by DW Cee
“Everything?” I questioned, still uncertain.
“EVERYTHING!” He answered without hesitation.
“So we’re all good?” I still questioned.
“We’re all good. That’s my life in a nutshell. I promise, no more surprises from the past. The entire skeleton is out.”
I finally got everything from him, I think...
April 1, 2013 Flashback
I’m about to get on the plane, but I wanted to text one last time and say goodbye. I’ll miss you.
I’ll miss you too, my precious gem. Don’t work too hard.
Like there’s a chance of that NOT happening. Once again, I’m the least senior member of this legal team. All the grunt work will fall on me.
Baby, I gotta go. Everyone’s waiting for me. I love you. Have a safe trip.
Wait!
Yeah?
Is...I mean...will Hannah be riding on the Harley with you...?
Maybe...
If you love me, you will NOT have any other girl riding on the back seat of that bike. YOU UNDERSTAND ME MAX DAVIS?!?
We’ll see...
JERK!
Once again, I love you. See you in a week.
“Time to board,” Donovan called out. “Put away your phone and turn that frown upside down. We’re going to paradise. Why in five hours, you’ll be sipping cocktails and sitting on the beach.”
“No, you’ll be sipping cocktails, and I’ll be writing up documents!”
“Sucks to be an associate...” Donovan chuckled his way onto the plane.
Within the course of two days, I went from working late on a Saturday with Andrea and all the other associates from our department, to a Monday business trip with Donovan and Kate. Kate is now fully on board with our law firm and though she’s technically not a partner, she has higher ranking than most members of our firm—not to mention the awe and respect of everyone. From the moment she stepped into the office, she brought in a huge hedge fund client who wanted to invest in, and merge a biochemical and pharmaceutical company from Taiwan. Because of the long flight for either party to visit one another in their respective countries, Hawaii was chosen as the midpoint. And, since there was some pharmaceutical trademarking involved, and because I was Gimpy’s favorite (step) grandchild, I was chosen to go on this trip with Donovan and Kate.
Oh...and did I mention? Practically my entire hood is coming with us.
“Aw, come on!” I complained when I saw Jake, Emily, Kate and Donovan turn left upon boarding the plane, while Laney, Doug, Nick, and I were herded to the right of the plane. “That’s not fair. I can’t believe the firm put us in different classes.”
“Sucks to be an associate!” Donovan called out again, while sipping his mimosa at 8:00am.
“Hope you choke on your champagne!” I yelled back. There was laughter that ensued from the four fortunate ones up front. The rest of us put our carry-ons away and sat in our seats.
How, you ask, did the five other Reids end up on this trip with us? Well, sit back, think wavy screen on a television set and...flashback.
“Emi, we need a vacation—just the two of us—before the baby arrives in August,” Jake lamented.
“We just had a vacation in New York. We don’t need to go away again. And plus, I can’t go anywhere without my babies. What will they do without me? Shoot...what will I do without them?” She giggled.
“How about you will spend time with your husband and your husband only. We don’t have to go far—just far away enough where if I want your attention, I don’t have to pass it by two mini despots before having you to myself.”
“I don’t know, Honey. I just weaned them. I don’t want them to think I’m abandoning them as well.”
“EMILY! I beg of you...a few nights away and a few mornings of sleeping in.”
“Only a few nights? And not too far away?” She pleaded.
“Only a few nights and not too far away...” he agreed.
“All right. Let me go talk to Mom and see if she can watch the kids.”
Emily took both kids up to their room to start the whole bedtime routine. I offered to help but she said she needed to take care of the first part (whatever that was) and she’d call me when she was ready for me. Whatever...
“Too bad you can’t join me in Hawaii. Donovan, Kate, and I are going there on a business trip all next week.”
Next thing I knew, Jake whipped out his phone and called his best friend. All I heard was a bunch of uh-huhs after he asked Donovan for our itinerary. Then he went online and booked himself and Emily two seats on our flight and a room in our hotel.
“I thought Emily said close by,” I reminded him.
“It’s only a five-hour flight.” Jake shrugged.
“It’s thousands of miles away,” my voice got a bit louder, aggravated for Emily.
“Little sister...close is a relative word. It’s not like we’re going to Australia.”
“Whatever...I’m going up to give your wife the good news.”
“You do that. And while you’re at it, tell her I’m going back to work till it’s time for us to board the plane,” he chuckled.
“Hey Jane. Scoot over. Let me have the aisle seat.” Nick held up the flow of traffic.
