Growing Up

Alex Freeman was a very busy man. He got up at 5:30 am each morning and was at his desk working by 7:00 am. He typically worked long hours…ending his workday at 6:00 pm. Alex rarely took a day off from work except for Sundays. He was dedicated to his work and thoroughly enjoyed it. His work was his first love. Second to his love of work was his love for Adrienne Jewel.

Alex adored Adrienne's cheerful, upbeat attitude. He loved her healthy glow and her sex appeal. In fact, Alex treasured his time alone with her. And Adrienne returned Alex's love in abundance.

Adrienne Jewel was a successful artist who herself was beautiful like a superlative painting. She was also in awe of Alex. On first encountering Alex in a chance meeting while waiting in line for a classical music concert, she immediately recognized his manly strength. Adrienne did not focus on his brute physical strength, although Alex was remarkably strong. Instead, she recognized his strength of mind and character. Alex's integrity was like a law of nature; it was unfailing. And he radiated strength of mind so ostensive that being near him was like being protected by armed bodyguards.

One evening when Alex was working late, Adrienne unexpectedly arrived at his office. She looked through the glass in the door and saw him hovered over his computer, with light from the computer screen illuminating his face in an otherwise dark room. She faintly heard music…romantic music…a ballad by Chopin. Carefully, she opened the door and brought her belongings into the office without Alex noticing. She walked to the light switch, looked at Alex, and flicked on the lights. The room immediately lit up. Alex did not move his head from the screen. Puzzled, Adrienne shouted, "Alex!"

"Huh? Who the heck… What are you doing here?" murmured Alex.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" said Adrienne.

"Oh, yes, please excuse me for not noticing your entrance. You see I was…"

"You had your head in the computer again. I know. You really are a hard worker. I've never seen anyone work so hard as you."

"Ah, right. Give me a minute to close down these items here… Alright," declared Alex as he pushed his chair away from the computer and swung around toward Adrienne. "Wow, you are beautiful. I must be the luckiest guy in the world to have you alone with me."

"Stop it," said Adrienne as she began to blush, her tanned face turning deep red. "I'm the lucky one; I won your love. You're a tall, dark-haired man with blue eyes, a sexy body, an intelligent mind, and impeccable character. You can see that I'm the lucky one." Adrienne walked around the desk to where Alex was sitting. She sat down on his lap.

Alex had a clear view of Adrienne's beauty. His eyes took in the sight of her long silky black hair, her pretty Asian face, and her voluptuous body, which was covered with a short white dress. He looked down at her beautiful legs that were capped with white dress shoes. She smelled delicious and she felt great. He could not say anything; he did not want to say anything. Time vanished for Alex as he savored each moment he was with this incredibly lovely lady. They hugged each other at just the right time, when both were ready for each other's embrace.

"I came to sketch you for my next art project," whispered Adrienne in Alex's ear.

"Mmm," came from Alex's throat. "Later. Let's be together now."

"But Alex, I'm going to make a statue…of you!"

"What?"

"I said, you're going to be the subject of my next sculpture!"

"Now wait a minute Adrienne…"

"Oh, don't be a crybaby. You should be proud to be the subject of my artwork. Do you know how many men would love to…"

"I don't give a damn about other guys! Why do you want to make a sculpture of me?"

"Well," said Adrienne, "You're noble, handsome, on your way to becoming a famous figure in history…and because I love you. Are those good enough reasons?"

"Well, really, I never thought of myself as statue material," replied Alex.

"Just be quiet and pose for me, will you?" said Adrienne as she began unpacking her materials from a leather bag.

Adrienne arranged Alex's seating position and surroundings to do some quick character sketches. She took her pad and charcoal pencil and began throwing dark lines on the white sketchpad, lines that captured the essence of Alex's masculine shape.

She moved to a different position, lowering herself to the ground to look up at Alex as he sat majestically but relaxed in his chair. She looked at her sketchpad and then at Alex. Light from the ceiling shined into Alex's blue eyes, illuminating the doorway to his soul. She then looked back down to her pad and sketched his eyes, those alluring eyes. Next she sketched his nose and mouth, followed by his facial outline, hair, and so on. Alex sat comfortably and confidently, knowing that if he does what his woman wants now, she will please him later.

He heard Adrienne thinking out loud, muttering something about how her sketches perfectly captured his form on paper. Then his mind began to wander…

Alex let his mind roam freely, and he paid attention to the thoughts that surfaced. At first, random images came to mind: a dance song he heard on the radio this morning, the scent of pie his mother made when he was a teenager, the crashing sound of thunder and heavy rain he heard through the night. After this, his mind went blank for a few moments; nothing at all came to his awareness. Then Alex asked himself why he was so in love with Adrienne. His subconscious began to actively search for answers.

