After a few days in limbo, the time had come for me to learn my fate.
I would be banished to live on a tropical island paradise for five years, with the option to bring three persons who were of no relation to me.
My decision was needed pronto, so thinking on the spot, these words of Joel Annesley came to mind.
"Success comes from finding win-win solutions. Nobody should ever lose."
First in command demand:
John had taken early retirement to look after his dying wife, who sadly passed away. Our friendship was like a father-daughter kind with mutual trust and respect for each other.
An authoritative persona, fearless, with a calm demeanour; extremely protective of women, and John had spent his life defending and protecting others. John loves solitude and had lived in exile in Syria for seven years, alone, and he has a robust mind that could withstand extremes of all nature. I thought John would have been the ideal person because he had no medical condition that may restrict or be of concern for him to relocate for ages.
In addition, John was CPR certified with medical training, and lifeguard duties were a job he'd done for a few years since his early retirement. Preparing for the worst, I'd been told in confidence that John was capable of making weapons and bombs out of basically anything, which could be handy if we ever found ourselves in dire straits.
John and I always had lovely chats. He was an introverted extrovert, socially selective, and wouldn't mind being part of a tiny group.
Some advantages this opportunity would present to John were:
John misses living in a tropical country. He had spent many years of his young life far from home at remote locations, and his job as a soldier took him to several different countries around the world. Now, accompanying me would give John a focus in his life, and it would have been personally rewarding for John if he could offer me his protection, and companionship.
John copes well in all weather conditions and has lived in both first world and third world countries, but on this occasion, John would be able to enjoy life and relax on the tropical island.
My Second Choice:
I had gone to have my regular massage, and Jane happened to be the new therapist assigned to me. I was so impressed with Jane's massage techniques, that I requested to have Jane on every visit thereafter.
Jane and I would have little conversations during massages, and over time I got to know more about Jane. She was an excellent cook, multi-lingual (she was raised in a mixed family, and had a natural aptitude for learning languages). Jane had an outgoing personality, volunteered at an animal shelter, and she desperately wanted to leave her home country to experience living abroad but had concerns about safety since she was single, and she was never able to afford to go alone. Also, she had met my mate John, and if I had remembered correctly, there seemed to have been a spark between them.
Since I have a tendency to get tight muscles when stressed, having regular massages would help to keep my blood flowing, my muscles in good condition, and it would help to keep my outlook on life positive, by uplifting my spirit.
Daily massages on the beach? Oh yay!
The perks for Jane would be that she would get to leave her home country, and get to see more of the world. Jane could get to know John better, offering John massages, while John could teach Jane to swim. Jane would feel safe, and Jane would be handy to be a translator if necessary.
She had nice energy and a positive aura, which made her perfect for both John and me.
My Third Request:
The creative mind of the bunch, Paul is street smart. A talented artist, painter, photographer, and dancer who loves to entertain. Interchangeable, Paul can be manly and serious, or he can be as feminine and flamboyant as he chooses. My reason for choosing Paul is that he is a trusted friend of my husband, he has survived adversity, and prejudice from being a trans-man. Living on a tropical paradise island is something that Paul(a) had dreamed about, but knew that safety would have been a concern. Paul(a) was on his 4th out of a 10-year quest of sexual abstinence since losing his lover, and would appreciate the getaway from the unwarranted stigma. Paul's ability to interchange could be an advantage in case we needed to present ourselves as a couple or something of that nature. He could also be used to go undercover.
Paula could enjoy time painting the beautiful scenes and do photography to capture memories and documentation throughout the years on the island.
Starting the days, I would conduct guided meditations at sunrise, laughter yoga throughout the days to keep everyone's positive emotions alive, and we would enjoy days eating tropical fruit and other food available . We would keep our bond solid, and always try to stay together as a group, sharing and learning new skills, and spend days relaxing on the beach basking in the sun, and watch stunning sunsets by campfires at nights.
All three chosen ones said yes to what they saw as an opportunity of a lifetime.
Given the chance to take one backpack, and a handbag each, I was escorted to a private boat, with my name written on the side, with codes: B (banished) and III (Indicating that there were three other persons travelling with me.)
✊
I had fun writing this fictional piece...
Did you enjoy it? Would you like Part II?
Please drop me comments below, and I'll respond:)
First and last photos are mine
Option one: The island paradise
You are banished to a tropical paradise island for five years and can bring only three people with you - none can be related to you, meaning family members - who are they and why would you bring those particular people? They can be people from history or currently alive.