“Nick, you scoot in. I hate being squished.”
“But I have longer legs than you. You scoot in!”
“Nick, why don’t you take my seat and I’ll sit next to Jane? I don’t mind the window seat,” Laney smiled and got up from behind us.
Nick and Doug were acting like buffoons, excited to be doing something during their spring break, rather than helping Mom and Dad watch the kids. Of course, we all loved the little buggers, and of course, there will be plenty of attention given to them between the grandparents, great-grandparents, and all the grandaunts and uncles popping in throughout the week. But, in all honesty, would you rather be in Hawaii or babysitting your niece and nephew? Yep, I thought so!
“This is going to be so much fun. Did you check out where we’re staying? I looked it up online. It looks badass! I don’t think I’ve stayed at any place as nice as the one we’re staying at, on the Big Island.” Doug sounded like such a moron sometimes.
“And to think...it’s all FREE!” Nick joined in on the meeting of the morons as they high-fived each other more than once, practically howling at the moon.
How, you ask, did these buffoons end up on this trip with us and HOW, you ask, are they staying in the most luxurious resort for free? Again, flashback...
“Jake! You seriously booked us a flight to Hawaii???” Emily was not a happy camper.
“You’ll wake up the babies, Love. Don’t yell,” Jake tried to coax her from her ire, but it wasn’t working.
“You promised no place far and you promised only for a few days! And we’ve already been to Hawaii. Why do we need to go back there? Can you cancel and get your money back?”
“It’s only a five-hour flight,” he said, pulling Emily into his arms, “it’s only for a week,” he started kissing her face, “and we’ve been to Maui, not the Big Island.” He kept kissing her till she melted a little. These two were iconic lovers! “Plus, everything is booked, paid for, and no, we cannot get a refund. I know you don’t want thousands of dollars going down the drain, my thrifty wife.” Jake kinda chuckled as he knew he’d won this argument.
At this point, the two buffoons I had mentioned earlier, came over to share in the chocolate cream pie Emily made—we all did that from time to time, bummed off their food—and asked, “what’s booked and paid for with no refunds?” Nick took a finger-lick of the pie before it was sliced.
“Emily and Jake are joining me, Donovan and Kate on the Big Island. They will be vacationing without the kids, while the rest of us work.”
“That’s so cool! I wish I could go somewhere this spring break.” Doug sounded bummed. “Maybe Nick and I can go hang with Sam in San Diego for a few days.”
At that unfortunate moment, Donovan called the house phone for some reas
on and Jake put him on speaker.
“Donovan, you’re on the house speakerphone, and Emi, Jane, Doug and Nick are here. What’s up?”
“What up Reids? You all enjoying Emily’s cooking again? Emily, how come I never get an invite?”
“I always tell my husband to invite you. I guess your invite got lost in the email?!?”
“That’s a dogged way of treating your children’s godfather.”
“Oh...do our children have a godfather, Jake? I haven’t seen him with the kids since the birthing room, I think.” Emily laughed silently.
“Okay, Mrs. Reid. I promise to come by and play with my godchildren and impart as much of my knowledge as possible.”
“Well, thank you, Donovan. That should give me all of ten minutes? twenty minutes of freedom while you impart all your knowledge?”
We all started choking on our pie.
“You wound me, Madame.” Donovan laughed with us. “Hey, Jake. You booked everything already?”
“Yep! Signed, sealed and delivered via email.”
“There’s going to be an extra room at the hotel. Why don’t you cancel your room and take mine? Our clients are paying for it, but it’ll be unused.”
“I’ve already booked our room with points. I don’t think I can change it now.”
“Can we take the room?” Doug asked, while Nick nodded his head like a bobble-head.
“Sure. The more Reids the merrier. You boys can have my room as long as you can get yourself a plane ride over to the island.”
His room? Where the hell was he going to stay? Like I really needed to ask. Whatever...
“Laney,” Sea-foam called out in her classy British accent, “I have a bit of a change in plans and I need to catch another flight. Why don’t you take my seat up in first class?”
What? Why her??? Laney wasn’t even supposed to be here!
“Where are you going, Kate?” Laney asked.
“I have an emergency meeting right now, so I’ll catch a later flight. I just got the memo.”
“Does that mean Donovan is leaving too?” Nick presumed there’d be another empty seat.
“No, Nick. He’s staying. Sorry.” Sea-foam smiled at all of us, but motioned for Laney to get up and get her bag.
“Thank you, but that’s all right. I’ll stay back here with my cousins.”
