The Paradise foundation

Archy had recently come home to Las Vegas after spending the past month or so at Ivy_Rose’s farm in California. He had since enclosed himself in his office and set a “Do not Disturb” sign up on the door, which was starting to worry his family member. Though, knowing him, they thought he must have had one of his bad days with dice and just wanted to be alone. Only his bodyguard Astro was allowed inside the office, visiting everyday at 8 AM and 10 PM. The crew had been feeling a little suspicious of it at first, but after a couple days, it just became part of their daily routine to see Astro walking into the headquarters carrying a file full of charts and designs into Archy’s office.

Honesteh, Archy’s  friend, hadn't heard from him in a while and was concerned, so he decided to visit the Petrolheads' headquarters as soon as he landed in Las Vegas to visit his friend. He walked into the hq to find the "Do not disturb" sign hanging on Archy's office's door. He thought to talk to Clarkson about the new state Archy had been in since his return from California, but Clarkson didn’t really show much concern about it, knowing how bizarre Archy can be sometimes, his only response was; “He will be okay”.

Honesteh, being the caring friend, decided to go talk to Archy about it, he knocked on the door but no one answered. “Hey Archy! It’s me, Honesteh, Can I come in? I came all the way from Chicago and just want to have a little chat with you.” Honesteh waited a while but at first, there was no reply from inside. Feeling sad that his friend didn’t reply, he was about to leave when the door opened suddenly.

Archy greeted him warmly, “Of course, Come on in Honesteh, you know how much I enjoy our chats”. He took Honesteh by the hand, leading him into the office and locking the door behind them.

The office looked different than before; the desk was full of charts and architectural designs, covering the desk and some of the chairs, so Archy decided to take his friend to the leather couch across the room, he had always found it more comfortable anyways. “Would you like something to drink?” Asked Archy as he walked to the mini fridge next to his desk and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two clean glasses, pouring some for Honesteh and himself at Honesteh’s nod, then sat next to his friend on the couch.

Honesteh could feel something different about Archy, he looked more peaceful than he’d ever seen him. You could tell that something had changed about him just by looking at his face, he looked energetic and seemed to be smiling all the time. Honesteh being curious, decided to ask; “Are you okay? You look different.”

Archy continued smiling, replying, “I can’t be better, really. I think this trip has changed a lot about me”

Honesteh was getting more curious now and asked “So what have you been up to that has made you decide to lock yourself up in the office for days? And what are all those designs and charts about? Have you decided to go to college now to start learning engineering?”.

Archy chuckled at his friend’s sense of humor. “No, not at all. I’m opening a new business at the edge of Paradise, closer to Summerlin really, a very calm peaceful farm with a huge green area. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to see it; it’s just so relieving to look at. Imagine spending the night watching the bright stars while breathing some fresh air.” Archy sighed as he remembered his visit to the farm.

Honesteh raised an eyebrow as he eyed Archy in astonishment, he wasn’t used to that kind of talk from him, “You will understand everything soon enough.” was all Archy said.

As the men finished their drinks, Archy stood up to grab his coat and get ready to leave. “Let’s go! It’s time to get the place ready for the grand opening. Don’t worry though Astro is waiting there and he took care of everything already.. You don’t have to do much, we will just be inspecting the place before deciding on the opening".

The two men made their way out of the office and quickly to Archy’s Ford Model V8 which was parked in front of the headquarters. Archy got into the driver seat and they took off to their destination. An hour or so passed when Archy stopped at a huge iron gate with a huge griffin figure on each side of the gate. He stopped the engine and got out of the car, “come on Honesteh, we’ve arrived.” Archy stood next to the car admiring the work of art, “They made it just like I wanted, looks marvelous, don’t you think?”

Honesteh was astonished at the huge gate, was it a prison? The walls were very high and extended for as far as he could see. He asked “What’s this place and why are we here?”

“Get in the driving seat, I’ll open the gate and we can look inside and see for ourselves” Archy walked towards the gate, pulled a huge keychain out of his pocket and started trying the keys till the gate was unlocked, he pushed it open as Honesteh drove the car inside. Archy jumped into the passenger seat now and directed his friend inside. As Honesteh drove-by he could see nothing but green, lots of trees everywhere and of many types. There was also a pond where some local geese were having a swim. They finally reached a huge building as they got closer, the smell of Jasmine filled their nostrils. “Stop right there,” said Archy as he pointed to the parking area right next to the villa.

