Now, the next morning, Charles was feeling a bit nervous and anxious about the six hour flight over the Pacific Ocean in the tiny Lear jet, so he took 2 vicodin before a light breakfast of eggs and toast then, just before he and Xation boarded the plane, Charles took 2 more vicodin to ease his tension and stress. This was unfortunate, for Xation sensed Charles was always very apprehensive, on any flight they took, so he had a bottle of whiskey at the ready. Just after a smooth take-off from the private landing strip of the Estate, Xation poured a tall glass of the strong amber liquid over a few cubes of ice for his friend who was on edge.Charles should not have imbibed, but he did, and a short while later, as Xation was talking about some new real estate development in Buenos Aires, Charles leaned his head back on the seat closing his eyes drifting off to sleep. Xation did not mind for he had some files to go over and documents to sign and he used this time to get a little work done, before he was officially on vacation for the next week.
Charles opened his eyes, to what to him was just seconds later, but he was shocked to find he had been asleep for over three hours, Xation only laughed at him, asking if he wanted another glass of whiskey; to which Charles only shook his head no, opting for a small bottle of cold Pierre instead. "I'm sorry Xation." Charles apologized with a yawn feeling very relaxed now 20,000 feet above the Earth, though Charles tried not to look out the little cabin window, of which he pulled the down the shade. Then he turned to Xation, who was sitting in the row of seats next to him, then Charles confided in him. "You've probably noticed I don't do so well on flights."
"Yes.., but you will get over it, sooner or later." Xation replied with a confident look and a gentle smile then he let out a sigh and opened up to Charles telling him "I know about your parents, the terrible accident."
Charles was shocked, for he knew Xation knew a lot about his life back in Chicago, and he did not realize how far back Xation's research on him went. "Oh." was all Charles could answer his face drained of all color and he looked like he might faint for a moment.
"I know a great many things about you my friend, that is my nature. I did not want to bring up this tragedy until you did, but I think we should just get it out in the open, so I may offer you my deepest condolences to you for your most grievous loss. I myself would be lost without my mother and father." Xation confessed.
Charles said nothing only thinking about what Xation had said, 'he would be lost', and that is exactly what Charles had become and he knew for a long time that this fact was true. For Charles was utterly, and completely, devastated by the horrific events of that Friday late in May, and at the tender age of 21 he had become virtually all alone and lost, in a cruel and lonely world. This is what, perhaps, caused him to make all the wrong decisions, to become neglectful in his work, sending too many patients to an early grave because of his mistakes. Then Charles realized his penchant for vicodin began a few months after his parents lost their lives on a charred field 8 miles from O'Hare international airport. Then he thought of a line from a poem he remembered from a long time ago. 'The past in it's grave, though it's ghosts still haunt me.'
Xation could see a sad melancholy had come over Charles so he apologized for mentioning it and tried to change the subject so he asked Charles. "So, I take it you have never been to Hawaii?"
"No, but I am looking forward to getting there." then a pressing thought came to Charles so he put all sad memories of the loss of his beloved mother and father at the back of his mind, and so he said to Xation "You know.., I would like to talk to you about Serena."
"What about her?" Xation asked a little worried, but happy to be talking about something else beside the fiery plane crash.
"I'm worried about her." Charles said with the concerned look of a friend.
"How so in that?" Xation replied thinking the worst possible scenario "Is she pregnant?" he said almost in a whisper, though there was no one else aboard, save the captain and his co-pilot.
"No!" Charles reassured him "She has put on so much weight over the past month, and she has been so depressed, Serena has been trying to get me to prescribe her diet pills."
"Have you?" Xation asked a little upset by this.
"No!" Charles answered truthfully "I told her eat less and exercise more."
Xation shook his head and said "Serena has been mourning for Humberto, it has been just over a year since he was killed in the riding accident. And Hays, whom she adores, has been up in Dallas running the new office in Texas. She misses Hays very much.., but until his divorce is final I do not want them to be associating with one another.., it is bad for business." Xation explained, but Charles needed no explanation. Now it was Xation who felt uncomfortable, so he quickly changed the subject "This is enough talk of our families, now is the time for us to celebrate and enjoy our lives! Just let me tell you about what is planned for our trip.
Charles turned in his seat, facing Xation as he eagerly, with great enthusiasm told him about their adventure which would soon begin "We are staying at the Ritz Carlton at Kapalua, on the north shore of Maui with views of the neighboring islands of Molokai to the west and Lanai to the south west. I have booked us a tee-time for about an hour after we check into our suite. Now Charles, the Plantation Course has got to be the best golf course of all the Hawaiian islands! It is a magnificent tree lined ocean course, with wide open greens so you really get a chance to run the ball. There is a lot of change in elevation off the tees and there are some tricky ocean winds down by the shore. And now is the time, in Hawaii, when the Humpback whales come down from the cold winter waters of the Pacific Northwest and you will see dozens of the huge creatures jumping up out of the bright blue waters along with Spinnaker dolphins frolicking off the coastline! We are going to have an amazing time of it!" Xation said a feeling of elation sweeping over him as he remembered all the fun times he and Bengiman had on previous excursions to the island paradise. "And then there is tomorrow!"
"What happens tomorrow?" Charles asked as the excitement began to spread in his heart as well.
