Jiraiya

The journey

 

The trip to the John F. Kennedy International Airport the next day was fast and uneventful; my driver dropped us at the terminal after making a stop at Gracen's place to pick her up. The driver also helped with our luggage before he bid us goodbye.

After going through a series of routine checkpoints, we boarded my company’s private jet. During the early part of the flight, we were engrossed in a series of engaging, fun and speculative discussions when, finally, Gracen fell asleep on my left shoulder. The rest of the journey was silent.

Fond memories crossed my mind of all the good times we had spent together in just a few months. They were the best days of my life and I could only dream of waking up with Gracen by my side for the rest of my life.

I slowly turned my neck sideways, trying not to wake her, and took a short thoughtful gaze at the beauty that rested beside me. She was all I wanted and needed.

The sixteen-hour flight ended with our touch down at Bozeman Yellowstone international Airport at some minutes past one o’clock a.m. Gracen and I had slept and awakened more than twice on the plane.  The announcement came on about the safe parking of the plane at its gate and the seat belt light turned green, signaling it was safe to move about the cabin.   Gracen and I got up from our seats to find the exit, stretching our bodies a couple of times before touching ground.

We were exhausted and the only thing on our minds was to get a long-deserved sleep before starting our planned-out activities the next day. After getting our luggage, I brought out my phone and switched it on; it took a while for it to come up. When it finally did, I worked it to the roaming option. After a few taps and slides, I put my phone back in my pocket.

"Now, we just have to wait," I said sleepily." How are you feeling?" I added, giving Gracen a quick facial study.

"I am going to be okay after I've slept in an actual bed for at least ten hours, I didn’t know the trip would be this exhausting," she managed to say in between yawns. "How long do you think it's going to take the driver to get here?" She asked.

"Well, it shouldn't be too long now," I said, unsure.

   We waited a few more minutes and soon were greeted by the sound of tires screeching as a vehicle made a slow stop in front of us. A young man exited from the driver's side. He was cloaked in a traditional chauffeur's attire.

"Good day Sir. I'm here from the Moonlight Basin Lodge for Mr. Sampson and party," he said politely.

"That would be us," I replied, reaching for our luggage at my feet.

The driver customarily and politely reached for the luggage and helped me with it.

"Let me put that in the trunk," he said, extending his hand.

In a few minutes, we were on our way to the hotel. Although the trip to the hotel was fast, Gracen struggled to stay awake the whole time, yawning and blinking her eyes intermittently. She would finally have her wish as the driver pulled over at the parking lot of the hotel we were staying.

"Thank God," she muttered as we got out of the vehicle.

The driver was of immense help with our luggage and after a few rounds of routine passes; we were checked into our room.

The clicking sound of the door as it closed was all she needed to hear after I had thanked and heavily tipped the elderly man who had helped with our luggage. Gracen, fully dressed, dove into the gigantic bed; both she and I could barely keep our eyes open. I joined her on the bed after helping her get her shoes off and switching off the lights.

"Good night, Babe," I whispered as I lay closely by her side.

Low grunting noise and sniffles was the only response I got. I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes in the dimmed atmosphere in the room.

 

*****

Our executive deluxe suite slowly brightened; the rays of the sun found their way into the colorful room through the partly open curtains. 

Gracen was cuddled up tightly against my body; it didn't look like we were going to start our day anytime soon. A soft knock sounded on the wooden door—it only made her roll slightly on the gigantic bed. Then it sounded again, with her eyes still closed and doing some soft snorts, Gracen uttered incoherently in a sleepy voice.

"Honey, I think someone is at the door."

“Okay" I grumbled still lying there. There was silence; I could hear the deep breathing noise coming from her nostrils.

The soft knock sounded again.

Gracen managed to grumble again, "I think someone is at the door" she repeated with her face buried in the sheets. She shook me vigorously this time around, bringing me back to a semi-conscious state.

"Someone is at the door; go check who it is." She said, burying her head further into the pillows.

I slowly and reluctantly stood up and staggered towards the door, counting my steps to wake me up.

"Who is it?" I said with an amount of sullenness in my voice as I tried to fight the sleep in my eyes.

"Room service, Sir," the voice inaudibly came from the other side, being padded by the thick wooden door.

The unlocking sound of the door lock came, and in one lazy pull, the door opened.

"Good morning, Sir, I am very sorry to have disturbed your sleep. I came to get your order for breakfast, Sir." The server said with a mild accent, stretching out his hand to offer me a menu.

I grabbed the list with my right hand and brushed my sleepy eyes slowly, with my left, before scanning through the list.

"We will have the continental breakfast," I informed him finally, handing over the menu to the young man.

"Thank you, Sir," he replied as he started to walk away.

I shut the door and sluggishly walked back to the bed.

"Room service wanted to know what we wanted for breakfast." I whispered into her ear before falling back to sleep.

About an hour later, two young beautiful ladies in server uniforms brought in our meal. Lazily, we got out of bed, having been interrupted for the second time that morning. Gracen and I took turns in having our bath to freshen up. The day began slowly; we were in no hurry to start up our fun trip due the previous day's exhaustion.

