Soon minutes had passed, and Archibald heard the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind, pulling him out from his slight fugue. “That should be the attendant of the resort.” He muttered in his heart.
Looking behind him Archibald saw a Maldivian middle-aged man of smaller stature with a wizened face. Their curly black hair and bright eyes made for a kindly, aged appearance.
The man paused briefly, before speaking in English with a slight Dhivehi accent, “Would you perhaps be Mr. Alden?”
Standing up, Archibald fully faced the man. He supposed that this was the attendant who had been sent to bring news of his fishing gear and canoe.
Archibald let out a business smile, “Yes, that would be me. You can call me Archibald or Mr. Alden, whichever one suits you. And you are?” Archibald stuck his right hand out for a handshake.
“My name is Ismail, Mr. Alden.” Ismail offered up his right hand.
Archibald, still smiling, shook his hand and inquired “Alright Ismail, is the gear ready? Where’s the canoe?” Archibald looked at Ismail’s empty hands and joked, “Unless you have bottomless pockets, I don’t suppose you came with the gear.”
“Aha,” Ismail lightly laughed. “Of course not Mr. Alden. The canoe, fishing rod, line, bait, and more are all ready and set up for your use at your bungalow, all are on the patio. I only came to give you notice.”
“Thank you then." Archibald looked down at the empty glass by his feet, "I will also need someone to pick up this empty glass."
“Of course, I would be glad to bring it in." Ismail paused in remembrance, "Ah yes, I almost forgot. Your canoe is tied to the pool outside of your bungalow.”
“Everything seems settled then. Here, for your troubles,” Archibald took out his wallet from his back pocket and handed Ismail a few twenty-dollar bills.
“Thank you for the tip, Mr. Alden,” Ismail handed Archibald a name card with a number and smiled professionally. “If you need anything else at all you can call this number and I will rush to help. Enjoy the rest of your stay at the Four Seasons resort.”
“Mmm,” Archibald tersely acknowledged.
Putting his wallet away, Archibald started walking to the right end of the beach, where the bungalows were located several hundred feet away.
Soon, Archibald arrived at the pathway that led to the overwater bungalows. The light brown wood of the pathway felt smooth beneath his sandals. Looking down the pathway, Archibald saw four branching paths on each side of the walkway, each leading to an overwater bungalow. His, however, was none of those. Instead, he continued down the walkway until it tapered off to form an enclosed ring. Archibald's bungalow was the one farthest into the ocean, at the very tip of the circular portion of the walkway.
Archibald eventually made his way to the path that led to his bungalow. Its light brown thatched roof and simple wooden walls were a perfect mesh with the turquoise sea. Archibald fished out his room key from his pocket and opened the door to his bungalow.
Inside, all facets of the room were made with different types of wood. The walls and sloped ceiling were a brownish-white color, the floor was a rich brown color, and the furnishings were all of matte brown and white colored wood. “Gives a nice tropical feel I guess...” Archibald idly observed.
Archibald walked to the bedroom and was granted a splendid view. The glass walls were able to slide out and give a floor-to-ceiling view of the bungalow's recessed pool and the turquoise ocean behind it. In the mornings, Archibald was able to see the sunrise over the horizon of the ocean while laying in bed. That in itself covered one of the goals he had when he set out to go on this vacation.
Finished with admiring the endless and calm sea, Archibald went out onto the balcony where he saw a brown wicker basket with all the necessary gear for fishing. On top of the basket was a letter in a neat paper envelope, within it was the manager's greetings and directions to where the canoe was. Disregarding the greeting, Archibald focused on the location of the canoe.
Finished reading the directions, Archibald promptly left behind the wicker basket and went down past the pool, where he found the canoe tied to a wooden pole at the very edge of the overwater patio.
The canoe floated serenely in the calm waters and was long and wooden with a wide middle and pointed ends. Attached near the middle of the canoe on both sides were oars. There was also a seat, a cross-section plank of wood, in the middle to allow for comfortable seating. That simple seat was the main reason why Archibald went with a canoe instead of a kayak.
Satisfied with locating all of the gear, Archibald went inside to apply sunscreen and check the weather forecast. Quickly checking his phone Archibald was lucky that the weather would stay relatively stable for the next three days, so there was minimal risk in going out during the day.
