder, "All right!! Back home love!! Let's take a shower!"

With a strange momentum similiar to when they left, they had returned from their trip to New Zealand. Exhausted, but he was glad to have returned home.