“I’m so looking forward to this trip.” said Max.
“Me, too. This must be some island to have its own airline.” Paisley responded.
Max and Paisley were newlyweds, and they had just gotten out of their car at the airport and were each lugging their respective baggage to the terminal. They were heading out on their honeymoon to an island called “Paradise”.
“How did you hear about this place?” asked, Paisley.
“A friend told me about it. He highly recommended it, and it sounded amazing.” Max replied.
They entered the terminal and looked for the airline’s logo. Once they spotted it, they continued lugging their baggage until they came upon a bright young woman named Angel. “Welcome to Paradise Airlines, Max and Paisley.”
Surprised, Max asked, “How did you know our names?”
Angel said, “We are taught to get very familiar with our customers. I can see you’ve each brought your baggage. Please proceed to the counter where Jay will help you. I’m certain you’re going to love the Paradise experience.”
Max and Paisley lugged a little farther to the counter where they met Jay. Jay was a tall, peaceful looking man wearing a crimson red polo shirt. “Well hello Paisley and Max – we are so pleased you have chosen to come to Paradise.”
Shocked again, but this time Paisley asked, “How did you know our names?”
Jay repeated Angel’s line, “We here at Paradise specialize in getting to know our customers very well. I see you’ve each brought your own baggage – that’s going to be a problem. Here at Paradise, we only allow one baggage per couple.”
“What??” Max exclaimed. “We each have our stuff, and there is no way we can combine all of our stuff into one baggage.”
“We understand, Max.” Jay responded with a peaceful smile on his face. “But this has been a very successful policy, and we offer no exceptions. Our experience tells us couples find their flights to Paradise much smoother when there is less baggage.”
Bewildered, Max and Paisley looked at each other and then started to get upset. Jay picked up on the change in their countenance but continued, “We figured you were not ready for this, but you’re going to find that we do things very differently here in Paradise. One of the perks of traveling with us is we provide our own suitcase for couples. Furthermore, I’ll help you with what you’re going to need to bring and what you can leave behind.”
“Leave behind??” Paisley said exasperated already. “And what do you mean you are going to help us with deciding what we need? We just bought this baggage – it is brand new. What are we supposed to with them?”
“That’s interesting – your baggage looks like it’s been with you awhile. You can leave them with me along with the things you leave behind. I do this all the time.”
Max and Paisley were speechless and overwhelmed, and then when they saw Jay picking up their baggage and opening them both, they were appalled. “What do you think you’re doing??” Max asked angrily.
Jay ignored the question and began to look at the contents of each of their baggage. “I see you both like the classic name-brand clothing choices -‘Judgment’ for men and ‘Bitterness’ for women. These are dark and heavy clothing. You won’t at all be comfortable in them in Paradise.”
You could almost see the steam coming out of Max and Paisley’s ears. “We’ve been wearing these brands of clothes for a long time – long before we got married,” Max pronounced.
“I know,” Jay calmly replied. “I understand this is difficult. I’ve found many couples wear these clothes, but they just don’t seem to be all that happy in them. Once they try on the clothes we provide, they feel far more comfortable and seem to be happier.”
“The clothes you provide?” Paisley asked again in bewilderment.
“Yes – another perk we offer at Paradise is our own brand of clothing. I hope you don’t mind, but it’s the same name for both men and women. It’s called ‘Forgiveness’. They’re much brighter and lighter than what you’ve been wearing, and you’ll feel more at home in them in Paradise.”
Jay noticed a hint of relief coming upon the faces of Max and Paisley, so he kept going. “Here, I know your sizes, so I’ll pack just the right amount of Forgiveness clothes for your trip.” Jay proceeded to neatly pack their new clothes in the new suitcase.
Paisley leaned into Max’s ears and whispered, “What is going on here? How does he know our sizes?” Max looked at her with a lost look on his face.
Jay continued examining their baggage, “I see you each have your own bottles of perfume and cologne. I’m always amazed at how successful the sales skills of the company that sells these fragrances – ‘Guilt for men and ‘Shame’ for women. Personally, I’ve never enjoyed the smell of these.
“And I suppose you have something different?” Max asked with a heaping of indignation. “We’ve been wearing these fragrances for years. Everyone wears them!”
A melancholy look came over Jay, and he said, “Yes, I know. Couples have been wearing this fragrance for as long as I can remember.” Jay’s face then lit up and said, “I want you to try Paradise’s signature fragrances for a change. They are ‘Mercy’ for men and ‘Grace’ for women. You see, Paradise is very particular about the quality and purity of its environment. I personally created these fragrances because they fit so well for Paradise living. Here, try them out.”
Jay handed a bottle of Mercy to Max and a bottle of Grace to Paisley. They each took a sniff and were immediately startled how much better the smell was. Their noses tingled with freshness. Max’s and Paisley’s faces were beginning to light up, and their demeanor was changing.
Jay did transfer a few things from each of their baggage into the new, single suitcase. Max asked, “Well, you’ve pretty much replaced everything else we’ve brought, why are you letting us bring these things?”
“These are the things that distinguish you – the true things that make you special.” Jay said with a warm smile on his face. Paisley and Max felt a burden coming off their shoulders as Jay finished packing the single suitcase and closed it. They noticed the company’s logo on the suitcase – a cross. Above the cross, it said ‘Two Become One’. Paisley noticed the scars on Jay’s hands and asked him how he got the scars.
“That comes with many years of dealing with people’s baggage.” Jay said joyfully. “Well, it looks like you’re ready to go. Here are a couple of drinks from Paradise for you. The bottles said, ‘The Living Water Word’ on them. “Once you drink these, you’ll feel like you’ll never be thirsty again.”
Max and Paisley were dumbfounded at the wisdom, generosity, and giving spirit of Jay. He announced, “Oh, you should also take comfort in our dependability. We have a spotless safety record. Every person who has chosen to go to Paradise has arrived on time. When you’re a passenger on Paradise Airways, there is no fear.” Jay said proudly. He reached into his pocket and gave them each his card and wished them well.
Paisley and Max, still in awe of what they just witnessed, could only mutter, “Thank you, Jay. This has been unlike anything we’ve ever experienced.” Max said, “I can see why my friend recommended this trip so much, but how did he hear about this place? I’ve never seen any advertisements for Paradise.”
“We’ve found the best advertising is by word of mouth. Testimonies from happy customers are the most powerful weapon we have. I hope you do the same. I want everyone to come to Paradise.” Jay said with a yearning in his voice.
As Max and Paisley headed towards their gate, they were transformed by their time with Jay and were now more than ever looking to get to Paradise. Max pulled out Jay’s business card and looked in amazement when it said, “Jay Hovah, Owner of Paradise.”