Pushing the Limit -Book 2 - 1. Chapter 1

David looked out of the window of the plane, watching the Gulf of Mexico get closer and closer. He was finally coming home. He had changed and it wasn’t just the physical changes that made him different. It was the mental and emotional changes that were most evident. He had just spent nearly ten weeks dealing with a darkness within himself that had almost destroyed him. As the turquoise water slipped by below him he let his mind wander back over the past few months.

Those first few days had been rough. He had curled up in the unfamiliar hotel bed and stayed there for three days, barely moving. His whole body had ached. He was weak, feverish and knew that he was experiencing a major sub-drop, but just didn’t care. The sudden rush of endorphins that he experienced when he gave everything he had to TC never had a chance to be properly disseminated throughout his system. Upon finally realizing and admitting to himself that they had fallen in love, he had bolted. Probably not the best decision, but it had been too late. He discovered that he had flown to London on autopilot and when the enormity of what he had done hit him, his physical well being hadn’t stood a chance.

The hotel staff had checked on him on his third day. He thanked them politely for their concern and told them not to worry, then lied and said he was just getting over a bad cold but was feeling much better. After restocking his bottled water that they had delivered he crawled under the covers for another two days getting up only to drink some water and use the bathroom.

He finally felt physically well enough to get out of bed on the fifth day. Needing a change of scenery, he showered, changed into clean clothes and ventured out to find something to eat. He had ordered room service a few times, but had barely eaten any of it, as his appetite had deserted him. His body was now demanding that he take care of it properly and he was hungry. He found a sandwich shop a few blocks away. The fresh air had helped to clear the cobwebs from his head and the food he ordered stopped the rumbling in his belly.

Once his physical needs had been taken care of David needed to assess his mental needs. He knew he needed to touch base with the real world again. He strolled along the streets for a bit while he tried to decide on the next course of action. Getting back to his hotel room he found that his phone had died, the battery at zero. He had packed his charger, but it had never occurred to him to bring a converter. He called down to the front desk and the lady who answered told him that they had just loaned out their last one and did not currently have any available, but she could send a runner out for one and have it delivered to his room. David figured it was worth the extra cost for the service and agreed.

He would need to call his financial advisor. David knew there was no way he could return to Florida anytime soon. He wasn’t rich by any means, but he made very good money and had been diligent about saving and investing for his retirement someday. He also had a nice little nest egg, as well as a rainy day fund. Even after paying for half of Owen’s car out of his rainy day fund, David knew he had enough in there to cover his expenses for several months as long as he didn’t stay in hotel rooms that cost nearly two-hundred British pounds a night, the price one had to pay when they took the first thing they came across.

There was a knock on his door signalling the arrival of a converter for his charger. He had asked for one that had both an outlet plug and a USB port. He thanked the man and got his name, apologizing for not having any of the local currency, something which he would need to remedy soon. He plugged his phone in to let it charge and waited a fifteen minutes to give it enough juice to get started with what he needed to do.

Leaving it plugged in he turned it on and immediately the thing started vibrating with missed calls, texts and emails. Looking at the screen he saw dozens of each. He mentally calculated the time difference and decided to call his bank first. He had his debit card and two credit cards with him, one was his personal card and the other belonged to his company. It took a little extra time to get through, but David was soon able to get everything squared away so that neither his checking account nor his credit card would be shut down due to suspicious activity when he used it outside of the U.S. As it was, they had already flagged his credit card when he used it to check in. Now that they were aware that he was actually in Europe he shouldn’t have any problems.

He took care of transferring some money from his savings account to his checking and made arrangements for his credit card bill to be paid automatically each month. His bank’s app would give him access daily to his accounts and he would need to self monitor them. Most of his other bills he paid online and would continue to do so.

Now, time for the harder phone calls. He called his boss, Stephen, using the number for his personal cell phone, and the man picked up on the first ring. After assuring him he was alive and well and hadn’t been kidnapped by aliens he explained that he needed to take a leave of absence for personal reasons. He wasn’t sure what the man had heard, but Stephen told him that his job would be waiting for him, no matter how long it took. Stephen valued him and his work, knowing that it would be near impossible to replace him.

Next he called Renee, his ex-wife. He felt bad knowing that she had most likely been beside herself with worry. As he listened to the phone beep and click as it got routed through the international connections he steeled himself.