Archibald frowned slightly at his carelessness, “I should have checked the weather forecast before paying for the trip, especially since I'm in the tropics. I’m just lucky that the weather seems fine for the day. I swear, sometimes I’m too spontaneous for my own good.”
With the sunscreen applied, Archibald went into the kitchen and grabbed a big bottle of water along with a cooler of ice. Satisfied with his preparations, Archibald walked past the bedroom and onto the porch where the wicker basket with all the necessary fishing gear was ready. In a few minutes, everything was loaded in the canoe and Archibald was paddling into deeper waters.
After Archibald gauged that he was around half a mile out from shore, he set up the fishing rod and cast it in the ocean. Now it was a waiting game. A game he played since early high school and was well versed in as he used it both as an enjoyable hobby and a way to build up patience.
Left with a moment of blissful tranquility Archibald realized just how hot it was out in the open and how the paddle out had drained him. Muttering out loud to himself he said, “Thank god I applied sunscreen and am in good shape. Otherwise, I might have been forced to go back to the resort to find some shade. This is how it’s meant to be though, man against his own weakness and nature, struggling in the pursuit of happiness. Makes me feel like I’m having an adventure,” He gazed out at the endless horizon and took a deep breath of the invigorating sea air, “From here it really seems that the horizon’s the limit even if that’s not really the case…” Archibald's words trailed off, feelings of longing and the fervor of restrained freedom twisted in his mind to form a bittersweet sentiment.
Archibald sat silently in the canoe, his gaze locked on the horizon, his hands idly holding the fishing rod. The only sounds were his even breathing and the waves that rocked his canoe ever so slightly. The sun's rays were a baking warmth, its damaging light only held back by a slight sheen of sunscreen.
After a long while, Archibald's eyes regained focus. The bittersweet emotions were bottled up and swept away, categorized as just another symptom of having impossible ambitions and dreams. Rubbing his dry eyes, he chuckled mirthlessly to himself, “Heh, I’m getting all emotional even without the help I had from all the alcohol last week. Bring yourself back to reality Archibald, no reason to be making yourself feel this way.”
Returning fully to reality, Archibald shifted his thoughts to something more tangible, to the job given to him by his parents. “Mallory Sweeney, eh.” he paused to sift through his memories, “Nope, I’m getting nothing. That means that I’ll have to get acquainted with her from scratch. First order of business will be to look through my social groups, the more naturally this is done, the less likely of her catching wind of what’s happening…”
Archibald prided himself on being efficient yet careful, his goals being thoroughly planned and revised before execution. Already he had inferences about Mallory Sweeney. For one, he didn’t know her. This was unusual for a few reasons, the main being because he attended plenty of social gatherings during his three years at Marvard and made sure to remember people's names. A crucial aspect of networking was remembering names and yet he didn’t recall ever meeting her.
He knew nearly everyone in his year. And with Mallory’s mother being such a high-powered executive it made little sense for her not to be participating in at least some of the events that he did. University was a prime opportunity to make important connections, and Mallory not using this opportunity could mean a few things. Either she already had a powerful network, or she was unambitious. Chances are that she didn't have a powerful network or he would have heard of her already. So, that only left lack of ambition. Using this logic, Archibald concluded that Mallory was most likely introverted and unambitious, someone inexperienced in the brutality of business despite their wealth. He could use that.
Archibald promised to himself that he would spend the next few weeks of vacation coming up with a good opening plan while also slowly collecting information on the Sweeney family and their situation. Information would be key here after all, and he may not have close friends, but he made up for it in the extensiveness of his connections. Like he promised his mother, he would succeed, but only so his interests were protected, he could give two shits about his parents’ goals.
Maybe he would just treat this as practice. After all, business was tough and cutthroat, especially at the higher levels. "Yeah...maybe instead of my school connections I can look outside of school first, maybe use some family connections? Or maybe..."
Archibald abruptly caught himself, his expression shifting into a wry smile. “Ah, look at me. Already thinking about what I’m doing after my vacation when I’m supposed to be enjoying it.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, speaking aloud to himself, “Enough Archibald, just take this rare time to yourself. Plans can wait until tomorrow or some other day. There’s adventure to be had and fish to be caught.” He opened his eyes and peacefully took in the scenery, his mind as calm as the ocean around him.
