Travel Tip #8: Avoid Hostility

     There was a path leading from the beach to the resort, something that was a lovely perk for those who were staying at the lagoon. You had the option of enjoying the pool by the resort or just taking a small hike of five minutes to the beach and the ocean, which many people liked. As Chad and Frankie were running down this path and jumping around people walking to the beach, they didn't even look back to see how close or far behind them Miss Ultimate Fighter was. About halfway down the path, Chad had an idea, and he tossed his toy rifle into a specific bush that he remembered passing by on the way to the beach. It was a unique bush, which meant he could come back and claim his toy later and also allowed him to run faster and less awkwardly.

     "Frankie," Chad called out, "You got a spare shirt in that bag?"

     "Yeah," Frankie replied.

     "Don't stop running," Chad instructed him, "And change into it."

     Chad had a spare shirt in his bag as well in case his got wet, and he did the same, awkwardly changing one arm at a time while changing the bag from one arm to the other with surprising co-ordination. This changed him from a black zombie shirt, into a bright red shirt that had the logo for his favorite hockey team. After stuffing the shirt back into his bag, he ran up and took Frankie's back and towel from him to make it easier for the little guy to do the same. It took the two of them less than two minutes to run the path back to the hotel, which was surprising considering the bite on Chad's foot. He was too worried about the black eye the lady chasing them would give him to worry about his foot at that particular moment. When they got to the pool, he just stopped and ripped around the corner to steal a bar stool. Chad was gambling that the woman chasing them would assume they both went back to their rooms and would run into the building instead of staying outside. It was a gamble, but the odds were she'd run into the resort rather than look around.

     "Double White Russian, Sir?" the bartender asked.

     "Yes," Chad replied, pleasantly surprised. "Expeditiously, please."

     "What about me," Frankie said, "Where do I hide?"

     "Pass me your stuff," Chad said as he walked over and took the kid's stuff just seconds before shoving him into the pool with the rest of the kids. Chad took Frankie's bag and towel back to the bar with him and sat back down.

     "Your drink, Sir." the bartender said, handing it to him.

     "Thank you," Chad said, as he slipped the man a fifty dollar bill, "I've been here at least fifteen minutes and this is my third drink, Comprede?"

     "Yes, Sir." The bartender said, paying for the drink and pocketing the rest of the tip. He knew exactly what Chad was asking for and was willing to play along, hoping that his compliance would lead to another substantial tip.

     Chad was lying low at the bar, with his head down as he sipped the drink. Frankie stayed in the pool and kept the water up to his shoulders so it would be hard for anyone looking for him to spot him. It was while he was hiding in the water when he noticed something that might expose them. His parents, Doris and Frankie Senior, were sitting on the other side of the pool, catching some rays. Unfortunately, it only took the two of them a few moments to spot Chad sitting at the bar, and Doris pointed him out as Frankie Senior got up and walked over to the bar.

     "Chad!" Frankie Senior called out as he slapped his bud on the back. "Hey, where the hell is my kid?"

     "Are you serious?" Chad replied, looking back to him. "Do you think I'd desert your kid just to hit the bar?"

     "Well, I..." Frankie Senior said, trying to find the words.

     "He's been here fifteen minutes," the bartender spoke up, "This is his third..."

     "Not yet," Chad interrupted, "I'm actually hiding from a woman."

     "Yes, Sir." The bartender said, turning away.

     "Open your eyes man," Chad chide, pointing to the pool. "He's right there!"

     Frankie Senior turned around and there was his kid, in the crowded pool playing with some of the other kids.

     "I'm sorry, Chad." Frankie Senior said, realizing his mistake.

     "Don't fret about it," Chad said, letting it go. "We were at the beach a few minutes ago, but he prefers the pool. The atmosphere over there happened to be a little too rough for our liking."

     "I get that," Frankie Senior agreed, "It's a public place, so very crowded. Junior doesn't do crowds well."

     "I noticed that," Chad said, "That's why we came back here."

     "Where are you cooped up now?" Frankie Senior asked. "Doris and I couldn't find your new room."

     "I'm in the presidential suite," Chad replied, "It has two bedrooms, so I let Junior crash with me to give you guys some privacy. We tried to bring him back to your room last night, but you were making animals sounds."

     "Oh, sorry." Frankie Senior apologized again.

     "Don't be," Chad replied, "I'm sorry for not asking, but I honestly think I saved you guys tens of thousands of dollars in therapy. I have a bigger TV to, so it made for more fun watching movies."

     "Under PG-13?" his father asked.

     "Fuck no," Chad honestly answered, "Did you listen to your Dad when he told you do that when you were his age?"

     Frankie Senior paused for a moment and sighed. "No."

     "We watched the violent movies," Chad informed him, "No nudity or anything that would require you to have a certain talk with him, okay?"

     "Fair enough," Frankie Senior said, as he then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "Who the hell pissed in her cornflakes?"

     "Excuse me," Chad asked, not realizing who he was referring to.

     "Chad!" Frankie Junior called from in the pool, "Seven o'clock!"

