Beyond the Palms

by Amanda Aggie

  When they finally decided on a place, Thea threw out her beach towel and laid it flat in the sand. Jack didn’t even take the time to set up his, he threw it in a bundled heap to the ground and went running into the water. Eleanor held the cooler and the umbrella while John laid his towel out. She prayed that the wind didn’t swoop her hat away while she was vulnerable to the attack. John took the cooler and positioned it in the sand so it wouldn’t fall over. Then he took the umbrella from her hands, stealing a quick kiss, before pressing the button. The umbrella flew open; he stabbed the handle of it in to the ground to provide some shade.

  Eleanor was pale as could be, it didn’t matter how hard she tried to tan, she just became different shades of sunburnt. The two of them sat under the shade and talked, watching Jack flop around like a fish in the water. His head bobbled in the water as the waves would rise and fall. He swam around and then would float up to the beach and run back in.

  “Why don’t you go join him Thea, it looks like he is having fun,” John asked her.

  “I will, the sun feels good at the moment, though.” She said, turning down his request.

  A yellow beach ball came flying and landed next to her, throwing sand out in all directions.

  “What the—” She sat up and saw a boy no older than ten years old chasing after it. She chose to let it go and laid back down on her stomach.

  John decided he would join Jack while the girls stayed on dry land. The sun’s rays distorted his vision but he still managed to see the heat waves rising off the sand. The sun’s reflection off the water made him shield his face with his arm as he weaved his way around the people towards the water.

  The waves didn’t crash. Instead, they slid along the wet sand and retracted just as smoothly as it came. John dug his toes in the sand; it sloshed around his foot, leaving imprints that disappeared quickly the second he moved. The white noise filled the air, and the smell of salt burnt his nose. He could taste it on his tongue with every breath he took. Birds called to one another and soared back and forth in the sky.

  John walked forward into the water until it pooled around his shoulders. He was soothing the newly formed sunburn on skin. He floated around, getting pushed and pushed by the current.

  Thea laid there, warm from the UV rays of the sun beating down on her. She reached into the cooler and pulled out a bottle of water that was cold to the touch. Her stomach grumbled loudly.

  “Hey, Mom. Are you hungry? I think I’m going to go grab something from that hut over there.” Thea said nodding in the general direction of the smoothie bar.

  “Sure! Can you bring enough back for everyone? I am sure the boys are hungry too.”

  Eleanor reached for her bag and pulled out money and handing it to her. Thea took the cash and began the hike to the smoothie bar. A few moments later, she walked under the palm roof and up onto the wooden platform. As she approached the open window, she saw an islander man inside sitting in a chair. The man heard her walk up and looked up to see who was there.

  “What can I do for you, Ms.?” He asked, his accent was thick and difficult to understand, but Thea was able to make out the general idea of what the man said.

  “Uh, I’m not sure yet. Do you have any food or just smoothies?”, She asked.

  “If you walk around the side to your right, you’ll see a chalkboard with our full menu.”

  The man didn’t wait for a thank you; he slammed the service window shut. Thea stood looking into her reflection in the tinted window. She turned on her heels and walked around the corner of the hut, where the man claimed that she would find the menu. She saw a large wall-size chalkboard with the chalked words scribbled in white. The blackboard was filled with names of smoothie flavors, various snacks, and finally sandwiches they offered in both the local language and English.

  Thea combed through the list until she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look, she saw James paused mid-stride; his expression conveyed that he knew he was caught. James didn’t say anything, instead he was a statue, like he thought if he stayed still enough he would be invisible. When he realized it wasn’t working, James collected his expression.

  “Thea! Nice to see you!” He said trying to play it off.

  “Yeah, I’m almost positive that you’re delighted,” Thea said sarcastically before crossing her arms and turning back to the blackboard. James shrugged and took a few steps forward off the wooden platform that surrounded the shack. His shoulders fell with a sigh, and he turned back around.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I know last night was awkward, and I should’ve explained when Mr. Callahan walked away last night.” James said.

  “Are you at least going to tell me what I did to deserve it?” Thea asked, ready to dismiss him if he he didn’t.

  “You didn’t do anything. The manager of the Arbor frowns on us talking to certain ‘prestigious guests’. He told us that anyone in the 800 series rooms were off-limits and should be left alone, especially this time of year because of the major events the Arbor hosts.”

  “Why would he be upset about you talking to me? I’m not ‘prestigious’.” Thea asked.

  “Its complicated, that rule is especially for Alex. I guess there was an altercation in the past, and his uncle is determined not to let anything similar happen again.” James explained, hoping she wouldn’t ask anymore questions.

  “I guess that explains why he did everything but run away last night.” Thea said, thinking about how he shuffled off and left his full glass of whiskey on the bar without a word.

  James was proud of himself for the way he handled the situation. He praised himself for forming a convincing white lie. Not only did he put the guest at ease about the event, but he also managed to create a pretty good backstory too.

  “Well, I would love to talk more, but if I’m going to catch some waves, I gotta get going now to make my shift.” James said waving at her before walking off toward the water.

