by Amanda Aggie
Amanda Aggie
Beyond the Palms
First published by Kindle Direct Publishing 2020
Copyright © 2020 by Amanda Aggie
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Amanda Aggie asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.
First edition
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For my son, and favorite distraction, Miles.
You are what keeps me going and makes my heart flood with happiness every day. I can’t wait to see the man you grow up to be. You’re my miracle, and I will always love you inside and out, no matter how many of my buttons you push, no matter how much the thought of you growing up scares me, you will always be my sweet baby boy.
I love you to pieces.
-Mom
Acknowledgement
I personally would like to thank those who have helped me bring this world to life. From those who have helped with baby sitting, to letting me share my idea and giving me feedback or words of encouragement through out the writing process, you have impacted my life immensely. You guys are the reason that this book was possible. With out the massive support system that my friends, family, and mentors have provided me with, this book would have only been summed up to an idea, instead of being shared with the world through the printing press. I particularly want to thank a few out of the many, starting with my Mother who helped establish the idea, my best friend Victoria for giving me the encouragement I needed and pushing me to write, both my Father, and Grandmother for helping give me the opportunity to write in peace and quiet. Lastly, I would like to thank the love of my life Jacob for supporting my every decision, dealing with me being cranky from lack of sleep due to writing all night, and being my rock throughout this entire process. I can’t wait to start the next project and to share my love of reading with others. It has always been a beloved past time of mine and has been my escape from reality when I needed it. With that, I am thankful for you, the reader, for reading my story and for letting me be your escape.
I
The Beginning of the End
“When we boarded that flight, we never expected our lives to flip upside down. However, they did and we can’t go back.”
-Thea Dawson
Therapy Session 1
1
Flight 746
The 747-plane hummed as the Dawson family scrambled to find their seats. The other passengers pushed their way down the aisle hunting for their assigned rows. John Dawson waited for the corridor to clear long enough to shove luggage bags into the overhead bin. He noted the seats were much larger than the economy seats he was used to on previous flights. These were built for passengers to relax on long trips. He squeezed the bulging cushions lined with thick dark blue fabric. John smiled, silently thanking his friend for upgrading to the luxury flight package when he purchased the timeshare.
“I could get used to this,” He said to himself under his breath.
He picked up each bag that sat by his feet and shoved them one by one into the white overhead bin above the rows behind them. When he finished, he slammed the door shut with a loud ‘click’ and turned back toward to his seat.
He caught a glimpse of his family, noting each before taking his place beside them. His wife Eleanor plopped down in the window seat, trying to get comfortable. He watched as she laid her head against the chair only to sit up and yank the ponytail holder out of her hair. He noticed the gleaming cover of a new book in her hands and rolled his eyes. Knowing she was already planning to binge read during their 12-hour flight. John was sure she intended to ignore his existence the best she could.
Sitting next to Eleanor was their daughter Thea. She had a neck pillow tucked behind her head, cradled a small blanket in her lap, and was ready to sleep the time away. Thea was the spitting image of her mother, blonde hair, blue eyes, but she maintained the loving glance and sweetness that was now absent in his wife.
Their son Jack had headphones in and sat across the aisle. He seemed to want to avoid association with the rest of his family. He pulled the hood to his jacket over his shaggy brown hair, and his knee bounced with anticipation. It was so hot and cold with him. He envisioned the 7-year-old version of his son always asking his father to play basketball with him in the driveway. One minute, Jack was begging his dad to play a one-on-one game and the next…. His thoughts trailed off at the soul crunching realization that came to mind.
This vacation may be their last family trip; John thought to himself. Thea was about to finish college and already had prospective employment offers. Jack was about to graduate high school, ready to go off and do only God knows what. The poor boy had no plan, and it seemed the more they pushed him to get one, the more he fought it. Lastly. John knew his marriage was undoubtedly on the decline. Who knew when they would plan to do something like this again.
This trip was originally meant for John’s friend Hendrix and his wife. Hendrix’s mother had taken a turn for the worse two weeks ago and her team of oncologists weren’t sure how much time she had left. His friend didn’t want to risk leaving and having something happen where they couldn’t get there quickly. John understood their concern and felt terrible about his situation. The timeshare his friend had purchased last year was non-refundable and instead of letting the trip go to waste, he had called John and gifted it to him and Eleanor.
Knowing his wife wouldn’t accompany him on a vacation for two weeks alone, he took it upon himself and purchased two additional tickets to bring their children along too for spring break. John vowed to thank him a thousand times over for the opportunity to fix his family’s relationship with one another. He could have done it at home but going somewhere knew without any distractions would make it easier. John held onto hope that maybe this trip would change his wife’s mind. She hadn’t mentioned divorce, but all the signs were there.
