Page 55 of Wild Idol
My brow knitted. “Solomon sounds like a dictator.”
“Solomon is a man providing structure and purpose to people who had none prior.”
“Would you fall into that category?”
“Most definitely. I was a mess. Doing drugs, bouncing from bad relationship to bad relationship.” A contented smile curled her plump lips. “Solomon showed me my true worth.”
“I’d like to see some of these indigenous peoples and examples of the work you’ve done.”
“That can be arranged. I’ll take you to a local village tomorrow. Solomon says you’re free to roam about the compound as you please and to explore the jungle, if you so desire. But his only request is that you not venture onto the other side of the volcano.”
“Volcano?”
“He doesn’t want you to disturb the indigenous population. It’s for your safety, of course. Any intrusion could be taken as a hostile action. They know us, and we have an understanding. They have welcomed us into their village, but they are wary of unknown intruders and will defend their territory.”
“Understood.“
“Do you have any other questions for me?”
I thought about it for a long moment. “Yes, I do.”
31
Dinner was nothing short of spectacular. I’m not sure how he did it, but Solomon had recruited a five-star chef as part of their community. The evening meal started with Tzacamaya Fire Shrimp—spicy grilled prawns with a rum reduction sauce, plated over mango salsa. The main course was grilled mahi-mahi, wrapped in banana leaves, slow-roasted with lemongrass, garlic, and served with coconut rice. For a side, we had roasted sweet potatoes with a honey lime glaze sprinkled with sea salt. For dessert, we had a cassava cake with a honey drizzle, lightly seasoned with local spices.
We chowed down under the pavilion with the rest of the villagers, sitting at Solomon’s table with Ivy, Sunshine, and Whisper.
“Do you eat like this every night, or is it just a special occasion?”
“We believe that every day should be an indulgence of thesenses,” Solomon said. “Every day is precious. Tomorrow is guaranteed for no man.”
“Solomon says we should indulge every desire,” Sunshine said. “We should live with passion.”
This was definitely a community that lived for the moment. It was hard to argue with that rationale. I tried to embrace every moment of life as best I could. That was a priority here. I glanced around at our companions in the pavilion. Everyone seemed happy and content. Why wouldn’t they be?
“This is all sustained by the revenue generated from guests of the wellness retreat?” I asked.
“We don’t have much overhead,” Solomon replied. “Most everything you see here is sourced sustainably. Most of the construction materials came from the island. The food is freshly caught. We work in teams. Everyone has a job. The cooks, the maintenance crew, the groundskeepers. Everyone has a function.”
“What if someone doesn’t like their function?”
“Then I find them a new function. As you’re aware, gentlemen, life is not all fun and games. But I’m a firm believer that one should have passion for their craft. No one here is a slave. While it’s true, some tasks are unpleasant, that doesn’t negate their importance.”
“How do you handle the online transactions and banking with no Internet?”
Solomon‘s face tightened. “We try to leave the modern world behind, but sometimes there is no way around it. Ihave a satellite link that provides access to the Internet and allows me to call the mainland for emergency services if absolutely necessary. Though we try to address all medical needs here within the community. My trust in traditional medicine is at an all-time low, but a broken bone is a broken bone. Sometimes, people need care beyond what we can provide here. I am in no way going to restrict someone from obtaining proper medical access.”
“Does anyone else have access to the Internet and the outside world? Or is that just for you?”
Solomon took a breath and tried not to show his annoyance. “People come here to get away from civilization. To escape those responsibilities. If somebody comes to me with the need for access, I will grant it to them. What you need to realize is that everyone here wants to disconnect. They want to live a distraction-free life. Present. In the moment. Without the unwanted anxiety of constant connection and false dopamine hits. I think you’ll find if you take a few days to digitally detox, you won’t miss it. In fact, you will be thankful you left it behind. It’s like an unwanted addiction. One that you probably don’t even realize you have.”
I hadn’t been on the Internet or social media since this morning before we left. I had to admit, there was a certain amount of peace in being isolated and unavailable. There were no incoming calls from the sheriff. No new cases to take on.
“Who knows, Mr. Wild,” Solomon said with a smile. “After a few days, you may find yourself wanting to detach from civilization as well. Perhaps you might even want to call this place home.”
“Out of curiosity, what do you do with the assets that people give to you when they join your community?”
“To be honest, many people come here with nothing. But what they do have is put into a general fund and is used for the ongoing benefit of the community and our outreach efforts.” Solomon smiled again. “I know it may be a hard concept to grasp, but this is a community where we all genuinely care about each other. We function as a whole. Yes, individualism is still celebrated, but everyone’s focus here is the greater good.”
