Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“Yes,” I whisper joyfully, releasing my grip on my suitcase and performing a spin.
The huge four-poster bed in the middle of the back wall is covered in bright white linen, and the walls are a cheerful blue-gray that make the room seem like it goes on forever.
“Oh yes,” I moan when I spot the bathroom on the left side of the bed. The glittering white tile in the gargantuan walk-in shower stands out like a beacon. A nice hot soak under the rain showerhead is exactly what I need after the three-hour flight from New York.
Gently, I lift my suitcase onto the bed and start digging through my clothes and setting them into the drawers of the dresser. It doesn’t take me more than five minutes to get all my things organized, and the water of the shower heats up just as quick.
And once I step under the spray and inhale a deep breath, I know I’m exactly where I need to be.
Yep. I’m pretty sure this is heaven.
Mack
With the wind of the open road still burning on my cheeks, I turn my Jeep rental into one of the open parking spaces for the condo complex I’ll be calling home for the next week and shift the engine into park. After my flight from NYC was delayed and the car rental place was packed to the brim, I’ve still managed to make pretty good time.
The Florida sun is bright and beautiful, bouncing its rays off everything around me and heating the air to a perfect eighty degrees.
There are a ton of other cars here, but with forty other beachfront condos and a weekend as picturesque as this, it’s no shock that it’s starting to fill up on a Saturday afternoon.
My loud music cuts off dramatically with a turn of the ignition key, and thanks to riding topless with no doors, jumping out is a breeze. I reach easily into the open back and grab my duffel and my paddleboard before bleeping the locks with my key fob.
The sidewalk through the center of the condo complex gives a view to the beach ahead, and the smell of the salty ocean air beckons. Since I’ve lived in New York my whole life, I don’t get to the ocean nearly enough, but when I do, everything else disappears.
Though, if I’m honest, I live a pretty stress-free life, and I do it with intention. Too many people get caught up in the peskiest little day-to-day shit, and I don’t have time or energy for it. At least some of that, I’m sure, is because of the way I was raised.
As a “surprise baby” who came fifteen years after my sister, I had a fifty-fifty chance of being my family’s greatest joy or biggest resentment. Lucky for me, my family went with the former, putting me at the center of their world and finding absolute elation in all my growth and milestones. My sister Lizzy was like a built-in second mother when needed, and the rest of the time, a champion and friend.
Frankly, my family is the reason I teach music. They didn’t complain when I picked up an instrument and taught myself to play—and let me tell you, in the beginning, my musical aspirations were to the detriment of their ears.
And they didn’t balk or judge when I said I wanted to make a career out of music. They made an effort to encourage, which shaped me into a teacher who wants to be a support system for his students. A teacher who keeps an open mind and always tries to inspire a love for learning. So many of my kids who show a real interest in music and the arts don’t have the kind of support I did growing up, and I feel it’s my duty to give them that when they’re in my classroom.
Once I reach the end of the sidewalk, I stop at the front door of my condo rental, set my paddleboard against the outside wall, and punch in the code from the emailed rental instructions.
After the knob clicks open, I gingerly push my way inside.
I wouldn’t say I’m a cautious kind of guy by nature, but over the years, I’ve learned to hasten my bull-in-a-china-shop ways. Basically, there’ve been a few occasions I’ve gotten a little overzealous in an environment I didn’t know and knocked over a valuable or two, and it goes without saying that no one wants to take the chance on having to pay damage fees on a rental.
Clear of hidden dangers, I step through the rest of the way and close the door behind me, tossing my bag on the floor and strolling inside. The kitchen is big and inviting with bright white cabinets, and the light marble countertops are sleek and clear of clutter. Only one vase of flowers sits on the corner and a bottle of wine on the island.