Jill awoke to the sun streaming in her window at 11:00 a.m. the next morning. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't slept this long since Rick had died. She felt great and, for the first time since Rick had died, she felt hopeful. The depression seemed to have lifted and she didn't feel like crying or cursing. She practically leapt out of bed, ready to get on with her life. She packed quickly, grabbed a couple of slices of the freshly baked banana bread from the refreshment area and gave her room key to the young woman at the desk.
"Thank you so much," Jill said. "You were absolutely right. I slept like a baby and I feel wonderful. I don't know what magic you have here, but it works." She smiled and waved as she drove away.
Yes, the woman thought, that's what they all say when they leave. They're refreshed and ready to get on with their lives.
Jill turned westward onto Interstate 10. She reached into her purse, found the pill bottle, opened her window, and tossed out pill after pill, letting the wind take each one. Soon, the harsh desert elements would absorb the pills into the barren land.
CHAPTER 12
It had been almost a year and a half since Rick’s death and Jill's life had changed dramatically. She had gone from a woman who had it all when Rick was alive, to the depths of despair. She had been a walking suicide time bomb looking for the right place to end it all. But now, six months later, she had snapped out of it and was back in the world of the living.
The first thing she had done when she got home from her drive back from Dallas was to call her friend Barbie and ask if the invitation to accompany her on the trip to the Mani Rimdu Festival in Nepal was still open. Barbie assured her she would love to have Jill join her. After the conversation with Barbie, Jill called another friend, Marge, who was in charge of the annual fundraiser for Newport Hospital. It was a huge affair and it usually raised over a million dollars, which went toward various charitable programs supported by the hospital, particularly the Women's Treatment Center, for which the hospital had a world famous reputation.
"Marge, I've decided that it's time for me to get back into community volunteering. I hear that you're the chairperson of the annual Newport Hospital fundraiser this year and I wonder if I could help. I'm pretty good at getting people to donate items. I've done it for several charities in the past and I thought if you could use some help, I'd love to work on the silent auction."
"Oh, Jill, this is wonderful," said Marge. "Yes, yes, yes. I really could use some help. The woman who's in charge of the silent auction hasn't even started to get any items donated and I'm starting to get concerned. The silent auction is a major part of the money we raise. Let's get together for lunch. How about tomorrow at Il Fornaio? Could you join me then? I'd like to get started as soon as possible. I'm so glad you called! They made plans to meet for lunch at noon the following day.
Jill felt genuinely enthused for the first time in a long time. Once again her life had some purpose. She wasn't aimlessly drifting. She was glad she had thrown the sleeping pills out the window in the desert and never looked back.
She knew she was excellent at getting people to donate to charities and she began to make a list of the various people and businesses she could contact. Soon her list filled five single-spaced sheets of paper. Well, Jill thought, that's a good start. Now for Nepal.
She called Barbie again to get more information on exactly when they would be going, what reservations needed to be made, and to get some idea of what was involved in the trip. She found information about the Mani Rimdu festival on the Internet and spent the next couple of hours researching her upcoming trip.
She'd heard the word "trek," but she didn't know exactly what it meant so she looked that up too. Swell, Jill thought, the dictionary says it's a journey involving difficulty or hardship. She decided she'd better start working out and strengthening her legs in anticipation of the mountains she'd soon be climbing on the trek Barbie had planned for the two of them.
Jill had heard of Nepal, but wasn't exactly sure where it was located, only that it was in Asia. She learned it was a landlocked nation in Asia just north of India. One source even said it was where the "ice cold Himalayas meet the steamy heat of India," which might make selecting the clothes to take a challenge. Heat or cold? She decided to buy clothes that could be layered.