Renee answered the phone “David! Are you alright? Where are you? Jesus Christ you had us worried! What the hell is going on with you? TC said you just left. He won’t talk to us.” she rapidly fired her questions at him.

David sighed before answering “I’m in London. I won’t be back for a while Renee. I can’t. I just can’t be there anymore. I need to figure some stuff out in my head.”

“You need a smack upside the head, that’s what you need.” David could hear the anger as well as the concern in Renee’s voice.

“Renee, not now. I’m alive, I’m not lying in some hospital comatose and suffering from amnesia. I just need to be by myself for a little while. Please, just give me that. Please Ren?”

David’s voice must have conveyed his dismay as Renee softened. “Oh David, I'm sorry I snapped at you. I’m just so worried. We all are. The kids are beside themselves. I don’t understand what could have happened. I guess that’s between you and TC. But David? You need to work it out. If running away is what it takes, then so be it. Just don't run so far that you get lost. None of us like it, but we’re not you.”

“Thanks Renee, for not prying. I don’t understand a lot of what I’ve done either, that’s why I need time away. You’re right, I am running away, but I just don’t know what else to do. I don’t know how long it’s going to take. Could you and Mike take care of a few things for me?” David asked.

“Anything for you David.” Renee answered.

David asked her if they would take care of his house for him. The lawn service was scheduled through the end of September. He needed someone to take care of the pool and he asked if he could have his mail forwarded to her house as well as several other little things like cleaning out the perishables from his refrigerator and cupboards, leaving the A/C on, but setting the thermostat to a higher degree so he wouldn’t have an outrageous electric bill. It didn’t make sense to cool a house that wasn’t being lived in everyday.

Renee assured him that they would take care of everything for him. She even suggested that maybe they could have Owen stay there a couple of days during the week for the summer to keep an eye on things. He was working at the marina again and David’s house was much closer. He would be seventeen soon and Renee trusted him to take care of the home while David was gone. Besides, she and Mike would check in with him regularly and he would have to agree to follow their rules. David thought that it would be a good idea and agreed.

David still had a couple of calls to make. He promised Renee that he would touch base with her weekly by text. He asked her to assure his children that he would call them soon. He just wasn’t ready. He could hear the tears in her voice as he said good-bye. He hated this. He hated hurting those who were close to him, but it just couldn’t be helped.

Next he called his friend Miles, who’s reaction was similar to Renee’s. He offered to help in any way that he could and David’s voice had cracked when he asked him to look out for TC. He knew that TC would need a good friend to help him and Miles definitely fit that description. Miles thought he should come home and work things out with TC. See a therapist, take some medication, whatever, but David knew that deep down none of that would help him out any. He needed time. Just how much, he didn’t know.

David steeled himself for what he needed to do next. He knew he couldn’t talk to TC, but he owed it to him to at least let him know he was still alive. He typed out a text and deleted it several times before deciding that in this case less is better. He settled on ‘Hi. Just wanted to let you know I’m ok. Out of the country. Trying to sort things out.’ It wasn’t perfect, but he couldn’t leave TC in the dark.

David wasn’t sure if he should have been surprised or not when TC replied just a few minutes later. ‘Thank you for letting me know. Please touch base every once in a while. I miss you but I get it.’

David’s breath left him with a shudder. A solitary tear slid down his cheek. He didn't know how, he didn’t know when, but all he knew was that he needed to sort out all of the emotions that had thrown his life into turmoil. He was in love with TC. That was a fact. Right now he couldn’t see any solution that would keep them together that wouldn’t end in with them resenting each other.

David put his phone away to finish charging and opened up his laptop. It’s battery had fared a little better as he had shut it off before getting on the plane. He needed to plan for the immediate future. If he kept his daily expenses to under a hundred dollars a day, his rainy day fund could last several months if needed, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He couldn’t stay in hotels every night, that was for sure.

An idea came to him when he remembered what one of the young guys in his office had mentioned in the breakroom one day. The summer before his senior year of college he had spent in Europe, travelling all over and doing something he called couch surfing. He had used a website that matched travellers with local residents who were willing to give up their couch or spare room for some extra cash, or in some cases for free. It was an interesting concept and David spent a few hours researching the possibility. He was restless and felt like he had to be on the move or the maelstrom that churned in his mind would overwhelm him.

What he found out was encouraging and he planned on sending out some inquiries, but first he needed to run a few errands. The front desk had a map of London that they gave him as well as directions to the nearest currency exchange. David was able to get a few hundred dollars converted to British pounds and he got some Euros as well.

