Just living is not enough, said the butterfly. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
—Hans Christian Andersen (1861: The Butterfly)
Misty
Over the course of the day Monday, Brynn and I cleaned the guest rooms. She took the east wing, and I handled the west wing. As Sasha left her room to the housekeeper, she called back, “Be sure to put everything back where you found it!”
Though Brynn said nothing with her mouth, her eyes bored holes in the back of Sasha’s head. Sasha’s rude behavior was getting old fast. Thank goodness the rest of her group were nothing like her—well, other than Kendall, that is. Still, while Kendall copied Sasha’s style of dress and some of her mannerisms, she hadn’t adopted Sasha’s arrogance, thank goodness.
The yoga students filtered in and out of the lodge. Their classes were scheduled primarily in the morning and late afternoon to leave midday open for other activities.
I rapped on the door to Madman Maddox’s room, called out “Housekeeping!”, and leaned in to listen for a response. Hearing none, I unlocked the door and wheeled my cart inside. A couple of beer bottles sat on the coffee bar. I slid them into the recycle bin on my cart and emptied his trash cans. After wiping down the surfaces and disinfecting the bath, I turned to the bed. One side of the king-sized bed was rumpled, the pillow askew and covers thrown back where Madman had climbed out of it this morning. The bedding on the other side lay flat, as if no one had slept there. But I wasn’t fooled. On the other pillow was a telltale hair—a long, dark one that could only belong to Sasha. Looked like Madman had given in to temptation, and tried to hide it by smoothing down the covers. The Rookie of the Year was Jerk of the Year in my opinion. Perhaps it was petty of me, but I skipped folding one of his fresh towels into a bear. If he wanted a towel animal, he could watch a YouTube tutorial and do it himself.
I was sitting at the desk later when Heike wandered into the great room. Rocky had since returned from Fred’s and upended Brynn’s housekeeping cart in the lobby so he could fix the rattling wheel. As he turned the screwdriver, Heike reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder, digging her fingers into his flesh. “Aha! I feel tension. Come. I give you deep tissue massage.”
As Heike dragged him away, Rocky looked back and mouthed Help!
Shortly thereafter, several students set up on the deck, ready for another class. Kendall claimed a spot in front. According to the schedule, Sasha was supposed to lead the group in something called Vinyasa Flow. She came down the hall just as the class was to begin. Her focus was on her cell phone as her thumbs typed away. She made her way out to the deck, where she placed her phone near her mat. She started the class with the lovely sound of the singing bowl.
Halfway through the class, as she led the group from the cobra position up to downward dog, her phone blared a raunchy Cardi B hit. The students froze in place, awaiting instruction on their next move as Sasha consulted her screen. She picked up her phone, stood, and waved Glenn forward, pointing down at her mat, silently signaling him to take over the class. He cast her a disapproving glance as she passed him, but she was too focused on her phone to notice. She put the device to her ear. “Hey, babe! I miss you like crazy. Miss me, too?”
Sounds like Sasha has a boyfriend. Of course, that fact hadn’t stopped her from pursuing Madman Maddox. She flounced past the desk and down the hall to take her call in her room.
An hour later, I was reading a book at the desk when Rocky returned from his visit with Heike, moving his arms and legs like a loose-limbed marionette. “That woman unkinked muscles I didn’t know I had.” To prove his point, he raised his arms and twisted side to side, moving his hips as if working a hula hoop. “Go let her work her magic on you. I’ve covered it.”
“Really? Wow. Thanks, Rocky.” Catch me if I swoon.
I ventured down to the hall and knocked on Heike’s door. She opened it and stepped back to allow me in. She’d closed her shutters, creating a dark, private space in which her clients could better relax. A single candle provided dim light. From somewhere in the room came the soft, serene sounds of a string instrument. Heike directed me to undress behind a portable room-divider screen. Though Heike might be used to people stripping in her presence, I hadn’t been naked in front of anyone but Jack or my doctor in years. My discomfort expressed itself in idle chitter-chatter. “Have you been with Third Eye long?” I asked over the divider.
“Little while,” Heike said.
“This music is pretty. What type of instrument is that?”
“Zither.”
Her clipped answers told me she wasn’t one for conversation.
