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"Did they get it on video?" Astrid asked.
"Yes, they did get it on video and we're lucky Holland didn't have a heart attack, but let me tell you about it from the beginning. So, first of all, getting the door open to her room was a comical situation. I was out there for longer than I should have been because I had to open the door at about two millimeters a minute to keep it from creaking. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. I could hear her talking to people, but I couldn't see her because I didn't want her to see me. She had her computer set up where I had to basically army crawl around the back of a couch and wait there. Then she started pacing and almost caught me. I stayed back and to the side… utter silence. Finally, she went back to the computer. Then I had to squat and get into position because I knew it was about time for me to show my face. I waited for Kai's dad to give me the cue—my legs burning from squatting. So finally, he mentions me, and I ease into the frame, behind Holland. She was talking and smiling, and then she just stared at me for a second on the screen like she couldn’t figure something out. Then all at once, she flipped out of her chair. She literally jumped out of her chair. It happened so violently that in the same sequence of movements, she flung herself and other things onto the floor, unplugging her computer."
He told the story in a funny entertaining tone with hand gestures, and they all laughed as they listened.
"Was she okay?" Astrid asked, looking at me.
"Yes, thankfully," Beau said.
"I was fine, but I clocked Beau in the face."
"She did clip me a little on the way down. It took ten minutes to plug the computer back in and get online with Mr. Mori."
"But did you get it worked out—did you get the papers signed?" Astrid asked.
"Yes, we did," he said. "That's what we've been in there doing. We just finished a few minutes ago."
"I can imagine Holland seeing you and flipping out of her chair," Max said, causing others to laugh.
"I completely flipped right out of there," I said. "My brain just quit working, and I stiffened out, straight as a board."
Astrid found that funny, and she cracked up at the thought.
"She did go stiff," Beau said, laughing. "I tried to catch her, but it happened so fast."
"It felt like it took forever to me," I said laughing and causing others to laugh along. "You know how it seems to take forever when you're the one falling."
"We have to see the video," Casey said.
Beau looked at me.
"I'm totally fine with it," I said, shaking my head to let him know I didn't care. "Mr. Mori said they wouldn't release it without my consent, so it's not public or anything, but we have it, and it's actually one of the funniest things ever."
"Have you seen it?" Casey asked, looking at me curiously. "I mean, I know you were there when it happened, obviously, but have you seen the replay?"
I nodded. "We watched it with Mr. Mori before we disconnected. He emailed the entire meeting to me, along with the clip. They're on my computer."
Chapter 19
We told his family the story during dinner, but they hadn't seen the video yet. I was currently alone in my room for a few minutes, retrieving it. I would take the laptop back outside with me so that they could all see the clip for themselves.
I had no reservations whatsoever about showing it to them. I thought it had to be shared… at least with people we knew. It cracked me up to see my own reaction, and I loved seeing Beau's reaction to me. Watching him in the video only made me love him that much more.
And the fact that the computer came unplugged and the video got cut off was a huge bonus for me. That was perfect timing because only the two of us knew what happened after the fall. Beau got to help me to my feet and we had that beautiful moment alone. I loved the memory of those private moments. I replayed the whole thing in my mind while I was changing.
Beau and I had decided we would swim after dinner, so I put on my swimsuit with some more casual clothes than the ones I had on for the meeting. I wore a t-shirt and shorts. I had the utmost sense of nostalgia sweep over me as I changed clothes. My swimsuit smelled faintly like chlorine, and that smell always brought back memories of when I was a small child, during the times my parents brought me on vacation before they split up. The chlorine smell gave me memories of being young and on vacation, and the pineapple bathroom added to it. It was comforting in there, and I looked around, taking in the smell and my surroundings and realizing it was probably one of the best days of my life.
I stared in the mirror, and for a second, I could see myself as God saw me. It was a brand new sensation for me, but I was alone with my thoughts, and I knew what I experienced. I got the general sense that the changes in my life were a gift from a father who loved me and enjoyed seeing me happy. I just knew in that moment that Arkansas and Beau and Japan—everything had come from Him. My soul was sure of it. My current situation was like a gift with a bow on it. I felt so thankful that hot tears sprung to my eyes.
I was only in my room for a few minutes, and when I got back, Beau was already in the pool. His hair was wet, and I smiled at the sight of it slicked back and away from his face. He shook his head at that moment, and my smile broadened at the way locks of it fell over his forehead. I watched him push it out of his face, and I couldn't take my eyes off him—his arms, his chest, his face.
"Here it is," I said, tearing my eyes off of him and holding up the laptop.
Everyone was sitting where we had been eating dinner, and I went to them.
"Beau said he's already seen it," Astrid explained. "So, he jumped in the pool."
"I'm going to do the same thing," I said. "It's really short, but I'm just going to leave it here and let you guys watch it when you're ready."