  Thea studied the list of food and drinks again. Deciding on her order, she went back around to the service window. Thea waited for a few minutes, but the man didn’t open it. She reached over and taped a polished fingernail on the glass, wanting to get his attention.

  “Excuse me, I would like to place my order,” Thea said to her reflection in the mirrored window. The window flew open seconds later. The man that was so approachable a few minutes ago now was furious.

  “Really, dude!? I was about to beat my new record!”, the man said.

  The man flashed her the screen of his phone. The large red letters reading ‘GAME OVER” lined the screen.

  She tried to apologize for disturbing him but the man cut her off with a sharp,“What can I get you?”

  “Can I get three chicken sandwiches and one fruit blend smoothie, please!” She asked politely hoping to smooth things over.

  The man punched numbers into an old cash register.

  When the clicking of keys stopped, and he looked at her blankly.

  “American?” he asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Are you paying with American money?” He reiterated.

  “Oh, yes, thank you,” Thea said, handing him the twenty-dollar bill her mother provided.

  “It will be $18.01; here is your change.” He said holding out coins and letting them fall into her hand.

  “I am surprised so many people accept American money here,” Thea said to the man.

  “There are many travelers here, especially from America this time of year.”

  After he finished his sentence, he shut the window.

  When the man slid the glass back open, he shoved a bag and drink out of the window and waited for her to take it before swiftly shutting the window again. Thea grabbed the bag and began her hike back to where they had marked out as their own.

  8

  Hidden in the Sand

  “Oh, there was food! That’s fantastic!” Eleanor said excitedly to her daughter.

  “Yeah! I got you guys
chicken sandwiches. I hope that was ok,” She said to her mother.

  “Oh, nope. That is perfect, well done!” Eleanor said taking the bag from Thea. Thea sat down on her towel again, as her mother shoved the bag by the cooler.

  “I’m going to try and get their attention so we can eat.”

  Eleanor said before walking halfway to the water and yelling for John and Jack. She waved her arms over her head back and forth, hoping they could hear her over the sound of the waves. She was about to give up and walk the rest of the way when she locked eyes with John. He waved back at her. Eleanor motioned for them to come to her.

  John got a hold of Jack, and the two of them made their way towards the shore. They stepped out of the water, dripping wet, dry sand stuck effortlessly to their legs as they walked.

  “OUCH!” Jack bellowed out.

  John turned around to see his son drop to the ground and grab for his foot. Tears quivered on the brims of Jack’s eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

  “What happened?”, his father asked dropping down to the ground next to him.

  “I stepped on something; it hurts!”Jack barely got the words out through his clenched teeth. His breathing increased as he worked through the pain.

  John looked at his foot, it was hard to see through the sand, but he saw a shard of glass cut down the arch of his foot and impaled itself in his heel. John scooped up his son and carried him to the family’s towel, leaving a red blood trail behind them.

  “Thea, can you hand me the first aid kit in the front pocket of the cooler?” John asked as he got with in ear shot of his daughter.

  “She found the small red pouch that her dad picked up at the gift shop on the way out of the hotel. She pulled it out of the bag and handed it to him. She also handed him a bottle of water to wash off the sand to get a better look.

  “What happened?” Thea asked with concern.

  “He stepped on something in the sand.” Her dad replied.

  He opened the bottle of water and rinsed off the sand from the bottom of Jack’s foot. He pulled out tweezers from the first aid kit. He saw the shard of glass clearly now, took the tweezers in one hand, and gently pulled the piece out of Jack’s foot. Jack reared back in pain reaching down to grab his foot that bled freely. John held up the piece of glass to the light, and then reexamined his foot. He stayed calm and collected while Eleanor, on the other hand, tried not to look but held Jack’s hand in support.

  “He is going to need stitches for sure.” John said as he set the glass down and grabbed a clean towel and pressed it to Jack’s foot.

  No one on the crowded beach offered to help as they walked past and peered over to watch John remove the shard of glass. With their curiosity quenched, they just kept on about their agendas. Thea looked around, trying to find a lifeguard but didn’t see one, instead she saw James walking back to the hotel by the boardwalk.

  “I’ll be right back. I have an idea.” She stated to her family before getting up and running to the boardwalk to catch up with him.

  “James!” Thea yelled hoping that he would hear her.

  He stopped and turned around, looking to see who called his name. He saw Thea and waited for her to get closer.

  When she finally reached the boardwalk, she was out of breath and could barely get the words out.

  “My brother… He stepped on something… In the sand… He needs stitches… Where—-”

  “OK, no need to panic, we have a doctor at the hotel. If you can get him inside, I will go grab him and get him to meet you.” James barely finished his sentence before he began his jog up the trail.

  They nodded at each other, understanding the plan. Thea took off toward her family while James ran inside.

  “Dad, there’s a doctor in the hotel and they want us to bring him inside if we can. How bad is the bleeding?” She asked, still trying to catch her breath.

  “Pretty badly, he has pretty much bled through the towel.” Without another word, John swooped Jack up against his protests and walked him back up the trail and inside the front doors of the hotel. His family in tow picked up their belongings, and quickly followed after him.

