We weave in and out of a couple of tables, the clinking of cutlery and chatter loud in the air as we arrive at a hibachi setup designed to accommodate eight people. Its polished surfacegleams under the light. The air is rich with the aroma of soy sauce, savory steak, and the scent of rice.
We sit and when I look up, I realize we have a view of the ocean. The horizon is painted an array of colors. We’ll be able to watch the sunset tonight as we eat our dinner. This is utterly perfect.
I pull out my phone and see that I missed a bunch of texts and calls from my friends. I also missed a text from Kai, so I take a quick peek.
Kai:
You are beautiful. I can’t wait to get to know you better on Sunday.
That’s really nice of him to say. Before we get settled into dinner mode, I text him back.
Faith:
You’re too kind. How’s your day going?
Kai:
You’re on vacation. Relax, don’t worry about texting me. But I will admit, I like it when you do.
Faith:
It’s always nice to see your text on my screen.
Kai:
Same.
I slip my phone into the bag. No more distractions tonight.
“When is the meeting with the wedding coordinator?” I ask.
Kendall squeals and says, “It’s tomorrow. I’m getting more giddy by the day. I keep looking at the coffee table wedding books and making lists of what I want.”
“The wedding pictures around the resort are beautiful. You are going to make a gorgeous bride. Thank you for including us in the big wedding decision. It’s an honor to be part of the planning, and we are going to be amazing bridesmaids,” I tell her, giving her a big smile.
“We’ll be able to see the set up on the beach overlooking the ocean before we leave. It’s so exciting!” Suddenly, she covers her mouth to stop the words from coming out. “Ugh. Faith, sorry! I didn’t mean to bring up Jude’s wedding.”
“No, you guys can’t walk on eggshells with me when it comes to Jude. Accepting where we both are in life is part of my healing. Journaling and sleeping earlier helped. One more layer of hurt is removed. It will take some time, but I have plenty of that.”
Lane leans over, touches my shoulder, and whispers to me, “You know we’re here for you when you’re ready to talk.”
Addison, who sits on the other side of me, gives me a big side hug and says, “We got you.”
I lean against her and say, “You guys are the best. Now, let’s celebrate our trip with some drinks and good food.”
Being with friends who love and support each other has gotten me through a lot, and we know how to have fun together. They help me stay grounded and present. We’ve all grown over the years, but one thing that hasn’t changed is our loyalty to each other. When one person is down, we are always there to listen and distract each other with something fun. Today, it’s celebrating with my best friends on thisOne Happy Island. How can I be upset with all this beauty around me? Taking care of myself is my top priority. It’s the reason we’re all here—to get away from the stress of life, escape our careers, and spend quality time with each other—especially since we’re all so busy.
We are all laughing as the chef entertains us with an onion volcano of fire and tosses food from his spatula into our mouths.He serves us the food he cooked and moves onto the next table. We chat, eat, and watch the sunset. We finish our food and frozen drinks, and I realize it’s dinners like these that keep us together.
“Want to take this outside to the tiki bar and enjoy the music and views?” Kendall asks as she lifts herself from the chair and gives a pointed look to us.
“Is that our cue to get up? Guess we’re moving outside,” I tease her and pull my hair up, securing it with the scrunchie that’s around my wrist.
“I think the DJ is playing tonight,” Addison says as we leave the restaurant and leisurely walk to the tiki bar. The odds of me seeing Jude just skyrocketed. This bar is packed, but we manage to find a table overlooking the beach. Hopefully there’s no Jude tonight. I’ve been having such a good time, and I’m really hoping to keep it that way.
TEN
JUDE
