A Collection of Short Stories and Poems

Not Every Billionaire Is A Great Inspiration (story)

Nick thayer sat at breakfast table in the kitchen. He took the newspaper lying on the table, and glanced through the front page. Charlotte thayer, his wife brought him his breakfast. They didn't exchange any words of love or gestures of comfort. They had been fighting for a week now.

Charlotte returned to the sofa and resumed watching TV. She was watching the morning telecast of "Oprah", something which she and her husband used to do together.

Nick, on the other hand, had deeply immersed himself in the newspaper. An article about Grenada had caught his attention. Grenada was a pleasant tourist destination, a carribean island. He finally finished his breakfast, taking longer than usual, and went upstairs to change for office. He came down to find his wife watching TV. He normally used to find his shoes, socks, car keys, briefcase and wife at the kitchen table when he was about to leave. But, it hadn't been the same for one week.

He went across the hall to get his shoes and socks, then went to the other corner to take his briefcase, and then went to the door and took his car keys. He then, unusually, took the day's newspaper and kept it in his bag, and said aloud that he was leaving. Charlotte didn't reply.

In the office, nick had been in front of his computer the whole day, but he wasn't exactly working. No one would say anything to him though, he was the manager. He was spending all his time searching information about Grenada. Flight tickets, tourist attractions, hotels, and perhaps everything else that might be needed for a good vacation. At the end of the day, he booked two tickets in an "Air America" flight scheduled after a week. He left his office early, he couldn't resist telling his wife about their vacation. He went home and told Charlotte that he's taking her to Grenada. He said that he wanted to make up for the past week and that he was sorry. His spouse seemed quite impressed by the surprise and Nick had one great night of lust and passion. Everything seemed normal, just as it should be between a newly wed couple.

The thayers arrived at the Grand Anse Beach Resort. Nick had not booked the rooms, because it was an off season and he didn't really expect a lot of tourist to be present at the hotels. He was right. The hotel lobby, exquisite and beautiful, looked awfully deserted. They walked up to the registration and Nick asked for a suite.

The man behind the desk replied, "we have suits available sir, but I fear this is not a season for tourists."

Nick, "I do know that, that's exactly why I came. I didn't want the beaches to be crowded. I wanna have alone time with my wife."

The man behind the desk, "Sir, you aren't quite getting what I'm saying. There's a danger of a hurricane. It has already hit Trinidad and Tobago, which is about 200 miles from here. Now we aren't exactly sure if its headed our way or not, but the newspapers in the US, Mexico and other nearby countries did issue a warning for tourists to avoid these islands at this time."

Nick tried to act as surprised and tensed as he could. His wife didn't had to act.

"Sir, we have a storm cellar in the basement for worse case scenarios. I advice that you stay at our hotel, and pack your important belongings in a small bag. We will inform you if things get worse. The winds are getting stronger outside. I don't think it'd be smart to go out now. Let's pray for the best."

The thayers accepted the only option.

Nick was standing in the balcony of his suite, facing the beach. It was 9 pm. The beach was violent. The winds were diabolic. The window panes shattered. Nick had to struggle to stand straight.

"Darling come back in, please."

He smiled at the voice of her wife. Finally, he was gonna get what he want. This was the night he had been waiting for.

He went in. He said, "Charlotte, let's go sit down on the sand by the beach."

"Are you crazy?"

"No, just young and wild. Come on! The winds are awesome! Who knows when will we come back to this place!"

After five minutes of insisting, Charlotte gave in to his stupid plea. She changed and they went down on the sand. They could see the locals on the beach. They began talking. Time passed. The winds became bearable with time and the couple started cuddling on the beach. Charlotte glanced at Nick's watch. It was 11. She said they should head back. Nick didn't answer her. The man from the reception came and said them that they had received reports that the storm was indeed heading their way. He asked them to head to the storm cellar with their belongings. Charlotte rushed back to their room to collect their wallets, purse, passports, visas, return tickets, laptop, cameras and a pair or clothes. Nick was still sitting on the beach, hypnotized by the violent sea. She came to nick and told her that they should leave now. He held her hand and pulled her down. She fell on the ground. Nick had to scream to make himself audible.

"Your father died last month, just after we got married. He left all his estate to you in his will, 40 million dollars. When were you gonna tell me, huh?"

He had his hands on her neck by now.

"You know I need money to launch my business. My company just doesn't pay me enough. I'm the fucking manager, still they don't pay me enough! I'm gonna start a new company. I'm gonna be the boss. I need those 40 million dollars."

Charlotte was screaming, but there wasn't a single soul in sight to see them. Nick tightened his grip on her neck. She couldn't breathe now. She coughed.

"Once you die, all the money will be mine, wouldn't it? But I couldn't murder you. There was so much risk! So I'll let it look natural. You died in the storm! Haha!"

Charlotte's eyes closed. Nick didn't lose his grip till 2 more minutes. The wind was stronger than ever now. He had to leave her. He dragged his wife's body towards the sea. He didn't go too deep into the sea, but let the body float away. Far away, he could see mammoth waves headed his way. At once, he braced himself and headed towards the hotel. He had the backpack in which Charlotte had kept their belongings. He struggled to keep it with him. He struggled to walk back. The winds were uprooting the coconut trees by the beach. He fell to his knees, but kept crawling. He neared the hotel wall. 20 metres more. He could make it. He somehow got back up on his feet. He ran, and he reached the hotel. He went in, the tables and the bar was destroyed by the winds. He went towards the cellar and kicked the cellar door. A man opened it, pulled him in, and closed it.

The man from the desk was there too. He asked, "Where's your wife, sir?"

Nick started crying, which gave the man the answer.

Everyone in the storm cellar survived the storm. The newspapers reported that Charlotte thayer, 26, US citizen had died in the storm. Her body was yet to be found.

As for Nick thayer, he had a masters degree in management studies from Harvard. He knew business. And now, he had his investment. After 10 years, nick thayer was a multi-billionare. He owned many companies. He was a well known person all around the world. He was the youngest multi-billionaire ever. But nobody ever found out Charlotte thayer's body and the secret of that night.

Inspired by an incident in Steig Larsson's novel "The girl who played with fire."