An image of Adrienne popped into his head. He looked out for a moment and saw Adrienne twenty feet away, looking lovelier than ever. Then an image of his first wife came into focus. She was much different than Adrienne. Alex's first wife, Violet Newman, was a thin lady who had brown hair and brown eyes. Violet generally was lazy and she had a fascination with the occult. As a child, Violet indulged in astrology, crystal balls, and seances. She became known within her circle of friends as an esoteric mystic with magical powers. After high school, Violet began using tarot cards and crystal balls to reveal people's futures. After that, she became a professional faith healer, using chants, incense, and spells to "heal" troubled people. She became popular and wealthy from her work as a faith healer. In reality, Violet is immature, never having developed her mind or character to honestly deal with reality. As an adult, Violet's survival depends on beclouding reality and duping her victims into accepting mystical frauds.

Alex asked himself, "Why does Violet's image appear when I'm trying to figure out why I love Adrienne so much?" Then it occurred to him. Violet and Adrienne are vastly different from each other, so different that the contrast among them clarifies what Alex finds attractive in Adrienne. Violet, Alex's first wife, is into astrology, tarot card readings, and other New Age mysticism. She is unfulfilled and unhappy. Even though Violet has remarried and has a family, she is lonely and sad—a kind of loneliness and sadness that can be hidden at social events but not hidden from oneself.

Adrienne, by contrast, is fully anchored in reality. She is driven by her passion for art and her love of Alex. She dismisses mystical frauds that consume her peers and relatives. Instead, she is productive, happy, and benevolent. Adrienne radiates a bright, joyous attitude that is genuine and goes to the core of her self-made soul. She is a joy to be around as her cheerful spirit uplifts everyone around her.

Alex realized that he never really loved Violet. In fact, he never even knew what love was before he met Adrienne. He was physically attracted to Violet at first. But after getting to know her, his physical attraction to her declined. He stayed unhappily married to her because he thought she had nowhere to go if he left her, and he felt guilty about leaving her to struggle on her own in society. Violet continuously threatened Alex to cast an evil spell on him if he left her, but Alex disregarded the entire mystical realm. Finally, Alex could not stand it any longer and divorced Violet. He gave her enough money to comfortably survive, and then never saw her again.

When Alex met Adrienne, he was overtaken by her realness, her genuine self. She was so real, so tangible. She was not hiding anything, not trying to deceive or trick or becloud. She was a solid part of reality without any contradictions. She was so right—right as a woman, a person, a human being. Her honesty and straightforwardness overwhelmed Alex after living with a reality-distorting mystic all those years. He could look into Adrienne’s eyes and see a human being with real powers, goals, values, and happiness. He could not get her out of his mind. The more he got to know Adrienne, the more his affection for her grew. Eventually, Alex was deeply in love with Adrienne, and she was deeply in love with him. The two shared the same fundamental values, and each encouraged the other. Life was just right when they were in each other’s arms.

____________________

Brian Storm’s plane landed at noon on the West Coast. He calmly exited the plane and strolled through the airport, noticing all the different people. He grabbed his luggage and got into a taxicab. The yellow cab drove away under the heat of the West Coast sun.

When Brian arrived at his hotel room, he set his belongings down and walked over to the window. He slid the curtains open, revealing the most beautiful scene: a clean beach, extensive water, a blue sky, and bright sunshine. He turned around to survey the room. Everything was neat and clean. Then the telephone rang. A bit surprised, he walked over to it and picked it up.

"Hello," said Brian.

"Someone is here to see you", said the voice at the other end.

Brian quickly got a few items from his suitcase and proceeded to the elevator. He went to the lobby of the hotel. There he met Alex Freeman. The two hugged each other in happiness, as they had not seen each other since high school. Alex began questioning Brian, and Brian noticed an extremely attractive girl next to Alex.

"Please let me introduce Adrienne Jewel. She’s a famous artist, along with being my wife," Alex proudly declared.

"The pleasure is mine. So you’re the lucky lady to get Alex, eh? I heard Alex got married, but didn’t know to whom. I completely approve," Brian replied and all three of them started laughing.

"Come on, let’s go somewhere we can talk. I’ll take you to a cute little beach town where we can catch up on our past," Alex said.

The three of them walked to Alex’s car and then drove toward the ocean. They were making small talk in the car until they finally arrived at a corner tavern. They looked around the beach neighborhood, and Brian soaked up everything he could, taking in sights of people, cars, buildings, and the beach. The sun kept them warm.

After eating and catching up on personal news, the three went to Brian’s hotel to drop him off. They made arrangements to meet at a local bar the next evening. Brian said goodbye to Alex and Adrienne, and went up to his room to unpack and rest.

The next evening, Brian walked to the local bar. He got there before the others, and decided to check out the place. He noticed the beautiful landscaping outside with lush tropical plants and trees, along with a fenced-in patio. Brian noticed the people there. The men looked confident and happy. The women looked gorgeous and ready to party. People were having a good time. Brian approached the bar, ordering a pineapple juice drink. He sat there calmly, absorbing the upbeat atmosphere.

