Man, @galenkp comes up with the most intriguing writing prompts for contests and they are my favorite to attempt. Here is my take on the Ideal Weekend.
The Diagnosis
Doug was entranced by the patter of the frigid rain against the high rise window. The doctor's voice was a muffled symphony of unrecognizable phrases and tones of levity and concern. He could make no sense of it. The weight off what he had just learned was too heavy to bear....he was numb and it seemed that only thing holding his world together right now was the sound of this impartial rain.....what was that Bible verse he recalled from childhood? Something about it rains on the just and the unjust? Is this what this devastating diagnosis was.... justice for a life not lived well....payment for his past transgressions.....or just that his number had come up?
Doug had no memory of making down the elevator to the lobby or the rest of his interactions in the medical building. When the biting air forced itself upon him as he exited the revolving doors he realized he was flushed and panicked. His breaths were coming in short ragged gulps. He tore at his tie and collar as he stumbled out of the foyer and into the side of the long black sedans parked street side. He leaned heavily against them as his vision reeled and his mind raced. Slowly like the warm voice of a long overdue friend his composure returned and his breathing calmed to a manageable pace. He glanced up from the mess his expensive shoes were and the first thing he saw was a shimmering yellow chariot to freedom and he hailed it as he had never hailed before. He flailed and whistled as if his life depended upon it and the taxi lurched to a stop. He yanked on the door and swung himself inside in one fluid motion and frantically pleaded with the driver to take him to the airport. All he could think of right now was that he desperately needed more than anything or anyone was an ideal weekend.
Non-Stop One-Way Ticket
The taxi had barely slowed approaching the curb before Doug bounded out leaving his Italian briefcase, diamond cufflinks, and silk tie in the wake of his furious pursuit of distancing himself from the knowledge of what was to come. He bolted into the bustle of the mid-Friday morning mele of weekend travel at the airport and stood transfixed to the rotating flight data being beamed at him from glowing monitors begging him to choose wisely! His eyes darted from destination to destination searching for perfection......THERE IT IS..THAT'S IT!.....the beach. He rushed to the counter and fumbled awkwardly with his wallet as he paid for his ticket to embark upon the ideal weekend. He passed by a cinnamon roll stand on his way to the gate and bought all the cinnamon rolls they had. He cheeks were stretched to capacity and he savored the warm comfort of that pastry of the gods. He was able to down three of them before getting to his gate and he settled in the plastic torture devices outside the terminal waiting for his row to be called. As the sugar rushed to his head, he placed the rest of the cinnamon rolls on the seat beside him and begin to mentally plan out the next two days.
After what seemed like an eternity, his row was called and he strode down the jetway and was greeting by the smiling faces of the air crew welcoming him aboard. He settled into the oversized leather luxury of the first-class seat and graciously accepted the mimosa offered to him along with a warm towel. He gingerly pressed his temple and felt the building tension of the morning begin to fade into giddy anticipation of what the coming days would offer. After a minute or so the crew showed up with a painfully shy little boy travelling alone to spend a few weeks with his father and settled him in next to Doug. This child looked up with the most angelic smile and revealed a missing tooth from the top row and he began to beam at all the plans he and his dad had. Doug felt the hot tear begin to slide down his cheek as he drowned at the regret of forgoing having children in the pursuit of his career. The cherub chattered his stories from the time the plane moved until it touched down. Doug could not remember a more moving and enjoyable conversation in his entire life! The little boy was ushered off the plane and just as he rounded the corner to disembark he looked back with his missing-tooth-smile and waved as hard as he could at Doug.
He suddenly felt the impulse to move....to get going......to utilize his time fully! He was almost at a sprint when hit the bottom of the jetway and darted from front to back attempting to get his bearings and to find the freedom of the exit. He finally darted through the front doors of the airport and was stopped dead in his tracks by the luxurious embrace of the warm breeze and the seductive enticement of the salt air promising paradise only a few short miles away. He hailed the first available taxi and waved the driver towards the ideal weekend!
