Chapter 4
(Robbie)
Unfuckin’ believable!
He’d shown up!
And with a cooler and a large paper bag with a logo I’d know anywhere, considering I’d designed it.
The day kept getting better and better. Definitely did not want to keep him waiting, but no way was I missing the opportunity to show off for him one more time. The wave was a nice one too, with a crest perfect for some serpentine action with a bit of a flourish at the end.
“This isn’t too soon for next time, is it?” Nova asked, a brilliant smile flashing across his pale face.
I guess there weren’t many opportunities to lay out and soak up some rays in Minnesota.
“It’s never too soon for next time,” I offered, taking a step back when I realized that I and the board were soaking the sand right beside the picnic he’d set up. “Let me put my board up and grab a few things. You weren’t the only one hoping next time would be today.”
“Take all the time you need,” he replied, leaning back on his elbows in the sand, studying me. No, waiting for me to walk away. Okay. It wasn’t easy to swagger on sand, but I did my best and even glanced over my shoulder just to make sure he was still looking at me.
Oh yeah. He was enjoying the show.
It only took a moment to attach my board to my rack and grab the cooler I’d packed along with the beach blanket I kept on the back seat of my jeep.
We laid it out over warm sand, moved his spread onto it, and unloaded mine.
He’d brought a couple candles and giggled when I unpacked the two I’d shoved in my bag on my way out the door this morning.
“You didn’t happen to remember matches, did you?” I asked, feeling my cheeks heat. Of course I’d grabbed candles without thinking about how I was going to light them. I tended to lean more toward impulse than planning.
Fortunately, he seemed to have planning down to an art form, producing a lighter and providing us a bit of ambience once he’d lit the candles.
“So, what brings you to the island?” I asked as he unpacked a plastic table setting complete with tongs and a trio of serving spoons. Well damn, he’d thought of everything.
“I love it here,” Nova explained. “I fell in love with it two years ago, during a series of visits to a client’s business to get a feel for as many aspects of it as I could so we could decide on the best promotional track to take with him.
The first chance I got to book a vacation, I only had one destination in mind.
Now I have three whole weeks of tropical bliss ahead of me. So far, I’m off to a good start.”
“Really? When did you arrive?”
“Yesterday.”
“Must have been an amazing 24 hours.”
“It has been. Every meal so far has been the most scrumptious thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. If I don’t slow down, I’ll need a gym membership when I get back home, or a whole lot of new additions to my wardrobe; the cost is probably about the same when you really think about it.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Seriously though, all food porn aside, it’s been kind of surreal meeting you.”
“Why’s that?”
“I just never expected an impromptu picnic on the beach would score me a meeting with a guy I used to watch on television. That kind of thing does not happen to me.”
Chuckling, I watched a light flush spread across the bridge of his nose. “So, you’re a surf fan?”
“I am.”
“Don’t find many of those in Minnesota.”
“No shit, which sucks; there was never anyone to gush over an event with or have a late-night viewing party with, which was just about the only time it ever came on the sports network.”
“Yeah, we weren’t high up on their priority list when it came to coverage. I take it you’re a night owl then.”
“Oh yeah, I always seem to get more done when the rest of the world is silent.”
“For me, it’s early mornings, when the sky is lightly streaked with red. There’s something about a sunrise that’s like a giant eraser, wiping out all the thoughts in my head. Clean slate. New energy. No carrying the past into the future.”
“That’s very Zen.”
“It’s bullshit,” I declared. “Great in the moment but only lasting as long as it takes one of my clients to piss me off.”
“What do you do?”
“Mostly give private surf lessons and film tutorial videos covering a variety of surfing techniques. Kind of old school and all, but it’s worked this long. No reason to pivot and fuck up a good thing.”
“No, we wouldn’t want that. Were you born here?”
“Nope. I fell in love with it the same way you did, with a visit. I did my best to come back as often as I could, until one day I just decided not to go back.”
“And where is back?” He asked.
“Portsmouth, Virginia.”
“Damn, you came even further than I did.”
“It’s been a hell of a journey,” I said. “Have you ever tried it?”
“What? Surfing?”
