The Jackpot Journey

The woman on the TV continued her report, “Luckily no witnesses were harmed, but it was a traumatizing event, to say the least. Please stay safe folks and remember to keep your phone on you at all times in case you end up in a similar situation. Back to you Neil.”

The screen panned to a man sitting in a news studio. This was just life in South East Portland. Another gas station robbery had taken place.

Devi turned off the TV and threw the remote onto the couch.

“Where’s the baby?” she shouted.

From the distance, her husband, Brock, replied loudly, “She’s in the jumper! I got her, man.”

Devi rolled her eyes. She hated it when he called her man. Whenever she told him this, he would always laugh, telling her to loosen up.

With heavy feet, she made her way to the air conditioner. In neon green numbers appeared the number 63. She glanced at the thermostat above the back door: 82.

“How is it 82 degrees in here!?” she yelled out to no one in particular. Likewise, no one replied.

We have got to get out of this town, Devi thought to herself bleakly. She sat down by the window and grabbed a cookie from the small jar in the middle. Snickerdoodle. Her favorite.

It had been a whole year since they ventured down to Oregon, all the way from Toronto, Canada. They thought the change of scenery would be nice, but they were wrong.

The winters of Oregon were brutal, and the summers were just as extreme.

The bipolar weather left them in distress as they struggled to meet their payments, living paycheck to paycheck.

Suddenly, Brock appeared before her with some cheap champagne and two glasses. She smiled at him. He smiled back and laughed, joining her at the small, square table.

“The baby is down for a nap, it’s my night off and we-” He popped the champagne with dramatic enthusiasm, “-are going to celebrate, because I feel like it.”

After pouring some generous glasses, he raised his up high, “Here’s to loving life.”

She nodded, “To loving life.” Their glasses clinked gently. His positive perspective on life never ceased to amaze her.

After a few moments of silence, Brock perked up and looked at his wife, “If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?”

Devi thought for a moment, then said, “Hmm, let’s say our answer at the same time.”

Brock grinned excitedly and replied, “Okay…one, two, three-”

“Hawaii!” They shouted in unison. They laughed in amusement.

“Yesss!” replied Devi. Then she sighed and she leaned back into her chair, “And a nice part too. I’m sick of these shootings every other day. I want to be able to take Genna down the road for a walk and not worry about nothing.”

“Damn,” sighed her husband, “Another shooting? This sh*t is getting crazy.”

“Honestly.”

A few moments passed again, before Brock broke the silence, “Hey, I got a wild idea.”

Devi nodded in anticipation.

“Close your eyes.” he said, pausing to make sure she closed them, “Now, imagine you are in Honolulu, on the beach. You can feel the sand, hear the waves, see the sun and the palm trees.” He inhaled deeply through his nose, “Smell the fresh ocean air.”

At this, Devi smiled and relaxed into her seat, breathing deeply. After a few moments of indulging in the fantasy, she opened her eyes and snapped back to reality, “It’s only a six-hour flight, but it feels so far.”

“Don’t think like that!” said Brock, “We gotta stay positive!"

He reached over and grabbed the remote, flipping on the TV.

A serene island view of the Hawaiian islands popped up as the TV came to life, airing what seemed to be a commerical for a cruise. “Hey, look at that! It's a sign."

Crumbs fell into Devi’s lap as her mouth fell open in astonishment. This got her mind going, and she began to think Hawaii might really be possible. She looked at her husband, “Do you actually think it's possible?”

Brock looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression and sighed, “To be honest with you, I am ready to just live life to the fullest. Once our business takes off, we can go anywhere we want.”

His wife nodded enthusiastically. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, then stood up, “I'm gonna go do some yoga.”

Devi picked up her glass and as she shuffled through the muggy heat. As she made her way to the kitchen the TV caught her attention once again.

“ALOOOHA!"

She turned around to see that the news had ended and now the channel was airing an episode of Shark Tank. Famous Amos stood before the millionaires, pitching his new brand of cookies.

His new brand was intent on capturing the aloha spirit of his home…Hawaii, of course.

Her husband shouted dramatically, “WOOHOO! Another sign, man! We’re already there.” He poured the last of the champagne into his glass and burped loudly.

Then his arms began to sway and his hips began to hula, in sync with the pitch that was still playing on Shark Tank. Hula dancers came in and entertained the Shark investors with a short performance.

Devi was laughing so hard she barely noticed that he had called her man. Barely. She continued laughing all the way to the kitchen, loving this vibe.

Everything seemed to be falling into place.

~

Find out what happens to Devi and Brock in Part Two, coming this week!

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