Minutes passed by unknowingly, the sun in the sky had only slightly moved before Archibald was surprised by a plucking sensation from the fishing rod. Excited, Archibald tensed up and thought to himself, “This may well be a fish, and I’ve only been out here for maybe twenty to thirty minutes.” His train of thought was interrupted by the sharp pull of a fish swallowing the bait and the following run.
Hastily, Archibald set about creating a bit of tension in the line and hooking the fish. During the fish’s outbursts of strength, he braced himself and let it run. During the following breaks, he pulled the rod up and then reeled in the slack. This run and pull sequence of motions was repeated on and on until eventually, the fish was exhausted and close to the boat. Also exhausted, Archibald took a good look at the fish and identified it as a Red Emperor. Its distinct red scales, sloped forehead, and continuous dorsal fin gave it away almost immediately.
Exhausted, the fish was soon caught and brought into the canoe. Archibald watched as the fish flopped around like… well like a fish out of water in the bed of the canoe. Observing its large size, Archibald's ragged expression broke out in a smile, his hard work bore fruit and this was a good fish to eat.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“There’s really no feeling like succeeding in something and getting a tangible reward out of it. It’s nearly primal.” Archibald breathlessly exclaimed, jubilation clear on his face.
Satisfied with his catch. Archibald turned around and rifled through the wicker basket until he found a knife mixed in with the gear. Slightly calmed down, Archibald turned around and pinned the fish to the bed of the canoe with his left hand. “Alright now pal, calm down for me,” He slightly pursed his lips as his face morphed into an expression of focus. Archibald focused on the spot just above the spine where the brain was, “And…” Archibald’s mental voice trailed off as he firmly plunged the knife through the brain of the fish, killing it instantly. Its body flopped around a bit longer as the nerves fired.
“A clean death,” Archibald paused to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “Now I just have to bleed and ice it.” A simple cut underneath the gills and Archibald let the fish float in the sea as its blood left its body. From experience, Archibald knew that doing so would make the fish taste better. After what Archibald gauged had been around three minutes and no more blood was visibly coming out, he took the fish out of the water and measured it to be about twenty-nine inches long before he placed it in the cooler.
With his goal achieved, Archibald was satisfied with the fishing trip and was impatient to cook up the fish for lunch. He briefly checked his phone and saw that it was 3:34 pm, "Oh, maybe it will be dinner then." Time seemed to pass like an unceasing river when he was enjoying himself.
Archibald's smile slightly left him, his expression turning emotionless, “Time’s slipping by…by the time I know it it’ll be night again.” At this thought, his expression turned dark, “I can only hope that tonight will be different.” He knew his hopes to be unlikely, as the ominous feeling that lingered in the back of his mind was steadily increasing day by day, always a low drone.
“I have no idea what’s happening though,” Archibald's face turned wry at the thought, "I’ll just have to soldier through it for another night. Eventually, it must pass. It must…” The vacation proved an effective distraction, but it was failing to cure the underlying issue.
Annoyed at the thought of another unrestful night of sleep, Archibald set about distracting himself by rowing back to his bungalow where he could further prepare the fish.
Soon, after around twenty minutes of rowing, Archibald made his way back to his bungalow's patio and tied the canoe firmly to the same wooden pole he found it originally tied to. Carefully, he moved the wicker basket with the fishing gear and the cooler with the Red Emperor back under the overhang outside of the bedroom.
Looking at the cooler with the Red Emperor, Archibald decided that he would bring it into the kitchen to clean it. He also realized that he would have to order the necessary materials needed to make a campfire on the beach where he could cook the fish.
“Alright then, it’s time to call up Ismail again. He should know enough of the arrangement between me and management to not ask questions.” Plan decided, Archibald pulled Ismail’s contact card out of his wallet and dialed the number on it as he walked into the kitchen. Standing still in the large kitchen, the phone only rang a few times before a familiar Dhivehi accent was heard.
Archibald spoke first, “Hi Ismail, this is Archibald Alden, I need some things delivered to where you found me on the beach.”
“Ah, it’s Mr. Alden. How good to hear from you. What’s needed this fine afternoon?” Ismail's sincere voice transmitted through the phone.
