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He watched her face, so alight with joy.  He had
a part in putting that smile on her face.  The very thought brought a smile to
his face. 

He took air travel for granted.  He’d flown
countless times.  He took for granted the ability to enter any restaurant he
wanted, without having to worry about the cost of any of the items on the
menu.  He’d booked the nicest hotel on the beach, without a thought to the
cost.  He’d been blessed, and this lovely woman deserved to be blessed too. 
She deserved to have someone splurge on her—spoil her.  And he intended to be
the one to do it. 

  “Let’s go,” he said eagerly, taking her hand.

Together, they walked to the elevators.  They
rode down to the lobby and stepped outside, into the warm Florida sunshine. 
Liz paused to breathe deeply of the salty air.  She turned to grin at Ike.  “I
can’t believe we’re here.”

“Well, honey, believe it.”  He squeezed her hand
and together they walked to a nearby restaurant overlooking the breaking waves.

Inside, they were seated by a window with an
exquisite view of the ocean.  “Ike, this is lovely,” Liz said, smiling as she
scanned the horizon.  “Oh, I can’t wait to put my foot into that ocean.”  She
studied it for a moment.  “It’s so different from the Pacific.”  She leaned
forward, in an attempt to see to her left, and then to her right.  “I’d read
before that this beach isn’t rocky like our own beach, and that the whole
region is basically at sea level.”

“That’s right,” he said, and then flashed a
smile.  “It’s very different from our own beach.”

Liz focused on the sand below.  “It’s a golden
brown color.  Ike, are those shells on the beach?”

He nodded.  “Yes, and they come in an assortment
of pretty colors.”

“I can’t wait to do some beachcombing,” she said
eagerly.

A waitress arrived at their table, took their
orders, and with a smile, scurried away.  Liz continued to stare out at the
ocean.  Ike continued to stare at her.

Her face was so peaceful, her mouth set in a
serene smile.  It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her
shoulders.  He suspected it was the first time she’d ever been able to leave
her worries behind.  Perhaps she hadn’t ever had a real vacation before.

As if on cue she said, “I’ve never really had a
getaway like this,” she admitted.  “Even if I’d had the money to afford it, I
never had the time.”

“Raising children alone is a huge
responsibility,” he said with understanding, and then tapped the table.  “But
you deserve a vacation, and I want you to enjoy every minute of this trip.  I don’t
want you worrying about the grandkids…”

Liz gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. 
She slowly lowered it.  “Oh, Ike, I actually forgot all about them.”  She gave
a giggle.  “That’s bad.”

“No, honey, it’s not.  They’re fine.  Besides,
I’m sure they’re both back to their jobs and so intently focused on work,
they’re not thinking about us at all.  And frankly, right now, that’s a good
thing.  I don’t want them interfering with our plans.”

She nodded.  “I do think we should call them and
at least tell them we’re okay, and will be back home soon.”

“Who says we’ll be home soon?”

She giggled delightedly, but reluctantly
sobered.  “Well, I should call Amanda, and you should call Brady.  Let’s do it
now, so we won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“Oh, okay,” he said resignedly, and pulled his
phone from his pocket.  He made an alarmed face.  “I don’t have any bars.  My
phone is dead!”

Liz checked her phone and gasped.  “Oh, no.  My
phone is dead too.  I didn’t think to bring a charger, not that we’d stopped by
the home to get it if I had.”

“I didn’t think about it either,” Ike admitted. 
“Well, hey, we’ll just have to run by a store and buy a couple.”  He gave a
dismissive wave.  “We have time.”

***

Brady checked his phone.  No messages.  He sent
a glance at Amanda.  Her face was still flushed from the alcohol she’d consumed
on the plane, and she still hadn’t gotten her balance back.  He held onto one
of her arms, while trying to deal with his carry on, and hers too.  “Let’s sit
down for a minute,” he muttered.

She gave a numb nod and dropped into a chair. 
“My head is killing me,” she moaned.  “I’m not used to drinking.”  She gingerly
tipped her head from side to side and made a face.  “My neck is killing me
too.”