He stopped at a thrift store and found some jeans and shirts that were very reasonable. His next stop was a store that the front desk had told him about that sold large backpacks that serious hikers used. They weren’t cheap, so his credit card took the hit, but they were well made and perfect for what he was planning. He picked up a map of Europe at a tourist kiosk and on his way back to the hotel hit a market for some snacks to have on hand.

Upon returning to the hotel he spread out the map on the desk and thought about where he would like to go and what he would like to see. He wasn’t a huge fan of large cities, but there were a few that he would like to spend at least a day or two in. Other than that he decided to stick to smaller cities and towns to avoid large throngs of people.

It took a few hours, but he had mapped out a tentative route that would cover roughly five or six weeks. He deliberately kept things flexible. He had looked at options for train passes and purchased one that would allow him almost unlimited access for up to eight weeks. It was expensive, but was still a lot cheaper than renting a car. He didn’t want to spend a lot of time watching the road when he could be watching the scenery instead. Still, he figured if he needed a car he could always rent one for a day or two at a time.

He kept his plans flexible, knowing that summer was a busy time for travel in Europe. He was able to send off several emails inquiring about availability on the couch surfing site. Depending on what he could get would determine where he went next.

David ate a sandwich that he had bought while he was out and got ready for bed. He hoped this would be the last night he needed the room, but if needed he would swing another night before finding something less expensive.

The following morning he was up early and checked his emails, happy to see several responses to his inquiries. He showered and took his laptop with him and set out to find something for breakfast. The front desk told him there was a good place only a few blocks over that offered free wi-fi for its patrons. David found it easily enough and he settled in to get a bit of planning done. It felt good to be out of the hotel room. By the time he had finished his breakfast he had accommodations lined up for the next four nights. David took care of his check and went back to check out of the hotel and settle his bill.

His first stop was in France. He had bought a ticket with one of the bus lines that provided transportation between London and Paris. He would need to spend the night on the bus as it was close to ten hours with stops. However, it was a lot cheaper than the train and David wasn’t pressed for time. Once he got to Paris, he planned on taking public transportation out to where his first host lived. His name was Rafe, which he later found out was short for Raphael. He lived not far outside of the city, near Versailles, and he had included instructions on which train to take and which stop to get off at.

David hoped he wasn’t a serial killer. He needed to trust his instincts and right now his gut was telling him it was OK. His French was a little rusty, but he knew enough to at least be able to get his point across. He could understand it more than he could speak it. The same held true for Spanish. Growing up in Florida he knew many kids who were Hispanic or Mexican. His best friend next door taught him how to speak the language, especially the swears and slang. He had taken French for three years in middle school and four years in high school. But as with so many things, if you don’t use it regularly, you lose the ability, but never forget how to swear. His language skills were rusty, but he figured they’d return with some practice.

David’s bus didn’t leave until after seven o’clock that evening so after he checked out he made sure he found the guy who had gone out to get a converter for him and tipped him. He asked the hotel to hold his newly bought and packed backpack for him.

David spent most of the day sightseeing. He bought a ticket for the hop on/hop off sightseeing bus and got off at a few places that interested him. He caught the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, he got off at Trafalgar Square and just soaked in the hustle and bustle of the city. He strolled along the Thames for a while before stopping at a pub for an early dinner. After all, one needed to experience fish and chips in London at least once in their lifetime.

He made his way back to the hotel where he picked up his stuff then took the Tube to Victoria Station and found the bus terminal. The bus departed a little over half full and David had a row to himself. He settled in, popped in his earbuds and listened to music while he watched the scenery go by until it was too dark to see anything. He dozed off and on, not really sleeping, occasionally shifting to find a more comfortable position. The bus stopped a few times for ten minute breaks and David would get off to stretch his legs or use the facilities if they were open.

They arrived in Paris just after six a.m. David gathered his things and stretched before he got off of the bus. They had arrived at the City Centre and he checked the Metro map and headed towards where he needed to be. He was tired of being on a bus and decided to take the train out to Versailles. Rafe had told him he could come by anytime after ten o’clock. It wouldn’t take too long once he departed the train station to get to the stop for Versailles.

David decided to find somewhere to have light breakfast near the train station and maybe pick up a small gift for his host. Rafe charged twenty Euros per night for the use of his spare room. Worst case scenario, David could always leave.