“When I got the call, you were the one unanimously selected to join the elitists up in first class,” she smiled. Geez Louise, this woman even had a sense of humor. Is there anything she couldn’t do?
“That was nice of Jake and Emily but I don’t think...”
Kate didn’t let her finish the sentence. She grabbed Laney’s bag and started walking back up to the front of the plane. Laney shrugged her shoulders and followed.
Since today’s theme is #fbf (that’s flashback Friday for those of you who don’t Instagram), I might as well finish explaining how Laney ended up on this trip as well.
“What about Laney?” Emily asked.
Emily always asked about Laney. Why??? Who knows‼! It was like she was her guardian angel or something. Next thing you knew, Emily would ask if Laney could room with me...ugh! Emily turned my way as though she knew what I was thinking.
“Since Jane will be working,” Emily said to the boys, “maybe Laney can room with you two?” She asked, but it was more like a command. “ It would be sad if we were all in Hawaii and she was here alone during spring break. Doug, will you buy her a ticket?”
“Heck no! She has more money than I do. She makes good money editing college papers. I’m a poor MBA student.”
“Oh, quit your whining!” Laney walked in and slapped her brother in the arm. “I don’t need you to buy me anything. I’ll buy my own ticket.” She harped at her brother then quickly asked, “Emily, what am I buying tickets to...a show? The movies?”
“Hawaii!” We all called out in unison.
And that’s how these three goons ended up on this business trip with me, and now this brat of a cousin of mine was about to sit up in first class with the other three brats.
“By the way, why’s Max going to Arizona today?” Nick interrupted my woe-is-me thought.
“He’s helping his high school friend move her stuff from Arizona to his parents’ home.”
Nick and Doug gave me a quizzical look, so I explained about Hannah, minus the whole prego stuff. When Hannah moved from her home in Michigan, I was told she went to a friend’s in Arizona, first, and then ended up in LA, soon afterwards. Hannah left most of her belongings in Arizona so Max, being a good friend—aargh!—offered to help her move everything here. And that’s why I was dreading Max and Hannah on the Harley. They were supposed to spend a whole week together. Luckily, Garret and Josh were tagging along to help with the move. On a brighter note, Max was very happy to be able to spend some time with his brothers.
By now, you all must know me well enough to know that I was NOT the type of girl to allow her boyfriend to spend a week with another girl—especially not an ex-girlfriend who almost had his child! So...I did a little scheming of my own.
“I’m going to have Laney move into my room as of Wednesday and I need you guys to accommodate a few more guests.”
“Why, who’s coming?”
“I used up all my miles, and bought tickets for Max and his brothers to join us in Hawaii.”
“I thought it was a little odd that you were so calm about Max spending a week with his ex,” Nick chuckled. “Brilliant, Jane!”
“Devious, Jane!” Doug chuckled, too. “It’ll be cool to meet Max’s brothers. What do we care who else bunks with us? It’s not like we’re paying for the room. One generous turn deserves another.”
“Max didn’t mention coming to Hawaii when I talked to him last night.”
“No, Nick. He has no idea.” Now, it was my turn to chuckle. “I worked it all out with his brothers.”
“You guys have no objections to going back and forth from LA to Phoenix in a rush?”
“Hell no!” Josh answered with a grin. “You can take us to work with you any day, Jane.”
“Just make sure Max has no idea what’s going on. I wish you could video tape the look on his face when you take him to the airport. He’ll be so shocked! And also, you guys will be a bit squished with my brother and cousin in the room. I hope that’s not a problem.”
“Jane. You worry too much.”
“I just want everything to be perfect, Garret.”
“Leave it to us, Jane. We’ll take care of everything...!”
“Remind me never to underestimate you, Sis.” Nick was either scared of me or proud of me. I wasn’t sure which way he was leaning. Then he added, “Wicked, Jane. Wicked!”
Yep! I thought so too. You all didn’t think I’d let Max have a week of quality time with Hannah now, did you? What do you think this is...April Fools?
April 4, 2013 Aloha from the Big Island
I finally understood the importance of being a VIP. When we landed at the tiny lavarock-filled airport, there were two cars waiting for us from the hotel. One had my brother and Emily’s name on it and the other had our company name on it. We all easily fit into two cars, and we made a fairly quick drive to the hotel. Now, I always think Hawaii is paradise. It’s like no other place in America. When I first visited the Big Island, I wondered how this place could be a part of the U.S. of A. It was gorgeous, lush, and peaceful—with serenity calling your name at every corner.