Paradise Ocean Club
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I never thought I would ever see you again. You were dead and buried with the rest of my friends in a cemetery in West Virginia, but here you are alive and well and living in Miami Beach. How is that possible?
“It’s a long story,” you say. “What can I get for you?”
I think about what I want to order. “I’ll have a burger and fries.”
You smile. “So, it’s been ten years since we last met, huh? A lot has happened in that time. I’ve come to love this place.”
“It’s amazing,” I say. “I feel like I’m on vacation every day.”
“You should see some of the places I go to on vacation,” you say. “I take my vacations very seriously. That’s why I’ve got the best job in the world.”
“Do you always work from home?” I ask.
“No, I travel a lot. I go all over the world, see new places, meet new people.”
“Where did you go on your last vacation?”
“I went to France.”
“That sounds nice,” I say.
“It was wonderful. Paris is such a beautiful city. The people are so friendly, too. And the food! My God, the food. I ate like a king every night. It was an amazing trip.”
“You didn’t tell me where you were going,” I say.
“Well, I didn’t want to spoil the surprise,” you say. “But I did get you something while I was there.”
“What’s that?”
“I bought you a little something.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I say. “I would have gotten you something back.”
“No, no, that’s not necessary. I just wanted to make sure you had something to remember me by.”
“Why didn’t you get me anything when we first met?”
“I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time,” you say. “I was in a dark place. I felt like a failure like I’d let everyone down.”
“What changed?” I ask. “What made you feel better?”
“A lot of things,” you say. “But mostly, it was getting back to work. I love my job. It’s what I was meant to do. And you know, if you want to talk about work, I have some good news for you.”
“Really?” I ask. “What is it?”
“I found out that you’re still alive,” you say.
“What?” I say. “How did you find that out?”
“I was working on a case. It took me a long time to figure it out, but I finally realized that you weren’t dead.”
“Oh, my God,” I say. “That’s amazing.”
“You should be happy,” you say. “You’re not dead after all. I thought you were dead for a long time.”
“I’m glad you figured it out,” I say. “I don’t know how I could have lived with myself if I hadn’t known that.”
“What do you mean?” you ask. “What was going through your mind?”
“I couldn’t believe that I’d been lying to myself all those years,” I say. “It was awful. I didn’t know who to trust anymore. I mean, I had a family, a husband, and two kids. They trusted me, but I couldn’t even trust them. I kept thinking that they’d find out I was a liar, a fraud, a fake.”
“What happened to you?” you ask.
“I went crazy,” I say. “I lost my mind. I was so scared, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking I was going to get caught and they were going to throw away the key.”
“What did you do?” you ask.
“I moved,” I say. “I left everything behind. I went to West Virginia, to a small town called Buckhannon. I got a job there. I became a teacher. I taught high school English. It was perfect. No one knew me. I didn’t have to pretend.”
“But then you started to get better,” you say. “You came out of your shell. You started talking again.”
“I didn’t talk much before,” I say. “I never told anyone about what I did. I just hid it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” you ask. “I would have understood.”
“I was afraid,” I say. “I was so ashamed of what I’d done. I didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t know how I could ever face them again.”
“And now you don’t have to,” you say. “You can just be yourself.”
“That’s right,” I say. “Now I’m back, and I’ve got my life back. I’ve been working hard. I haven’t had any time off in years, but I think I’m ready for a vacation. What do you say? We should go somewhere together. Where do you want to go?”
“How about Greece?” you say. “I’ve always wanted to see the Acropolis.”
“Greece sounds great,” I say. “Let’s make it happen.”
***
“You’re not going to believe this,” I say. “I’ve got some great news.”
“What is it?” you ask.
“I’m going on vacation,” I say. “Do you want to come with me?”
“I’d love to,” you say. “Where are we going?”
“Greece,” I say. “We’re going to Greece.”
“Wow, that sounds great,” you say. “When do we leave?”
“Right now,” I say. “I have a plane waiting for us at the airport. Come on.”
“I’ll be right there,” you say. “I just need to get my stuff together.”
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I’ll wait for you.”
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner,” you say. “This is a great idea. I’ve always wanted to go to Greece.”
“Me too,” I say. “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. I finally decided to do it.”
“It’s going to be amazing,” you say. “I can’t wait.”
“Neither can I,” I say. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” you ask.
“Greece,” I say. “We’re going to Greece.”
“This is crazy,” you say. “We’re just going to hop on a plane and fly to Greece? How do you know it’s safe?”
“I did some research,” I say. “I looked into it. It seems like a good place to go. The people are nice. It’s warm. And we’re not going to stay there forever. We’ll only be gone for a few weeks.”
“That doesn’t seem very safe,” you say.
“I don’t think so either,” I say. “But it’s worth the risk.”
“I guess so,” you say. “Let’s go.”
“Let’s go,” I say. “The plane is waiting.”
“Okay,” you say. “I’ll be right there.”
“It’s going to be amazing,” I say. “I can’t wait.”
“Me neither,” you say. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll see you soon,” I say. “Have a great day.”
“You too,” you say. “Bye.”
***
“Are you sure about this?” you ask.
“Absolutely,” I say. “I’ve been planning this for a while.”
“But we’re going to Greece,” you say. “Isn’t that kind of dangerous?”
“It’s not dangerous,” I say. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’m worried,” you say. “We’re flying into a foreign country. We don’t speak the language. We don’t know where we’re going. And we’re just going to trust our lives to a stranger who called us from a phone booth in a parking lot?”
“It’s fine,” I say. “He’s a pilot. He knows what he’s doing.”
“You’re a pilot too,” you say. “I know you’re good at what you do, but I’m still worried.”
“I am too,” I say. “But I think we have to take the chance. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. I finally decided to go for it. What do you say? Are you coming with me?”
“Yes,” you say. “I’m coming with you.”
“Great,” I say. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” you ask.
“Greece,” I say. “We’re going to Greece.”
“This is crazy,” you say. “We’re just going to fly to another country and hop on a plane?”
“It’s not that crazy,” I say. “It’s normal. Everybody does it.”
“I don’t think so,” you say. “Not everyone goes to Greece.”
“Not everyone goes to Greece,” I say. “But I’m going to.”
“Why?” you ask.
“Because I want to,” I say. “I’ve always wanted to go to Greece. So I’m going to. And you’re coming with me.”
“What if we get there and we don’t like it?” you ask. “What if it’s dangerous?”
“I’m sure it won’t be,” I say. “I looked into it. It seems safe. And I think we’ll love it. We can always leave if we don’t like it.”
“But what if we get there and we do like it?” you ask. “What if we fall in love with it?”
“That would be great,” I say. “I think we will too. But that’s not going to happen. We’re just going to go there for a few weeks and then come back home.”
“I guess so,” you say. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll see you soon,” I say. “Have a great day.”
The End