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Meet the Students... and try a sample of the upcoming audiobook version!




Two years later…

 “How’d you do on that one Melissa?” Jake questions.

  “I don’t know Jake; I hate Income Tax!” Melissa responds passionately.

  “And you want to be an accountant!?” laughs Jake.  The fourth-year university students have just finished their mid-term exams and are hours away from starting Spring Break.

  “Let’s find Carter; our plane leaves in four hours Jake and we don’t want to miss it!” Not wanting to waste any time, the three friends are pushing their luck booking a flight in the afternoon of the same day as their last exam.

 “There you are Carter! Where have you been?” Melissa and Jake finally meet up with Carter in the school parking lot.

 Carter rushes up to them. “I forgot my passport and I had to go home and get it!”  Knowing the time frames were tight, the three friends brought their suitcases to school putting them in the back of Melissa’s SUV in the morning so they could head straight to the airport after their exam was over. Due to Carter’s side trip, they are now forty-five minutes late according to their schedule.

 “Let’s go! They want us there three hours ahead of time!” Melissa urges. The friends jump into the young lady’s vehicle and quickly exit the parking lot making their way toward the airport.

 “There’s one Melissa… and close to the walkway!” Carter calls out excitedly. After a thirty-minute drive the students arrive at the airport, park the car, and start quickly walking towards the terminal dragging their suitcases behind them.

 “Welcome to Island Air, can I have your name please?” The students have arrived at the check-in desk just in time. “Melissa, Melissa McDonald.” Melissa smiles at the receptionist and pulls out her passport.

  “Do you have any bags you need to check?”

  “Of course she does, she’s a woman!” laughs Carter feeling more relaxed now they have finally reached the airport.

 “Shut up Carter!” Melissa retorts. This type of bantering is common between these two, but they really are friends. “Yes, I have one bag.” After each of the students hand over their suitcases, including Carter, and they receive their boarding passes, the flight attendant gives them one final instruction. “We board in two-hours, so don’t be late!”

 “Let’s hit the bar!” Carter shouts.  He is ready for a vacation and a drink seems like the perfect place to start.

  “Carter!” Melissa shakes her head in disbelief and looks at Jake.

  “Actually, I’ll agree with him on this one Melissa” Jake responds.  As they have plenty of time and it has been a while since breakfast, the students make their way to a restaurant where they will have lunch and a celebratory drink before they get on the plane.

 “I sure need this trip you guys!” Melissa settles into her chair and starts to relax.

  “I think we all do Mel.” Jake takes another sip of his drink.  “Except you Carter… you always seem to breeze through these exams.”

  “Yeah, it’s not exactly rocket science Jake!” Carter laughs and orders a shot of tequila.

 After lunch the students gather their carry-on items and move to the seating area across from their gate. “We’ll soon be boarding guys… use the bathroom before they call us!” As you might have guessed, Melissa can be a little bit bossy. That being said, a short time later they hear their flight being called. “That’s us guys… let’s go!” Melissa jumps up, grabs her carry-on bag, and leads the others towards the gate.

 The flight is just over four hours and is direct to the island paradise just south of the Gulf Coast. As Jake sleeps, and Carter drinks, Melissa takes advantage of the time to just relax and let her thoughts wander.

 The daughter of two lawyers, Melissa did not want to follow her parent’s path because the profession has a high divorce rate, including her parents. However, Melissa has an interest in contracting and hopes there is a future in that field as an accountant. One thing she knows for sure, she does not want to do shoe-box accounting and tax returns.

 “Can I have another drink?” Carter calls out to the flight attendant.  Carter is a different story; he took accounting as he though it would be easy, and despite his continued partying he is a straight ‘A’ student.

“I think you’ve had enough sir.” The flight attendant gives him a wink and a smile as she walks away. Carter’s Father was an engineer and his mother a bookkeeper for the family’s engineering firm. His mother did not finish her degree therefore was not able to achieve her professional designation, and she insisted that Carter not make this same mistake. His father, however, was not happy Carter did not become an engineer.

 Then there is Jake who has known Melissa since elementary school, and his fondness for her might have led him to go into accounting as well. Jake’s father is a police officer and hopes one day his son will follow in his footsteps; however, the competition is steep right now, and departments do not consider you unless you have a university degree. Jake’s father agreed that at least with accounting it might ensure employment, as every organization needs one.

 Attention passengers, please raise your tables and chairs and put on your seatbelts as we will land shortly!’

 “Jake! Wake up, we’re going to land soon!” Melissa calls out.

 Jake is startled as he returns to life. “You could have woken me sooner Melissa, I have to pee!” Jake makes a quick run for the bathroom before the seatbelt signs get turned on while Melissa looks out through the window as they approach the island.

 “Look at the colour of the water Carter!”

 “Yeah, that is cool Mel!” Even though Jake has been enamoured for Melissa for many years, she and Carter were more like buddies. As Melissa continues to look out through the window, Jake comes scurrying down the isle making his way back from the bathroom. “Just in time Jake; now get your seatbelt on!”

 ‘Ladies and gentlemen this is your Captain speaking. Welcome to the island where it is sunny, 95 degrees, and the friendly locals are waiting to show you a good time!’

 “Wow! He might have worded that a little different,” laughed Melissa as she began to gather up her belongings.

 “I don’t know Melissa, I was hoping…” Carter smiles.

  “Don’t say it Carter!” The passengers sitting near the students laugh at their bantering.

 The aircraft pulls up to the terminal, and when the door opens the passengers are hit with the unexpected heat and humidity. “Let’s go guys!” As the passengers in front of them take to the isle, Melissa leads the others right behind them.

 As is protocol in most places, the students need to make their way to Immigration to get their visitor card, and then find the carousel to gather their suitcases. Being it is a small island therefore small airport, the students disembark down a set of stairs to the tarmac then walk towards the terminal. “Over here guys!” directs Melissa as Jake and Carter follow her through the doorway marked ‘Arrivals.’  After a quick visit to Immigration to get their tourist cards, then picking up their luggage, the students prepare for their last stop in the airport…Customs!

 “Welcome to our island ma’am, can I see your passport and tourist visa please.” Melissa is the first to go through the final checkpoint with Jake and Carter not far behind her. The three friends clear Customs and make their way to the bus which will take them to their resort.

 

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