Beyond the Palms Read online

  Her voice cracked, yet she continued.

  “Anyone who tries that hard to make a wrong a right is marriage material. It’s not about how many times you mess up. It’s about what you do to make it right and never stop trying. My late husband and I have had fights that spanned years. Either way, we refused to give up and were determined to fix our marriage. It won’t always be easy, but when two people love each other as much as this young man radiates love for you, it’s worth it.”

  The lady adjusted in her seat to face the front of the plane again.

  John peered around the seat and saw she was watching golden girls on her headrest TV. He smiled and made a mental note to thank her when they landed.

  “Fine, I will try to tolerate your presence. Besides, how often do you get to go on vacation and stay at a hotel for free?” Eleanor said, shrugging her shoulders and placing her book back into the bag at her feet.

  He grinned, knowing that it was a small step for man, but a massive step for the Dawson family.

  “Yeah, I feel bad that Hendricks and his wife couldn’t go last minute, but it was cool that he offered this trip to us,” John said.

  Eleanor attempted a smile toward her husband.

  “You’re right, though, it will be fun for all of us to spend some time together.” Eleanor said before eyeing her daughter and son, both sound asleep and lost in their dreams.

  “We should probably get some sleep ourselves,” She continued.

  John agreed, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but he wouldn’t keep her awake for his sake. Eleanor turned on her side and was fast asleep in minutes.

  2

  Arrival

  The plane roared to a stop on the runway landing at Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport. Once it rolled into its parking spot, the crew rushed to try and get ready for the departing process. The flight attendants turned off the seat-belt sign and passengers everywhere unbuckled to move about the cabin and claimed their luggage. It was almost complete chaos. Every row of passengers jumped up to claim their bags from the overhead bins at once. Thea was finally awake. The noise was too loud of her to sleep through. She wasn’t sure how she had managed to sleep the entire 12-hour flight, but she did.

  Her excitement was evident, and as soon as she realized what was going on, she began grinning from ear to ear. Her dad put his arm around her shoulder, and she flashed a smile back in his direction. Jack’s jacket hood was firmly pulled over his head hiding his disheveled hair from view. He grumbled with impatience as he stood in his row, waiting for the line of passengers to move.

  “How long does it take for this line to move? Why can’t they just let us off the plane already? It’s clearly docked,” he exclaimed.

  He threw his hand up to gesture out the window to the accordion walkway attached to the exit door, knocking his hood back in the process. He ran his hand angrily through his shaggy brown hair and plopped back into the seat.

  “You might as well sit down and wait. There’s no point in getting frustrated,” John told his son while looking at his phone. The light glowed up at his face despite the bright lighting in the cabin as he scrolled through world news articles.

  “It will move soon, don’t be so grumpy,” his mother responded.

  Thea rolled her eyes at her brother’s impatience. His face now in a permanent frown. She peered over at her father’s phone being nosy.

  Ten minutes later, the line began to move. John waited for the plane to clear out before stepping into the aisle and pulling his family’s bags out of the overhead bin and handing them to Thea to disperse.

  “This one’s for Jack, Mom here’s yours; there are mine and Dad’s. Ok, I think we’re all set!” She exclaimed.

  The Dawsons made their way out of the aircraft towards the flight attendants who saw their passengers off safely as they passed through the exit. As John took his leave, he nodded in their general direction as if to signify a job well done. They returned the favor and although they wouldn’t find any, the flight attendants peered behind them, looking for any remaining passengers.

  Thea leads her family down the large hallway following signs hanging from the ceiling guiding them towards the baggage claim. Upon arrival, her father grabbed the family’s bags and put each of them on the luggage cart that Jack acquired at the sacrifice of a quarter. John scoffed at the fact that people had to ‘rent’ a cart.

  “You guys ready to go?’’ John asked the group and who responded with reassuring with head nods.

  The family walked toward the front exit and out of the oddly quiet airport; the glass doors swished open. They continued outside and into a concrete covered underpass with four lanes. Noises came from all over, cars honking, people talking, music, and intercoms. People speed-walked in all directions on the walkways desperate to catch their flights or find their ride. Taxis and other vehicles zoomed by gathering loved ones and clientele and went on their way.

  John waved at a cab that was passing by on loop, clearly on the prowl for customers. It slowed down enough for the man to yell out the window. From what Thea could see, the man had long black wavy hair. His face was emphasized with a jet black beard that ended into the bright colors of his Baja hoodie.

  “Y’all need a ride?” The driver’s thick accent evident and gave away his local ties.

  “Yes! We’re trying to get to the Grand Arbor Resort on Chesapeake Ave,” said Eleanor.

  The man pulled the taxi over and parked on the curb. It was yellow like most but was riddled with rust spots from being kept in the rain, giving the taxi the appearance of having freckles. The driver got out of the vehicle to help with their bags, his leather flip flops clicked with each step.

  “Hop in! I know the place quite well,” The driver responded.

