Three weeks with my brother - Nicholas Sparks [23]
“I’m not in denial.”
“See what I mean? That’s denial.”
“You’re a pain, you know that?”
“Yeah. That’s what Christine says.”
“She’s a smart lady.”
“That she is. But she’s not here, and right now, we’re talking about you. So why are you depressed, little brother? You’re definitely not excited about this, and we’re on the verge of leaving. Talk to me. I’ll be your shrink.”
“I’m not depressed,” I said again. “Like I said, I’m swamped. You have no idea how busy I’ve been. It’s just . . . not the right time for something like this.”
“That’s not true,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re choosing to let life control you, instead of the other way around. That’s the big secret. You choose the kind of life you want to live.”
“You always say that.”
“Only because it’s true. Using you as an example—you’re busy because you’re behind on all your deadlines and want to catch up, right?”
“Exactly.”
“But what if you missed your deadline? It’s not as if you’re going to get fired, are you?”
“No, but—”
“But you think bad things will happen if you do,” he finished for me. “So, in other words, you’re making a choice. And if it’s your choice, then accept it, but don’t let it control you. In the same way, you can choose to be excited about the trip. That’s entirely up to you.”
I looked away, shaking my head. “It’s not always that easy,” I said slowly. “You don’t choose everything. Sometimes life throws you curveballs.”
“You don’t think I know that?” he said softly. “Look, just so you know, this trip is going to be great. You just wait. After all this is over, you’ll look back and be glad you came. And then you’ll thank me for bringing you along.”
“I invited you to come, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. You’re right.” He shrugged. “Well, in that case, be a good host, and stop ruining my buzz.” He turned to get the waitress’s attention. “This man needs a cocktail.”
Despite myself, I laughed.
Maybe it was my brother’s pep talk, or maybe it was the cocktail, but whatever the reason I gradually warmed to the idea of going. Whether I had time to go was now irrelevant, after all, and my brother’s good mood was infectious. My brother has always had this effect on me. With his confidence and easygoing manner, he has always been a hit at parties, and he’d been the best man in six different weddings. Six.
The next day, we went by the reception room TCS had arranged to check in for the trip. We signed in, gave them our passports, and got our luggage tags. Each was large, pink, and numbered, so that the TCS crew could easily make sure every bag was accounted for. One of the nice things about the trip, we would later learn, is that TCS handled all the luggage. Our only responsibility would be to have the luggage outside our hotel room at the appointed time.
We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool, and later that evening we attended an introductory cocktail party and dinner. It was our first chance to meet our fellow travelers.
There would be eighty-six of us on the trip, most of whom were considerably older than Micah or I. We began the gradual process of getting to know our traveling companions.
We mingled and chatted with a few people, and eventually made our way to the ballroom, where tables had been set up. As we ate, we were introduced to the TCS staff; quite a few would be traveling with us, to make sure everything went smoothly. We were introduced to guest lecturers and Jill Hannah, the physician who would attend to any medical issues that might arise.
Only a couple of years older than we were, she smiled easily, and would end up becoming one of our closest friends on the trip. Auspiciously, she was seated at our table.
“Any words of advice?” I asked her.
“Don’t eat the vegetables or salads, no matter how nice the hotel is.”
“Because of the fertilizers or soil?”
“No,” she said. “Because they wash them in the local water, and you never know whether it’s been purified.”
“Anything else?”
“Don’t use the tap when you brush your teeth either. Take these precautions, and you’ll probably be fine. I’m going to say the same thing to