As I landed on the ground I felt horrible pain in my leg, so I was pretty sure I was alive, but was convinced my leg must be broken. Ted came running over asking if I was o.k. I couldn’t respond with anything other than a moan. Ted’s dad wasn’t quite as sympathetic. I heard him say, “Give her a minute, just give her a minute, she’ll be fine.” When I finally opened my eyes, all I wanted to know was what happened to my leg. Despite the fact that several men were standing all around me, I stood up and said, “I’m sorry, but I need to see what happened to my leg,” as I proceeded to drop my pants. I was reminded then, by the breeze hitting my ass, that I had chosen to wear thong underwear that day. The men quickly turned their heads away, and I heard the farm hands snickering, but my focus was on my leg which did not appear broken. Thank God. There was a huge lump and bruise forming which, as the day went on, turned black as night and covered my entire thigh. Needless to say the horseback riding was done for the day. Ted’s dad drove us back towards the house, stopping along the way to herd in a few sheep. Not only did he seem unconcerned about my leg, but he had Kylie and I help guide a few sheep into their proper place. I wasn’t the biggest help with the huge limp I’d now adopted, but we were guests on the farm, so I didn’t want to be rude.
Over the next few days Kylie and I decided to go off on our own for 2 weeks without Ted. I figured I owed her some girl time. She’d been such a good sport about the new relationship I was devoting most of my attention to. We rented a car and mapped out the towns we would stop and stay in. The first destination we’d picked was a pretty far drive. We decided we’d save money on a hotel by driving straight through most of that night and sleeping in the car for a while when we got tired. When it got too dark on the roads (which didn’t have street lights) we decided to pull over, park, and try to sleep. With the car off it was absolutely freezing. We must have put on every piece of clothing in our suitcases, and about 5 pairs of socks each, but it barely helped. We concluded if we wanted to stay warm without leaving the car running all night, we’d have to cuddle. So that’s what we did, and through chattering teeth we swore to never again discuss this night. We also promised we’d book hotels for the rest of our trip.
When I woke up in the morning, I sat up to see where we’d parked, and saw children peeking in to look at us. Oh crap, where the hell were we? I saw the sign and quickly realized we were parked in front of an elementary school, not in the parking lot, but right on their front lawn. I woke Kylie up and started the car. We drove off just as the teachers were walking over to reprimand us.
Over the next 2 weeks, I called Ted often and we discussed how much we missed each other. When the 2 weeks were finally up, we joined Ted again, this time at his friend the Reverend’s house. Kylie warned me that if the Reverend turned out to be boring and preachy we were leaving again on our own. I agreed. The Reverend turned out to be a blast. Before we’d even put down luggage he was handing us stiff cocktails. By the end of the evening he had started a living room dance party and encouraged us to follow suit as he skinny dipped in the Jacuzzi. He was already an excellent host in my book.
The next day Ted had to go visit with his daughter. He kissed me goodbye and said he’d see me later that night. When Ted returned I instantly sensed the change. He was cold and distant. When I asked what was wrong, he said he’d had a conversation with his ex he didn’t feel like discussing, but that nothing was wrong. Liar. The next few days became torturous. The Ted that adored me never returned. He continued to pretend nothing was wrong, yet he wouldn’t make eye contact, or kiss me, or do any of the endearing things I’d grown accustomed to. I was completely heartbroken. Kylie tried talking to him and, though he wouldn’t tell her much either, she concluded it had something to do with his ex and his daughter. That maybe she'd heard about his new relationship and perhaps wanted him back, or made him feel guilty. Kylie also thought he seemed scared about his developing feelings since he knew we’d be leaving soon. I knew it would have been tough to maintain any type of relationship, being from opposite ends of the earth, but I was willing to do whatever it took since I believed I’d found what I was looking for with Ted. I didn’t want to show my hurt and disappointment, while he seemed to be managing just fine, so by day I pretended to be happy and at night would cry myself to sleep. Kylie knew how I truly felt and suggested it might be time to head home. I gladly agreed and we set up our flight.
Our last day in New Zealand was spent at an annual wine and food festival the Reverend insisted we go to. I decided I wasn’t going to let Ted ruin my last night in this beautiful country and made sure I drank enough wine to pretend I didn’t notice all the girls he was flirting with. Kylie and I had a blast with the Reverend, and even managed to encourage him to get a tattoo at one of the booths. He agreed and decided he’d get it on his ass, since he could hide it that way if he wanted to. He even let us pick it out. I suggested a dove holding an olive branch, since it was holy. I told him if Reverends in America were more like him I’d probably start going to church.
Towards the end of the festival, I sat by myself and watched the sun setting over the gorgeous green hills, and reflected back on the adventure I’d had here. I decided maybe it was for the best Ted had shut me out. While this country was stunning, I enjoyed living where there were more people than sheep, and I realized I deserved a man who would care enough to be there for me in a way Ted was obviously incapable of doing.
The next day we said our goodbyes. Ted pulled me aside and apologized for the way he’d acted, told me he'd been scared of the feelings that had developed since I lived so far away. He asked if he could keep in touch. I told him I would’ve appreciated this apology a lot more if it had been a week earlier, and that it was probably best at this point if we went our separate ways.
On the flight home Kylie asked how I felt about everything. I told her I felt great, and it was the truth. I would always remember this as one of the most amazing and memorable trips I’d ever taken, and Ted was a part of it all, so I’d always be thankful for that. I did, however, decide from then on that if any kiwis were going to be in my future next time I’d stick to the fruit.
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