Quickly getting to the point, Archibald listed what his demands were, “I’m going to need firewood, a grill, plates, utensils, and local seasonings best for grilled fish. As for what seasonings and recipe, surprise me. Have someone set up a fire near where you found me on the beach earlier this afternoon and have it ready in around an hour. All costs will be put on my tab. Oh yeah, and I caught a twenty-nine-inch Red Emperor, tailor the recipe and other stuff for that size. ”
Archibald paused his rapid speech, and said with a knowing tone that suggested a deal had already been made, “I assume management has no problems with this small fire?”
Catching on, Ismail was quick to reply in an understanding tone, “Of course, of course! There is not an issue at all. In fact, I will personally see to it that everything is ready very soon, everything will be made and planned appropriately. In under an hour, it will all be ready for you Mr. Alden. ”
Archibald's face turned up in a slight smile.
“Good then, call me when the fire’s ready.”
“Of course Mr. Alden, I hope you have an enjoyable afternoon and evening.” Ismail’s voice was courteous through the phone.
“Mmm,” Archibald simply acknowledged before hanging up the phone and turning his attention back to the fish.
Stroking his chin Archibald spoke aloud to himself, “Now to gut this fish, it’s been a few years…” He usually did catch and release. Rarely did he eat the fish that he caught, he could simply buy something of better size and quality while having a professional chef prepare it. Today, he didn’t really catch the fish for the food, but for the experience.
In just a minute, Archibald had already refreshed his memory on how to gut a fish, it was simple and quick. “Good thing the internet exists,” Archibald casually remarked.
Confident in completing the task, Archibald lifted the hefty fish out of its ice bath in the cooler and into the sink on the kitchen island. He wasn’t going to eat the skin, so he wouldn’t bother with scaling the fish. Instead, he simply washed its body under the faucet several times, getting rid of any slime and blood. After he finished washing the fish, he lay it on the open white marble countertop to the right of the sink.
Archibald then turned around to the counter behind him and looked at the wooden knife rack on the wall. Quickly he located and grabbed a sharp, pointed knife and turned around back to the fish. Holding the fish down firmly with his left hand, Archibald located the vent of the fish, near its tail fin and inserted the knife around two inches deep. From there he ran the knife up its stomach, from the vent to just beneath its neck.
Finished, Archibald placed the knife in the sink and then reached into the cut made along the fish's underbelly and pulled all the organs out. Not wanting to stink up his bungalow any further, Archibald walked outside to the patio and threw the pile of guts into the ocean. There, other sea life would eat the discarded organs.
Looking at the cloud of red that surrounded the organs as they sunk in the shallow ocean, Archibald let himself smile lightly, his proud features mirroring his joyful thoughts. “How long has it been since I’ve gotten my hands dirty like this? God, it feels good to just be alone, to work through the picturesque and bloody with no stress. The fish and other scavengers will get a good meal out of this too.”
Satisfied, Archibald looked down at his hands, caked in the fish’s blood. “Ah, let me clean this off real quick.” Archibald walked to the edge of the patio and crouched down, dipping his hands in the ocean and scrubbing the blood off them. Finished, Archibald paused to down at the ocean, his smiling reflection peering back at him. Feeling especially joyous, he laughed lightly. “I should get out more often like this.”
Cheerfully humming while he walked, Archibald made his way back to the kitchen. Lifting the fish with both hands, he placed it back into the sink and washed out the now empty cavity. All cleaned up, the fish looked ready for grilling to Archibald.
Done with the preparation of the fish, Archibald looked at the blood-stained marble countertop to the right of the sink. “Almost forgot about that mess,” He chided himself mentally,” better clean this up If I want to use the kitchen later without the stench of fish blood.” Resigned to cleaning up his mess, Archibald hummed to himself as he opened the drawer beneath the sink and took out some vinegar water and a rag. Spraying some vinegar water on the dirty counter, he then wiped the caked blood off with the white rag, the fishy stench fading away due to the vinegar.
Satisfied with the cleanliness of the kitchen, Archibald stopped humming and indifferently threw the bloodied rag into the trashcan next to the kitchen island and then washed his hands.
“Alright then, now that that’s over I have some time to kill before Ismail calls me with news of the fire and the other stuff I bought.” Archibald paused his thoughts to walk into the living room and take a look around himself. Looking at the white pillow-back L-shaped couch that faced a wooden framed floor-to-ceiling sliding window and the view of the turquoise ocean that it gave. The sight of the ocean made Archibald recall that he hadn’t swam in his bungalow's pool just yet. “It is a seawater pool though, so I bet it won't be that much different than just swimming in the sea. Hmm, instead of guessing I should at least check it out and see what it's like.”