“I’m sorry.  Did you check your phone?”

She nodded.  “No message.”

He gave an exasperated sigh.  “What do you want
to bet their phones are dead?  It probably didn’t occur to them to bring along
phone chargers.  I mean, why would it?  It’s not as if they’re techno savvy.”

“They may still be ignoring our calls,” Amanda
pointed out, grasping the side of her head in agony.

Brady gave her a sympathetic glance.  “You’re
really hurting, huh?”

“Yeah, my head and my ears.  And my neck.”  She
abruptly konked the side of her head, and followed by pressing a flat palm
against her right ear.  “My ear is throbbing,” she moaned.  “And my neck…  Just
shoot me now.”

“We’ll get you something for the pain, but
first, we have to find our way out of this airport.”

“Where are we staying tonight?” she asked. 
After their initial flight, three-hour layover in Salt Lake City, and four-hour
flight to Orlando, she was ready for bed. 

Brady sighed.  “Well, considering you look like
death warmed over…”

“Thanks,” she muttered testily.

“You’re still beautiful,” he assured her.  “You
just look a little green around the gills.”

She stood up and took a hold of her carry on. 
Thank the Lord the thing had wheels.  “Let’s go.  The sooner we leave the
airport, the sooner I’ll get to bed.”  She paused.  “Wait.  Where did you say
we’re staying for the night?”

Brady’s eyes did a pass over her face.  She
really didn’t look good, and he could see she was in a lot of pain.  “Why don’t
we stay in Orlando tonight, and drive into Cocoa Beach tomorrow.  It’s going to
be dark soon anyway.”

She nodded.  “Thank you.”

Soon, they were in a rental car and driving the
short couple miles to a hotel.  Once there, Brady saw to their rooms, despite
her protests.  “Please keep track of expenses, and we’ll split them down the
middle.”

“We’ll see,” he murmured, as he indicated she
should follow him to a nearby panel of elevators.  They rode up to the third
floor and exited.  Amanda numbly followed Brady to their neighboring rooms.  He
opened her door with a key card, and passed it to her.  “Don’t lose the key,”
he warned.

“I won’t,” she yawned, and then attempted a
smile.  “I’ll see you in the morning.”

He studied her face briefly, and then said
dubiously, “I hope so.”

“Do I look that bad?” she asked, wincing from
the pain in her ears. 

“Nooo,” he assured her, but began nodding. 
“Yeah, actually.  Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?  I’m sure
there’s an urgent care clinic in town.”

She shook her head.  “No.  No.  I’ll make it
until morning.  Besides, my ears should unclog in a week or two.”

“That long?” he asked, making a concerned face.

“Yeah, probably.”  She thrust out her hand. 
“Well, see you tomorrow.”

He accepted her proffered hand and then tugged
her close to him and gathered her in his arms.  She leaned weakly against him. 
“What are you doing?” she mumbled.

“Comforting you,” he informed.

“Oh, okay,” came her muffled response.  “I could
use a little comfort.”

***

The following morning, Ike and Liz strolled
along the beach, close to the breaking waves.  “Just look at the color of that
ocean,” Liz said.  “It’s such a beautiful shade of blue.”

“It reminds me of the color of your eyes,” Ike
said.  “But your eyes are even more beautiful.”

“Oh, Ike,” she giggled coyly.  “Do you really
think my eyes are beautiful?”

“Your eyes and … you!”

“Oh, Ike.”  She resumed walking along the beach
but continued to send veiled glances his way.  He was such a good looking
man—had aged so well.  He still had a full head of hair, and sparkling, almost
youthful, gray eyes.  He had a full, crisply trimmed mustache over beautifully
masculine lips.  He was average height, but well built. 

To her surprise, he suddenly paused again.  He
took her hand and turned her to face the ocean.  She gave him a questioning
glance.

“It’s time to dip those toes into that water,”
he announced.

She gave an eager smile.  “You’re right.  It
is.  Join me?”  She watched him hopefully.