David made his way across the City of Lights and found a quiet cafe to sit and have a cup of coffee and a freshly made pastry near the train station he needed to be at. He opened his laptop and saw a few more replies to his couch surfing inquiries. It looked as though he might just be able to make this work. One of his prospects sent him a link to a site that would help him map out his route and was linked to the couch surfing sight he was using plus a couple of others. There was a whole network out there of people who travelled as cheap as they could and at a quick glance he could see that they offered hundreds of tips and suggestions. It might take a couple of weeks, but he would eventually get the hang of this method of travel. If he kept his mind focused on travelling then he wouldn’t have time to wallow in self pity over his situation with TC, at least that was what he hoped.

David listened to the hum of the conversations going on around him. He could pick up words and phrases occasionally and he discovered that as long as he made an attempt to speak the local language, people were more willing to help.

The morning passed quickly and before he knew it he was getting off the train with a crowd of people who were heading out in groups to see the famous Palace of Versailles. David wasn’t a big fan of those types of places. He had seen his fair share of architectural wonders and gardens during his two other trips to Europe, once to Germany and once to Russia. Both trips had been work related and he realized that after a while churches, castles and museums all started to blend into one another, especially if you visited more than one each day. Only a few things about each trip stood out in his mind, but then again he had been there for work and at the time he hadn’t been able to truly appreciate the beauty.

He had sent a text earlier to Rafe and after getting off the train saw an older, maybe sixty-ish guy standing next to a small Volvo. His dark hair was more salt than pepper and he was a couple of inches shorter than David. He caught his eye and asked “Rafe?”

The man smiled and nodded. “Bonjour David! Bienvenue en France!”

David dusted off the filing cabinet in his brain that held his knowledge of the French language and managed to answer, “Merci, c’est bon d'être ici.” [Thank you, it’s good to be here.]

Rafe nodded his approval and then switched to English. “Come, it is a short drive to my home.”

David put his oversized backpack on the backseat and then got into the passenger seat. Legroom was a little tight, he had forgotten that cars in Europe tended to be smaller than in the US. He automatically thought that TC would never get his long legs into such a vehicle. Just as quickly he shoved that thought aside. He wasn’t ready to think about him just yet.

Rafe turned out to be an interesting guy. He had grown up in a small town in the Burgundy province. His father worked at a winery that friends of his had owned, helping to manage the daily operations. His mother was a homemaker who raised him and his two sisters and two brothers. They had all worked at the vineyard at some point or another during their teenage years, helping out with the harvests mostly.

Rafe had gone to University and studied to become a doctor. He hated the large cities and had settled into his current home twenty-five years ago. He had a good size general practice and worked with two other doctors to take care of their patient’s well being. He was trying to ease into retirement. His and his wife had divorced several years ago after she had cheated on him. They had two grown children, both of whom lived less than two hours away. He was able to see his five grandchildren pretty frequently.

David spent two nights with Rafe. He wandered around the town center, people watching and generally just trying to calm the maelstrom of thoughts that kept swirling through his head. He managed to make arrangements for the next three weeks, staying one or two nights at each place that he chose. He tried to keep his time on the train to six hours or less to get to the next point on his planned route. He gave Rafe a nice bottle of wine that he had purchased before leaving for his next destination, thanking him for his generosity.

David spent the next few weeks winding his way through France, down into Portugal and Spain, before he meandered through Italy. He enjoyed walking the length of Cinque Terre, five towns nestled along the rugged coastline of the Italian Riviera.

He lucked out and only noped out on one of his reservations when his internal alarm bells had gone off after meeting his potential host and the man was a little too touchy-feely for his liking. Everyone else he had met had been pleasant.

Most places he visited were off the beaten path. Summer tourist season was getting underway and he didn’t want to deal with big crowds. His one exception was Rome. It had always been on his bucket list and even though he wasn’t able to find anywhere to stay using the couch surfing site, he found a hostel that catered to an older clientele, rather than the typical late teen to mid-twenties range that youth hostels did. He spent three nights there, giving himself enough time to hit the major sights.

He saw the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, window shopped along the Via Veneto and strolled through the Borghese Gardens . He even hired a guide to take him through the Vatican and it was worth every Euro to bypass the crowds of people lined up with their massive tour groups.

