Troubled Soul

The Beginning:

 His things were packed and he was ready to see the world. Justin Smith got his passport, airline ticket and the money to spend. Within few hours, he'll be at the airport and would soon board the plane that would send him to Hawaii. For more than 2 years, Justin waited for this moment, to prepare his journey and finally he was ready. Why was he leaving New York City for now? Well, it's the sea. This time, Justin would dance with the waves with no choreography but complete freedom. The sound of the waves on the shoreline would be his music. Excitedly, he glanced on his airline ticket, United Airline, New York to Honolulu 10:15 AM September 8, 2017. He realized that this was it, and he would be on the plane for 7 hrs. to reach Hawaii.

The Flight :

The flight attendant dutifully asked him to fasten his seatbelt. The plane was already 30 minutes airborne when the passenger on the next seat informed him that his phone fell out from his pocket. He thanked the passenger; however, he was asked of his final destination. Somewhat surprised at being asked, he answered Honolulu." Oh!" said the lady. "My name is Sally, glad to travel with you. Sorry, I'm not really comfortable flying; but, got to be back also in Honolulu. I stay with my parents there."

Justin meanwhile, figured out that Sally probably was in her early twenties. Not really keen to engage in a conversation with her, Justin, prepared himself for a quick nap. Sally meanwhile took a traveling magazine and started reading on it's pages. She's still half on the first page of the magazine, when the `` fasten your seatbelt" display lights up. Instantly, Sally grappled on her seatbelt, obviously, a little bit nervous and creating a mild commotion on her seat. That did not escape the attention of Justin. "Are you ok Sally?" "Yes, I'll be ok" "Good" Justin answered back. 

Being a gentleman, Justin comforted her while the plane was experiencing a turbulence; however, Sally, though very thankful of Justin's gesture, can't avoid not bothering Justin on his much needed nap.

The 7 hr. flight ordeal of Sally was about to end; because, the Captain announced that touch down would be in another 10 minutes. You could see movements of passengers preparing themselves. Justin checked Sally, who was somewhat relieved. Sally was very thankful of Justin and gave him her card with her address and contact information. 

"I Found you to be a nice guy, please keep my card." Sally said.

" Thank you Sally, appreciate that, I'll get in touch for sure, take care" Said Justin.

The Hotel Room :

Justin reached his reserved small hotel already around 6pm. He settled his belongings on his hotel bed, quickly looked outside the window and enjoyed the view of the ocean. He checked his pocket, and took Sally's card and safely inserted it in his wallet. He was looking forward to a stress free, relaxing environment , him, and the sea away from New York City's organized chaos.

Message From Sally:

He barely finished settling himself in his hotel room, when he heard knocks on his door. Using his peep hole, he saw the Bellboy with a message envelope in his hand. He opened the door and he knew that the message was new; otherwise, that could have been given to him upon check in. He asked the Bellboy to wait while he read the message.

" Is the lady still in the lobby?" he asked the Bellboy.

"Sorry Sir, the message was handed to me at the Reception, but would you like me to page at the lobby and call you back?" Said the Bellboy.

" No, thank you it's ok." Justin replied.

Tipping the bellboy, he closed the door and read the message again.

"Welcome to Hawaii, I just want to surprise you"

Sally.

Plans For Sally :

He took Sally's card and attempted to call her, to know how she knew his hotel. But he decided to call her later on. He just wanted to finish settling down, freshen up and prepare for his dinner at the lobby's restaurant. But still that did not stop him to wonder how Sally found his hotel. Finally, he got time to explore his hotel, visited the lobby, and chatted with the Bell Captain. He was just informed how lucky for him to have a room, the hotel was booked and so were the other hotels. Justin was vacationing and not on a business trip. So he had nothing to worry about deadlines, just how to enjoy his freedom of time and free schedule. He window shopped the arcade of the lobby to find good souvenirs. 

After securing a seat in the lobby restaurant and deciding on his menu, Justin called the food server and inquired if he could have a seat for two tomorrow without reservation. He planned to invite Sally, but would not reserve without confirmation from Sally. Fortunately he was assured of the space if they will show up at 7pm. 

Surveying the Area :

After he had his dinner, Justin decided to walk outside the hotel. The nightlife of Honolulu was vibrant and chaotic. Tourists of different nationalities were everywhere; and, Justin was only one of them. If he would walk the street of New York, he knew how not to trust the busy main streets. Somewhere around, danger lurks, either being victimized by pickpockets, mugged by vicious gangs or sweet talked by prostitutes. But he knew New York, he knew that he would hear the siren of the police car or the ambulance at night. He knew someone would land in the hospital or would be locked up in the police precinct.