I spent the next hour facedown in only my panties being pummeled and pulverized by Heike’s powerful hands. When she wrapped them around the base of my neck, a frisson of fear skittered down my backbone. This strong woman could easily snap my spine. Fortunately, my primitive thought was quickly replaced by a more rational one. Even if she could hurt me, what reason would she have? She applied her thumbs to the nape of my neck, working my cervical vertebrae. She went on to work every muscle and bone in my back. When I finally rose from her massage table, I felt ready to turn cartwheels. Rocky was right. Heike worked wonders.
Late that afternoon, Glenn was performing tai chi on the lodge’s lawn and I was sweeping leaves off the walkway when Sasha slunk out the door and groaned with enough drama to be nominated for an Emmy. Glenn slowly turned away and exhaled loudly. The movement and breath could be part of his practice, but I suspected they were signs of pent-up frustration.
I paused my chore. “Everything okay, Ms. Ducharme-Carlisle?”
“Kendall is … a lot.” Sasha raised her hands, fingers splayed, and gestured as if pushing someone away. “I can’t get a second to myself! She even got upset with me for locking the door between our rooms.” A breeze blew our way and Sasha’s nose wriggled. She threw her head back and issued a series of dainty sneezes. Snit-snit-snit! “Ugh! The ragweed here is the worst!” When she recovered from her sneezing fit, she said, “I need more towels. Right away.”
“I’ll have Brynn put some in your bathroom.”
She didn’t bother to thank me, but instead pulled her phone from a pocket on her yoga pants, tapped the screen, and mused aloud. “Seven thousand steps to go.”
“Got one of those fitness apps?” I asked.
She held up her wrist, indicating the black band she’d worn since she stepped off the bus. “The tracker sends data to my phone. Workouts. Recovery. Sleep data. Everything. It’s the best one on the market.”
Glenn shifted position on the lawn, his arms going skyward before one bent and came down to form what appeared to be a number four. He looked at Sasha. “We need to address your phone call during sun salutations this morning.” He shifted to another position. “It’s essential to be mentally present during practice. Cell phones are a distraction and disruption. We don’t allow students to bring them to class. The same rule should apply to instructors.”
Sasha issued an indignant snort. “I’m not just an instructor, Glenn. I’m the owner of Third Eye. The studio would have closed if I hadn’t come along. Have you forgotten that?”
“No,” he said. “I remember.” He came out of position to stand straight and address her directly. “But there are certain expectations and traditions—”
Before he could finish his thought, Sasha squeaked and bolted to the trailhead beside the lodge. Through the window on the front of the lodge, I saw Kendall in the lobby. She looked around as if searching for someone. Sasha must have seen Kendall and run off to avoid her.
Kendall strode to the door and poked her head out. “Is Sasha out here?”
Glenn and I exchanged a knowing look. Though I didn’t want to lie, nor did I want to upset Sasha by telling Kendall where she’d gone. I settled on glancing around and saying, “I don’t see her.”
Kendall’s face fell. “She said she’d text me, but she didn’t.”
I felt sorry for her. She seemed to lack a sense of self, to be codependent on Sasha. But her obsession wasn’t healthy. Maybe I could direct her to another activity as I’d done with my sons when they were bored. “There are books on the shelf in the lobby. Puzzles and games, too.”
Glenn straightened and offered her a serene smile. “Monopoly is too pro-capitalism for a guy like me, but I’ll challenge you to a round of Scrabble if Sanskrit words can count.”
She brightened and Glenn walked past me, aiming for the door, a knight in batik armor.
That evening, Glenn wheeled his gong onto the deck. The students carried their mats outside and set up for their meditation practice. Two were notably absent—Sasha and Kendall. Was Sasha still avoiding her big blonde shadow? Was Kendall holed up in her room, refusing to attend without her bestie?
I decided to join in, and rounded up a cushion from a deck chair to use as an improvised mat. Glenn gave me a welcoming smile. Just as Sasha had started her class with the lovely sound of the singing bowl, Glenn began his meditation by lightly applying the cloth-covered mallet to the gong. The sound was deep, low, and soothing, not a crash like a cymbal, but a pleasant reverberation sending good vibrations through the lodge and adjacent woods. He bowed his head to his students. “Tonight, it seems especially appropriate that here, in the midst of nature, we chant the Panchakshari mantra.” He ran his gaze over the group, stopping on me and providing a quick lesson that seemed primarily for my elucidation. “The mantra is a tribute to Shiva, the Hindu god of transformation that represents one’s highest self. The five syllables are understood to represent the five elements of nature—earth, sky, water, air, and fire.” He closed his eyes and softly chanted. “Om Namah Shivaya. Om Namah Shivaya. Om Namah Shivaya.”