     Chad spun around, and it was just in time as the woman who beat up the other guy at the beach was running for him and was in the middle of another mighty swing that was aimed at Chad's head. Instead of backing away from the punch, Chad dropped to one knee, which lowered his head enough for the woman to completely miss him. From there Chad put the arm closest to his attacker between her legs and lifted her into the air. With her body resting on his shoulders, Chad scooped her up a move his old wrestling coach called the Fireman's carry. Chad proceeded to toss her off his shoulders, body slamming her into the water next to him. Most of the kids in the pool had already backed away when Chad picked her up, almost expecting him to toss her into the water. The move had caught the woman completely by surprise and she got back to her feet in the pool, looking up with a face of absolute surprise.

     "Wow!" Frankie Junior called out from the same pool.

     "Told ya," Chad said, winking at Junior, "High school wrestling."

     It was at this exact moment that a few heavily armed policemen showed up at the pool and looked ready to kick someone's ass. They were as big as houses and not the kind of men one would want to mess with anywhere, let alone a dark alley.

     "I surrender!" he called out.

     "You, in the pool!" the man called out to the woman who just swung at Chad, "Get out of the water and put your hands up!"

     Chad put his hands down and walked closer to the officer. "There's no need for that. She clearly missed and no one was hurt. I refuse to press charges."

     "That may be so," the guard replied, "But what about the man at the beach?"

     "Excuse me?" Chad asked, playing dumb.

     "She assaulted a man at the beach," the officer answered, "He has a broken nose and wants to press charges."

     The woman didn't seem impressed as the other officer was putting her into cuffs. "This wasn't my fault..."

     "Not another word," Chad said pointing at her, "What you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

     "He's right," The officer confirmed.

     "But she's right," Chad told the officer, "I was there. That bastard is lucky a broken nose is all he got. That pervert pinched her ass while he was walking past her. I witnessed this, as did my young friend in the pool."

     "I did," Frankie Junior said from the water, "Dude was a total dick. He deserved to get punched out."

     "I see," The officer said, unaware of this detail, "Are there any other witnesses?"

     "Dozens," Chad said, looking back to the woman in cuffs, "But I am sure she's willing to drop the sexual assault charges if you cut her some slack. How would you react if that was your daughter whose ass was touched without consent?"

     The officer stood there brooding over the new information he was just provided. Chad had taken a chance, hoping the ring on his left ring finger was one of matrimony. He was gambling that the officer was also a father and that some of his offspring were female. The odds were not in his favor, but this was like making a last minute buzzer beater with nothing left on the clock, and Chad hit nothing but net.

     "Uncuff her," the man called out, "No charges are being pressed; everyone is free to go, okay?"

     "I understand." the woman said, nodding to indicate compliance. She was just happy she wasn't going to be arrested in a bikini.

     "My daughter is a big fan of yours Ms. Jones." The officer said to her after she was released from the cuffs. "The next time a man does anything unwanted, you tell us, and I'll break his nose for you."

     "Thank you," Ms. Jones replied, "Would your daughter like an autograph?"

     "Yes!" the officer said as his face lit up. He pulled out his note pad and handed it and a pen to her. "Please sign it out to Violet."

     "Such a nice name," Ms. Jones said as she signed the pad. "Thanks again for not taking me in. This was a very unpleasant ordeal."

     "Thank him too," The officer reminded her, pointing at Chad. "I have a feeling this isn't the first time he's gotten someone out of trouble."

     "It's not," Doris then answered for Chad, "He's a hot shot criminal attorney from New York City."

     "That would explain a lot," the officer said, patting Chad on the arm.

     Chad watched as the officers both left the pool area and the resort. He then turned to face Ms. Jones who had a look on her face like she was resisting the urge to swing at him again.

     "Hi there," Chad said, offering her an open hand and praying she wouldn't take a shot at him again. "ChadBarrington."

     Ms. Jones sighed and shook his hand. "Rachel Jones."

     "Hold on," Frankie Senior chimed in. "The Rachel Jones?"

     "Yes," Rachel confirmed.

     "As in Raging Rachel Jones," Frankie Senior asked again, "the world women's mixed martial arts champion?"

     "The very same," Rachel said, looking back at Chad. "Pleased to meet you."

     "The pleasure is mine, Ms. Jones." Chad said, barely able to find his voice.

     "This is amazing," Doris said excitedly, "Let's all go in for dinner and break bread together and forget all about this misunderstanding."

     Chad looked back to Doris, "That is a wonderful idea."

     "I'm afraid that I have nothing to wear," Ms. Jones replied, "And my hotel is miles away from here."

     Considering it was his fault everyone was there in the first place, Chad reached into his wallet and pulled out one of the black credit cards, "Here, let's get you something to wear for dinner then, on me."

     Rachel looked back at him and smiled. "What a gentleman."

     "I agree," Doris concurred, as she took the card away from him. "Let me walk you to the shops. There are some nice designers in this resort."

     "Are there?" Rachel said, "Lead the way!"

     There goes that credit card, Chad thought to himself as he watched the two women walk away and into the resort. He turned to the two men who were standing there, watching them also leave in awe.

     "Well, I guess that means we should change too." Chad said to them.

