by M T Stone
“Go to Google Translate,” Kate suggested.
I opened up Google Translate and pasted “Koj noj qab haus huv yog nyob rau hauv koj lub hlwb” into the translation box. It was indeed written in the Hmong language, which meant absolutely nothing to me. The message that appeared in the English translation box, however, couldn’t have been more direct… Your health is in your mind.
“What the hell…” Kate gasped.
“I have no idea. Why would I receive that message in Hmong instead of in English?” It didn’t seem to make any sense, but considering the content of the message, I was determined to find any valid connection.
After surfing around on Google for a few minutes, I found my answer in the acronym SUNDS - Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome. I felt my heart skip a beat upon reading that SUNDS was very deadly and the cause of death was attributed to irregular heart rhythms. The only way someone survived the episode was if their heart returned to normal on its own or if someone intervened through cardiac defibrillation.
“Good thing I had a pacemaker installed,” I mumbled as I read through the article.
“What does this have to do with you though?” Kate asked in an uneasy tone.
“Good question,” I replied, as I began to type various SUNDS related phrases into Google. I was searching for a more complete answer.
Scrolling down the listings, one caught my attention. It talked about how 117 Hmong men had died from the affliction and 116 of them had seemed to be completely healthy. Their average age was 33 at the time of death, and researchers had concluded that even though they died from irregular heartbeats, the root cause was deep-seeded beliefs.
“This article could easily explain the nature of our family curse.”
“It’s all in your head?” Kate asked, her tone suddenly turning a bit more optimistic.
“Well, the message said “your health is in your mind,” and this article talks about how all of these healthy men were apparently killed by their beliefs. It’s a pretty clear message, and I suppose it makes sense. If you hold a belief as fact for long enough, it normally comes true.”
I sent myself a copy of the article and closed my laptop. “Let’s have some breakfast. It’s too early in the day to think about something so deep.”
“I’ve noticed that you’ve been acting differently the past week. A major change definitely took place that day in the hospital,” Kate replied.
“Everything changed. I’m on the track to perfect health, I’ve got a bunch of factory workers to take care of, and I’m more certain than ever that I’ll live to be 93. And if I’m going to live that long, I have to take better care of this body.”
“I couldn’t agree more…”
Kate
It’s nice to see Jack addressing his health issues through diet and exercise instead of pharmaceuticals and hormones. I’m not sure what to think of that whole thing with the Hmong message. I’ve always felt there was more to this amazing world than most of us ever imagine, but that was really crazy. I wonder if he gained any insights into our future together. Seizing the opportunity to change the conversation back to business, Jack began talking about making some serious revisions to our business plan.
The tired man who wanted to sail off into the sunset had been replaced by someone who seemed half his age. At the moment, it was primarily a mental shift, but there was no doubt that his body would catch up in the weeks and months ahead. The real Jack is definitely back. I couldn’t be more excited to have him as a partner in life as well as in business!
Monday turned out to be an ultra-productive day. Jack had spent the day working on ideas that would allow us to reduce labor costs and compete with overseas manufacturers. Meanwhile, I spent most of my time on the phone working with Brandon, Jayne, and Brenda, who were back in the New York office. It’s a good thing that they couldn’t see me, as I had joined the conversation from my favorite spot on the Lido deck. February is definitely a good month to miss in the city. I was very grateful to be able to work remotely, and still remain in the flow. After Jack gets the broadband access hooked up, we will be able to work from almost anywhere in the world.
~~~
As the sun began to sink on the western horizon, I excused myself from the call to check in with my mom. In spite of the current turbulence in our relationship, I really wanted her to know about all of the good things that were happening. She had made it obvious how bored and lonely she was feeling, so I made a resolution to reach out to her more often. Unfortunately, she didn’t answer. I left a message giving her a brief update. At the end of the message, I told her that I loved her as well as how much I missed spending Sunday afternoons with her and Belinda. I really do miss those days.
Chapter 15 – Our First Valentine’s Day
Jack
For some reason, I woke up at 5:00 am, completely filled with energy. There was no way I was going to get back to sleep, so I slipped out of bed trying not to disturb Kate. My mind had obviously been working all night because I had solutions to several of the issues that I had been working on. I jotted down several ideas so I wouldn’t forget them during my work out. Carla had told me that the best time to work out was in the morning before eating anything. I never thought that I would like working out on an empty stomach but I was willing to give it a try. I grabbed my phone and hit the treadmill.
I sent a few texts to crewmembers, making sure that everything was ready for a perfect Valentine’s Day. Carla was scheduled to give Kate a massage at 10:00 am, and then Chef Jameson had prepared a picnic for us that we would enjoy on a quiet beach on the southern edge of Paradise Cove. I could feel my heart beat quicken as I thought back to the day that Kate and I had spent having fun in the Virgin Islands. My goal was to recapture the magic that we both had experienced that day.
Paradise Cove is home to Deadman’s Reef, which is a beautiful spot to snorkel or scuba dive. We had such a good time in the mini-sub last time that I decided that we would take it again. I’m driving this time, though. Edward had been a good tour guide, but this time I wanted it to be just the two of us. My thoughts drifted back to the shower we had shared after returning from snorkeling that day. Whoa, it’s dangerous to think thoughts like that while I’m on the treadmill. This is going to be a great day.
