Chapter Two
Gretchen
I took a deep breath of the morning air and let it out slowly. It had rained a little the night before, and the beach looked practically pristine, with all evidence of people washed away. Granted, the beach tended to never look the same from day to day. And I should know. I'd had my shop here on this little stretch of beach for a few years now, and I was out here every morning, before my first client came, with a cup of coffee. I loved having that little routine to start off my day, to give me a moment to just breathe in the place and relax.
I could never imagine leaving Hawaii. This place had always been home. I smiled a little, thinking of how lucky I was to live in paradise, but I was startled out of my thoughts by someone calling my name.
I turned and saw Mina dropping off some trash out back from her pineapple shop next door, and I smiled even wider, hopping off the back porch of my own building and going over to meet her.
“Morning, Mina,” I greeted and offered her a warm smile.
“Good morning,” she said and smiled back. “How's it going today? Are you busy?”
I laughed a little. “You want to know how many pineapples you're going to sell today?” I teased.
Mina's eyes glinted with mirth. “We both know that you've been instrumental in drumming up business for me lately,” she said. Then, her eyes grew serious. “I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate that.”
“Well, honey, there's nothing like coming to paradise, getting a good massage, and then wandering over next door for a healthy pineapple shake!” I put my hands on my hips and rested in the warm feeling of living in paradise. It was a blessing too many took for granted and too few enjoyed.
“True,” Mina said.
“You could do with a massage soon yourself,” I said, critically noting her posture. I'd been a massage therapist for long enough that I could tell she was a bit slouched, her shoulders a bit out of alignment from where they should be. “You're doing too much heavy lifting. I bet.” I moved around behind her, and she laughingly turned away from my hands.
“Yeah, yeah,” Mina said. “I do need a massage soon. But I have to finish opening up shop before the morning rush comes through!”
I sighed and shook my head. “You need to-”
“Put myself ahead of my work,” Mina finished, cutting me off like she did often. “I know, you tell me that often enough. And I will, once I marry a millionaire and don't have to worry about the bills!”
I snorted and shook my head. “Where do you think you're going to meet a millionaire?”
“It'll be one of your customers coming over to get a pineapple shake after his massage, of course!” Mina said, winking at me. “Anyway, I'd better get back.”
“Yeah, me too,” I said, sighing. “We should go out for dinner sometime this week too, though. I feel like we haven't caught up in too long.”
“We see each other every day,” Mina pointed out.
“Yeah, but these ten minutes conversations aren't cutting it for me,” I told her. “I need a sit-down dinner where we can really dig into our lives together. It’s been too long.”
“Aw,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “Let's start with getting lunch today; what time are you going?”
I grimaced. “I'm booked solid until three, unfortunately.”
“Three, it is,” Mina said, nodding her head. “I'll get Sandy to cover for me.”
“Good,” I said, laughing a little. When Sandy had first started working for her, Mina hadn't trusted him to even work in the front of the shop while she was in the back doing inventory. It was good that she was relaxing a little.
We said our goodbyes and I headed back into my shop, whistling a little as I washed out my coffee mug. Every day was a new day in my field. I met new people, most of them needing relief and finding it at the tip of my fingers. It was a great job and a good feeling every day. I helped people relax and find peace. It was something we were all searching for. Some of us just made serenity a priority better than others. Like me.
I reached the front counter right as my first client came in. She was a bit older, maybe in her 60s, and not one of my regulars. Probably on her vacation, but it was possible that she had a new retirement home down there in Oahu and would become one of my regulars.
“Good morning,” the woman said hesitantly, looking around.
“Good morning,” I told her warmly. “How are you?”
She laughed a little. “Seeing that I woke up in paradise, I suppose I'm doing pretty well, thanks. Are you Gretchen? We spoke on the phone.”
“I am,” I told her. “And you're Gloria Walters?”
“I am,” Gloria said. She gave a nervous chuckle. “I can't say that I've ever done one of these things before, believe it or not. My husband has been after pampering me for years now, but I've always told him I didn't need any more pampering.”
I couldn't help smiling at the way her love for her husband came through in her words. “That's not a problem at all.” I held out a robe for her. “If you just want to get changed over here in this room, and then lie down and get comfortable, I'll be in in a few minutes, and we can get started.”
“All right,” Gloria said, disappearing into the massage room.
It must have been nice to have a man pamper her. I was jealous, I still longed to have a relationship in my own life. It seemed like every bad decision I’d made in the past all pointed to men.
I put some lotion on my hands, flexing them and giving them a bit of a massage before I went in to work on her. Then, I entered the room, waiting a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. “How are you feeling?” I asked, kneeling on the massage mat near her feet.
“This is nice already,” Gloria said with a laugh. “That incense is lovely.”
“Mmm, yes,” I said, beginning to work. “A friend of mine makes that. She has so many amazing fragrances that I never even know where to start.”
“You'll have to point me toward her shop,” Gloria said. “I never really pick up souvenirs when I'm traveling, but useful things like incense, I never mind buying. Especially when they come from members of the local community.”
“I'll give you her business card when we're finished,” I promised and relaxed into working my magic. Gloria would feel a hundred times better by the time she left my table. “So, you're just here on vacation?”
“As a matter of fact, it's our 40th wedding anniversary,” Gloria told me proudly. She laughed a little. “I can hardly believe that we've made it this many years together; it feels like the blink of an eye. But I suppose that's what happens when you're madly in love with the man that you marry.”
“Wow, forty years!” I exclaimed. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” Gloria said. “Don't get me wrong. It hasn't all be sunshine and roses. We've had our ups and downs, like any other couple. But if I had to go back and do it repeatedly, for the rest of eternity, there's not a single thing I would change about it.”
“That's so special,” I told her, shaking my head a little. “I feel like so many people have such a difficult time making their relationships last these days. What's the secret?”
Gloria laughed. “There's no secret to it, honey. It's hard work. You have to be willing to listen to the other person, and you have to be willing to compromise. It's all the things that you've ever heard about relationships.” She laughed a little. “I know that sounds cliché, but it's the truth. The main difference is, you have to be willing to work on the relationship and not think that someone else out there is going to be better for you. I never thought that for a moment once I met Bruce.”
“He must be amazing.” I tried to keep my voice even. It was easy to believe that there was someone out in the world for other people, for Gloria and Mina and the next lady that came in, but for me? I didn’t know. It felt like my Prince Charming got lost and forgot to ask for directions.
“He is,” Gloria said. “He's no Prince Charming, of course, and boy does he have his flaws! But we all do.” She shook her head. “It's all about the little things that he does for me, though. That we do for each other. You know, sometimes he goes out into the garden and plucks all the weeds, without my even asking him to. He didn't even want to have a garden the size that we do; I made him get that. For him to go out there and pluck every single one of those weeds, that's such a nice gesture. Or lately, he's started getting up early on Sundays and bringing me pancakes in bed. After forty years of doing most of the cooking in the house, especially breakfasts, you can't imagine how giddy that makes me feel.”
“That's so sweet,” I said. “Just from listening to you, I can tell how much you love him.”
“And that's how it should be,” Gloria said firmly as if she believed in love with all of her heart. Lofty thought for sure. “How about you, though? Do you have a sweetheart?”
I shook my head. “Not at the moment, no.” I laughed a little. “I'm lucky to have a great life in such a beautiful place, that I'm not sure I need a man!” That wasn't the truth, but Gloria didn't need to know that I was still getting over the mess of my relationship with my ex.
Gloria sighed happily. “And that's exactly the way that things should be,” she said. “So many young people these days rush into relationships that don't suit them. You just take your time, and the right guy will fall into your life almost without your even knowing it.”