We ate our breakfast together. We chit chatted about how we would set out to get a feel for this part of the world.  We unpacked and had a quick little nap.  Evening came quickly.  Dressing casually, stepped out for the first time since we arrived at the hotel. First thing that caught our attention was how busy it was outside; there were lots of guests around at different sections of the buildings, most of whom took pictures of the different wonders of the 5-star hotel nestled near the ski slope. We marveled at the number of people and how quiet it seemed from inside our room.

Gracen had her camera hung around her neck but she was more interested in watching than in snapping pictures.  I could see the excitement on her face as we walked passed different attractions.

“It’s beautiful here; I can now see why a lot of people come to these mountains." Gracen said aloud.

“I agree,” I replied as we arrived in the large lobby that led outside. We were greeted by an opulence of creativity in arts and technology. The scenery was an interesting blend of both past and present; a gentle passageway between tradition and the present.

In a matter of minutes, Gracen was focusing and clicking her camera in an uncontrollable impulse to preserve precious memories of our excursion. The views were amazing to say the least, with top-notch and state-of-the-art facilities, specially designed to leave indelible prints in the memories of whoever visited.

We soon found an instructor who doubled as a guide.  He gave us an extensive tour of some of the mountain slopes as well as a breakdown of Big Sky mountain history. Gracen snapped away.

After two hours playing tourist, we decided it was time to retire to our rooms for the evening. We generously tipped our elderly tour guide, who told us about tomorrow’s games.  He suggested that we join in; that night we ordered room service because we were both too exhausted to do anything else.

 

*****

The next day was Saturday and we headed off to the games. They were being held in an indoor arena where the noise level was high due to the large crowd; all dressed in sportswear fit for the occasion.

Gracen and I joined the crowd at the indoor arena. The master of ceremonies was already speaking into a wired microphone from an upper level booth.

"Like I said, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to our games and get-together events organized by the Hotel’s crew.”

“We are going to kick-start the events with a quick jog around the three-mile track from this end to that end and back,” he announced, gesturing with his hands

"Warm up people! Warm up!" His voice bounced around the arena as he did his best to cajole people.

The visibly excited crowd in our section began to jog, some lazily, others excitedly. Soon after, we were back to the initial spot panting for breath, amidst loud music blasting from the speakers.

"Don't worry; there is enough Boost and glucose to go around," The MC teased as the crowd gathered once more.

"It looks like some of you may need it," he hinted as he burst into a round of laughter.   Some of the runners joined in on the good-natured jesting.

"As you can see people, there is a marked-out session for the events; please do not cross the line," the announcer cautioned.

"There will be a volleyball match, indoor soccer and lots of other exciting games. We are going to start off with a couple sprints. Volunteers please!" He screamed at the top of his voice into the microphone, trying to transfer his excitement across to the competitors.

Soon, couples who were interested in the sprint began to gather. I looked at Gracen with a stare that suggested Do you want to give it a try? She nodded her head vigorously signaling she was more than willing.

We signaled our interest and took a name tag from one of the protocol team members on the sidelines. A few other couples signaled their interest and also got tags. Soon, the event kick-started; the ladies were to go first. I reached for Gracen, wrapped my arms around her and held on to her waist from behind, before walking with her to the marked line.

She twisted and stretched while looking at me, a wicked smile playing on her face. She couldn't believe how she had let herself get so excited about a race that wasn’t attached to any kind of celebrity status.

"I will kill you for this," she said with a smirk and gave me a quick kiss.

"But you wanted to race for the sheer fun of it," I burst out in a teasing laugh, spreading my palms up in the air.

"Ladies...are you ready?" The voice of the MC blasted from the speaker.

Gracen gave me one last embarrassed stare before heading to the starting line.

"We are going to shake things up a bit.  Spouses or significant others of these beautiful ladies over here—kindly go and stand behind your lady; for the glory or the shame!" The MC yelled, invoking gales of laughter from the crowd.

Each of the men, including me, took our places. Gracen turned, once again, to catch my gaze.   She had a big grin on her lovely face. The blast of the whistle split the air as the ladies sped off amidst loud chants of cheers and laughter.

What was expected to be a comic race didn't disappoint; names of each of the ladies were yelled out from behind us as men cheered their women. As the race came to an end, the cheering rose to an even higher pitch as the first lady crossed the finishing line. The MC's voice was heard over the speaker.

"And the first lady to cross the line is...Gracen!" he announced as the whole arena filled with loud cheering. I joined in the cheering as the MC went on to announce the second, third and the fourth runner...as each lady crossed the line.

"Where are contestants number three and seven?" He asked in a taunting manner.

When the last contestant breezed crossed the finish line, Gracen was nowhere to be found.  And then I saw her coming towards me—gold medal around her neck and looking very much like the beauty queen she really was.

“Great win, Sweetheart.” I congratulated her, wrapping her in a warm hug.

“Thanks Honey, but I feel guilty. Those other out-of-shape women never had a chance against me,” Gracen bragged. Look how out of breath they all are,” she giggled.