Brian heard "Is that him?" from someone approaching him. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a beautiful woman in front of him. It was Adrienne, with Alex behind her. The three greeted each other, and they sat down at the bar. After chatting a bit, they got a booth and ordered dinner. Brian ordered Chicken Parmesan with vegetables; Alex ordered Rib Eye steak with salad; Adrienne ordered spaghetti with meatballs. They enjoyed their meal and interesting conversation. After eating, Alex wandered from the table, leaving Brian and Adrienne alone to chat for awhile. Adrienne was interested in learning more about Brian, and she kept asking questions to learn more. Finally, Brian said, "What happened to Alex?"

"Oh, he’s probably playing pool," Adrienne replied, "You know he loves to play."

"Yes," said Brian, "I remember as kids that Alex liked to play pool."

Brian paid the dinner bill and the two of them left the table. They walked over to the pool table and saw Alex playing pool with some strangers.

"Hey, long lost partner," yelled Alex, "How about giving me a hand?"

"Sure," replied Brian as he casually walked over to the pool table.

"We will be a team and play against those two guys," said Alex.

"Okay." Brian replied.

Adrienne took a seat at a table near the pool table and watched.

All the guys played a warm-up game, and then they were ready to play a real game. Brian put money into the machine and racked up the balls. The other team broke. They did very well, sinking several balls before Alex had a turn. Alex shot and knocked in a ball, but during the next shot he scratched. The other team was up, and they did very well again, sinking all but their last ball, leaving Brian with no shot at all. Brian Storm surveyed the table, and realizing that he had no shot, he played safe, lightly knocking the cue ball into one other ball and then into a bumper. The other team played well and won the game, giving Brian only one shot in the entire game.

"Hey, let’s play for money," blurted Alex.

"Yeah," said a guy from the other team.

Each player put five dollars on the edge of the pool table, and they tossed a coin to see who would break. Brian won the coin toss. He stepped up to break. Crack! The balls scattered everywhere like nuclear fission. Two stripes and one solid ball went into the pockets.

After reviewing the layout of the balls, Brian said calmly, "We will be solids."

"What?" Alex choked, "And give them a two-ball head start? You’re crazy."

The other team laughed. Brian looked over at Adrienne and saw here looking on with interest. He saw another beautiful girl looking toward him, too. She seemed to understand, herself being a good pool player.

With Alex shaking his head, Brian advanced toward the table, aiming at the 1 ball. Clunk! It dropped into the pocket. Next, Brian had an easy shot at the 6 ball, and quickly sank it. The next shot was more difficult. It was a long shot, but Brian managed to sink it. Then he got down to the last ball before shooting the 8 ball. The other team was nervous. Alex was shocked. Brian did not even look at anyone; he concentrated on the table layout. He took a shot, which was a difficult cut, and barely dropped the ball into the side pocket. Now it was time to hit the 8 ball. However, there were so many of the opponent’s balls on the table that their balls blocked all of the pockets except one. And the 8 ball was nowhere near that open pocket.

By now there was an audience cheering on Brian. But he did not hear them. He viewed the pool table like an architect views property plans: with a mathematical eye. Alex was saying something, as were the other players. But again, Brian did not hear what they were saying. He circled the table slowly, noticing an unusual pattern in the arrangement of the remaining balls. There was a definite but tight alley around the group of balls, one that was visible only to skilled pool players. Brian spotted it immediately, almost instinctually. He followed the route from the 8 ball through the first alley to a bumper and to the next alley and next bumper, and so on, right around the table, amazingly directly to the only open pocket. Brian took aim at the 8 ball.

"What the heck are you shooting at?" blurted Alex.

"8 ball in this corner pocket," replied Brian as he used his stick as a pointer.

With a steady but smooth stroke—and a bird’s eye view of the table—Brian hit the 8 ball. The 8 ball took off, ricocheting off the first bumper directly into the alley Brian spotted moments before. The ball rolled majestically, bouncing off the second bumper. It stayed on course, remaining in the tight alley just outside the group of balls. Then, the 8 ball hit the third bumper, and headed down the clear part of the table, inexorably approaching the open pocket. At that moment, Brian knew. He watched, along with everyone else. The 8 ball rolled straight as an arrow, directly toward the pocket. Like destiny, the ball penetrated the opening and smoothly fell into the pocket.

Alex roared. The crowd cheered. Brian casually turned away from the table knowing that he made the shot as soon as the 8 ball took off. He saw a girl smiling at him. He smiled back and then left to get a drink. Alex grabbed the money from the table and went after Brian to congratulate him. No one else even had a chance. Brian was the first and only person to shoot during that game; he won the entire game in one turn.