Then again, she reasoned, as she wrapped the oversized towel around herself sarong style before wiggling her feet into the bright yellow flip flops, who wouldn’t be happy staying in this place for a couple of weeks - being waited on hand and foot, having little else to do except relax, and more or less shutting out the world outside.
Her days here had very quickly fallen into a pattern - waking early to join in the morning meditation (at first just to mollify Ananda, but eventually because the fifteen minutes she spent meditating truly seemed to fill her with a sense of calm and serenity that she had never experienced before); next heading to this very pool for a leisurely but still physically stimulating swim; a quick rinse-off in the enormous walk-in shower at her casita; a buffet breakfast where she was always tempted to load her plate up with waffles, bacon, eggs Benedict, and half a dozen pastries, but wound up balancing the unhealthier foods with stuff like fresh fruit, yogurt, and muesli or granola.
After breakfast, she’d stroll around the grounds of the resort for awhile, making sure she stuck to the shaded pathways since by then the temperature was already inching up towards triple digits. Back at the casita, she might read for awhile, using the resort-provided tablet with its massive reading library, or surf the internet, something she rarely had time to do normally. And also to humor Ananda, who’d thoroughly explored all of the various classes and lectures offered at the resort, she’d even attended a few of them. She had drawn the line at the more “out there” topics like crystal healing, self-hypnosis, and something called a full moon prayer circle. Instead, she’d participated in a couple of cooking demos, attended a workshop on nutrition and healthy meal planning, and forced herself to sit through an uncomfortable but admittedly helpful lecture about overcoming past trauma.
At the beginning of her stay, Scarlett had assumed that the majority of the guests at the resort were here for basic rest and relaxation, or simply to be pampered with all manner of spa treatments and delicious meals. She’d learned instead that while a few guests were indeed here for just those reasons, most were recuperating from a variety of difficult challenges - recovering from a heart attack or cancer or a serious accident; coping with the death of a loved one; and others who were stressed and burnt out from overwork and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Realizing that she was far from the only guest here who’d suffered physical and emotional pain had made Scarlett feel both guilty at her self-absorption, and also oddly comforted that she wasn’t alone in feeling that life had dealt her a crappy hand.
She lingered in the shower a bit longer than necessary, luxuriating in the warm spray of water from the rain showerhead, and indulging herself with the high end shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, all of which had a delicious mandarin orange scent. And while she was still very much a proponent of the tiny house/micro apartment concept, it was real hard not to fall in love with the huge granite shower.
Aside from giving her red gold curls a brisk toweling off, she didn’t bother drying it further. She was a total klutz with a blow dryer, and the hot desert air would soak any remaining moisture from her hair after less than ten minutes of walking outside. She pulled on clean underwear, noting that she actually had to loosen the bra straps a bit after gaining those few pounds. She chose a tiered cotton sundress that she’d already worn a couple of times, but the blue batik print garment was her favorite of all the pretty things Jackson had purchased for her. The soft fabric was cool and comfy, and the color did amazing things for her skin and hair. A pair of flat white sandals finished off the outfit, and she walked into the main dining room knowing she was just as appropriately attired as every other guest here.
As usual, she ate by herself, gravitating to a small corner table that looked out onto the grounds of the resort. She still wasn’t in much of a mood to be sociable, and besides, she reasoned, she was by far the youngest guest here at the resort. She guessed the next youngest person was a good ten to fifteen years her senior, and most of the guests were old enough to be her parent or grandparent.
And she wasn’t exactly eating her breakfast in complete solitude, since Jackson tended to text her right around this same time every day. A quick check of her phone as she dug into her meal revealed a new message from him, one that brought a smile to her face.
What’s for breakfast this morning? Text me a picture, even though it’ll make me envious, since the barista at Starbucks burnt my bagel and gave me decaf instead of regular. Never going to that branch again!
Wickedly, she took three different photos of her laden plate, making sure to hone in on an oversized cinnamon bun.
I guess saying eat your heart out would be kind of corny, wouldn’t it? Or too obvious. FYI, you should have complained to the manager about your order. As kindhearted as Ananda is, if one of her staff messed up an order that bad she’d chew their ass out. And if it kept happening they’d be toast. Figuratively, that is. Hah, hah.
She took several bites of her yummy scrambled eggs mixed with smoked salmon, washing it down with sips of hot coffee. An attentive waiter seemed to magically sense whenever her cup was halfway down, because he would appear at her table with a silver carafe in hand to give her a refill.
Because she worked in both food service and retail, Scarlett was always mindful to smile and thank her counterparts, knowing how lousy their wages and working conditions could be. She wasn’t always, she assured herself, a total raging bitch. Especially during these past ten days, when the blissful calmness of her surroundings had helped quell a lot of her anger, bitterness, and resentment.
She picked up her phone to read Jackson’s reply to her latest text, chuckling in amusement as she did so.
That’s downright cruel of you to show me all that food when I’m practically starving. Maybe I should consider checking myself into that resort for a week or two, especially after seeing all the pictures of your meals. Have you seen any male guests there? And, yeah, I thought for a minute about complaining to the manager but I didn’t want to get the kid in trouble. She looked awfully young, and I’m thinking she might be new there. Guess I’m a pushover, huh?
She quickly tapped out a response.
No, just a really nice guy. If it had been me I would have been real tempted to raise hell, demand they fix the order and then give it to me for half off. A few years ago I would have done exactly that. But since I’ve worked for Ananda, I can appreciate what a thankless job food service workers have. Thank God almost all of her regulars are nice people, though there are still a few I’m tempted to toss a hot cup of coffee at once in awhile.
His reply was almost instantaneous.
Guess I’m lucky you didn’t scald me that first day I came into the shop. Especially after I told you why I was there.
Scarlett scooped up a forkful of perfectly crisped home fries before answering.
Yeah, you caught a break for sure. I was pissed off big time when you mentioned my father. Lucky for you that you’re cute. Guess I didn’t want to inflict any first degree burns on that smiling face. BTW, how’s Hannah doing?