Kate
I awoke to the sound of Jack running on his treadmill. Looking over at the clock, I saw that it was only 5:18 am, way too early for me to get up. I rolled over and tried to settle in once again. My thoughts began to drift back to the events of the previous morning. Did Jack really type that Hmong message or was it something he pre-arranged? He could’ve easily made the whole thing up to convince me that nothing is really wrong with him. It just seems so unbelievable that he could sit down at a computer and type something like that in a language he didn’t know. I guess the only way to find out is to search the history on his computer. There will be a record of any Hmong searches he performed prior to yesterday. Stop thinking, I tried to relax and fall back to sleep.
~~~
“I brought you one of your favorite breakfasts,” was the next thing I heard.
“What time is it?”
“Almost nine,” Jack replied, as he set down the tray and sat on the bed next to me. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby,” he said while kissing me on the forehead. “I have a full day planned for us.”
“What’s the plan?”
“After breakfast, Carla is going to give you a massage, while I get a lesson on how to drive the Triton mini-sub,” he said with excitement in his voice.
“Alright, are we going on an adventure?”
“Yeah, we’re going to spend the day at Paradise Cove,” he replied, running his hand slowly along the length of my back.
“Ahhhh, Paradise. That sounds nice.” I stretched, trying to wake up.
“It’s going to be a good day,” he replied giving me one more kiss before heading off to the shower.
What a wonderful way to start the day, breakfast in be
d followed by a Swedish massage. He is such a thoughtful man. I know that I shouldn’t be concerned about whether or not he typed that phrase into Google yesterday, but it’s still bugging me. Jack’s laptop is on, so it would be easy to click a button and check the history. After that, I’m going to see if I can stop thinking for the rest of the day and truly enjoy myself.
After checking to make sure that Jack was in the shower, I clicked the “history” button on his browser. Jack hadn’t been on his computer much in the past week, so it only took a couple of minutes to browse through the history. Prior to yesterday, there weren’t any searches pertaining to anything Hmong. For some reason, seeing the clear history didn’t ease my mind. I guess I was still having trouble believing that someone could type a sentence in a foreign language they didn’t know. I may just have to admit that this world is much more mysterious than the black and white version my mother raised me in.
At that point, I resolved to clear my mind for the rest of the day. Regardless of what happened yesterday, all I want is for him to be perfectly healthy. I also want this to be a Valentine’s Day neither of us will ever forget.
Jack
As I stood there in the shower, a part of me was hoping to feel Kate’s hands reaching for me from behind. In reality, I knew she probably wouldn’t do anything like that until she knew for certain that my heart was healthy. Hopefully, the Hmong message we received yesterday will put her mind at ease. The fact that I was able to run on the treadmill this morning should add some confidence as well. Going forward, I will have to continue to prove to her that my heart is recovering completely. I don’t want that cloud hanging over our relationship.
After finishing my shower and putting on a robe, the first thing I noticed was that the screen saver on my computer was no longer active. For some reason, I had become more perceptive about things like that over the years. I guess I’ve always been protective of my computers, but I have no problem with Kate using it. It’s not like I have anything to hide from her. I clicked to search the activity log just out of curiosity, but it appeared that the only thing she had done was search my browser history. Hmmm, what would she be looking for in my history? Checking to see if I’ve been surfing porn or something? I’ve hardly been out of her sight for the past week. That’s very strange.
Walking back into the master bedroom, I saw that Carla had arrived and Kate was face down on the massage table. Perfect, I thought to myself as I winked at Carla and quietly made my way to the other end of the massage table. Carla picked up on my cue and ran her hand along Kate’s arm as she, too, made her way to the foot of the table. She then smiled as I mouthed, “five minutes.” As she exited the room, I gently lifted Kate’s foot and began to massage her arch.
“Mmmm, that’s nice,” she moaned.
Kate
I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but it was obvious that Jack had just taken over for Carla. In addition to the difference in hand size, the intense heat was a dead giveaway. As Jack moved from my feet to the backs of my knees, I quickly realized what he was doing. He knows all of my weaknesses. By the time he began working his way up my inner thighs, I could feel the heat building deep within me. God, I love how he does that. He slipped his hands under my mound and slowly caressed me with his fingers. The sensitivity was heightened by the fact that it had been almost a week since the hot tub incident. It seems like it’s been much longer. As his hands slid up along the curves of my ass, I realized that he had effectively cleared my mind. This is exactly what I needed. I had been hoping to revert to the feelings that I had felt during our first week together, before I began to worry about everything.
He ran his hands along my spine and began to work on my neck. I always carried so much tension in that area and his hands magically released it almost immediately. He caressed his way up the sides of my neck and then began to rub my earlobes between his oil-laden fingers. He is hitting every hot button. His fingers slid along the outer edges of my ears. Then he worked his way back to the earlobes, back down my neck, and along the length of my spine to my sacrum. After lingering for a few more subtle strokes along my ass, he slowly worked his way down to the backs my knees, and then to my feet where he had begun. He slowly massaged between each of my toes before I felt his hands gently leave my body. More please!