“Yup.”
“I wish. But as far as I know, there are no wave pools in Minnesota.”
“Fair point. If you’re serious about wanting to learn, I could always give you some private lessons,” I offered.
“And would those private lessons offer additional opportunities to dine with the instructor?”
“I’m sure we can work something out.”
“I can’t keep my eyes off the sky,” Nova murmured. “It’s like a tourist brochure. Every sunset I’ve ever seen here has been utterly perfect, even when it was misting rain. I’ve never been anywhere else where the sun can be brightly shining in the middle of a downpour.”
“Maui’s just special that way.”
“It’s special in a lot of ways.”
“You’re preaching to the choir,” I replied. “I was sold on this place a long time ago.”
“I already don’t want to go back,” he said.
“A co-worker started blowing up my phone with questions before I’d boarded my first flight.
I’d left the answers to every single text in the detailed notes I’d printed out for him and left on his desk.
There were more messages after I landed.
I refuse to even look at them. This is my first vacation in four years, and I don’t want to spend it worrying about deadlines and unhappy clients. ”
“Clients, can’t live with ‘em, can’t eat without ‘em,” I remarked, sympathizing with the struggle.
It didn’t matter the industry; it was the same experience across the board. There were always going to be those clients that made the job feel fulfilling and others who made you wish you were in an entirely different field. Underground. Somewhere remote. Far, far away from people.
Each bite of food was deliciously seasoned, light on the salt, and heavy on flavors. The perfect complement to the slowly descending sun and my intriguing dining companion. There was weariness in his voice along with the frustration and outrage he’d expressed about his coworker.
“So, what are your plans for your time here?” I asked.
“To play it by ear,” Nova replied. “After today, I don’t want to plan anything else until after I get back home.”
“Think you’d be up for some snorkeling tomorrow? I’ve only got two clients in the morning; the rest of my day is free. We can meet back here, or I can pick you up. I’ve got gear.”
“Then I’ll bring lunch,” Nova offered. “I don’t mind walking down. I want to have my toes in the sand for as long as possible.”
“I don’t blame you,” I replied. “Okay, then we’ll meet up here around ten if that works for you.”
“I’ll be here.”
“The reef out there is phenomenal. You’ve snorkeled before, right?”
He nodded eagerly, that bright smile back again. “Many times.”
“Perfect, then you know not to touch.”
“Absolutely.”
“Can’t tell you how many tourists see the need to look with their hands,” I grumbled. “It would be like going into someone’s house and trying to redecorate the place.”
“No shit. Humans suck. I can’t figure out if it’s ignorance or obliviousness that makes them act the way they do, but humanity needs to get its shit together and do better before we wipe ourselves out.”
“I’d rather live in harmony with my environment than waste a lifetime trying to conquer it,” I said.
“That’s a great way to live. I thought I knew what I wanted my life to be like, but imagination and reality haven’t lined up so far,” he admitted, wistfulness having crept into his tone.
“How’d you see it going?”
“Weekends with friends, checking out pubs and microbreweries, wandering bookstore shelves for evening reading material. I truly believed that I’d have time to kick back in my easy chair after supper with the music on and my nose buried in a good book.
If I do any reading at all these days, it’s a brief or upcoming presentation.
Dinner is closer to bedtime, which means a lot of ordering in.
Most nights I order it through the app while I’m on the light rail, so it isn’t as long of a wait after I get home.
My friends are the same way, all super busy now that we’re part of the workforce.
More like a bunch of worker ants mindlessly plodding back and forth each day until we’re completely worn out. ”
“I don’t think we were put here to live like that.”
“I don’t think so either and I don’t see the point of an existence spent stuck in an endless loop.
It’s only been four years, and I’m already struggling to find inspiration,” Nova explained.
“I feel like the parameters are so tight within the business community that it’s hard to create a campaign with any sort of wow factor.
Our clients are all about trends; they’re either constantly trying to start them or hopping on them when they think it will suit them.
We’re always shifting gears at the last moment and revamping the different models we put together for them. After a while it just gets old.”
“Sounds like you know what isn’t working for you. Have you thought about making a change?”