Novel
Writing sample from my novel “My Journey Through Grief”
My Journey Through Grief
Chapter 4
Another Love Story --- One Happy Island!
Love's presence is always here, always now, always available.
We had spent many wonderful vacations on the island of Aruba.
It was there several years ago eight of us who had Timeshares on Palm Beach all decided that we would meet and go to the Lighthouse restaurant at the west end of the island for dinner and be able to view the beautiful sunset.
Of course, we also all realized that we could have watched the beautiful sunset from the comfort of our Timeshare balconies but that wouldn’t have been as much fun.
We got there early, probably around 6 o’clock, so that we could get a great table on the patio overlooking the ocean and enjoy a terrific view of the sunset when it occurred which on that day would be at precisely 6:30 PM.
We relaxed comfortably on our patio table at The Lighthouse restaurant having some before-dinner cocktails and enjoying the light balmy breeze blowing.
We had a very handsome, friendly and enthusiastic young Filipino Server. He was about 25 or 30 years old and very engaging and entertaining and the ladies loved him!
Of course!
He shared with us the life that had seen him away from the Philippines for 5 years. In Aruba he started out as a Cleaner then graduated to a Dishwasher then to a Busser and now the ultimate! ….. he was a Server!
He was one happy person on One Happy Island
He also shared with us that he also had a wife and baby back home. ….and he had many loving stories about both. If he was lucky he got to see them in the middle of the summer. He also shared that every month he sent his pay cheque to them. He was a very joyous and thankful guy. Suddenly just before the sun was to be swallowed by the ocean, we noticed that he was gone, disappeared, nowhere in sight!
We carried on watching the magnificent sun drop behind the horizon and reflect its beautiful prism of colours on the clouds above. Then it was dusk.
Suddenly at our tableside did appear our One Happy Server back and carrying on as if he had never left. We resumed our conversation and repartee, and we asked him why he disappeared and what happened to him so suddenly.
He smiled and responded that every evening at sunset, which was 6:30 PM on that day, he went with his iPad to the far edge of the patio and Skyped his wife in Manila and shared a picture of his beautiful sunset with her.
At the same time, because Manila is exactly 12 hours time difference, and it is 6:30 AM there, she had her iPad ready and shared her beautiful sunrise with him. Then they both looked at his sunset and her sunrise and, as they did every single evening, proclaimed how much they loved each other. Isn’t that beautiful? Couldn't you just picture it in a movie with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks? Just like Annie and Sam in Sleepless in Seattle.
What readers thought of my novel - Acclaim
“I laughed out loud on several pages because it was just funny. What is most humorous is that you captured life etc. etc. ...well, you captured it perfectly and accurately and it was so entertaining that I will most assuredly read it several times just to absorb and laugh out loud”.
“I have spent the morning reading this incredible story and must take a break. It really is riveting and so profound and extremely relatable on so many levels.”
“This flood of salient observations about life and living is quite inspirational.”
“I have spent the morning reading this incredible story and must take a break. It really is riveting and so profound and extremely relatable on so many levels.”
“The book is very well written. There’s lots of humour and insights. My wife said she sometimes felt as if she was looking through your window.”
“Good job. I think that there will be someone’s life that it will influence.”
“I AM ON PAGE 54 AND I AM JUST LOVING LOVING LOVING EVERY PAGE. IT IS SAD. IT IS HUMOROUS AND BLOODY ACCURATE”
“Wow! I am impressed. You have woven thoughts and metaphors into an engaging and flowing narrative. Well done!”
"All of your deep thinking helps you to put together a harmonious mix of your thoughts, research, humour, wit and nuggets of wisdom that you have learned along the way."