F03-Vacation

"Marci, babe, ya know I love you," Harold's words came through the phone she held to her ear with a pleading, whining tone.

She sighed.  This sort of thing was becoming all too common lately.

With a firm voice, Marci replied, "You said that you were going to tell her about us and be done with her.  That she wanted out and that you wanted out!"

"I will, I promise I will, babe, but I have to wait for the right time, you know."

This was not the first time that she had heard these words either.  She had known that she was a fool to not just dump Harold when she found out that he was married, but it had been hard to do right after they had been there and done that.

"Let me know when it's done!" Marci disconnected the phone call.

“I need a break!” Marci said to no one but herself.  “I’m going to Galveston for a weekend vacation.”

Horhense, the little fairy girl who had been keeping tabs on Marci brightened up as she heard this in her hiding spot behind the flower vase on the counter. She had run into Marci at the flower shop and became instantly interested in the adorable young lady. She seemed happy and sad at the same time.

Horhense soon learned that Marci was in a complicated relationship and decided that she should help her out. That’s what fairies do, after all!  She had discussed the situation with her friend, Jenisey, the pixie. The two had solved many such dilemmas in the past. Jenisey would be excited to hear this recent news. She slipped out of Marci’s apartment to find him.

Jenisey was at home in the little treehouse where the two of them lived. He was on the balcony, watching some hummingbirds tasting the flowers below.

“Remember Marci, the girl I told you about?” Horhense began.

“Oh yeah! The cute girl with the beau problem.”

“That’s right. Well now she may have gotten herself ready, or nearly ready, for a solution to that.”

“How so?”

“She just had a blow up with Whats-His-Name, and now she’s going to the beach to relax and make plans.”

“We have to go along on that vacation and make sure that she makes the RIGHT plans.”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Horhense agreed. “Lets go see if we can hitch a ride!”

The two Facilitators got back to Marci’s apartment just as she was headed to her car with her luggage. They quickly secreted themselves under the driver's seat as she was stowing her luggage in the back seat.

          -          -          -

Marci exited the apartment parking lot where she lived in The Heights neighborhood of Houston. It was not long before she was rolling down I-45 on her way to the Holiday Inn where she had booked a room in Galveston. The sun was shining and her mood was already greatly improved.

The radio, having been left on an oldies country station that her parents favored, started playing Vacation by Connie Francis. Although she was unsure if she had ever heard the song before, its tune and the insistent refrain spelling out V-A-C-A-TION quickly had her singing along loudly.

She almost didn’t notice that her fuel tank was getting low until, seeing a sign for Buc-ee’s, she glanced down at the dash and saw the low fuel light. She pulled into the massive mecca of road trips and found an open pump. That taken care of, she went inside for a drink and a snack.

Horhense and Jenisey took advantage of the opportunity to hop out the car's open window and look around.

“Look!” Jenisey said. “There’s a nail in her tire!”

Sure enough, a huge, to Horhense, round, grey metal thing-ee was protruding from the side of the front left tire. She did not recognize it, but Jenisey said that it was known as a roofing nail.

“We can’t let this ruin her vacation!  We have got to get it out!” Jenisey continued.

Horhense was not so sure that it was necessary or that the two of them could manage it, but she conceded to the plan. Jenisey jumped up and grabbing the flat top of the nail, tugged with all his might. It did not budge.

“Come on Horhense! Help me!”

She joined him and added her efforts to the task. It did seem to make the nail move a smidge, but they still had little hope of success.

“We need a pry bar,” Jenisey said exasperatingly.

He looked around trying to spot something that might work. There was a straight piece of metal sticking out of the nearby trash container. With a boost from Horhense, Jenisey scrambled up and pulled it out. It was an awkward twelve inches long, but it looked sturdy enough. He dropped it over the side, making sure not to hit Horhense with it and jumped down.

A few moments later they had it propped under the nail and were pulling up on the end.

"Vois là!” Jenisey shouted as the offending nail popped out and rolled on the ground. Grabbing it, he tossed it underhanded up and into the trash basket.

Looking around, Horhense spotted Marci making her way back to the car.

“Hurry! She’s coming back!  Let’s get inside!”

Both of them jumped back through the window and were once more under the seat before Marci arrived.

          -          -          -

When Marci was almost to the bridge leading to Galveston, the low-pressure warning light came on.

“What the…” Marci said to herself. “I just had the tires rotated last week. How could they be low now!?”

“Siri! Is there a Discount Tire near me?” She asked her iPhone.

“Yes, take the next exit for Emmett F Lowry Expressway. Turn left at the light and it will be on your left after a quarter mile,” the cheery AI assistant responded.

When she pulled into the parking lot and entered the store, Marci was greeted by a helpful sounding individual, who followed her back out to where she had parked her car. He agreed that the tire was indeed flat, and they went back in to schedule its repair.

“That one is cute!” Horhense said to Jenisey as the two humans walked away. “He might work out well for her.”

