Roni woke in the night and listened to the frog medley in the cistern. Where originally the frogs kept her awake, now they were a comforting, almost soothing sound. She could hardly imagine going back to the honking horns of New York. Roni thought about her day, her conversations with Devin, him showing her his secret gas stash. The gas cans were gone when she’d come back from lunch, and Devin didn’t mention anything about them. She figured she wasn’t going to bring up his information sharing; it was up to him if he wanted to bring up. They’d played dominoes for a while before she headed home to a quiet evening alone. She looked at her plastic watch and went to her laptop to Skype Mack. This was only the second time they had used Skype. Most of their communication had been via email, short and a bit strained she thought. He’d updated her on the contact he’d had with Brandon and Haley. Their school was going fine, and he’d transferred money onto debit cards. He was fine, busy with work, nothing about missing her. Their last fight still played in her head. She’d asked it, those words you shouldn’t ask unless you can tolerate the answer…“do you want a divorce?” He hadn’t answered her, and the question had been left hanging. At some point, they would have to talk, and she thought it best to hash it out back in New York.
“Blop, blop, blop,” the computer sounded.
She waited for Mack to answer. She’d given him an exact calling time, and she hoped he remembered. Just as she thought Skype would quit dialing, he picked up. He leaned closer into the camera and smiled.
“Hey,” she said. “I thought you forgot again.”
His somewhat crooked smile got bigger and his blue eyes sparkled. She thought he actually seemed happy to see her.
“Looks like you got a haircut,” Roni said.
“Yeah, been hot, had the barber take it down some,” he said, unconsciously running his fingers through it.
“It looks good,” she complimented.
He glanced away as if awkward with where to take the conversation. That they shouldn’t be talking about such a trivial matter as a haircut.
“Are you bored with the island yet?”
“Nah,” Roni breathed. “I love the island.”
“It’s so small. I thought you would be out of things to do by now,” Mack said.
“I’ve filled my time meeting people, going new places…lots of running.”
She’d mentioned Devin in emails briefly, nothing about her hanging out with him at the dock almost daily. Nor had she said anything about the men stopping by the house to play dominoes.
“Jenny and Lacy get in tomorrow and Tara the next day, right?”
“Yes,” Roni quipped. “I can’t wait.”
Email had definitely been easier, face-to-face felt a little stiff. Mack blinked and the signal froze for a moment before he was live again. Roni wished she could get the elephant out of the room easily, but knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“Interesting. Now you’ll have a posse,” he said.
“Oh, shush, we will do the same things I’ve been doing. It’s not like any of us are single and looking for action.”
“I know that, but a group of women together adds another dimension. You’re highly visible and you all sort of feed off one another,” he said. “I’ve seen you girls get out there.”
“Like the bars here can offer a lot of crazy,” Roni said with a laugh.
“I’m sure you can find it.”
They ended the call with goodbye. Nothing from Mack. No I miss you, looking forward to you getting home, I love you. And she hadn’t tried either.
“Why?” she whispered.
When Mack hung up he went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of red wine. Did he want a divorce? Her words had stung and surprised him before he’d made her plan the trip. He’d never threatened leaving her. He thought he had been more than patient with all her mood swings over the last few years. It had been hard for her to be so on top of it and than lose so much. She’d taken it personally, the financial meltdown. He could care less, they had enough, and he didn’t need all the stuff. It had been nice, but not defining. Mack hoped the trip would be enough to get them back on track because he couldn’t go on with her not getting over it.
Roni lay in the dark in her bed; she’d always loved that Mack understood her and accepted her. He always has, or has he? Has he just gone along because our life was comfortable and easy? She felt a pang of guilt, a small tug at her heart, and then the feeling welled into her throat. I should be missing him, telling him so, and yet I’m not. He’d yet to say anything about missing her…so like him, the lack of emotion. Mack had insisted on this trip. Insisted she look around, try and figure out what she wasn’t so sure about now. Herself maybe, so she could let the past go and move onto new things. Even if the new things were not what she’d envisioned. Mack hadn’t changed. She was the one with the hole that needed filling. In the last two years, she’d lashed out unfairly at those who loved her; she knew that.
The island had shown her that simple could be good. Very, very, good. Roni thought about the dock, how peaceful it was to sit and talk or play dominoes. She could see herself sitting on the bench above the water, hearing the lapping sound it made on the pilings, the breeze playing with her hair. There were times Devin and she could sit for long periods with no conversation; others that they would cut it up joking and laughing. Devin and she had slowly developed an unusual friendship. It wasn’t the norm: a black Bahamian married man and a white married woman carrying on as friends. She knew many of the locals were speculating, but she didn’t care, she wasn’t doing anything.