  Thea and Jack both slid into the backseat of the taxi, clicking on the available seatbelts. The inside was covered in light brown leather that had seen better days. It smelled salty like the man had picked someone up from swimming in the ocean prior to coming here. Small granules of sand moved freely by their feet and a small trinket hung from the rear-view mirror.

  John helped the driver load their bags into the hatchback, while their mom stood by for moral support. Once they were all finally packed inside, Eleanor squeezed next to her children, while John sat in the passenger seat, his hand hung from the handle above his window.

  Before Eleanor and John were able to get situated, the taxi flew forward and merged into traffic. They made small talk with the driver, followed by snarky comments when John talked about the weather. He made a point to pick the driver’s brain about tourist hot spots while Eleanor read. Jack played on his phone, and Thea took in the surroundings as they drove.

  Palm trees rose from the ground and swayed in the strong breeze. The bright blue waters reflected the sun and made it hard to look at the ocean. The white sandy beaches were littered with people enjoying the view.

  “Why would anyone not want to live here?” she said under her breathe.

  The taxi slowed and turned onto a paved drive of the main road. Large oleander bushes lined the side of the drive obscuring the view of what lies ahead. Each had large, pink, white, or red flowers that poked out of the dark green foliage.

  Once the view unfolded, a building stretching up to the sky and outward to the right and left of the valet parking overhang that was front and center. It was beautiful; stucco lined the exterior and large cathedral windows lined the sides of the right and left wings. Vines grew up the sides of the building and displayed colorful flowers in different varieties.

  “Dang! This place must be at the very least ten stories tall!” Jack said, trying to lean over his mom to see the top of the building.

  The taxi halted in front of the large entry doors.

  “There you guys go! Here’s my card, if you guys need a ride while you’re here I would be happy to oblige,” the taxi driver said handing his card to John.

  The man swung open his door and rushed to the trunk.
He quickly pulled out their luggage placing it on the concrete drive, shook John’s hand, and was back behind the wheel, ready to drive off in seconds. The family hardly had time to get out of the vehicle before the car started rolling forward.

  Thea turned to towards the front doors and saw a hotel employee rushing a luggage cart over. He was young, a little older than her. He put the bags on the cart without a word and then looked up blankly. Thea tried to thank the bellhop for his assistance but the man didn’t even so much as blink, let alone acknowledge her presence.

  “Ok then, well, let’s go inside” John suggested to his family.

  The four of them moved into the lobby, looking around and taking in all of the sights before them. There was a lounge on the right with couches and recliners, computers, and a few TV’s on the far side. The people who were scattered in the lounge area were lost in their phones or work. There was a small sitting area to the left, presumably for guests waiting to be checked in or out. Directly in front of them was the check-in desk operated by one person dressed in the same uniform as the bellhop — a white button-up shirt with the hotel logo and black dress pants. The man’s black hair slicked back tightly, it didn’t waiver as the man looked down at something in front of him. Thea wondered what, but the desk obscured her view. They approached the counter and could now see down the left and right hallways; one side looked like it dead-ended into a restaurant, and the other took you to the elevators and dead-ended into the entry for the pool. She had seen pictures of it on the website. Thea wondered why people would want to swim in a pool when the beach was right out their back door.

  The man looked up. Thea read his name tag “Eddie.” “Hello, welcome to the Arbor Resort. Can I help you?” He paused, looking at the four of them.

  “Yes, we need to check in to our room,” John responded , gently leaning forward to rest his crossed forearms on the counter top in front of him.

  He pulled out the paper that Hendricks gave him and handed it to the man.

  Thea noticed the Eddie’s discomfort, he seemed nervous and shaken. The beads of sweat that formed on his forehead said that something was off. She peered over the counter nosily to see what Eddie had so zoned out, but nothing laid on the desk in front of him.

  He looked at her father, shaking his head. “Oh no sir, there must be some misunderstanding. We are more of an adult catered hotel and don’t allow minors. “He paused. “Meaning 21 and older.”

  The man smiled weakly at her father, hoping that John wouldn’t fling himself over the table at him. She would see her fathers ears turn red with anger the instant the words came out of Eddies mouth. Instead, John took a step back and ran a hand through his hair.

  “Yeah, I know what that means,” he said turning around, looking over the room.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” John said seeing a woman with a small child in the lounge. He also recognized the couple with the baby from the plane. He whipped around to face Eddie again.

  “Wait, they have children, are they able to stay here?” John said to the man.

  “I don’t see how it’s not acceptable for my teenage son to stay here when infants and small children are allowed,” demanded Eleanor.

  “I understand your confusion. However, it’s not the hotel that is the issue. It’s the timeshare you are trying to use. If you were coming to rent one of our family rooms, then this would be a different conversation altogether. The timeshare room you booked is particularly for couples, not families. We cannot rent you this room due to the presence of alcohol and the room capacity of the one you booked is 2, not 4. There is only a single queen bed. I could see about getting cots, but it doesn’t change the other issues we have. If you would like I can see if there is another room, I can book you all in or at least the kids in if that interests you. However, that will not be included in the timeshare and is subject to full price.”