I closed my eyes, too, and joined in with the group. Though it felt awkward at first, I soon lost myself in the soothing sounds and felt the tension seep from my body. I could see the attraction of mantra meditation. Too bad Brynn didn’t stick around. She’d enjoy this.
When the session ended, Rocky and I set the furniture out again so the group could enjoy the beautiful evening on the deck. Rocky suggested we enjoy it, too. He retrieved two bottles of hard cider from his room and we claimed a table in the corner for ourselves. Voices filled the air as the students returned. A few minutes later, Cole came out onto the deck alone.
“Hey, there,” Rocky said. “Where’s your better half? She tired of you already?”
“Sammie’s resting. Figured I’d give her some peace and quiet.” Cole walked over to the railing to watch the sunset. His hand tightened on the rail and worry lines creased his forehead, quite a change from the carefree kid who’d traipsed through the doors of my lodge the evening before. I couldn’t help wondering if he’d gotten bad news.
Shortly thereafter, Sasha and Kendall came outside. Once again, Kendall carried a bottle of expensive wine and the two glasses from her room. The women were in the middle of a conversation, but the context told me they were talking about the young mother with the sick kid.
Sasha huffed. “Can you believe she had the nerve to request a refund of her retreat fee? I would’ve brought someone else if I’d known she’d bail and run back home for nothing.”
“Someone else?” Kendall set the bottle and glasses on a table. “Was there a waiting list?”
“Well, no!” Sasha snapped as she flopped into a chair. “But that’s not the point.”
Glenn returned from taking his gong back to his room, and held a steaming mug of tea in his hands. He stopped in the doorway and glanced over at Sasha and Kendall before turning around and taking a seat by the hearth inside the great room instead. Kendall had opened the bottle of wine. Like the night before, Sasha seemed intent on drinking more than her share. She held up her glass and ordered Kendall to “Fill it up!”
Kendall did as she’d been directed, though she seemed to have a harder time hiding her irritation tonight. “Maybe we should pace ourselves.”
“Um, hello, Kendall?” Sasha waved a hand in her friend’s face as if to verify that she was conscious. “We came here to have fun, remember?” Even in the twilight, the pink stain that rushed to Kendall’s cheeks was clear. What wasn’t clear was whether it was an embarrassed blush or an angry one. Sasha glanced around. “Where’s Madman?”
While many of the guests were enjoying the evening on the deck, the NASCAR star had opted not to make an appearance this evening. Was he avoiding Sasha, regretting their roll in the hay? She picked up her phone and tried calling him, frowning when she got no answer. She left the table and went inside. We heard her knock on Madman’s door and call, “Hey! It’s Sasha! You in there?” She returned alone, her face crestfallen. “He must’ve left the lodge.”
Kendall’s expression turned smug. She seemed to enjoy seeing her “bestie” being slighted, getting a taste of her own medicine.
Cole came over to our table. “Is there a computer I can use to check the weather?”
Though I’d seen him with a cell phone, the devices were not as user friendly as computers when it came to searching websites. “You can use the computer at the check-in desk.” He followed me as I went inside and logged into the system. As Cole took a seat on the stool, I left him to his browsing and rejoined Rocky outside.
Evening turned into night and the students retired to their rooms. Eventually, Rocky and I were the only ones left. Rather than get up early tomorrow morning to clear the deck, Rocky and I moved the furniture aside that night. We parted ways in the now-empty great room.
His gaze caught mine and held for a moment. “Good night, Misty,” he said softly.
His wistful tone wasn’t lost on me. Dare I think he found my company as appealing as I found his? Or was he simply tired after a busy day? I feared it was the latter but hoped it was the former. Even so, his stay here would only be temporary, until the lodge was fully booked on a regular basis, something I was doing my best to make happen. How’s that for irony? My voice came out soft, too. “Good night, Rocky.”