“You did great, Babe. I knew you had it in the bag,” I told her, rubbing her back with my palms and planting a kiss on her long silky hair.

She pulled away from me and playfully threw jabs at my chest while I took cover with my arms. The loud voice of the man behind the megaphone captured my attention. It informed the crowd that the men’s’ race was about to start. I glared at Gracen, laughing furtively at my victorious woman. I dared not tease her about being out of breath herself. She would kill me.

“Try not to come in last,” Gracen warned, poking my nose with her finger.

“No worries, I’ll try not to break your record Babe,” I mocked.

Another smile immediately appeared at the corners of her lips. She was indeed beautiful and elegantly so, with a spark that would start a fire in the absence of oxygen.

The gun thundered, and then we men ran. The sight was breathtaking as my legs moved in accord until weariness set in and only the fittest trudged on. The crowd roared, and the atmosphere was electric as a winner was set to emerge. One man was close behind me. Gracen voice reached my ears as she cheered. I crossed the finish line first, the other runner a close second. I raised my hands above my head flashing a “V” for victory.

The ovation became louder in an instant. I suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the floor in a struggle to catch my breath. I guess I had expended my energy more than I should have after being jet lagged. My stomach hurt, and my joints cramped, but I struggled to stand to my feet and hugged my overly-elated fiancée who was overjoyed. She could not help screaming at the top of her lungs That’s my man! It made me feel all the happier for winning.

 

*****

"Brrrr, it's cold out here," Gracen muttered, shivering, as we stood outside the Moonlight Basin Lodge; an 8100 acre in the alpine community. The snowy afternoon is bitterly cold in the large populated area of Big Sky, Switzerland. This was our second day here and it had snowed heavily the previous night.

Gracen had lain in my warm embrace this night as the snow came down heavily. More than a foot of snow was expected to blanket the area again this night. This left me with another promise of a night spent with Gracen’s smooth skin interlocked with mine. The thought of it made me giddy.

"Don't worry, Darling, I'll warm you right up after our skiing session." I flashed a smile and winked. Gracen’s cheeks flushed even redder as I gazed into her sky-blue eyes and licked my lips thinking of getting a taste of her nether regions.

"You're a bad boy Jiraiya," Gracen fluttered her naturally long eyelashes at me.

"There's no boy here Sweetheart. Haven't you learned the difference by now?" I replied with an arch to my brow.

"That I can definitely attest to," she responded with a giggle before turning her head to view the surrounding area.

"I can't believe it's only early November and the ski lifts are this crowded," she added with a frown appearing between her perfectly carved brows.

"Why do you find such a trivial matter as the crowd to be a problem? You're with me and not them," I stated turning her face away from the crowd, so she could look at me.

"True but the Colorado mountains would have been better," Gracen rebutted in a playful tone.

I put on my ski kits which had been a Christmas gift from Gracen, and move to the edge of the chair, ready to go. I push off, knees slightly bent.

Looking at Gracen with a smile, nudging her on, "Let’s just ski, shall we?" I said as I pushed off with my ski poles. I looked back to see Gracen taking off behind me. "Damn it, I live for this shit!" The more dangerous the sport the more alive I felt.

I zoomed past the dips and over the snowy hills like the experienced skier that I am. Gracen moves to my side and I look over at her and grinned. She might be a top model, but she loved the feel of danger and excitement just as much as I did. That's why we clicked so well together. Gracen and I continued down the hill at a fast rate, zigzagging like a pair of ski Olympic champions.

“Wow, that was exhilarating,” I said once I reached the base. I slipped off my goggles so I could get a good view of Gracen as she came to a stop right beside me.

“Jiraiya, your nose is bleeding,” Gracen said with an alarmed look on her face. That was when I felt the warm trickle slide from my right nostril, resting in my light moustache.

“What?” I put my finger below my nose, quickly feeling the warm blood. Gracen was quick to get a napkin from her ski pants pocket, putting it to my nose to stop the bleeding. After a minute, the blood seemed to slow and I tried my best to dispel the worried look on Gracen’s face with a joke.

 

*****

I played down Gracen’s worry and talked her into taking a bath with me. We sat in the big bath tub, allowing the warm water to soak into our skins, giving that incredible feeling of calmness. The words were silent… our eyes were closed. Our legs touched underneath the foam. Ahh… knew a bath tub could feel so much like paradise. But when Gracen opened her eyes, she screamed. It was there again...the blood running down my nose.   The moment and the mood were ruined as I opened my eyes wide.

I felt alright; it all seemed normal. It was just the strain that I had put on my body. I looked at the worried woman in front of me as, slowly, my sight started to become blurry. And right then I knew something was terribly wrong....

Gracen helped me to the clinic and sat by me as the doctors ran their tests. The bleeding from my nose was persistent, it wouldn’t stop. When we finally got things under control, I had little to no strength left. Gracen looked on, somewhere between perplexed and terrified. My test results finally are in—I don’t hear the doctor.  All I see is Gracen's beautiful face as it drowns in a flood of tears. 

I am that man, the man Gracen dreamed of marrying. The man she loved has just been sentenced to a life of hell.

Leukemia.