A Little Get Away

A Little Get Away.

Jackson looked at his ringing phone with a twinge of fear. Then, he grimaced when he saw the caller id. His eyes drifted to a waiter, in what appeared to be a yacht captain’s uniform, trudging across the sand. He slid “accept.”

“Hey, Joyce. Sorry I missed your call. I wont be in the office today.” He gestured silence to the waiter as he replaced his empty glass with a fresh one. Jackson pulled a 20 out of his pocket, handed it to the waiter, and gestured to the phone. The waiter smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

“What? Where am I?” He didn’t skip a beat with, “Just outside Kansas City.”

He listened for a long minute, his face betraying annoyance. Personal relationships with your secretary are never a good idea. Finally, when Joyce paused, he said, “I know we had a date, but there’s been an emergency. My uncle in Utah had a stroke. They don’t think he’ll make it. I was his favorite you know. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

A pelican dove into the blue surf in front of him. Soon it was joined by lesser gulls crying shrill cries and diving after bait fish.

“What? The noise…oh, I’m pulling into a Travel Center. You probably heard air brakes. Semi-trucks are everywhere.” He picked up his glass and managed to get the straw to his lips without the garnish of orchids getting in the way.

“News? What news?” He listened for what seemed like forever. “Really? Embezzled? Everything? Any suspects?” What did he care? Bali doesn't have extradition.

“Joyce, I’m going to have to let you go and fuel up. What? Of course I’ll call.”

Standing, he threw his phone far out into the Indian Ocean. Kuta Beach makes a good get away.