CHAPTER 7

The hotel was nestled into the side of a mountain, and from the beach it looked more like you were on an exotic island in Greece. The red and pink bougainvillea splashed itself brilliantly against the white walls of the villas like artwork. The villa’s themselves seemed to be crammed into every niche of the rocky terrain it inhabited. No matter where you looked, everything took on surreal quality, like someone had ripped a page from a magazine and pasted it in front of your eyes. The soft subtle lines of the chaise lounges lined up around the three pools were as inviting as a cold drink on a hot day. There seemed to be no sparring little luxuries here. Even the ocean played along in this sensory overload of beauty as it gently lapped at the shore taunting you, teasing you to step into its coolness, hoping its variation of gemstone blues and greens would draw you in and keep you there for a while. The fragrances carried on the breeze created a feeling of sexual innuendoes.

Their room looked out over the ocean and their private patio, which included their own small pool. They’d made love that first morning in the pool under the hot sun.

“Did I tell you how much I love you today?” Beau wrapped her in his arms and gently swayed her around in the water.

“As a matter of fact, I believe you did, several times,” she laughed. She ran her hands along his shoulders, down his arms and then rested them on his hips. “If you tell me any more this morning, I will have to take a very long nap.”

“Well, I don’t have a problem with that. You?” Beau said as he raised his brows.

“Not yet anyway, but there better be some food included in all this somewhere.” She said wrapping her legs around him. They made love one last time, then ordered breakfast.

Later that day, they tried their hand at golf, but since neither of them had really played before, mostly all they did was hold everyone else up, so after many glaring looks they’d decided to call it quits. They settled for going back to the hotel and having poolside massages, and a nap.

They wanted to see the little town they’d seen in the brochure. Even in its poverty, it was inviting. The cab ride took about twenty minutes. No sooner did they step outside the car, several children ran up to them asking for American dollars. Beau pulled out his wallet and gave them each a dollar and realized that the amount of kids was growing the longer they stood there. The taxi driver opened his door and yelled something at the kids and they all ran off in different directions. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath and got back in the car and drove away.

They walked around awhile until they came across the open-air market the concierge at the hotel told them about. There were a lot of other tourists shopping and it felt like chaos as they roamed up and down the isles. Cass bartered with an old man selling baskets she had fallen in love with and finally compromised and paid slightly less than he was asking. They bought a few other things for the house that they would have to have shipped, and Cass bought a big floppy hat to protect her face from the blazing sun. After awhile they decided to check out a local bar and have a few beers.

Everywhere they looked from where they were sitting there was something to see; people, buildings and the mountains off in the distance. The colors were overwhelming, as was the sound of different music coming from the market and restaurants. Even the smell emanating from the food being cooked lent an erotic flavor to the atmosphere.

They left the bar, after eating and downing several beers and began to search for a cab to take them back to the hotel. As they passed a small alley, Cass noticed this very small pair of feet sticking out of a doorway. She grabbed Beaus arm and led him towards these tiny brown, and very dirty feet. Sitting there was a very young, dark-haired, brown-eyed girl. He clothes were worn and she looked hungry. Cass stopped and bent down to her.

“Hello.” Cass waited to see if she would say anything. When the little girl shrugged away from her, she stood up again, not wanting to scare her. She did notice that the girl was staring at her hat. Cass took it from her head and held it out to her. After a few moments the child raised her hand and took it from her. She smiled down at her and then notice that the child still looked unsure of what to do next. Cass fumbled through her pockets and found a five-dollar bill and held it out to her. The little girl jumped up, grabbed the money, then turned and went inside the door she had been leaning against, slamming it behind her.

“I’d say you’ve just been hustled,” Beau said, smiling at his much too generous wife. “Not that that’s a bad thing…”

“I know a hustle when I see one. I am from New York you know.” She turned and started walking back out to the street. Beau caught up with her.

“You’re very beautiful when you’re mad,” he said.

“I’m not mad, I’m just…generous.” She said and raised her hand to flag down a cab that was just about to pass them.

“Generous to a fault…” Beau said opening the door for her.

“Exactly,” she said. “And don’t ever forget it!”