"You remind me of a story I heard once about a man. He was like you, a good guy. He had a good life and he was happy, but he was missing something. He was alone. He wanted a woman, a wife he could spend the rest of his life with. He knew his life was good the way it was, but he couldn't help thinking and dreaming about the life he could have when he finally found her.
“So he started planning for it. He started planning the life he was going to have when he finally found the woman of his dreams. He planned everything: the home they would build together, the family they would raise, even the conversations they would have together, every day for the rest of their lives. He wanted everything to be perfect when he finally found her, but there was one problem.
“He planned for so long, it was all he could think about. He never did all the things he planned to do. He never took time away from his planning to go out and actually find the woman he wanted in the first place. He died with nothing but his big book of plans."
I looked at Keno, pausing because I was sure he was about to keep going. The hell kind of story was that? He died alone in the end anyway?
"He didn't get her in the end?" I asked.
"He was focusing on the wrong thing. Instead of going out to get his girl-"
"He spent all his time figuring what he would do when he got her," I said. "What does that have to do with me?"
"You're him, Nate. Or you're going to be if you let yourself spend all your time thinking about what you could have with Abby, instead of going out and getting her. You're leaving, yeah, but you know what? You're here now. You need to act now and stop planning."
"Was that story supposed to make me feel better?" I asked.
"No. It's supposed to warn you. You're focusing on the wrong thing, brother. You're thinking about that girl when you could be kissing her."
"I can't just go up to her without thinking about what to do first."
"Just watch how long you wait," he said simply. "Watch how long you make her wait, too."
I thought about that while watching him catch a wave. The story had been cool or whatever, but just telling me to hurry it up before she got over me would have worked just as good. Would have taken a lot less time, too. He was a talker, that guy. He had a lot of stories.
He was completely right, though. It sucked and it was a little embarrassing, but he was right.
What I wanted was Abby. If I wasn't careful, I would make it to the end of my vacation without ever getting her. We stayed on the water a little while longer before heading back up to the hotel, me to my suite and Keno back to work.
I took a shower when I got there, finding my way over to the piano after. No more planning, I thought. A plan’s useless unless it actually gets you what you want. The music came to me before the words and finally I was writing. No more planning.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Abby
I attended every single luau that the resort held during the peak season. I had to for work, of course, but I still would even if I didn't have to work.
I was still waiting for the events to get old and staid from the number I had been to but they still hadn't. The performances were the most important part of the night, but the party atmosphere and the energy were always electric. Being around people who were having a good time was a good time to me.
Besides doing the lei greeting, I got to hang out and socialize with the guests, which was always a great time. Some of them would recognize me from the front desk and strike up conversation. That was the thing about talking to people: they didn't want to be treated like someone you couldn't talk to, they wanted to be treated like human beings.
This was good for me. I felt secure with all the people around me because that meant he would be harder to see and it would be harder for him to see me. I never wanted to feel that way about anybody, but I wasn't foolish enough to hang onto something that he had said to my face was not something he could give me. It was good to be hopeful, but some things weren't worth risking your heart over.
I smiled seeing Hank and Rayleigh walking into the luau, their first since they'd checked in. I waved and Rayleigh waved back, seeing me first. I liked them. There was the fact that they were from Texas, which was something I felt connected us a little. Also, they were on their honeymoon – the time in your life that is literally dedicated to nothing but happiness and fun.
"How are you guys tonight?" I asked them as they came closer.
"Great. This is amazing," Rayleigh gushed.
“You guys are early; you can pick some good seats,” Makani told them from next to me.
“Abby warned us how packed these get; she’s been such a great host since we got here,” Rayleigh said, looking over to smile at me. I smiled back.
“Dinner starts in about fifteen minutes; have a great time, guys,” I said. I put a lei over Abby’s head as Makani gave one to Hank. The stream of people coming in had thinned to a trickle and none of them had been Nate. Good, I thought. I could breathe tonight.
We moved closer to the stage when the performances began, watching from the sidelines. I stood by Makani listening to the host introduce the first act. There were enough seats at the tables, but some people preferred to stand, especially when they weren’t having anything to eat. A small group of guests was standing with us, watching the show. Somebody brushing against my shoulder caught my attention. I looked over. It was a guy, smiling down at me.
“Hey,” he said. “I’m Trent.”