Next she wondered about the word "Himalaya." What did it mean? Once again she consulted the Internet and found that "Himalaya" meant "abode of snow." She idly wondered if she would be able to see Mt. Everest. If she could, that would make some great cocktail party talk. Even if someone hadn't heard of Nepal, they'd probably heard of Mt. Everest. Feeling like she was beginning to get a handle on the upcoming trip, she made her reservations through Snow Lion, a company Barbie had recommended. Jill was very excited about her upcoming adventure. Seeing a festival held in one of the most remote areas on the planet would be something that no one in her circle of friends had ever done.
Jill remembered asking Barbie how she had become interested in this trip and what made her want to go to Nepal. Barbie told her about a 50th surprise birthday party she had attended for a friend. Most of the people didn't know one another, so they were asked to wear a name badge, but instead of their name, they were told to put a vacation or trip destination on it, a place they'd like to go. Barbie had studied Buddhism for years, so she put Nepal on hers, thinking of the Mani Rimdu Festival held there every year. After a few minutes she realized no one was going to come up to her and inquire about Nepal. The places she saw on the nametags of the other guests were Las Vegas, Paris, New York, and for God's sake, Laughlin, Nevada. No, these were not people who would be interested in Nepal. Then and there she made the decision to go to Nepal.
Wow, Jill thought, I've done more in the last few hours than I've done in the last few months. She decided to start the wheels in motion for the charity fundraiser before she left for Nepal so she would still have two months to finalize everything after she returned. February was a good month for fundraisers. Christmas was over, bills were paid in January, and tax day, April 15th, was still a ways off. The charity checks always began to flow again in February.
The next few weeks were filled with contacting potential donors, buying cold weather gear, and working out. She had read that the trek to the Thyangboche Monastery where the festival was held would be a killer. True to her promise to herself, she spent as much time as she could hiking in the hills above Crystal Cove, working on strengthening her legs for the trek. She knew she would be in extremely high altitudes, but she wasn't too worried about getting altitude sickness. She had practiced yoga for years and with the breathing exercises involved in that discipline, she didn't think that would be a problem for her, but you never knew.
Finally, it was time to depart on their adventure. The flight left Los Angeles at 2:30 p.m. and with the difference in time and the 14 1/2 hour flight, it would arrive at 7:00 p.m., Bangkok time. They were going to spend the night at a hotel located in the airport, and fly on to Kathmandu the following day, giving them two days to explore Kathmandu before taking a helicopter to Lukla, where they would begin their trek.
Barbie had been insistent that they fly Business Class from Los Angeles to Bangkok. It was a long flight and flying in coach would make it seem even longer. After a couple of hours, Jill had two glasses of wine and slept through most of the flight. She awoke refreshed in time for dinner. Customs and Immigration inched along slowly, but it helped to know that their hotel was just a short walk away. Jill was glad they had decided to spend the night in a hotel located on the airport premises rather than taking a taxi to a hotel in the city. From just flying over it, she saw that Bangkok was like every other big city in the world, full of noise, bright lights, and people.
The next morning dawned clear and beautiful. They boarded their plane for Kathmandu, the second leg of their journey. Everything about this trip was so different, so foreign, and so exotic. In spite of the fact that Jill and Rick had traveled extensively during their marriage, this part of the
world was completely new. The views from the plane were incredible. As they flew over the Himalayas, the pink-capped mountains and cloudless blue skies seemed to go on forever. So this is the top of the world, Jill thought, as they approached their destination, how utterly gorgeous.
She shuddered as the thought occurred to her that if she had taken the overdose of sleeping pills, she never would have experienced this incredible scene before her. Thinking back to the woman she had been, depressed, despondent and utterly hopeless, she simply couldn’t recognize that woman. There was no longer any frame of reference between that woman and who she was now. She made a silent vow that she would never allow anything to put her in that place again.
It was warm when they landed. Although Kathmandu's temperature was in the 60’s and 70’s this time of year, similar to the weather they had left in Los Angeles, they would soon be trekking up to an elevation of over 12,500 feet. At that altitude, it would be cold, bitterly cold.