  “Ok, yeah, how much is the other room. Let’s start there,” Eleanor said knowing that her husband wouldn’t be open to the idea.

  “Certainly, this will just take a minute,” Eddie mumbled before clicking away on the keyboard.

  Thea’s mother eyed John, “How could you not check on this before us flying all the way here.” She said.

  “Hendricks told me it wouldn’t be a problem to switch the names for the timeshare. I did call, and they told me it wouldn’t be an issue to get the double queen room if there was availability when we arrived. It was going to be a little more, but they said It wouldn’t be a problem.”

  Eddie stopped typing on the computer.

  “I am sorry, it looks like there are just not any other available rooms at this time. If you need recommendations for another hotel, there is one across the way that has fantastic reviews,” Eddie said breaking the news.

  “This can’t be happening,” John’s face fell into his hands.

  “No, that’s not going to work. We just flew 12 hours to get here and had the arrangements to stay at this hotel. I double-checked, and you guys told me it wouldn’t be a problem, now you need to fix it.” John raised his voice, catching the attention of the manager across the lobby. He jogged over and now stood behind the desk.

  “Hey there, what can I help you with?” The manager asked, trying desperately to ease his customers complaints.

  “We confirmed that we would be able to switch rooms to a double queen before flying here from the U.S. Now, it seems that you can’t do that and won’t let us get cots for the room we booked because my son is underage,” John explained his concerns.

  “Underage?” the manager appeared confused and looked at Eddie for an explanation.

  “Yes, they have a timeshare for room 803, but as you know…” Eddie trailed off.

  Something clicked in the manager’s head, and Thea saw it register across his face.

  “Eddie, can I talk to you a minute?” He then turned his gaze to the family. “If you all will take a seat for a moment, we will try our best to get this worked out for you.” The manager smiled and then pulled Eddie aside. They disappeared through a door marked “Employees Only” behind the service desk.

  The family took a seat in the smaller sitting area and waited for them to return.

  The two men walked through the door, firmly shutting it behind them, the manager instantly turned his attention to Eddie who held up a hand signaling him to ‘hear him out’.

  “Now Boss, let me explain, I tried to get them to go across the street. Eric, they can’t stay in that room!” Eddie pleaded.

  “Yes, I am aware of that. We also can’t let just the parents stay in that room either,” Eric replied.

  “Exactly, because then the kids will be left behind and I won’t let your people make orphans. I remember them calling last week about changing the name on the reservation. The timeshare was for a couple with the last name of Hendricks. I swear they didn’t mention kids. Maybe I just missed that. They asked about double queens, which is why I said we could move them to 803,” Eddie explained, hoping he wouldn’t have to sentence these people to certain death, but knowing full well that if Eric asked, he would.

  “My people,” Eric said scornfully. “Don’t care. What they do care about is when the rest arrive that we have the promised amount of people. The Black Arbor Convention members don’t do kids. This means there would be two people left behind that can testify that their parents were here with them, and then it will lead police to us. Do you understand?” Eric paused, letting his comment sink in.

  “Now, here is what you are going to do. To avoid any more disarray, you’re going to let the Dawson family have that room. There are no other rooms open. It just means that we are going to have to work quicker with one of the other BAC rooms to move another booking in. We need 6 for the meeting this weekend. So, find me another two!”

  “Yes, sir.” Eddie’s head drooped with submission.

  The two men walked back out into the lobby and stood behind the service desk again.

  “Good news!” Eric add
ressed the Dawsons. John shot up and padded his way to the front desk.

  “We have space for all four of you! Eddie will print your key cards and get you checked in right away. Thank you, and we apologize for the misunderstanding,” Eric said calmly.

  The manager held up a hand and John shook it in return, before Eric walked off towards the restaurant.

  3

  Room 401

  “Here are your key cards, and you’re all set! You’ll want to take the elevator to your left up to the 8th floor. Go right down the hall, and the room will be on your right. Enjoy your stay, and remember if there is anything we can do, just let us know!” Eddie’s customer service voice was on point, Eleanor thought.

  “Thank you! We appreciate that you accommodated us!” she said before walking toward their luggage cart.

  The bellhop ran to his post, again, without a word. While the family gathered their things and made their way to the elevator, the bellhop grabbed the luggage cart and sped past them to stand in front of the golden elevator doors. A white-gloved finger reached out and pressed the up button located on the placard on the wall. The elevator dinged open; the bellhop pushed the cart inside. Jack was still making his way down the wing when Eleanor and Thea followed the bellhop through the open doors and squished themselves into the back of the elevator to leave room for the others.

  John walked in after them, stopped, and reached his hand out to block the sensor to give Jack enough time to get in. Slightly out of breath, his son ran the rest of the way inside to join the rest of his family.

  “You know, if you ran more, you wouldn’t be so out of breath right now,” his father teased.

  “Ok old man, I’ll remember that when you need life alert.” Jack snickered at his father’s gaping face.

  He shrugged his shoulders until John laughed and threw his arm around him.

  “I guess some things never change.” John declared, looking at the elevator screen, watching the numbers change from floor to floor.