  Once inside, Eddie rushed over to them with a luggage cart.

  “Here, sir, you can put your son on the cart. We’re getting help right away.”

  John did as directed and set Jack down on the red carpet that lined the bottom surface. Jack grabbed on to the gold-colored bars and adjusted to get comfortable.

  Eddies held two white towels out to him the same as the ones in their bathroom upstairs.

  “Here are some towels, just wrap them around your foot and apply pressure.”

  Now looking at John, Eddie spoke calmly. “If you can just push him on up to your room, the doctor will meet you there as soon as possible.”

  John ushered the cart inside the elevator in the left-wing. They went up to their room as instructed, leaving the luggage cart outside their door and waited patiently for the doctor to arrive. John played on his phone, Eleanor held Jack’s hand, and Thea turned on the TV upon arrival. They opted to place Jack on the floor, and he didn’t disagree.

  There was a knock at the door. John dropped his phone on the bed and rushed over to open it. Thea recognized the voice right away as it echoed through the room.

  Hello, I am Dr. Callahan, but you can just call me Alex. I heard someone needed some stitches.”

  “Yes! Right this way, my son stepped on glass at the beach, and it is pretty deep.” John said ushering the man into the hotel room.

  Alex locked eyes with Thea but didn’t address her, instead he crouched down to look at Jack’s foot. He smiled at Jack reassuringly, who seemed to relax a little from the simple gesture. Everyone watched Alex in silence as the man manipulated Jack’s foot.

  “Well, I can’t say for sure with out scans but it looks like it didn’t do any major damage. So, we will just put some stitches in and get you cleaned up.” He said, tapping Jack’s leg before turning to reach into his bag. He pulled out a few sealed packages and proceeded to open them. He slid on gloves and cleaned the area of Jack’s foot that was sliced by the glass. Jack whined but remained strong as everyone watched in curiosity. Alex tore opened a couple of the packages containing a few instruments, some black string or thin wire material, and a syringe. He numbed the area before using the pointy end of the black string to start creating stitches.

  Thea didn’t feel very well. She watched as the needle threaded its way through the skin. She felt clammy and ready to faint. To keep from causing a scene, she excused herself from the room and journeyed to the restroom to splash water on her face. She leaned her weight against the counter. Her head was spinning, but with each splash, the more stable she became.

  Once she felt confident that she wouldn’t faint, she opened the door and started to walk back into the room. By then, Alex was collecting his things and giving instructions to her parents.

  “He should avoid walking on it as much as possible for the next few days. I would avoid wearing socks or shoes on that foot as well,” he explained.

  “I guess vacations over then, huh?” Jack asked looking up at his parents who stood hovering over him.

  “Not over, just more challenging,” Alex said smiling down at him before turning back to his parents for further instructions.

  “Tylenol is available downstairs, that should be enough. However, if you need something, stronger options are not restricted here, so you can go to any of the local pharmacies and pick up something. If you have a doubt about it becoming infected, you should have Eddie call me immediately. Also, please feel free to have him contact me with any questions that arise while you’re here. Speaking of which, how long do you plan on staying?” He asked.

  “Were here for the next two weeks,” Thea answered, making Alex jump.

  “In that case, as soon as you return home, you should make an appointment with your primary care provided to have the stitches taken out,” Alex finished his sermon and John and Ele
anor thanked him for his services.

  Before he took his leave, Alex nodded and gave a warm “You’re welcome” turned, and started walking toward the door. He locked eyes with Thea again, who was leaned against the wall behind him with her arms crossed. She held out her arm, directing him to continue politely.

  “I’ll walk you out.” She said to him.

  Alex hung his head and shoved his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. It was like looking at a completely different person than who she met last night. The bag he brought with him weighed down on his right shoulder. Once he was through the door, he turned around. Thea held open the door, braced against the door frame.

  “Thank you for helping my brother,” She said, coming out as only a whisper.

  “No problem, it’s kind of my day job.” He said with a wink.

  She smiled at his joke, but only for a second.

  “Look I’m sorry for—-”, Thea cut him off.

  “What last night? It’s no big deal. Besides, the bartender already explained everything when I ran into him on the beach.”

  “Oh, well, OK then! I hope you all enjoy your stay.” He turned on his heels and trudged back down the long hallway. His bag creaked with every step he took. Thea bowed her head and walked back in the room, letting the door shut behind her with a ‘clunk.’

  “That was so nice of a guest to come and do this. That man was so sweet. Thea, he looked about your age, I would approve” Her mother said winking at her. John adjusted slightly uncomfortable with the conversation.

  “I agree that she needs someone in her life, although nice of him to help, she could do better.” He moved to help Jack up onto the bed.

  “He’s not a guest. He’s the owner.” Thea said rolling her eyes at the idea of her mother trying to ‘set her up’.

  “—And how do you know that?” Eleanor Questioned.

  “I met him last night downstairs while I was reading. Along with the guy I talked to at the beach, he was the bartender last night.” Thea responded.