He quickly shed his shoes, and then helped her
to pull hers off one at a time.  He carried both pairs out of reach of the
breaking waves, and then took her hand again.  Together, they stepped
tentatively into the ocean.

“Oh, it’s warm!” Liz cried.

“Well, not exactly,” Ike said, laughing.  “But
certainly warmer than the Pacific.”

To his surprise, she tugged her hand from his
grasp and dashed into the water, until it reached about midway up her calf. 
She kicked at the water, sending a spray into the air.  She spun around, dashed
back toward him, and then turned again, and went deeper this time. 

“Careful!” he called.  She continued to splash,
and ventured even deeper into the waves.

He laughed at her antics and then with a shrug,
bent to roll up his pants and joined her.  Together, they ran into the waves,
and then high-stepped backwards when it appeared they might soak them.  They
frolicked for several minutes, until Ike started toward their shoes.

Liz followed, watching him with concern.  “Are
you all right?”

“Just feeling a little winded,” he admitted. 
“Don’t stop on account of me!” he commanded.  “You came a long way to see that
ocean.”

“We have plenty of time for me to enjoy it.  But
for now, let’s get our shoes back on, and then we’ll find a bench and take a
seat for awhile.”

He sensed she was worried about him.  “I’m fine,
honey,” he told her, smiling into her eyes.  “Just not as young as I used to
be.”

“Just the same, I’d like to sit and enjoy that
view.”

Together, they walked along the beach.  They
soon found a bench on a slight rise that afforded a magnificent view.  Ike
draped an arm over her shoulders.  “Just look at that ocean,” he said, and then
suddenly pointed off toward deeper waters.  “Look, Liz!  Do you see the huge
cruise ship out there?”

She gasped.  “Oh, my!  Look how big it is.”  She
gave a contented sigh.  “I’ve never been on a cruise, but I can now say I’ve
actually seen a cruise ship.”

Ike eyed her thoughtfully, an idea forming in
his mind.  He wouldn’t fill her in as yet, but later, if he could make the
arrangements…

“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked, smiling
into her eyes.

She nodded in wonder.  “Oh, Ike, I am.”  She
turned to him, and then glanced up at the sky.  She lifted her hands to the
brilliant blue above them.  “Ike, I feel so …
alive
!”

***

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck,”
Amanda mumbled into her pillow.  “How’d you get in here anyway?”

Apparently Brady had held onto the second key
card to her room, since he’d just walked in and begun shaking her awake.

“Amanda, get up.  We have to get moving.”

“Brady, I can’t,” she moaned.  “My head is
pounding, my ears are still throbbing, and my neck is kinked.”  She groaned. 
“And I think I may have a hangover, to boot.”

“Oh, I know you have a hangover,” he said with a
chuckle.  “If you didn’t, I’d be worried about you.”

He tossed back the covers on the bed, and
reached for her arms.  He pulled her to a sitting position and then assessed
her face.  “You don’t look so good,” he said.

“Well, don’t you know how to sweet talk a girl,”
she said sarcastically, as she made as if to tip sideways onto the bed.  He
caught her in time and tugged her upright again.

“Amanda, get up.  We have to go.  Those
grandparents could very well be making plans to leave Cocoa Beach.  We have to
find them before they take off again.”

He had her attention now.  “You’re right.”  She
struggled to stand, and finally managed it, with his help.  He propelled her
into the bathroom. 

“Get a shower,” he commanded.  “You’ll feel
better.”

She gave a weary salute and closed the door
behind him.  She abruptly opened it and stuck her head out.  “Get out of my
room.”

“I’m getting out,” he muttered, as he strode
toward the door.  “Hurry!”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, as she closed the door
behind her.

She turned on the water in the shower,
undressed, and then stood back a moment to give it time to warm up.  Soon, she
eased her weary body under that delicious spray.  After a moment, in which she
allowed the water to knead her tense back muscles, she began washing her hair
and body.  Once done, she succumbed to the water again, allowing it to spray
over her for several more moments.