“Are you enjoying the massage so far?” Carla asked.
“It’s much more sensual than I expected,” I replied with a sigh.
Carla is a wonderful masseuse, but after being teased by Jack, I had a hard time returning my focus to the present moment. Instead, I found myself scheming about how I was going to exact payback on him for leaving me in such a state of sexual discontentment.
~~~
Jack
I had to smile as I left Kate and Carla to go find Edward. I could tell that Kate was aroused because of the telltale goose bumps and her subtle moans. If I know her, she is already busy scheming about how she’s going to get even with me. I love her feistiness. That’s what will keep our relationship fresh. Things have been way too serious lately and life is too short for that shit. Getting back to teasing each other will be a welcome change.
As Edward demonstrated all of the various gauges and controls on the mini-sub, I tried my best to concentrate on what he was telling me. It can’t be that difficult to maneuver this thing. I’m a pretty quick learner. There were dozens gauges and sensors, but most of that was only necessary if you were planning on going to significant depths. We were just going to be cruising around in the shallows.
Edward suddenly stopped, looked at me and asked, “Okay, so which one is the oxygen sensor?”
“Oxygen sensor?” I quickly glanced across the control panel hoping it would be obvious. It wasn’t.
“Maybe I should just go with you guys,” he replied a little apprehensively. After all, Triton recommends taking a four-week training course prior to piloting their subs.
Craving some alone time with Kate, that was out of the question. “We’ll have Tommy drop us off with the chopper and maybe you can come pick us up about 2:30 pm. That way we could tour the reefs on the way back.”
“That would be fine with me,” Edward readily agreed. “You seem a little distracted today.”
“Well, it is Valentine’s Day, Ed, and I’ve got a hot, little lady occupying my mind.”
Ed nodded and shot me a jealous grin as I hopped out of the mini-sub. It was time to check with Chef Jameson to make sure that everything was ready for our lunch in Paradise. I also stopped by to talk to Tommy, just to make sure there weren’t any issues with the chopper.
Kate
As Carla finished my massage, I realized that I had actually drifted off for the last few minutes. My muscles felt more relaxed than they had in weeks, but there was still an anxious tension lurking below. Jack has been so hesitant to initiate much physical contact recently, probably out of fear that we would take things too far. I think the teasing earlier was to let me know that he’s ready. I’m definitely ready, too. We’ve only been together a little over five weeks and I still have a hard time keeping my hands off him.
Jack returned just as I was debating what I should wear for our little excursion. “How was your massage, sweetie?” he asked, giving me a pat on the butt.
“It was great except it left me sort of unfulfilled for some reason.”
“Hmmm, that’s strange,” he replied with a laugh.
“I’m trying to decide what to wear.”
“All you need is your swimsuit and maybe a cover up for the flight over there.”
“Flight?”
“Yeah, we’re going to take the chopper and we’re no longer going to Paradise Cove. Lewis said it’s kind of a tourist magnet on Valentine’s Day. I’m taking you somewhere secluded where we can have the whole beach to ourselves.”
“That sounds nice,” I replied leaning into him and running my free hand along his ass.
“Go get your suit on. It’s gorgeous out,” he replied with a sense of u
rgency. “I’m going to go talk with Tommy about where we are headed. Come to the helipad as soon as you’re ready.”
It seems I’m not the only one anxious to get our love life back on track. I’m really glad we are going somewhere romantic and secluded. I would rather spend the day with Jack instead of surrounded by a bunch of strangers. I think he’ll like my sexy new cover up.
Jack
What I really wanted to do is slip Kate’s robe off her shoulders and carry her off to bed. Even though I’m using less testosterone, I’m still feeling incredibly virile. I think the combination of a pacemaker, stem cells, and testosterone is doing exactly what I had planned.
“Hey, Tommy, I’ve had a change of plans,” I said as I approached the chopper. “Lewis says Paradise cove is going to be crowded today. Do you know anything about Mores Island or Top Cay?”
“You’re looking for seclusion I take it?” he replied with a smirk.
“Total seclusion, but I want it to be beautiful, too.”
“I know just where to take you. There is a cay about 25 miles East of here, where the water is as beautiful as anywhere in the Caribbean, and you’ll have about 150 meters of sugar sand beach all to yourself.”
“That sounds perfect,” I replied giving him a slap on the back. I didn’t really care where we were going, as long as it was beautiful and we were the only ones there. We will have to go exploring in the mini-sub another day.
Holy shit… Kate blew me away as she approached the helicopter. She had a little black knit cover up on that totally accentuated her assets. “I thought you were going to wear a cover up,” I teased her as she climbed onboard.
“I am,” she smiled.
“No, that’s definitely not a cover up…. Is it Tommy?”
Tommy simply turned back giving me another smirk and went about his business. “Sit back and relax you two. We will be on the island in about 15 minutes,” he assured us before revving up the engines for liftoff.