Chapter Two
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When Danny had woken up by his cell phone with Elena in his arms at seven o' clock on a Saturday morning, Danny cursed at his phone while reaching over, grabbed it, flipped it, cursed at the phone again when he saw the name of the person who was calling him, put it to his ear and mouth, and said to his friend in a sleepy voice.
"Yeah, Martin."
Over the phone, Martin sounded like that he had woken up at five in the morning when he had called Danny and asked him if he got anything to do this morning?
Knowing that he had pretty much nothing to do that morning, Danny answered him back by telling that he had no plans that morning and asked him, "Martin. Why are you calling me at seven in the morning?"
There was silence over the next few seconds until Martin had broken it when he told him that he was sorry that he had woke him up and told him to meet him at the new travel agency near Martin's apartment at nine o'clock which is the time that the travel agency opens at.
Being confused about all of this, Danny asked Martin, "Why you are going to a travel agency for? I don't understand."
There was another silence over the phone but moments later, Martin told him the reason why.
"Danny, don't you remembered last Thursday night at the bar after the meeting? When I gave you a confession and then, looked down at the empty shot glass and I told you that I need a vacation and you agreed with me?"
Danny thought that Martin was drunk after drinking only one glass and he was kidding about it when he told him that but now, talking to his friend on a cell phone and his girlfriend in his arms, Danny was starting to think that the whole thing was true. Martin really wanted a vacation and Danny thought that was a great idea but why Martin had to choose the first thing that Danny had said to him? The more expensive one?
Danny thought about it more but knew right away that Martin wanted an answer from him about meeting him at the travel agency or he thinks that Danny had hung up on him and went back to sleep. Don't wanting that to happen, right away, Danny told him that he remembered that and he will meet him at the travel agency at nine after he was done having breakfast with Elena and Sofie.
Right away, Martin said to him, "Thanks, Danny. Meet you at nine." and then, hung up on him.
Danny put his phone away when Martin did that and after that, still in his arms, Elena asked him, "Danny. Why Martin was calling at seven in the morning?"
Kissing the top of his girlfriend's black hair, Danny told Elena that Martin was asking him to come at that new travel agency near his apartment for something.
"You didn't asked him why?" asked Elena.
Danny shook his head and told her that he wanted to asked him about that but didn't tell him that right away because Martin had thanked him for it and hung on him.
Elena turned to him when Danny told her that and asked him if this was about the conversation between him and Martin at the bar last Thursday night after the meeting? In return, Danny nodded at her and right away, Elena asked him, "Why in his own mind that Martin had to choose the vacation one? Is he afraid to meet other women in New York? That is a whole lot cheaper."
"I don't know about that. It was up to Martin to choose how he's going to do it. I was just helping him giving out options." said Danny.
Elena smiled at him when he told her that, kissed him on the lips, and referring to what Danny had last told her, Elena said to him, "Do you know that you're a great friend to Martin?" In return, Danny nodded to her again which made Elena smiled and kissed him again for a long time.
Before moving over to other parts of Elena's body, Danny looked over at the clock on the end table next to the bed to see what time it is? After seeing that the time was fifteen minutes before eight, knowing that Sofie was coming into the bedroom to give her mother and him a hug before heading off to watch Saturday cartoons and eat some breakfast any minute now, Danny kissed Elena one more time before getting off the bed, walked over to the door, turned the doorknob around and got himself out, founded Sofie walked over to Elena's bedroom, Danny lifted her up when Sofie told him good morning and in return, Danny asked her if she wanted some breakfast.
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After having breakfast with the girls in his life, Danny put on some clothes, got out of the house and into his car, and drove Uptown where Martin lives at and a few blocks up was United Travel Agency, the one Martin was talking about earlier.
When Danny parked his car a few meters east of the agency, he saw Martin there, sitting on the bench in front of it, reading a newspaper. After seeing that, Danny turned off the engine, got out, and walked over to his friend with a smile on his face.
Martin saw Danny walking over to him and right away, Martin put the newspaper he was reading down on the bench, got up, walked over to Danny, and gives him a pat on the back while telling him thanks for coming here and helping him out this morning.
In return, after smelling the Irish Spring soap scent on his skin and seeing that Martin had shaved off that five o'clock shadow on his face and now clean and smelling like a waterfall, Danny smiled at his friend and said to him, "No problem, Martin. You know that I'm always here to help him out."
Martin smiled at him when Danny told him that, said to him, "I know" and then, looked through the window and watching a woman with red hair who was getting things ready before unlocking the front door.
Danny saw that also and moments later, he turned to Martin and asked him with a grin on his face, "So, Martin. Got any places in mind for your vacation?" In return, Martin turned to him, shook his head, and said to him, "I had no clue where I want to go to but I might get an idea from one of the travel brochures they have in there."
Danny smiled at Martin when he told him that but moments later, he saw the red-headed travel agent, smiling at them when she unlocked the door, turned the 'closed' side of the sign at the front door around to the 'open' side, and then, went back to her desk.
He saw Martin staring and smiling back to her and at that moment, Danny hope that once Martin and him get inside and talked to the travel agent, Martin can forget about the vacation and will ask the travel agent lady out on a date. It will help him save some money in case the trip doesn't work out but he doesn't want to do that because this is Martin's decision, not his.
A minute after the travel agent had done that; Martin walked over to the front door, pulled the door handle, and got inside. The moment he saw that, Danny did the same thing and followed him to the section where they kept the travel brochures and that's where Martin was at, looking through some of them.