When he planned his next leg, which would take him through Switzerland and then into Austria, he couldn’t decide whether or not he wanted to head south from there into Croatia and then down into Greece or if he should head north and cut through the Czech Republic. His heart made the decision for him when it clenched tightly at the thought of visiting Greece. It would be too much of a reminder of the dark haired Greek who held his heart, and in the end he decided to head north. He was going to aim for being somewhere in Scandinavia by the Summer Solstice so he could experience the land of the midnight sun.

By far, the most interesting place he stayed at was in Switzerland. He came across an ad for availability in a treehouse that caught his eye. He emailed the owners for more information and the pictures they sent sealed the deal.

The home was located near Lucerne and when David arrived at the local train station he was immediately enamored with the charming city located on the banks of Lake Lucerne in the shadow of Mt. Pilatus. He followed the directions they had sent and boarded the metro, then changed to a bus which would take him to the outskirts. He got off at the stop that they indicated and from there walked about a half mile along a narrow road cut into the mountain. He reached the driveway and had to walk uphill about three hundred feet to the house that was nestled among a copse of trees.

A young couple came out to greet him as he approached. Erik and Maya Thorrenson were a young couple in their late twenties. They welcomed him in fluent English and he returned the greeting. His French and Spanish had improved in the past few weeks as he had many opportunities to practice. Many Europeans were at least bilingual, if not multilingual as most school systems required at least one foreign language. David had found that he could often make himself understood by using a combination of all three languages. He had started to think of the weird mix as Spenglench in his own head.

Eric invited him inside and offered him something to drink. David gratefully accepted a glass of water. They exchanged pleasantries and David discovered that Eric and Maya both worked in the environmental science field. Eric worked for a company that produced bio friendly cleaning products. Maya taught the subject at the local equivalent of high school. They had built their house over the course of three years making it as eco-friendly as possible. They utilized solar panels for electricity and hot water. Eric had originally considered not hooking up to the local sewage system, but Maya had overruled him. She wanted a fully functional indoor bathroom. They recycled or repurposed nearly everything and other than a fridge and stove, their appliances and electronics were minimal.

After getting to know each other for a while, Eric and Maya took him out to their ‘treehouse’. It was a far cry from any childhood treehouse put together with scrap lumber and odds and ends. This treehouse had a wooden staircase leading up to the structure built between two tall trees. It was about twenty feet off the ground, one spacious open room about 16x16 feet. The ceiling was roughly eight feet high. One wall had sliding doors and there was a small balcony that looked out over the valley below that was big enough for two chairs and a small table, all of which had been handmade for them by Eric’s brother.

Inside a full size bed with a gorgeous hand-carved headboard was placed on the wall opposite the sliding doors. The headboard was carved with intertwining flowers, vines and leaves. Stunning was the only word David could think of to describe it. The walls had been stained to match the headboard and the quilt that covered the bed was done in simple squares of alternating earth tone colors.

There was a small bathroom in the corner, more like a closet, with just enough room for a toilet and sink. Eric told David that he could use the bathroom in the main house to shower and that he was more than welcome to join them for breakfast and dinner. Maya was home during the day as it was summer vacation for schools and she had a few projects around the house she was working on as well as tending to a nice garden.

David was so impressed with the place, especially considering it only cost the equivalent of thirty US dollars a night, that he asked if it was possible to stay an extra night or two. He had a gap in his accommodations and would need to find a cheap hotel otherwise.

Maya’s eyes lit up and said they would be happy to have him stay and if he wanted to he could help her with the garden in exchange for the extra nights accommodation. David jumped at the chance and he thoroughly enjoyed his stay. Altogether he spent four nights in the treehouse and they were the most peaceful nights he had since he arrived in Europe. The mountain air and the cool breeze lifted his spirits. He spent an entire afternoon with Maya pulling weeds and planting seedlings that she had started. The hearty vegetables would be canned after they ripened and stored for the winter months.

He spent a day sightseeing in Lucerne, utilizing their Metro system. He also took the tram up to the top of Mt. Pilatus. At the top of the mountain as he looked out over the vastness of the Swiss Alps that surrounded them, he thought about how small he was in the grand scheme of things. He also wondered how his problems could seem so large. Thoughts of TC still crowded his mind, but the quietness of the mountain seemed to slow the swirl of emotions just a little. He couldn’t help but wonder how he was doing. Even though he had enjoyed the serenity of his current accommodations, his restlessness set in once more and he knew he needed to move on, and not just physically.