Another Day In Paradise ...

It was already the last day of the family vacation and Buddy was returning from his visit to 101 Chacon Street, the infamous boarding house in town. He could not believe the number of beds and their proximity to each other.

"No privacy at all" he muttered as he envisioned Ms. Lucy patiently gathering the personal items that were strewn around the hotel room. He also envisioned Kimmy and Norm in the adjoining room ... in the middle of a pillow fight with feathers flying everywhere.

Buddy wanted no part of that so he headed for the beach, dreading the thought of leaving the warm sunshine behind. A short distance away, some self-acclaimed professionals were framing the two expensive pictures he bought at the farmer's market. Buddy had his doubts about their ability but hoped they would deliver on their promise.

A colorful parade of kids wavered back and forth in his mind as he gently caressed the warm sand with his toes. He was lost in thought when a group of eight or ten young people, in their early twenties, went past him. A soft, gentle voice said, "Buddy, this is it, the last day of your vacation. Are you ready to go?"

He looked around but there was no one. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her. She was sitting at his feet, his gorgeous heartthrob from Junior High. For some inexplicable reason, Maria had maintained her youth and beauty while Buddy had grown older and, as only he believed, wiser.

He had lost most of his hair and some of his teeth but that did not seem to matter. He also knew that one of the handsome young men playing volleyball on the beach was Maria's sweetheart but that did not matter either.

All that mattered was Maria; she was there with him and he wanted to savor every moment. He sat next to her and acknowledged that it was the last day of his vacation. His remorse was noticeable when he retrieved his ticket and handed it to Maria. He could not read it without his reading glasses.

Buddy was trying to get as close as possible to Maria and she was not resisting like she did in Junior High. He could smell the sweet fragrance in her hair and was overwhelmed by the moment. He did not hear when Maria said, "Buddy, according to this ticket, your departure time WAS 1:30 AM and by now, your plane is coming in to land at Pearson International." Instead, he heard her desperate plea, "Buddy, please take me home with you."

Just as he said, "Don't worry, I'm not leaving here without you", the alarm clock shattered his dream. As he jumped out of bed to silent the reprehensible clock, he remembered that Norman needed a ride to work.

While brushing his teeth, Buddy looked at himself in the mirror, smiled and gratefully said, "AWESOME! That was the most wonderful experience! The longer I live, the more I believe that there is a great and loving God out there. He just gave me something so very special from the safety and comfort of my bedclothes. Thank you Lord, for another day in paradise!"