Danny watched Martin looking through the brochures, trying to figuring out where Martin wants to go to. Martin flipped and looked through some that featuring the Great Northwest. Maybe thinking that he want to visit a friend in Seattle or go a camping trip and try to find Big Foot, before he knew it, Martin only had one in his hands and then, turned to the travel agent lady with the red hair and the nice smile, and asked to her with a slight smile on his face, "Hey! Are you with anyone right now?"
The lady looked around the room and founded nobody else expect her, Martin, and Danny. After seeing that, the lady smiled back to him and answered his question by telling him with a sexy smile on her fair face, "No actually and I am willing to help you and your friend out."
Danny and Martin looked at each other when she told him that and moments later, the both of them told her sure, walked over to the two chairs in front of her desk, sat down, and talked to the woman so she can help him out.
The lady smiled at them, told them that her name's Melinda, and asked Martin from the brochure in his hand, he want to go to Lake Tahoe.
Martin smiled at her and said to Melinda, "Yes." and while Martin was telling her that, Danny knew that he was out of the range when Martin told her that he wanted to go to Lake Tahoe, not Seattle or anywhere else.
Danny just stared at him when Martin told her that and when Melinda went back to her computer to get on a website for airline tickets, Danny gave him a 'Lake Tahoe? Why Lake Tahoe?' face and in return, Martin turned slightly to him and gave him a 'What? Lake Tahoe seems interesting' face. Danny was about to asked him 'why?' until Melinda turned around to them and asked Martin, "When you want to go there?"
Ignoring Danny right now, Martin told her that he wanted to leave for Lake Tahoe a week from now. After hearing that, Melinda asked him about when he will come back? This time, he told her that he will going to be gone for two weeks and want to come back on Sunday.
After hearing that, Danny whispered back to Martin, "Two weeks? Jack isn't going to give you a two-week vacation! Jack didn't give me a two-week vacation!"
Martin had heard that and whispered back to Danny, "What? Jack knew that I didn't had a week off last year and from the look of it, I think that he's going to give it to me. So, HA!"
Danny looked away from Martin and was shaking his head in disgust until Melinda turned back to them and said to Martin, "Okay, I got you a non-stop ride to Lake Tahoe airport but on the back, there were no non-stop back and are you okay with a pit stop in Chicago?"
"Sure." said Martin and right away, Melinda smiled back at him and asked him, "Window or lane?"
Martin told her that he wanted a window. Melinda typed that into her computer and from her seat, she said to Martin but Danny heard it all, "Okay, you. You are leaving at JFK on an 8:15am flight to Lake Tahoe Airport where you are going to get there at around 3:00pm, their time with a window seat from next Saturday to the sixth of July where you are flying back here with a pit stop at O'Hare at five o'clock in the evening." After telling him that, Melinda caught her breath after saying all of that and asked Martin, "Are you okay with that?"
Martin grinned at her when she asked her that and said to her, "Yeah, I'm okay with that and how much is it?"
Melinda looked for the price of the airline ticket and then, turned to him and told him that the cost was a little under $500 and after that, she asked him, "Cash or credit."
Right away, Martin reached into his pocket for his wallet, got it out, looked through it, founded a credit card, and handed it to her while Danny was staring at him with a shock on his face and as always, Martin just ignored it.
Melinda typed in his credit card's number and gave him something to sign his name in. After Martin signed his name on it, he handed it back to her and with a smile on her face, while looking at it, Melinda said to him, "Martin Fitzgerald. Nice name."
"Thanks." said Martin when he got his card back from Melinda and put it back into his wallet. After that, Melinda printed his ticket out and while giving it to Martin, she said to him, "Here's your ticket. Have a nice trip, Martin and I hope that you will come back."
Martin smiled back to her and said back to her, "Thanks for your help, Melinda. I will likely to use your agency soon."
Danny saw Melinda blushing when Martin told her that. They shook their hands with Melinda and then, Danny whispered to Martin, "We need to talk." Martin had heard that and told him that he's okay with it and went outside to Danny's car to do that.
Once they got outside, Danny asked Martin, "Why did you did that?" Martin got confused when Danny asked him that and answered his question, "I don't know, Danny. For making Melinda blushed when I told her that I will use her agency soon which is the truth."
Danny shook his head and told him that was not the answer for his question. Martin got frustrated about this and asked Danny, "Why, Danny? What do you want from me?"
Danny stepped away from him and said to him, "I don't know, Martin. Why you wanted to go on a vacation for two whole weeks?"
Martin crossed his arms, shook his head, and said to him with anger in his voice, "Danny, you want me to forget about Kim, to move on and this is the way I want to do this and if you want me to, I could cancel this trip and will just stay in New York."
Danny got closer and said to him with the same anger tone in his voice as Martin, "Martin, don't cancel your trip." "Why?" asked Martin.
Danny sighed and explained to him, "Martin, I was telling you that because I wanted to see you being happy, man and I hope that this trip to Lake Tahoe will be the starting point of this, Fitz. I just wanted to see you happy."
Martin just stared at his best friend after hearing that, he got over to him to give a pat on the back while saying to him, "Thanks, Danny for hearing that from you and I had a question to ask you."
With a smile on his face, "No problem, Fitz. I will do that for you. What's it?"
"Will you drive me to JFK next Saturday?"
In return, Danny grinned at his friend and said to him, "Sure, Martin. I will do that for you."