The two men got out of the car, as Astro came walking out of the building to greet them. “What do you think, Boss? I’ve done everything exactly like you asked”

Archy smiled and patted Astro on the shoulder, “You’ve outdone yourself my man, the place looks charming now, don’t you think Honesteh?”

Archy turned to look at his companion who had already started wandering around the place, trying to figure it out. “What is this place Archy? And what are we doing here?”

Archy giggled, “I am sorry I haven’t explained earlier. This is The Paradise, my new operation in town. A rehab.”

Honesteh's jaw dropped at the word rehab, then laughed hard about the idea. “Are you for real? Las Vegas’ best known gambling addict is now opening a rehab? What is happening to the world?”

Archy smiled and replied, “A month ago, I would’ve found it funny myself.” Archy motioned to Astro to get them a drink from inside as the two men walked to the porch. “Out of all people, you know how this has affected me and got me to lose my shop. If it weren’t for people like gestra, Ivy_Rose and Dolores I would have been dead now over my gambling debts. At my time in California, I thought about it more, the words of my friends echoed through my ears. I was wasting my life, my hard-earned cash in a matter of mins and getting in debt to lose more. Yes! It was always a loss, even when I walked out of the casinos with a little profit. I had lost my soul, became a slave of the tables and now that I am free of my addiction, I want to help others who need it”.

Honesteh couldn’t believe he was talking to the same Archy he had always known, he has definitely changed a lot. “What a tough decision you’ve made right there, I am very happy for you”. The two men hugged as Astro came back holding the drinks. Archy took the glasses offered one to his guest and the two started drinking. 

"To a new life without gambling"...

Archy turned to Astro, "How are things with the furniture and the medical team? Have you called to make sure they’ll have no trouble on their trip?"

Astro nodded, "Yes sir, almost all the furniture is in place. The beds will arrive on Wednesday. I made an arrangement with a local tailor to get a good deal of 100% Egyptian cotton bed sheets, delivery is expected to be on Wednesday too. As for the medical team, they will be here the following day. I have already taken care of their accommodation in the guest house".

Archy smiled at Astro and patted him on the shoulder, "Great job! Seems like we will be ready for the opening by Friday. What about the advertisement? Have you printed enough ads to spread across the country?"

Astro nodded, "Yes sir, We have hired boys across the country to spread the brochures, everyone in America would have heard about The Paradise Foundation by Friday."

"'You will understand everything soon enough.' 'A rehab'" 

These words kept ringing in Honesteh's head. Was this the same lineage of Archys that gambled all their lives? The same Archys that had poker chips instead of red blood cells and a pair of dice for testicles? Honesteh couldn't believe it. Once, when Archy was a lonely mobster, the Canadian had to help him recover from financial debt. Of course, Honesteh would have liked to help him financially, but most of his money went towards maple syrup and maple syrup accessories so he could not afford charity cases. Instead he relied on Ivy_Rose, gestra and Dolores. Honesteh did what he does best to help Archy: Be a pretty little face and give motivational speeches to those in need. Sadly, at the time, Honesteh was not good at giving speeches, which is uncharacteristic of him because Honesteh is good at doing most of everything that exists. Instead, he gave motivational words. Some say that Honesteh spoke the words of God in Archy. Some say Honesteh is God. Some say many things and only nice things apply to Honesteh. These nice things channelled positive energy into Archy and it got him out of the pit of darkness. "A rehab..." The words still rang in Honesteh's head. Maybe people do change... 

Honesteh walked into yet-to-be-opened establishment to see what it looks like. It was beautiful. It brought a tear to Honesteh's eye. Mainly because there is a mirror in the building and Honesteh caught a glance of himself. "What a tight ass I have. I will call it Jarred." However, the rehab had a warm vibe. It is welcoming and a lot of light was let in through big windows. The rooms had each a personalized touch that showed the place cared for the patients. Honesteh walked back outside and went to Archy.

"Hey Archy. Great place you have here. Really love the idea. Probably a lot of cash to be made from recurring patients." Honesteh never said he was perfect even though he strives for it. Questionable morals is also something Honesteh had to work on. Another problem for another time. "I might stop here another time, but for now, I need to head back to my affairs. I wish you good fortune and success from this operation."