The Perfect Vacation

It had been the very best week of my life. The chair lift moved slowly upward above the snow covered trees, giving me plenty of time to reflect on how perfectly things had worked out. Here I was skiing in St. Moritz with my beautiful wife. My wife, my
wife, I loved her so much that I married her twice, ran through my head like a romantic melody.

Soopis was from Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. I had met her in Phuket when I was on vacation. She said she was on holiday also and was just passing through, visiting Patong for the first time. We spent two weeks together. I saw her every day and every
night. I fell head over heels in love with this sensuous creature. The first time that we were married was three years ago. I had arranged for her passport and visa and we lived in New York City. I was deliriously happy until I discovered that
she had been cheating on me. She was going out while I worked in my restaurant and she was sleeping with several other men. She finally left me and we were divorced. My life was a shambles. I was heartbroken, devastated. New York was filled with
beautiful women but I only wanted Soopis.

Today I am a very, very happy man. You see, she came back to me.

Last year, I received a collect phone call from Phuket. It was Soopis. She had made a terrible mistake in leaving me and wanted to start over. I was overjoyed; my life would be whole again.

However, the thought of her leaving me again was too much to bear. I wouldn’t be able to stand it. I couldn’t take that chance. I resolved my fear by explaining to her how much I loved her and that this time we would stay together forever.
We both made this pledge. That was almost a year ago- funny how things turn out.

She didn’t care much for the cold weather or for skiing either. She was not at all interested in going with me until I showed her the brochure. The Palace Hotel was, at one time, the summer residence of the King and Queen of Switzerland. It was
filled with old tapestries, antiques and marble stairways. It had a luxurious spa that catered to your every whim. I though that Soopis would spend most of her time being coiffured, massaged and manicured but that was fine. It was all quite expensive,
but I wanted this week to be very special.
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows over the cliffs and crevices below. Some were so deep the snow never melted there, not even in the summer. How deep was the snow in these jagged rips?
I didn’t know. How deep were the jagged rips in my heart? I didn’t know that either.

We had been on the chair for almost twenty-five minutes, gliding silently to the top of the highest mountain. We were on the north face above the tree line. It was cold and gray, the shadows making it difficult to see the trails below. With such poor
visibility, not many skiers would be here so late in the day. Soopis didn’t want to be here either, but it was important that she accompany me. This morning, I had taken her into one of the fancy stores that ran along the side of the hotel
lobby and let her try on a mink coat. I left my American Express card on the counter; the coat would be ready by dinnertime.

I wasn’t worried about the weather. I had been here many times in the past week. I looked at the long row of empty chairs in front of us. I turned and looked back; there was no one behind us as far as I could see. I was alone with my beautiful
wife and the peaceful silence. I was blissfully contented.

I glanced over at Soopis. She had never liked heights and was gripping the chair with both hands.

‘I don’t know how I ever let you talk me into this. I’ll never be able to ski down from here,’ she said in an annoyed voice.

‘Don’t worry, my darling, everything will be just fine,’ I said gently.

We would reach the summit in another five minutes. It was almost time. I moved closer and put my arms around her and told her how much I loved her and asked if she remembered our vows to be together always.

‘Yes, yes, I remember. Now stop, you are making the chair sway.’

I spoke to her in a calm and quiet tone, slowly, as if to a child. I wanted her to understand perfectly. I couldn’t help smiling as I talked to her.

‘Well, if you remember why have you been going out with other men? Did you think that I wouldn’t find out? Do you think that I’m stupid?’

‘Yes, you’re stupid. I’m sick of you and I’m leaving you as soon as we get home.’

‘If you do, you’ll break your promise and I can’t let you do that,’ I said my smile growing larger. I felt serene and exhilarated at the same time.

My timing was excellent, only another minute now. I whispered in her ear. ‘My darling I love you so much and I vowed that we would be together forever and we will be.’

My arms encircled her now, moving her closer to me.

‘Everything will be fine.’

‘You’re crazy, let me go. I want to get down from here.’

‘Really?’ I asked, my grin spreading across my entire face. How funny I thought. She was starting to panic. I could see her eyes widen and her mouth open, as if to scream. I held her tightly and slipped off the chair just where I had planned.
Her grip broke instantly and we plunged sixty, seventy meters into the snow-filled gorge below.

We would be together forever now and no one would ever disturb us again.

Stickman's thoughts:

Nice, as always.