A Call From Sally :

His phone rang and an unfamiliar number was calling him. For a brief moment, again wondered who might be calling him.

"Hello," he answered.

The voice of a lady was calling. "Hi, Justin, are you enjoying the night outside?

" Who's with me please ?" He asked the caller.

"Don't be surprised, I'm just checking on you, I know you will ask me how did I know your number" The caller said.

"I'm sorry lady, but I can't take mystery calls," he replied.

" No, please don't hang up you know me, I'm Sally" Sally identifying herself.

" Whew, Sally, how are you and where are you? He asked.

" It's not important now where I am, I just want to inform you that

It's really not a good idea to stay long alone outside." Sally said.

What do you mean? Appeared confused, he asked Sally.

" I live here, I know," Sally said.

" Thank you, I will take care, yes, I should ask, how did you know my number ? He asked Sally.

" I already told you, It's not a good idea to stay long alone outside, " Sally repeated her warning. "Bye" Sally hung up.

Checking The Phone Number :

Quickly, Justin checked the number of received calls against Sally's card. The number was different. He dialed Sally's number on the card, but a recording to leave name and number greeted him. Justin quickly remembered the events on the plane when Sally told him that he dropped his phone. Could Sally do something on his phone ?

Slowly, Justin felt mystified with Sally. He knew Sally would call him again, if he couldn't reach her number in the card. He still would like to invite her to dinner.

Justin shortened his strolling outside his hotel. He went back to his hotel and found another message inserted under his door. He almost could not believe what he read. " 7PM ok for me, Leave me a message if you couldn't make it, see you on our dinner there tomorrow" Sally.

If only Sally was in front of Justin, Justin would ask her if Sally was stalking on him. But he didn't want to think too much for now. He could interview Sally during their dinner. He just wanted to feel excited about what will happen tomorrow. But his curiosity was intensifying. He went to the restaurant to talk to the food server whom he asked for a space even without a reservation.

Unfortunately the guy was no longer there. So he proceeded to the message counter and inquired about the staff who handled the message for him. He wanted to find out if Sally was there at the counter when she left the message. This time, Bingo, the staff remembered Sally writing the message. So Sally was actually at the hotel, talked to the food server and left a message for him. Justin was being followed from airport to hotel, and Sally tinkered on his phone. 

 Another Call From Sally :

Justin's phone rang again. This time Justin knew it was Sally.

"Hi Justin, meet me at the entrance in 5 minutes." Sally said.

"I'll be there, see you." Justin answered.

Sally’s Arrival :

Sally arrived wearing blue jeans, and glittered silver blouse, with a matching evening shoulder bag. She's stunningly beautiful. Justin wore black jean, black t-shirt and wearing white sneakers. Sally was greeted by Justin with a kiss on her cheek. Justin was almost the same age with Sally, clean haircut , his glasses fit his intelligent personality. 

Scene At The Dinner Table :

At the dinner table, while both of them were comfortably seated, it didn't take them long to decide on the menu. Sally, though, not common for a dinner date like that, ordered a glass of beer, of course, after getting the permission of Justin. There their conversation started with questions from Justin.

" How did you find out about my hotel ? Did you follow me from the airport?" Asked Justin.

" No, I did not, because I knew the taxi driver who drove you here. I called him to make sure you'll be ok. He told me where he dropped you." said Sally.

Justin was not easily convinced. " So you also knew the food servers here" Justin asked Sally again.

" Let me keep you guessing, I can't reveal everything to you. I know you are looking at me as a mysterious lady, yes I am a mysterious lady" Sally said.

 Their conversation was briefly interrupted as the waiter poured half of the beer into Sally's glass.

"Oh by the way I don't mind at all if you are drinking just feel free if you want another bottle." Justin said.

" Thank you, I really don't drink, I just want to feel comfortable at our dinner,” said Sally.

“I don’t mean you are making me uncomfortable,” she added.

Finally the waiter served their food; however, Justin would like to know more of Sally but he reserved his questions to give way for Sally to also enjoy the food and ambiance of the occasion. So Justin toned down their conversation into not so serious matters. Justin tried to find out Sally’s interests by telling her how he got into music and dancing. He was hoping Sally would also give him some ideas about what she’s up to in her life. 

Sally Told Her Experience :

Suddenly, Sally opened up a bit about her experience while growing up. It’s not hard for Justin to gauge Sally’s personality. From what Sally narrated, Justin could assess an imbalance of emotion in Sally’s personality. Though Sally did not elaborate, she suffered from abuse and there was anger within her. She grew up in an unhappy family: however, Justin cheered up their dinner. He managed to solicit occasional smiles from Sally.

