Sylvia Dancy

Island Spells Sylvia Dancy

Jeff takes a spur of the moment weekend vacation to Maui to celebrate his new promotion at work in Seattle. His first night there he meets a Monique who seems like a mermaid, she has long curly hair and teaches him his first surf lesson. When Jeff runs into after the resort luau, she invites him to a beach bonfire with her friends. He shows up wearing dress pants and a collared shirt even though everyone else is in their bathing suit and night surfing. Jeff sees a new side to life through their dancing and welcoming vibe. He spends the night with Monique at her bohemian airstream. She talks about energy and crystals and how the full moon brought him to her. He wakes up to a vegan breakfast of soy sausage and berries which he's never seen anyone put so much love into. They visit the furthest part on the island and then a local street fair. He is inspired by the joy that seems so effortless among the people on the island. Jeff sits on a bench eating ice cream listening to reggae music and realizes he hasn't been so relaxed and happy in a long time. He tells Monique he wants to live here and keep seeing her. He has one day before his flight and suddenly realizes all the people that he will have to face if he drops everything and moves to Hawaii. When Monique makes him the perfect Hawaiian meal, he feels like he has to make it happen as if he has found a once in a lifetime opportunity. Monique tells him that he can't find happiness from her and needs to find it for himself first. She skates away leaving him wondering what she meant. He looks through the books in her place and finds a book about spirits and contacting the dead. Suddenly he looks around him and feels like he just woke up from a dream. He realizes he got sucked in by Monique and the calm vibes but that he is not like them and he is a successful, smart, savvy businessman. He takes his sandy business clothes from her laundry line and leaves, planning on not looking back. He feels like drinking and goes to the resort bar where a local Hawaiian is serving drinks. He embarrasses himself acting arrogantly and putting down the culture. He gets himself kicked out of the bar after he tries to hit on one of the other guests who is married. He stumbles to the beach and sits down trying to figure out how a trip that started out so good now felt like such a huge failure. Looking out into the ocean he sees a floating shrine to a surfer who was lost at sea. He thinks about how his own father worked himself so hard that his health depleted and he had a heart attack in his early sixties. With a newfound sense of purpose and inspiration, he gets up the next morning and throws out his business clothes for a new Hawaiian wardrobe. He walks with a lightness to his step as he browses the local shops. He chats with the store owners and is genuinely interested in talking to people. He feels like he is almost living for the first time and doesn't even think about Monique. He finds an empty storefront and realizes he wants to start a little bar. The landlord happens to be inside fixing the sink and he writes him a check for the deposit. Instead of hopping on the flight home, he goes to the hardware store to buy supplies to build out his tiki bar which he wants to call, 'Find Your Happiness.' In just a few weeks, he has opened his doors and has some customers as well as some musicians. He looks like a new man, tan, smiling, and truly happy. Just as he is announcing the ukulele player for the night, Monique walks by and sees it. She watches from the back of the room as Jeff helps his customers and realizes he's changed. She goes to the bar and sits down. Jeff sees her and proudly shows her around. She sees that he is in his element. She leaves saying he shouldn't be a stranger. Jeff decides to invite her to hang out the next day and shuts the bar down decorating it for a romantic dinner just for her with a steel drum band which she had said made her...