Kathmandu was a city in motion. Everything was foreign and fascinating. Their cabby took them to their hotel, which was an oasis in the middle of the city. The hotel gardens were gorgeous. Jill thought wood must be cheap and abundant in this part of the world because in every direction she saw exquisite wooden carvings. Their room overlooked a Buddhist temple where huge prayer wheels were being turned by passing local residents. Brightly colored prayer flags were everywhere and exotic scents filled the air. It was truly a feast for the senses.
As planned, Jill and Barbie spent the next two days exploring the city. Barbie insisted on visiting several of the beautiful Buddhist temples located in the city. In one of the temples, both of them were given long white ceremonial khata scarves as welcome gifts by a lama. While there were a few tie-dyed hippies from Western countries who had stayed too long looking for enlightenment, the majority of the tourists in Kathmandu were simply travelers anxious to explore this remote area of the world. The food was different from anything Jill had ever tasted. Yak tea? Who knew there was such a thing?
Kathmandu was the starting point of many treks in the Himalayas and many shops catered to the trekkers. While Jill and Barbie were buying some last minute things their guide had suggested, they met several mountain climbing teams from around the world who were hoping to scale Mt. Everest. Although the teams would be taking the same route as Jill and Barbie, the teams would continue on to Base Camp One, near the foot of Mt. Everest, while Jill and Barbie would end their trek at Thyangboche Monastery, about 15 miles from Mt. Everest.
After weeks of planning, the day finally arrived for them to begin their trek. If everything went as planned, they would land in Lukla and immediately start trekking, getting to the first stop where the sherpas, who had been hired to assist them with their heavy bags, would set up camp in the late afternoon.
There was only one helicopter flight daily from Kathmandu to Lukla. Their trip information brochure contained a warning that flights were often delayed because of bad weather in the Himalayas. Now that she was involved in this adventure, Jill sincerely hoped they would be able to take off and land in good weather. Bad weather and unstable air currents in the Himalayas were not things Jill wanted to experience.
By prearrangement, they met four other people who would trek with them and their guide. There was a couple from New York, obviously fit and the type who would probably race each other up the mountain. There was a teacher from Chicago looking for adventure. The last person in their group was a single man from San Francisco, a very attractive doctor who was studying Buddhism. It didn't take Barbie long to make his acquaintance. Well, Jill thought, this whole trip was Barbie's idea. It would be the icing on the cake for Barbie if she found her soul mate while she was trekking in Nepal. She'd already looked for a soul mate in every Buddhist temple in Southern California and how ironic it would be if she found him here.
They had to wait at the Kathmandu airport for several hours until there was a window of clear weather. Suddenly, their guide called to them, "Hurry, we must go now." Jill looked out the window and saw a rusty old Russian helicopter. There was a "no smoking" sign on it, which the pilot was ignoring. She felt the protective safety net that had always been such a large part of her life, begin to slip away. There was no turning back. She raced for the helicopter with great anticipation. Once again, the colors of the mountains, the snow on the mountain caps, and the skies were incredible. No artist could do them justice.
Because there was no airport or landing strip at Lukla, they landed on a soccer field and within minutes, they began their trek. Jill had a backpack that contained water, some snacks, and extra clothing that she could put on in layers as the temperature dropped. The rest of her daytime trekking gear was carried by her sherpa, Minga.
The days of the trek passed quickly. A new experience took place each moment of each day. There were fields of rhododendrons, temples clinging to cliffs, yaks with bell collars announcing their presence, swaying suspension bridges over rushing rivers, brightly painted houses, and children greeting them at the side of the road. As they walked past them, the children would say "Namaste" and hold their hands over their hearts in the traditional prayer position. Jill had no frame of reference for what she was experiencing. She took each thing as it occurred and enjoyed it for what it was, with no comparisons available or necessary.