John took his seat between Jack and Thea. His daughter smiled at him, leaned against his shoulder, and settled in. Her hair was swirling around his face, 22 years old, and yet his baby all the same. He had missed this. He had lost so much time with his kids, but he wouldn’t miss another minute.
John had just returned from his final deployment in the U.S. Navy, lasting almost eight months. Over the years, his children had changed immensely and grew into the adults that sat on either side of him. Each time he returned from deployment; it was almost like he was looking at two completely different people than the babies he had said goodbye too. Although it became easier overtime, his son hated him for it. He wanted his father there for all the firsts. He missed Jack’s first football game, his first words, and his first steps. John had even missed the iconic moment of teaching Jack to ride a bike without training wheels. He missed it for what? Sense of duty? However, in his daughter’s
eyes, John felt like her hero, and somehow, it made everything easier.
Interrupting his thoughts came the sound of the intercom.
“Good Morning everyone and welcome to flight 746. Please ensure seat-belts are buckled at this time. If you look at the front of the cabin, you’ll see a demonstration on how to do so properly. Yes! The same demonstration from the 1950’s, our safety features have not advanced much. Now, if you do not like tropical weather and white sandy beaches, then people take note. There are six ways to exit this aircraft, and please make sure if you decide to use one after takeoff that you take a parachute with you. I repeat, take a parachute with you.”
The flight attendant pointed in the direction of all the exits located throughout the cabin of the plane and continued his sermon.
John chuckled and followed along in the pamphlet they provided in the seat back. Eleanor waved at her son, who was playing finger drums on the fold-out table instead of getting ready for takeoff.
“Jack! Jack! He’s not listening. John! Tell him to take those headphones out and put his seat-belt on. You would think with him being eighteen; I wouldn’t have to do this anymore.” Eleanor sat back in her seat, pinching the bridge of her nose.
John nudged his son’s arm and motioned for him to buckle up. Jack gave an exaggerated eye roll, sat up in his seat, slammed the tray he had been using as a drum set up into the seat back, and crossed his arms firmly across his chest.
“Happy now?” he snapped to his father.
“Ecstatic,” John replied sarcastically.
A few minutes later, the plane moved on to the landing strip, zoomed down the runway, and shot into the sky. John saw Eleanor grip the excess seat-belt strap as if that alone would keep the plane from crashing. He stifled a laugh; she has always had a fear of planes. Her face stayed calm and collected as she read her book, but the whiteness of her knuckles told a whole different story.
Parents learn overtime to hide their fear from their children. It’s their way of sheltering them from all the bad things in the world. Even with her children being adults, she still tried the best she could to keep them from being scared. The stonewall expression might fool Thea and Jack, but John knew she was nervous.
The cabin shook, and clouds strolled by the small circular windows that lined the side of the plane until they hovered over them. The aircraft leveled out as it got up to altitude, the cabin stilled, and the sunset sky glowed through the windows giving everything in the plane an orange tinge. Only then did Eleanor release the seatbelt strap.
The intercom dinged.
“Flight attendants will soon distribute drinks and snacks. Please ensure hands and feet stay within your seats at all times. We do not need to lose any limbs on this flight. If you would be so kind as to move any bags that could potentially block the aisle, the lovely Jennifer and Bonny here will be bringing the snack cart through and we do not want to run over your work laptop that is accompanying you on your trip, but we will. If that is understood, then seat-belt sign will turn off shortly, and you will be free to move about the cabin. I hope that you all enjoy the flight to Aruba International, and thank you all for using Tropic Airlines.”
John glanced at Thea and Jack, who were already sound asleep. He swore they could sleep through anything. The seat-belt sign turned off with a loud ping, and the sound of buckles clicking filled the air. He moved Thea’s head from his arm to rest on the seat. He got up to make his way to the restroom in the back of the plane.
He noticed an elderly Chinese man playing Sudoku beside Jack. The corners of his eyes creased with crow’s feet, and permanent laugh lines painted on his face gave away his age. He looked over at John as he got up from his seat. He returned the look with a head nod in the man’s direction as if to diffuse any discomfort he may have caused him.
There was a woman behind Jack with dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. The baby in her arms looked up at her with big blue eyes. She fed the little boy a bottle and glowed with motherly love. The man beside them was presumably the infant’s father. He stared out the oval window beside him. The baby reached a tiny hand up to grip his mother’s pinky finger. The woman filled with joy and tried to get the man’s attention by nudging him
John noticed a businessman in a suit, his laptop was placed on the seat-back table. His suit jacket sat across his lap, the white dress shirt he wore was relaxed and the mans tie was loosened. A golden cuff link shined as he reached an arm up to repeatedly clicked the button overhead that signaled the flight attendant. The man huffed and puffed impatiently.