     "We don't need to go shopping," Frankie Senior told him, "We got plenty in the room upstairs. Come on, Junior."

     Chad watched as the two men walked back into the resort and he stood there, taking a moment to relax and appreciate the moment he just weaseled his way out of. The bartender he was talking to earlier walked up with another double White Russian.

     "Thank you," Chad said, taking it and taking a big sip.

     When the drink was finished, Chad decided to head back to his room and make himself presentable for dinner. He was confident that Rachel was going to buy the most expensive dress she could find, so he had to wear something that could hold up to it, this thankfully he had packed and had hanging up in the bedroom closet. Chad had been tempted to leave all his suits behind, as he didn't want a reminder of the work that was not being done and the court cases being covered by other mediocre attorneys. It was assumed that he wouldn't be doing anything formal, especially since he promised the councilman that he would keep a low profile. At the last minute Chad decided to pack at least one just in case he needed one to impress some people with, and this was one of the finest from his wardrobe back in New York City. The cloth of his suit was produced by UK based Dormeuil, blended by some of the rarest fibers in the world and kept together with stitching made of white gold. Chad showered, shaved and then slipped into the masterpiece from his closet with care. He was fixing his tie in the mirror when there was a knock at the door. He strolled over and opened it to see both Frankie Senior and Junior standing there. Frankie Senior had a stunned look on his face again, something similar to how he looked when Rachel introduced herself.

     "Good gaud, man!" he said to Chad, checking him out. "Is that..."

     "Yes," Chad quickly confirmed, "It is."

     "Damn," Frankie Senior said, "I was afraid the women were going to out dress us but that is going to blow everyone away."

     "I bought this bad boy a few years ago," Chad confessed, as he walked back to the mirror to adjust his tie again. "It was a reward I gave myself for winning a big case, and I was also going to wear it for a special occasion that never happened."

     "Why not?" Frankie Junior asked.

     "My wife and I separated before I got the chance to show it off." Chad replied, "Probably for the best. Knowing her, she probably would have gotten upset at me for spending so much of our money on a suit."

     "How much?" Junior said with a look on his face. "It's just a suit."

     "Just a suit?" his father said to Junior with a disapproving tone in his voice, "This is a Brioni Vanquish two! They only make a hundred of these handmade suits each year, which is why they're one of the most expensive in the world."

     "How expensive are we talking?" Junior inquired.

     "Forty-five thousand," Chad answered, "And change."

     "What?" Junior said, almost choking on the words. "That suit is more expensive than a car?"

     "More expensive than a house in some parts," Chad confirmed, "You could pay for a full year at Harvard with that kind of money."

     "Damn," Frankie Senior said as he turned to his son. "Let's clean up and get changed for dinner."

     "Hold on," Chad said, "You're changing here?"

     "No choice," Frankie Senior replied, "The women kicked us out of our room so they could make themselves look beautiful in person."

     "Alright," Chad said, knowing better than to cross the women. "I'll take care of the dinner reservations. I'll be right back."

     Chad left the room and took the lift back down to the lobby. As he approached the front desk, the clerk who he spoke with the day before was there again. She was wide eyed with surprise to see Chad looking as amazing as he did in the suit.

     "Wow," she said to him, "Looking good, Mr. Barrington."

     "Thank you very much," Chad replied.

     "Manager?" she assumed based on their previous encounters.

     "Not this time," Chad corrected her, "I'd like some assistance."

     "Such as?" the clerk asked eager to help him out.

     "What is the best fine dining establishment around here?" Chad asked.

     "I'm not too sure," The clerk confessed, "I can look it up for you."

     "No need," The manager said as he walked up and took a look at the custom made masterpiece that was clinging to Chad's body. "Very nice; Brioni, I assume?"

     "Correct," Chad confirmed, "Vanquish Two."

     "Spectacular," the manger said, before clearing his voice. "The Tempest Corner: a few miles from here; delectable food and great service."

     "Any chance you can book me a reservation?" Chad asked.

     "I am acquainted with the maître de," the manager said as he picked up the phone, "Table for two?"

     "Five," Chad informed him, "The Andersons will be joining us."

     The manager spoke into the phone in a difference language, and while Chad clearly understood every word that was being spoken, he played dumb and stood there waiting. The manager put the receiver down and smiled.

     "You table will be ready in thirty minutes." He said.

     "Fantastic." Chad said, impressed. "Is there a chance you will be able to order a car for the night?"

     "We have a company that gives us services for such occasions." The manager confirmed, "I'll have him fetch a car big enough for your party. It should be here in twenty minutes."

     "Thank you very much," Chad said, surprised to be getting such amazing service after how rude he had been to them both. "Bill the car to my room, please."

     "Yes, Mr. Barrington." The manager said, "Enjoy your evening."

     As Chad walked away, the both of them watched to get a great view of the back of his suit. It looked just as amazing from that view as well.

     "For a lawyer, he sure does dress up nice." The clerk said.

     "That suit," the manager informed her, "Is worth more than your house."

     "Get out!" the clerk called out, shocked.

     "I kid you not," the manager replied, "It appears Mr. Barrington is a far better attorney than either of us was willing to give him credit for."

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