this Island is where you want to go?” he asked.
“Yes, Sam, I am totally sure about this. I think we will have a great time and have that romantic getaway that you are always talking about. This will be perfect, it is an adventure, which I know you love, and it is supposed to be so tropical and beautiful and mysterious. I think it sounds exactly what we need. I figure I will take a leave of absence from the shop; I can leave Sarah in charge for a few months, my clientele will be fine with it. They know I have not taken any time off. God, you know, Sam I can honestly say that for once, I do not care if they mind or not. I really want to do this.” She was beaming with joy, rambling on. How could Sam deny her now, he thought, as he responded with,
“Okay doll, that is settled. Sounds great. You let me know all the details on it, okay and when you want to go, I will get it all square on my end. Now, let us look at the boat we are going to take.”
They left the marina, which was loaded with boats, all shapes, and sizes. Sam had his heart set on a 60’ foot wind vessel, and it was simply fine for her. She did not get into boats all that much, while he was totally fascinated with them. He checked out every detail, every nock and crevice of the boat and finally made up his mind on this one, “The Pretty Lady”. The letters were bold and stood right out as Maria stepped off the boat and gave it a once over as they left.
Sam dropped her off at home and headed to the bank to pick up the check and finish the sale. He told Maria to give him a call later that night and they could get together and have dinner and they would plan it all out.
Maria was fine with that; she wanted to do some more research. She had searched every bookstore possible for more information on this Island and its Core. Charts and maps told of where the Island existed, but no one has ever set foot on its sandy shores. So how could they be certain?
She knew that Sam was the only one that could make all this happen for her, because of his wealth and access to the finest things in life. He was spontaneous and loved adventures. Sam’s father was an Alaskan fisherman who shipped Alaskan King crab to all parts of the country. Since it was the only company that would cover all the United States, he became a multimillionaire and of course when he passed away, it all went to his only son, Sam. Sam however, never liked to work. He sold the company and made his dream come true of gallivanting all around the world for pleasure.
He would call Maria up at a drop of the dime, “Hey doll, what are you doing right now?” he would say when he needed to venture out.
Sometimes it would be a tropical vacation, or a hike into the Grand Canyon or The Rocky Mountains. She expected anything and usually within few days’ notice they would be off on an adventure.
She remembered the one time he called her up and told her to dress all in black, real sexy and he would pick her up in 2 hours. So, she did, she loved the surprises. It made things spontaneous and exciting.
She dressed in a low cut, black silk dress. She wore Sam’s favorite black bra and panty set; the bra always gave her that sexy lift that she needed, and he loved it.
The dress fell about mid-thigh. It was simple but flattering. She had a black silky thin scarf, which she wrapped around her neck and let the remaining piece fall down her open back. Just the right amount of class. A simple pair of black high heels and black sheer nylons touched it off nicely.
Her hair, she curled with soft ringlets that fell into place. She wore a short-stacked bob with a side part and soft wispy bands that fell to the side. Her hair was dark brown with a few shades of summer blonde and strawberry blonde highlights. Everyone loved her hair color, although she did not think it was that special.
Her make up, that was easy. A palette of rose color eye shadow and dark brown eye liner. And to top it off, red lipstick, which ever woman who has that simple black dress, always has the companion red lipstick. It is a given.
As she stood in the bathroom, she admired herself for a few moments. She looked good.
Sam knocked at the door and there he was in a Bat Man’s outfit. Black cape, mask, and all. Totally hot. How mysterious and sexual that night was. He swooped in, embraced her. After dinner, which he had a catering service, who came with him and transformed her apartment into this dark, sensual room, with candles and rose petals.
The food was delicious and after their Champaign and chocolate mousse, he swooped her up and brought her to the bedroom, which was equality decorated. They made passionate and intense love, making it a fully enjoyable evening. This is how it was with Sam. He was every woman’s fantasy man. When he was there, he was there, and it was like his goal in life at times was to totally please her. No matter what.
She first met Sam through her work as a hair stylist. She had cut his hair for a year before they became close friends. At first, she kept their friendship strictly professional. She had learned through classes, as well as, from personal experience, the delicate line between a client and the professional. If you get too friendly and do things on a personal level, you may lose that person as a client. Clients want you to be the best stylist you can for them and a friend with an open ear, but not too close, as they do not want to feel any judgement. It is a comfortable special bond that grows, which takes years to build and only a short time to fall, because with closeness, comes a feeling of demanding, of oneself.
You need to remind yourself just what you can give of yourself and what you cannot, so that there always remains a mutual understanding of that fine line. If you don’t then there will become an uncomfortable awkwardness and you will lose that client, they will seek someone else for their professional services.
We are always trying to give what we do not want to, or don’t have to give. Yet, with Sam it seemed he never gave too much of himself for Maria to feel that pressure, so there began a friendship that did not feel like she was crossing the line. Sam was reckless and had no responsibility and enjoyed life. Being Italian, of course he could be very romantic. He had a robust and always suave style; golden sun kissed skin, dark features, and a gentle touch. At times she loved him, and at others, she really did not know.
Maria’s problem seemed she did not quite know what she wanted or needed. She lived her day as everyone else and felt genuinely happy, yet, beneath her she felt so much more. She knew that she wanted love and have more meaning in her relationships. She had worked hard in life and did what she was supposed to do.
She went to hair school, started in a salon, worked her way up and finally purchased the salon from the existing owner and was doing rather good. She had a nice apartment and had plenty of friends and family, but something was just not right. She was not sure if she was bored with her life, but something made her stay up at night, contemplating.
She felt the complexity that she was more than she knew, and this seemed to force her to take a hard close look at the way she spent her time.
It is easy to fall into a robotic routine in life. You wake up and get ready for work, grab a cup of coffee, and run out the door. Never really looking at the trees when you drive by or the change of colors when they are preparing for fall. You spend all day thinking when you will get home and hopefully relax. But when you get home there’s dinner and chores to contend with. When do you really relax? How many times have you had someone ask you, “What have you been up to?” And you reply by saying, “Oh nothing.” The irony is that doing nothing does not exist. This was Maria’s search.
She no longer wanted to say nothing and wanted to enjoy and be aware of her surroundings and take notice of everything. The way the wind blows on a cool winter day and the way the sun reflects off the snow early in the afternoon. The day’s first cup of coffee, for example, and how to smell it, and anticipate its taste, drink it slowly and savor it, because no other
