Chapter 24 - Page 343 - Jim's Big Surprise

   Jim unraveled the thread from the hem in his T-shirt and tied the two ends of the reed together to form a circle with a diameter of about seven inches. He cut all but three inches of the stems off the flowers, then separated the flowers into twenty-four bundles of seven flowers-seven is considered to be a heavenly number. He tied each bundle of flowers to the bamboo ring with thread, until the ring was covered completely by white flowers.

   Laying the flower-covered ring on the ground, he cut a half-inch ring off the bottom of the reed. He stood, stuck the point of his knife through the center of the half-inch piece, and hollowed it out. When he finished, he put the knife in his pocket, picked up the flower-covered ring, and walked toward Rhasha, holding the ring of flowers behind his back and the half-inch ring he'd hollowed out cupped in his left hand. As Jim walked down the beach, a crowd of people gathered around Rhasha. So far, his plan was working perfectly.

   As he approached, the waiting crowd parted so he could get to Rhasha. He stopped in front of Rhasha his right hand still behind his back.

   She was smiling. "Are we having fun yet?" she asked.

   Jim returned the smile. "I am," he said. "Are you?"

   "Oh yes," she teased. "I like being left all alone." Rhasha didn't have a clue what Jim was doing. She was standing to one side of the blankets.

   "Sweetheart," Jim said, "could you stand in the center of the blankets?"

   Everyone watched as Rhasha did as Jim asked. Jim knelt on the ground in front of her. When Rhasha saw Jim kneel, she dropped to her knees in front of him.