"We have to get up bright and early. I will rent a convertible and we will catch the ferry over to Lanai. I want to try out the Course at Manele Bay. Bengiman and I were scheduled for a round there last year but, unfortunately, that morning we had to leave early because of what happened to Felina..," here he paused thinking of that morning last year when he listened to the voicemail messages Felina had sent but that he had missed. However Xation would not allow himself to be distracted from his present state of happiness by the pain and distress from the past, so he went right back to his subject. "God, Charles, Lanai is the most exclusive island for the world's 'golf' elite and I can not wait to get off this fucking plane and check into our hotel." Xation looked at his watch and said "Just about an hour to go until we land and soon we will be teeing off on the first hole at the Plantation Course in no time!"
Charles opened his eyes, to what to him was just seconds later, but he was shocked to find he had been asleep for over three hours, Xation only laughed at him, asking if he wanted another glass of whiskey; to which Charles only shook his head no, opting for a small bottle of cold Pierre instead. "I'm sorry Xation." Charles apologized with a yawn feeling very relaxed now 20,000 feet above the Earth, though Charles tried not to look out the little cabin window, of which he pulled the down the shade. Then he turned to Xation, who was sitting in the row of seats next to him, then Charles confided in him. "You've probably noticed I don't do so well on flights."
"Yes.., but you will get over it, sooner or later." Xation replied with a confident look and a gentle smile then he let out a sigh and opened up to Charles telling him "I know about your parents, the terrible accident."
Charles was shocked, for he knew Xation knew a lot about his life back in Chicago, and he did not realize how far back Xation's research on him went. "Oh." was all Charles could answer his face drained of all color and he looked like he might faint for a moment.
"I know a great many things about you my friend, that is my nature. I did not want to bring up this tragedy until you did, but I think we should just get it out in the open, so I may offer you my deepest condolences to you for your most grievous loss. I myself would be lost without my mother and father." Xation confessed.
Charles said nothing only thinking about what Xation had said, 'he would be lost', and that is exactly what Charles had become and he knew for a long time that this fact was true. For Charles was utterly, and completely, devastated by the horrific events of that Friday late in May, and at the tender age of 21 he had become virtually all alone and lost, in a cruel and lonely world. This is what, perhaps, caused him to make all the wrong decisions, to become neglectful in his work, sending too many patients to an early grave because of his mistakes. Then Charles realized his penchant for vicodin began a few months after his parents lost their lives on a charred field 8 miles from O'Hare international airport. Then he thought of a line from a poem he remembered from a long time ago. 'The past in it's grave, though it's ghosts still haunt me.'
Xation could see a sad melancholy had come over Charles so he apologized for mentioning it and tried to change the subject so he asked Charles. "So, I take it you have never been to Hawaii?"
"No, but I am looking forward to getting there." then a pressing thought came to Charles so he put all sad memories of the loss of his beloved mother and father at the back of his mind, and so he said to Xation "You know.., I would like to talk to you about Serena."
"What about her?" Xation asked a little worried, but happy to be talking about something else beside the fiery plane crash.
"I'm worried about her." Charles said with the concerned look of a friend.
"How so in that?" Xation replied thinking the worst possible scenario "Is she pregnant?" he said almost in a whisper, though there was no one else aboard, save the captain and his co-pilot.
"No!" Charles reassured him "She has put on so much weight over the past month, and she has been so depressed, Serena has been trying to get me to prescribe her diet pills."
"Have you?" Xation asked a little upset by this.
"No!" Charles answered truthfully "I told her eat less and exercise more."
Xation shook his head and said "Serena has been mourning for Humberto, it has been just over a year since he was killed in the riding accident. And Hays, whom she adores, has been up in Dallas running the new office in Texas. She misses Hays very much.., but until his divorce is final I do not want them to be associating with one another.., it is bad for business." Xation explained, but Charles needed no explanation. Now it was Xation who felt uncomfortable, so he quickly changed the subject "This is enough talk of our families, now is the time for us to celebrate and enjoy our lives! Just let me tell you about what is planned for our trip.
Charles turned in his seat, facing Xation as he eagerly, with great enthusiasm told him about their adventure which would soon begin "We are staying at the Ritz Carlton at Kapalua, on the north shore of Maui with views of the neighboring islands of Molokai to the west and Lanai to the south west. I have booked us a tee-time for about an hour after we check into our suite. Now Charles, the Plantation Course has got to be the best golf course of all the Hawaiian islands! It is a magnificent tree lined ocean course, with wide open greens so you really get a chance to run the ball. There is a lot of change in elevation off the tees and there are some tricky ocean winds down by the shore. And now is the time, in Hawaii, when the Humpback whales come down from the cold winter waters of the Pacific Northwest and you will see dozens of the huge creatures jumping up out of the bright blue waters along with Spinnaker dolphins frolicking off the coastline! We are going to have an amazing time of it!" Xation said a feeling of elation sweeping over him as he remembered all the fun times he and Bengiman had on previous excursions to the island paradise. "And then there is tomorrow!"
"What happens tomorrow?" Charles asked as the excitement began to spread in his heart as well.
"We have to get up bright and early. I will rent a convertible and we will catch the ferry over to Lanai. I want to try out the Course at Manele Bay. Bengiman and I were scheduled for a round there last year but, unfortunately, that morning we had to leave early because of what happened to Felina..," here he paused thinking of that morning last year when he listened to the voicemail messages Felina had sent but that he had missed. However Xation would not allow himself to be distracted from his present state of happiness by the pain and distress from the past, so he went right back to his subject. "God, Charles, Lanai is the most exclusive island for the world's 'golf' elite and I can not wait to get off this fucking plane and check into our hotel." Xation looked at his watch and said "Just about an hour to go until we land and soon we will be teeing off on the first hole at the Plantation Course in no time!"
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