Online Life

Chapter 2 - The Calling

Landing at LAX airport was bittersweet.  Claire felt miles away from the comforts of her home, which really, she was.  As she exited the plane, her feet wanted to run back in, take her seat, buckle up and be taken straight back home.  That was until she stepped into the heat of the California sun and was melting with delight.  Her home town of Bellevue, east of Seattle had been bitterly cold this past winter and was showing no signs of letting up.  She had to admit, that she needed this trip as much as flowers need the rain, and at this moment she needed every last ray the sun had to give.

"Snap out of it Claire and grab your bags from the conveyor before they pass again!" Lisa all but shoved her on to it along with the luggage.  Claire gave Lisa a long glare after she retrieved her luggage from the carrousel.

"What was that for?"  Claire couldn't believe how impatient Lisa was being already.  Only five minutes into their vacation and Lisa was bossing her around.

" If it was up to you squirt, we would never make it to the beach before the week was up."  Claire hated it when she referred to her as squirt.  She was fifteen for heavens sake, not five, could it hurt her to start treating her as an equal. Claire glanced over to her parents and noticed that they were in a heavy discussion over a local map before she replied back.

"You really don't care about the beach Lisa, all that you want to do is flaunt your body to all the hot guys there!"  She knew exactly why Lisa wanted to go on this vacation and it wasn't to spend time with the family.

"And what's so wrong with that?"  Lisa flashed her pearly white teeth and gave her a wink.

"Because, don't you think everyone notices how you use your body to get what you want from guys, no matter how you may hurt them.  Come on Lisa have a little respect for yourself and them!"  Claire was fuming mad now just thinking of all the years she had to watch as Lisa broke every guys heart in town.

"And do you think I haven't noticed how you treat those guys online that you talk to.  Your life is no more innocent than mine, you just choose to play behind a computer screen rather than out in the open." Just as Claire was going to fire back a retort, Lisa stomped off to the dolly to unload her luggage.

Claire thought about what Lisa had just said and no matter how she hated to admit it, Lisa was right.  She was having fun and looked forward to powering up her computer to live an online life that was free of her insecurities.  She never really gave much thought to the fact that the person on the other end was a real guy miles away with real feelings.  It didn't seem as bad as flaunting her body like Lisa did, but was it any different using guys online for her own pleasure and ego boost.  She thought that perhaps she should ponder this more while on vacation.

Reaching their destination, Claire got out of the cab and immediately her jaw dropped as she realized that her Mother and Father rented a yacht for the week.  They had a boat of their own back home but nothing as exquisite as this luxury vessel that she was facing.

"It's a beauty, isn't it?  Nothing but the best for my 3 girls!"  Dad was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped closer to the gleaming yacht.  "I have some business associates here in Cali that are letting us borrow it for the duration of our stay."  Dad raised his head to them as if he was the conqueror of the world.  Claire had to give it to him though, the sight of the large boat was breath taking and she couldn't wait to get on and stake her claim to a bedroom.

Of course, just as she was about to make her move, Lisa pushes her aside, " I get dibs on the largest bedroom!" and rushes past Claire onto the deck of the boat.  Claire looked back at her Mom and Dad for some support but noticed that she wasn't going to get it from them, as they were locked in an embrace not even paying attention.  Looking up to the sky and praying to the heavens, Claire knew that she was going to have to fend for herself during this vacation.

The inside of the yacht was even more stunning than the outside.  Marble flooring lined the inside living areas along with crystal chandeliers to brighten the space.  Claire sighed at the fact that her room was of course smaller than Lisa's but loved every detail that was shown to the space.  She closed her eyes and sank into the ultra soft satin comforter that topped the large queen size bed.  Opening her eyes though, she was awaited with the most spectacular site of the harbour, as other large yachts came in from a day of sailing.  She had to admit that this indeed was the best room on the boat.

Claire decided to get a better view of the boats making their way into the harbour, so she ventured above deck just as the sun was setting and casting glimmering orange and red hues over the ocean.  Looking down over the boat at the water, she noticed that the name of the yacht was "The Calling".  How appropriate she thought, as she sure did feel that this trip was Calling out for her to make changes in her life in more ways than she could imagine.