“Let’s see what we can do,” Jenisey responded.

The repair did not take much time. It felt like only a few minutes before Marci was being escorted to the door, surprised by Discount Tire’s policy of fixing flats for free.

The two Facilitators hid behind a small bush growing beside the door to the store to await the humans exiting. It did not take long before the door opened and Marci came out, closely followed by Matt, who had been helping her.

Just as the fairy and pixie were tossing their fairy dust into the air to enamor the two humans, Matt paused to hold the door for an elderly lady to enter. The frequent sea coast wind also chose that moment to whip up.

Instead of enveloping Marci and Matt, the dust blew around Matt and the lady walking through the door he held for her.

'What a pleasant lady,' Matt thought. 'She reminds me so much of my Aunt Lucy. I wonder if she makes yummy pies, too.'

'He is a helpful young man, and not hard to look at either,' Evelyn, the older lady thought to herself. 'Too young for me, of course, but my niece, Penny might like him.'

Marci, who had continued towards her car, turned around when she realized that she was not being followed. She saw Matt holding the door for some lady who was just standing there, the two of them looking at each other, neither speaking, but also neither moving. She also waited, not wanting to interrupt whatever was happening.

The moment between the two seemed to pass as the lady finally entered the store and Matt let the door close. Shaking his head slightly, he rubbed his eyes as he made his way over to where Marci waited.

“Sorry about that,” Matt said.

“No worries.”

“It looks like you hit something sharp but there was nothing stuck in the tire so the air just slowly leaked out,” Matt explained.

Matt then gave her keys to Marci and went back inside while she got in her car to continue her journey.

“Well THAT was a bust!” Jenisey complained. He and Hortense hurried to get back in the car too before they were left behind.

          -          -          -

Marci pulled up to the entrance to the Holiday Inn on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston and let out a huge breath.

"Well, we're here!" she said to herself.  "Let's see if we can get situated and relaxed."

She took her bags inside and got checked in.  She had requested a room overlooking the beach and the Gulf of Mexico and was pleased that one was available.  She left her bags unopened on the bed and just sat in the sun on the balcony for a while taking in the sea breeze and letting the tension blow away.

The beach was crowded this time of day and year.  People were everywhere, walking in the sand along the shore, going down the sidewalk along the seawall, crossing the street between the cars stacked up on Seawall Blvd awaiting their turn to cruise along the popular tourist strip.

When she felt relaxed enough, she went back in to her room, opened her bags and got dressed in a pretty sundress with flats and a wide brimmed sunhat.  When her reflection in the mirror checked out, she smiled to herself and headed down to explore.  She was unaware of the pixie and fairy sneaking along behind.

Outside the hotel, she looked both ways and decided to head towards the big Ferris wheel to the left.  That looked interesting!  She only made it half a block before she saw the establishment next door to the Holiday Inn.  It was called "The Spot" and it looked just like its name implied.  There were tables and chairs aplenty on several patios.  It would be an excellent location to grab an umbrella covered concoction and watch the people stroll along the sidewalks and chat each other up at the other tables.

A waiter came over in just a few minutes, saying cheerily, "Lindsey! You're back! You weren't gone long." 

At first, Marci did not think that the man was speaking to her, but he was looking right at her expectantly.

"Excuse me. I'm not sure what you mean."

"You only left fifteen minutes ago.  Do you need another margherita already?"

"I only just got here.  You must have me mixed up with someone else," Marci responded.

"You're not Lindsey?"

"Nope. Marci."

"Oh that is so strange.  You are the spitting image of Lindsey!  My bad! What can I get ya?"

"I'll have something sweet with an umbrella."

"Willies Remedy coming right up.  Anything to eat?"

"Bring me something with fried shrimp."

"Uncle Bills' Famous Shrimp Po' Boy on the way!"  With that comment the waiter was off to put in the order.

Marci looked around.  Everyone seemed very happy to be relaxing at the beach, helped, no doubt, by the generously full large glasses in front of them.

Jenisey and Horhense, who were lurking under the tables, also looked around and decided that the guy about to walk by Marci's table would be a good match for her.  Deploying their fairy dust more carefully this time, they ensured that Marci and the man would notice each other.

The man stopped and blinked for a moment and then said, "Hey, how come you're all alone at a table at The Spot?"

"Just got here.  Where are you headed?"

"If you don't mind, this chair right here," he responded, pulling out one of the chairs as Marci's table.  "I'm Bill.  You?"

"Marci. Just got in town. Chilling and relaxing."

"Sounds like a plan," Bill said.  "I'm only just in too."

Bill clasped his hands in front of him and Marci noticed the wedding ring right away.  She was just about to mention it, when a cute blonde walked up behind Bill and draped herself over his shoulder.

"I thought you were coming right back," she said.