In Pursuit of Perfection
Based on his hurried gushing description of his situation, the driver knew exactly where Dough wanted to be. Doug stepped out of the taxi and his breath caught at the beauty of the art deco exterior of the beach-front resort. It exuded vitality as if it was built upon the grounds of the fountain of youth and Doug felt at home as he passed through the monolithic columns and into the cavernous lobby to be check in. He was fortunate enough that an ocean-side suite was available and he cast his credit card down like the winning hand of the most important poker game of his life and collected his room key like he was dragging a monstrous pot of winnings! The bellboy inquired as to his luggage and Doug quipped with a devilish smile, "I like to travel light!". The confused look on the bellboy's face caused Doug to tumble into a fit of deep bellowing laughs that he just could not control. The concierge manager raised an eyebrow and Doug began to chuckle even harder. He quickly attempted to control himself for fear of being tossed out and allowed the bewildered bellboy lead him to his chamber of respite. The bellboy flung the door open in a dramatic fashion and the view revealed an open floor plan suite with a direct view to the rear balcony and a view of an ocean so clear and blue it looked as if it had been painted there by the hands of angels. The bellboy quickly reviewed the amenities and swiftly exited the room in a flurry of motion that sharply contrasted the immediate quite and stillness that descended upon the room as the door closed. For the first time since the harsh news hit his ears he was alone......no street noise and crowded sidewalks....no honking of taxis jockeying for position....no chatty little angel in first class....no shuffle of shoes in a busy lobby....nothing but....silence. Doug slumped onto the bed and allowed his body to be shaken with the deep sobbing weeping that followed that impenetrable silence.
Doug jerked awake to the sound of crashing waves and seagulls calling. What time was it....what day.....where am I???? The confusion flooded his mind as he tried to right a wrong world. He looked at his watch and realized it was 8am the next day! What had he done! As frustrated as he was he could not remain in such a frazzled state when we was being engulfed in the most luxurious bedding he had ever experienced and he mused that he hadn't felt this rested in years. He thought about all he had lost over the years and on top of that list was rest and slumber...not just sleep, but that level of rest that rejuvenates the soul and embraces the heart. Although he missed a night at the beach, he gained a perspective of what it was to feel rested again. He took the deepest breath and allowed the salt air to heal his essence and mend his woes. He stood up and stared at his unshaven disheveled appearance and remembered that he had forgone all preparation for this journey and that he had no clothes or toiletries. Right! That is number one on the list today. Wait! Make that number two, the downstairs breakfast buffet would be number 1!
Doug walked out of the room and to the elevators and began humming Time After Time with the elevator music as he contemplated the destruction he was about to unleash on the buffet. The doors dinged, he stepped out and crashed into one of the house cleaning staff knocking her to the floor. He stammered out apologies and he tried to help her to her feet as the concierge manager came around the corner and began to assume the worker was at fault. Doug quickly set him straight and continued to apologize for his clumsiness. The maid, Mary, smiled at him and thanked him for his concern and continued on to her daily duties. Doug was left there awkwardly waving as she walked away. Once she was out of sight, he turned and set his sights on the feat at hand....the buffet.
Of course the buffet was as he expected based upon the nightly price of a room here. It was simply divine and he mused over what he would indulge in first. Of course it would be the eggs! Doug took two plates and approached the buffet like Marine battalion attempting to take an encamped hill. He set one of the plates down and dug a serving spoon as deep as he could into the most buttery, fluffy scrambled eggs and cheese ever created and build a formidable mound of them on this plate. He then completed covered the peak of the eggs with handfuls of the most perfectly crispy bacon he had ever seen and then focus his full attention to the pancakes! Doug stacked the various versions of the pancakes available so high that they began to lean to the right threatening collapse before he stopped. With his hands full of plates, he shoved a fork and spoon into the pocket of his disheveled dress shirt and hung two types of syrup from his front pants pockets like some kind of breakfast food quickdraw cowboy and sauntered towards and empty table.
Half an hour later, there was a littering of dinnerware casualties across the entirety of his table and an extremely stuffed and content Doug could be seen cradling a hot mug of coffee between his hands and the aroma rose to saturate his senses and let his mind prepare for the day to come. Doug finished his coffee, pushed himself back from the table, steadied himself with the extra weight of the equivalent of four breakfasts, and headed out to find the day and where it might take him. As he exited the front of the hotel he heard quite giggling around the corner and he poke his head around to find Mary, the victim of his collision, and a small child talking. Mary was bent down to the girl child's level and you could instantly tell they belonged to each other. An older woman was standing next to a nearby car. Mary looked up at Doug and quickly shooed the child to the waiting woman and they drove off. Mary mentioned it was her daughter and that Mary's mother would bring her down from time to time on Mary's breaks to see her. Doug smiled back a remarked how beautiful the child was. The was a long awkward silence as Doug shuffled around a bit and then he finally broke the silence and asked if she happened to know of any stores that might have some clothes and essential items. She gave him directions and as he walked in the direction of the store he caught a glimpse of Mary wistfully looking towards the direction of where the car and left and then she let out a deep, deep sigh. Doug felt a sharp pain of empathy for Mary and then tried to turn his attention to getting some supplies.