When they arrived at Tyangboche Monastery, Jill could only stare in amazement at all of the brilliant colors and the beauty of the nearby mountains. They were breathtaking and in the distance, she could see Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. She was in awe. There were simply no words to describe this beautiful, majestic area of the world and she felt humbled by the sheer massiveness of her surroundings. Very few people in the world ever had an opportunity to observe what she was seeing and she knew it was something she would never forget.
Sherpas and their families came from all over the Himalayas for the Mani Rimdu festival, reconnecting with old friends and family members. It was a time of celebration and revelry. Dancing, drinking, and beautiful ceremonies in the Monastery were all part of the two day festival. For this short time they forgot about how hard life was in this rugged, beautiful high country and simply enjoyed themselves. The revelry went far into the night.
Everywhere Jill looked, she saw happy people. Although they possessed few material possessions, she sensed that they had something inside that she lacked and she resolved to find whatever it was. Maybe it was Buddhism or perhaps they had discovered something that didn't exist in her Western world. Where she came from, people would be protesting or rioting if they had as little as these people did.
When she observed the children, Jill realized she had never seen a child have a temper tantrum or even cry. The children were cherished by their parents and their extended families. Infants were carried by their mothers or strapped into slings on the mother's back so that the babies wouldn't touch the ground during the entire first year of life. There was an old wives' tale that this was done to separate them from the animals. It was a charming tale and maybe it worked. The young children certainly seemed to be happy.
The trek back to Lukla was just as breathtaking. They stopped at several teahouses and Jill found she had developed a taste for the local yak tea and yak butter. When they got back to Lukla, the helicopter was waiting for them. Jill realized that soon she would be back in her Newport Beach home, her body the same, but her spirit very, very different. With growing confidence, she looked forward to the next chapter of her life.
CHAPTER 13
Jeffrey couldn't believe what had just taken place in Sidney's office. He was the star of the company, the anointed one; literally, the future financial success of Moore Labs rested on his shoulders. All of his dreams of being awarded the Nobel Prize had just gone up in flames. Where would he go? What would he do?
He went to Maria's office in a fog. "Darling, what's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Maria said.
"Maria, get whatever you have in the desk that belong
s to you. We've both just been fired from Moore Labs. Pack up and please, make it fast. I want to get out of here before I see anyone." Ten minutes later they walked out the front door of Moore Labs for the last time. Maria kept looking at Jeffrey, wondering what was going on.
"Let's go down the street to Kelly's. I need a drink. I'll explain everything to you there. But first, I need to know one thing. Have you told anyone that I have been giving you the anti-aging hormone?" Jeffrey stopped walking, turned to her, put his hands on her shoulders, and looked intently into her eyes to see her reaction.
Maria realized that whatever had taken place in Sidney's office had something to do with her and she made an instant decision to never let Jeffrey know about her conversation yesterday with Dan. Now she knew why Dan had taken the day off. "Of course not! We decided long ago that no one should know about it. You know I would never do anything that could hurt you. Plus, I would have everything to lose if I told anyone. It makes absolutely no sense to think I might have told anyone."
A few minutes later, they arrived at Kelly's and went directly to the bar area. The restaurant had that intimate, clubby feel of restaurants that had been popular in the 60’s. Jeffrey quickly walked to a leather booth in the rear of the room. He didn't want to see anyone from Moore Labs. The bar filled up fast with workers needing a drink before they headed out for their long commute home on the freeways. Kelly's had a reputation for fast service, something the workers needed. Maria and Jeffrey placed their order and were quickly served their drinks.
"Maria, everything's changed. Somehow Sidney found out that I've been giving you the anti-aging hormone. It's the end of the Nobel Prize for me and it's the end of my work as a scientist at a prestigious company like Moore Labs. I don't know what we're going to do. Moore is going to issue a statement that I left for medical reasons. We both know that's the kiss of death in this industry. Everyone will assume that I have terminal cancer or that I've entered some rehabilitation program."
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