Decided, Archibald mentally concluded his plan, “Swimming for a handful of minutes is as good enough a plan as any while I wait.” Archibald looked down at his body and formed a mental checklist. “I’m already in shorts, plus I’ve already applied sunscreen before I went fishing. I just have to take my phone, wallet, and room key out of my pockets before I go into the water. I’ll keep my phone and my other things on a chair by the pool so I can hear when Ismail or some other attendant calls.”
A few seconds of preparation later and Archibald dropped himself into the recessed pool. Quickly dunking himself underwater for a few seconds, Archibald felt refreshed as he breached the surface of the water. Clearing the water and hair near his eyes, Archibald swam to the side of the pool that faced the ocean and lifted his arms over the ledge. From his view near sea level, the ocean looked like an endless plane of glimmering waters adorned with stars. It was breathtaking. Captivated by the view, time passed Archibald by with little awareness.
Abruptly, Archibald was broken from his reverie by the sound of a phone call. Shaking his head slightly, Archibald had a light smile that complemented his serious features, “That should be Ismail which means the fire and other things are ready,” sighing Archibald tore his gaze away from the sea, ”I’ve had so many still moments like these this past week. Hah, maybe more than my whole life before this.” With a sarcastic tone, Archibald spoke aloud to himself with a sigh as he climbed out of the pool, “All good things come to an end though, sooner or later I’ll be back in Cali with those scumbags and my parents yapping at my heels.”
Expression wry, Archibald caught himself before his thoughts veered to more dreadful subjects. “Hah, look at me being all whiny. Suck it up Archibald, don’t go ruining your vacation for yourself. Happy thoughts!”
Reaching the chair with his phone on it, Archibald quickly picked up his ringing phone and answered the call.
“I presume that everything is ready, Ismail” Archibald immediately opened in a matter-of-fact tone. He had recognized the phone number to be Ismail’s and doubted he would call if everything wasn’t ready.
Ismail’s by now familiar voice rang through the phone with a touch of excitement and self-confidence, “Of course Mr. Alden, the fire is already burning and all the materials and spices are ready for you. I must say that you are in for a treat! I have chosen to get the ingredients for a spicy marinade recipe, one that I myself enjoy. I’ll leave the recipe along with all the tools and ingredients in a wicker basket near the fire for your convenience.”
“Great, I’ll be over shortly. You remembered the grill rack?”
“It has already been set up over the fire Mr. Alden, all you have to do is follow the recipe and wait for the fish to cook! I am most confident that you will be satisfied.”
“Mmm, thank you for the effort. I will call you back If I need anything.”
“My pleasure, enjoy your afternoon and evening, Mr. Alden”
Hanging up, Archibald was pleased with the extent to which Ismail had fulfilled his earlier requests. “Now it's time to walk over there in person to see if everything is up to snuff, I bet it’s going to be a pain to lug the cooler with the fish in it though. Ah, I’ll just treat it as a pre-meal exercise or something, I’d rather do it myself than call over an attendant.”
Soon Archibald had everything gathered. He had all his personal belongings back into his pockets and he had the cooler with the fish in it ready to go.
Before he left, Archibald caught himself, “Almost forgot, it’s near sundown. I should put a shirt on.” Walking to the bedroom closet Archibald took out an ivory colored button-up with elegant maroon and black colored leaf designs that adorned the sleeves and the front placket of the shirt. The simple, yet luxurious cotton button-up complimented his white and blue spotted shorts quite well.
Finished with his preparation Archibald took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for the several hundred-foot walk, “Let's make this a challenge for myself or something. How about this: Every break I take trying to bring this fish to the beach means one less day of vacation out here.” Archibald mentally scoffed to himself after thinking up the mock challenge. He was fully confident in his ability to carry the cooler over to the campfire in one go. It was only a minute or so away. This challenge would just be him vainly making a mundane task a little more exciting. Sometimes it felt good to do something meaningless just for the sake of fun.
"Is it really meaningless if you're having fun though? Seems I'll just have to find out won't I?" Heaving up the ice cooler, Archibald exited his bungalow and started the trek. The sparse bungalows and sparkling sea the only backdrop.