The store that Doug found himself in was a typical tourist beach shop and the only things he could find in his size were a day-glo green pair of shorts and a yellow beach themed t-shirt. He rounded out this elegant ensemble with a pair of flip flops and headed out the door with a plastic bag full of toiletries. He tossed his Italian leather shoes and the remnants of his far-too expensive suit in the nearest trash can and continued towards the ocean and the boardwalk adjacent to the sea. Doug strolled for what seemed like hours just soaking in the sights, sounds, and sun of the beach and he found himself several times being drawn into one specialty shop after the other and engaged in the most amazing conversations with staff and tourist alike. Even with the massive breakfast he would stop at every kiosk along the way and buy that unique mix of tropical delights and fried fair food that can only be found near a beach.
Doug spent long stretches of time sitting in the sand next to the water and staring out of the beauty of creation. More than once he found himself weeping. It was not out of fear, it wasn't even out of regret...it was out of the deepest sense of gratitude and fortune that he was able to have a life and see what he had seen. He had taken so much for granted but he only wanted to concentrate on what was now....what was before him in THIS moment. As midday turned to late afternoon, Doug came across a rundown looking tiny seafood shack that the front panel boasted the "Best Fried Shrimp in the World" well that was just too bold of a statement for Doug to leave unchallenged and if he had learned anything growing up in the deep, deep south the shabby the exterior of the restaurant, the more sublime the food!
Doug made his way in and was seated by the only waitress in the place. It appeared to be before their dinner rush (if they even had one) and he was alone except for the cook, waitress, and dishwasher. Doug ordered his drink and perused the faded laminated menu for the object of his obsession for this meal. Once he had looked through the menu and surmised that there were only a total of 10 main offerings in the realm of fried seafood he shocked the waitress speechless when he answered her question of what he would have. Doug looked her dead in the eye with the most twisted smile she had ever seen and he calmly said, "Everything!". She stammered a few minutes and then asked, "Excuse me, sir?". He slowly repeated "Everything". I want to order one of everything on the menu." She looked at him with skepticism and replied "Coming up!" and hurried over to the kitchen window to relay his request. Doug was tickled inside as he heard the waitress and cook debating about his order being serious or not.
A short while later a steady stream of every type of fried seafood you can imagine began to flow out of the kitchen as the mighty Amazon flows through the jungle. Plate after plate of shimmering, golden seafood surrounded Doug and he began to devour it with the relish of a man breaking a 40 day fast! Doug's lips, cheeks, and fingers were glistening from the copious amounts of culinary perfection he was wolfing down and for the life of him, Doug could not think of a better meal he had ever had. He was satisfied....he was full......he was content. Doug managed to eat much more than either the dishwasher or cook could have imagined and his waitress pocketed a $20 bet from each of them as Doug made his way back to the sand of the beach with a bag containing two of their pies and some spoons for later.
The sun was still high on this glorious day and Doug decided he would spend his last sunset here sitting on the shore and immersing himself in the glory of that magnificent sun slinking down into the aqua horizon as it raced to wake the people of another shore. Doug strolled for a few minutes until he decided upon the perfect spot to view this daily miracle and lowered himself to the warm sand. Doug stretched out his legs and allowed his toes to dig into the massaging friction of the warm sand and enjoyed as the stimulus relaxed the entirety of his being.
Just as he was reaching the pinnacle of relaxation, Doug caught slight movement out of the corner of his eye and he watch as an elderly rambling man mad his way down the beach with everything he owned in a plastic bag and a faithful dog trailing behind. As the man made his way down the beach, Doug called out to him and asked him to have a seat with him. Doug asked the man,"Hey, do you happen to like pie?" The ramblin' man smiled his toothless smiled and replied "I never met a man what didn't like pie!" The man eased himself down with significant effort and settled into place as Doug handed him a pie and spoon. The old man's eyes lit up with joyful gratitude and he savored the pie. The sun began its final tipping towards the ocean as both men were finishing all the could of the pies. Not a word had been spoken as two souls just enjoyed the comfort and company of one another and the security of dessert. Just as the sun began to touch the ebbing and flowing face of the ocean the ramblin' man glanced over at Doug and said, "Son, you seem like the type who needed to slow down." Dough let out a soft laugh at the wisdom and truth of this simple statement. For all his life had been and all it had not.....he had this pristine moment to slow down, if only for one sunset.
All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter,
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
-Tolkien
Haha, love the descriptions! Well done. My favourite, "hung two types of syrup from his front pants pockets like some kind of breakfast food quickdraw cowboy and sauntered towards and empty table."😂
thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. Yeah, this one was a fun one to write for sure!
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