Bill seemed obviously confused. "I am…I mean I was…I just stopped here to great a newcomer…"

"Thanks for the tip about the Ferris wheel," Marci added, hoping to defuse the situation and let him have his story.

Bill and what must have been his wife left the table, heading further into the bar.

When her order came, she slowly downed her food and drink, settled her bill and continued on her way to the Pleasure Pier, which was where the Ferris wheel that she had seen earlier was located.  There was a fee to enter what looked like an arcade area just past the restaurants at the beginning and she was not that interested, so she called it a day and made her way back to her hotel.  It had been a good first day.

          -          -          -

Saturday morning dawned clear which allowed the sunlight coming through the open curtains to wake Marci up. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she shuffled over to the window and took-in the view of the waves crashing on a mostly deserted beach. She yawned and stretched and headed for the shower to prepare for another day at the coast.

She planned to try to find some surfing lessons and get some local seafood from Katies downtown off the Strand where she also planned on doing some shopping.

When she was ready for the day, she drove down to ShyKatz for breakfast. She loved their omelet choices, and they always had yummy baked goods.

While she waited for her order, she called Valz Surf Lessons over on Q Street. She had been told by the concierge at the hotel that they were the most respected local group for the absolute beginner lessons she had in mind. They answered on the first ring and she was able to arrange lessons for 2 PM that afternoon. Perfect!  Time to eat, to shop and then to surf! If she made it through all that, there was a redfish with her name on it at Katies.

Her day went wonderfully as planned. She even got to where she could stand on the surfboard as she road one of the baby waves ashore!  After her seafood dinner, she returned to the Holiday Inn, parked and walked off the meal a bit, then stopped at The Spot for a nightcap.

Walking up to her, John, her usual waiter, said, “You’re Marci, right?”

“Good memory!” She replied.

“Just checking. You remember that I said someone else looked like you around here. She was in again earlier. I didn’t get to wait on her, but she looks so much like you!”

“What a coincidence!”

“What can I get you tonight?”

“I’ll just have a Pinot Grigio tonight.”

“Coming right up!”

When John brought her glass of Pinot, he stayed to chat for a while since the crowd was pretty thin. They got to know each other’s past pretty well by the time she had finished her wine and was ready to go.

“See ya tomorrow,” John said as she was grabbing her bag to go.

“Going back to Houston tomorrow, but I’ll probably drop by first.”

“I hope so,” John said quietly, more to himself, as she walked away.

          -          -          -

Marci opted for breakfast in the hotel restaurant the next morning. The ever present pixie and fairy were observing from under her table.

“Jenisey!” Horhense exclaimed.  “Look! That girl looks just like Marci!”

Sure enough, a girl two tables behind Marci did have a remarkable resemblance.

Jenisey plucked at Marci’s shoulder, trying to get her to look around, but it had little effect. A few moments later, the girl got up to leave. Her path would take her right past Marci’s table. Horhense lept into action and got between her feet just as she was approaching Marci’s location.

The girl stumbled and caught herself on the edge of the table where Marci sat. Looking up from her plate, Marci saw a girl so similar to herself, she could be looking in the mirror.

“You!” Marci said.

“Sorry! Don’t know what happened,” the stranger replied, not yet focusing on Marci.

“John said that there was someone who looked like me in the area, but I didn’t think that you could be such a close match,” Marci said in a rush.

Finally looking up and making eye contact, the girl said, “My gosh! We do look like twins!”

“Please, sit for a moment. We HAVE to talk about this!”

The girl sat down and they had the waitress bring her coffee cup over from her table. Jenisey and Horhense gave each other knowing looks under the table.

“I’m Marci. I live in Houston.”

“Lindsey, I’m from Conroe!”

“We could be twins!  I’m twenty three. How about you?”

“Me too!  Born January 21, 2003.”

“OMG! That’s my birthday! But my parents were killed in a crash when I was just a few days old. I was adopted.”

“This is SO weird!  Me too!”

The two women were giggling like schoolgirls as they continued to share their life histories. They decided that they must really be twins who were adopted by separate families and no one ever told anyone.

Looking at her watch, Marci saw that it was just after noon.

“Come with me,” Marci said. “There is someone that you have got to meet.”

The two girls walked arm and arm next door to The Spot. John was on duty, and he smiled broadly as he saw the two approaching.

“You found each other,” he said.

“You have no idea!” Marci told him.

They then proceeded to fill him in on the whole story. Lindsey and Marci decided that they would plan a picnic with their combined families so everyone could get to know each other. John laughingly semi-invited himself along, to which Marci wholeheartedly agreed. Everyone exchanged numbers and all said that they would figure out an agreeable date and place.

After a bit more conversation, it was time for Marci and Lindsey to be checking out of the hotel and making their way to their respective homes. They waved goodbye to John, and Marci got a quick peck on the cheek before they walked away.

On the ride back to Houston, Horhense turned to Jenisey and said, “We may have had a few missteps in the beginning, but we got it done!”