“ Why did you choose Hawaii for your vacation? Asked Sally.

“ These islands are paradise, The moment I saw the features of Hawaii from YouTube, read brochures and listened to people I will go to that place”. He said.

“ I work at the opposite side of New York from where you live. If I don't need to earn money I will not stay in New York” Sally said.

“ But listen, and let me ask you a question, why are you travelling alone ? Sally asked.

“You mean where is my girl?” Justin replied.

“ Yes, also your parents, brothers or sisters” Sally added.

“ I just turned 23 two months ago, I had a girlfriend but I chose my independence. My parents are with my sister and she’s older than me.

Sally Answered A Phone Call:

Justin prepared the dinner quite lavishly, as the variety of food was served, they both continued on with their stories. Sally was so attractive and she couldn't hide being embarrassed by Justin's admiration of her look. One thing for sure, they both enjoyed the food and almost forgot the time. 

Just as they were about to end the night, Sally's phone rang. She looked a while on her phone, and excused herself as she stood up and walked further away from Justin. Whoever was calling, obviously was making Sally very upset. Although whispering, her voice couldn't hide an argument going on. After the call she went back to Justin and apologized.

“ I have to go, thank you for the wonderful night, don’t call me, I will call you when we can meet again.” Sally said.

“ Are you ok?” Justin asked Sally.

“ Yes, listen Justin, I will go out alone and don’t follow me” Sally told Justin.

Sally Left Justin:

She kissed Justin on the cheek and hurriedly went out and disappeared from Justin’s site. From his hotel room, Justin called the operator and told that he would not receive any call and just take messages. It was past midnight and time to hit the bed.

In The Beach :

The next day on the beach, wearing his shade, Justin was applying sunblock on his body. He was now the typical tourist, on the beach, enjoying the sun, and having refreshing and cool drinks. His body was well stretched and comfortably lying on a beach bed. That was almost noon time, when someone called his name.

"Mr. Justin Smith ?" Someone announced his name.

"Yes," he answered.

That was the Bellhop, delivering an urgent message for him.

" I couldn't reach you in your room, and you were not answering your phone, can I meet you at 2PM, at 7 Eleven store, a block away from your hotel. Give me a miss call now, that means ok." Sally.

Justin gave her a missed call to confirm ok. His mysterious feeling with Sally only deepens. For him, his curiosity drove him to know what really was going with Sally. To his mind, I came to Hawaii to enjoy a vacation. Nothing else. But Sally became his newly gained friend, an experience, and an opportunity to help probably a troubled soul. 

The Meeting Place :

He reached the entrance of 7 Eleven. There was Sally, waiting for him. Her floral design dress only added to her already beautiful personality. Sally waved to him, gesturing to Justin to sit in a reserved space beside her.

Justin offered Sally a can of soda which she accepted. 

" Thank you for coming Justin. I know you must enjoy your vacation, but please stay with me for a while. I want you just to listen." Sally starts a conversation.

Sally Confessed :

"I am a troubled person and trying to help myself by sharing to you my feeling of depression. The moment we met on the plane, for whatever reason, I felt a happy feeling. I don't want you to burden yourself with my predicament. I only ask you to spare some moment, listening to me, I need someone like you to understand myself. This very moment that I'm with you , is a relief. Why ? Because you listen to me." Sally continued.

Justin was completely overwhelmed by mixed feelings. There was Sally, looking at him as her only hope. At the same time Justin didn't want to miss this chance of helping Sally. But Sally knew best how Justin could help her. When she said to Justin, "I just want you to listen", exactly what Justin did. Both of their emotions filled up the ambiance of their meeting. Sally's eyes showed only her true feelings, teary yet expressively honest. 

Conclusion , Justin Comforted Sally : 

Finally, Justin could utter a few words. " Sally, you only showed me how important I am as a person. It is me who must thank you for allowing me to help you." You are very special as well. Justin said.

Justin held her hands. His touch expressed sympathy and understanding. Sally's state of depression was beyond Justin's ability to handle. The challenge for Justin was to keep Sally's feeling of relief, even at the time of leaving her alone. 

While walking together, leaving 7 Eleven, Sally used Justin's shoulder to lay her head. They both knew that their encounter would be brief but meaningful. Two individuals, met by circumstances. Truly to Justin, Sally made his vacation more memorable and Sally bravely faced her depression with Justin's helping hand.