A couple that sat across the aisle from him shot the man glances that showed their discontent towards his rude gesture. The woman’s swept out bright red curls formed waves as they draped around her chest. The color emphasized the plentiful freckles that were scattered across her pale skin. The man next to her rested a heavy hand on the thickness of her thigh and ruffled the fabric of her floral sun dress. His salt and pepper hair was combed to one side and shined from the hair product that coasted the strands. His strong facial features were formed into a semi-permanent scowl at the businessman.
A few rows behind them was a newlywed couple, holding hands, whispering to each other, and giggling uncontrollably. The woman’s dark brown curls fell to her waist. She repeatedly tried to retrain them into a bun on top of her head but her significant other kept pulling the hair scrunchy out of her hair the second she took her hands away from it. He watched the hair fall back down against her naturally tan skin. He brought his hand up, a designer watch clung around his wrist, and tucked a chunk behind her ear before pulling her face in for a brief kiss. The man’s perfectly white teeth showed as he smiled at her and her dark green eyes teased him. The man’s bald head shined from the cabin light overhead and his dark blue dress shirt parted near the top where buttons were left intentionally unclasped. It gave a preview of the muscles that laid beneath it.
John took note of other passengers as he strolled by. However, for the most part, the plane was silent and littered with people ready to go to sleep. Upon returning to his seat, he spotted the flight attendant making her way with the snack cart down the aisle to their seats.
John looked at his wife, “Do you want anything?”
“A drink, please,” she said without looking up from her book.
“OK then,” he exhaled.
The sound of Thea snoring filled the void; John searched for a movie in the headrest TV to watch until he saw the flight attendant with a smile pasted on her face looking down at him.
“Can I get you anything?”.
“Just two sodas, please,” He replied.
She handed him their drinks and was on her way. He nudged his wife with the plastic cup she requested.
Eleanor barely returned a, “Thank you,” before returning to her reading.
“What book are you reading?” John asked.
“Don’t pretend to be interested,” she stabbed.
“I’m just curious. It must be good if you’re going to read it for 12 hours straight.” He replied.
John waited for a response. However, the one he received left him in shock and took the wind out of his sails.
Eleanor slammed her book shut and shot him a look.
“What do you want from me? Want me to pretend that I haven’t imagined you getting sucked out of the plane three times over and make small talk with you? Ok. How are you sweetie?”
She stared at him mockingly, waiting for a response.
“I’m trying, and I wish that you would try too. We talked about this and agreed this trip would be good. Not just for us, for the kids too. If you’re going to be mad at me or ignore me the entire time, then why agree to come?”
She had every reason to be mad, and he knew that. He agreed to extend his Naval career two more years even though he had hit his 20-year mark for retirement. He did so after she made it blatantly clear that she wanted a normal life. She wanted a life where he came home from work every day and ate dinner with the
m at the table. She wanted to know that when he walked through the front door to go to work, that he would return home that night. She didn’t want surprise detachments. She wanted to be able to plan vacations like this and know that they wouldn’t have to cancel. Most of all, she wanted stability.
To him, it was two more years, one more deployment, and he would be able to get a larger check for the rest of his life. To her… he knew she felt betrayed and like he chose his work family over them. In a way, he did, and she still stuck by his side while he was gone. She was still there when he returned, waiting for him to get off the plane. She was angry, but she was there. That gave him hope that their marriage was still salvageable.
Eleanor didn’t respond; instead she just looked out the window. It was dark outside; the sun had finally disappeared beyond the horizon, but the city lights they passed over shined.
“I’m home now; I’m retired, I’m not going anywhere. I wish we can just move on already and try and have a good time,” John pleaded.
He hoped that she would give him a breadcrumb of what used to be their happy relationship but was losing faith in that idea that he would get it.
She looked at him, still rolling it all over through her mind.
“Eleanor, you have me whether you want to or not. I’m sorry, and I know I messed up. How many times I can apologize before we can move past this? I can’t take back what I did, but I can promise that it won’t happen again, and I will do everything I can to fix it.”
The lady in front of John turned around in her seat and smiled at them both. John didn’t notice her earlier. She was at least in her 80’s and appeared to be a sweet older lady; it was written across her face. Her snow-white hair was shorter and curled around her head. Her eyes were light blue and worn with age.
“Sweetie, you’ve got a keeper there. I know it’s easier for me to say than for you to do, but you should give the young man a chance.”