She turned over in the bed and looked at the clock. The blue light glowed faintly, displaying two twenty-seven. Why can’t I sleep? Maybe she was more excited than she thought about the girls’ arrival. Like Mack said, they could find fun, even if they made it themselves. She pictured her first day on the island, running into Joe standing in the road. It was a moment she would never forget, her trying to think it through, her complex New York thoughts about what to do with the horse. Now it was the norm. Joe in the road, Joe in other people’s yards, Joe messing up the roads as Devin said. “Simple but full” as Randal said. Joe was able to do what he liked. A feeling of happiness spread through her as she recalled Devin on his scooter in his bright silver helmet helping her, getting Joe to move. She suddenly realized it was the cultural difference she’d been able to bridge with Devin that made their friendship work. Normal here was not treating a woman like an equal, and he treated her as his equal. Her thoughts, the things she had learned, delighted her. By coming alone, she’d been able to explore more freely and meet people she might not usually. Roni’s thoughts were jumping around. She was trying to focus on taking what she’d learned and how to use it, but the night wouldn’t let her. After what seemed like hours of tossing about, the jumble of thoughts and the frogs finally blended, and she slipped back to sleep. Her dreams were busy and confusing. Little clips of so many parts of her life all mixing, but the pieces were not necessarily fitting. Even her subconscious was trying to figure things out with no result.
“Oh,” she moaned as she woke and clutched the sides of her aching head.
All the thinking had not only kept her awake, but had made her head hurt as well. She rolled out of bed and headed to the kitchen for orange juice and some aspirin. The note pad stared at her. She circled some of the thoughts, and connected a few like balloons. Roni filled the coffee maker getting that started before she walked out into the screened-in porch and looked outside. The blue sky was pristine, not a cloud in it. She heard a rooster in the distance. Another beautiful day. Jenny and Lacy would already be starting for the airport, making the airplane trek, and finally boarding the flight from Miami to Treasure Cay about eleven. She still had plenty of time for a run and a visit to the dock.
Stepping out of the shower she grabbed a towel. She’d run to the edge of town and back and had kept an eye out for Joe, but hadn’t seen him. Either the aspirin or the run had cured her headache because she felt energized. Throwing on shorts and a T-shirt she thought about how nice it was to be able to wear casual, and so little of it. As she finished getting ready she contemplated how the day would go in her mind. When the girls arrived, she figured they would bring the luggage to the house first. Probably change clothes, and then they could do lunch. After that, she could take them on a brief tour of town and go by the grocery and the liquor store. Tomorrow would be a similar scenario with Tara arriving. Roni went to her computer and shot Tara an email.
“To: Tara Reed
Subject: Tomorrow
Girls will be arriving this afternoon, so excited. We will meet you tomorrow at the dock with a cocktail! R”
On her way back to town in the golf cart, she decided to take Joe’s road and see if he was home. She thought it would be much more fun to have the girls run into him in the road as she had, but that probably wasn’t going to happen. Another golf cart was parked in front of Joe’s house and a family with three young girls was standing on the grass, taking pictures of him. When Roni pulled her cart in behind theirs, they all turned to look at her.
“We heard a rumor about a horse on the island. The grocery store owner told us where we might find him,” the woman said sheepishly. “Is this your horse?”
Roni put the brake on and got out of her cart.
“No, but this is Joe’s house,” Roni said with a smile. “Although he’s not always home. He wanders a lot.”
“That’s funny,” one of the girls giggled.
The family all had fair skin and blonde hair. The girls were dressed in flowered sundresses with Crocs on their feet. Roni hated Crocs, she found the plastic shoes ugly. People who wore them reminded her of the cartoon characters on the Smurfs that her kids used to watch.
“So, you know Joe?” the father asked.
“Yes,” Roni said. “Did the grocer also tell you about his best friend?”
“Can a horse have a best friend?” the youngest girl asked.
She looked up to her mother and wrinkled her tiny nose.
“Well, I suspect they can,” the mother answered.
“Here, come meet him. I’m sure Calvin, Joe’s owner, won’t mind if I introduce you to him,” Roni said, starting to make her way toward the pen.
The Smurf family followed her, and Joe’s ears twitched as they made their way into the yard. Roni stopped at Bacon’s enclosure and pointed through the gate. The three girls scurried up beside her to look, the youngest letting out a delighted squeal when she saw what was inside.
“This is Bacon, Joe’s best friend,” Roni laughed.
Bacon stuck his nose through the bars of the fence and sniffed, his hairy pink nose moving around rapidly.
“A pig named Bacon, now that’s funny,” the father chuckled.
“I understand from Calvin he doesn’t let Bacon run wild because he’s afraid someone might eat him,” Roni said. “Joe’s another story. He gets to do what he wants, including pooping in the road.”
The three girls giggled and giggled, covering their mouths finally in an attempt to stop.
“Depending on how long you’re staying on the island, you may get the chance to witness it firsthand. I’m Roni by the way,” she said, reaching her hand out to the father.
They introduced themselves and told her they had several more days on the island. They were from Idaho, and it was their first trip to the Bahamas. As they chatted and headed back toward the carts, the father walked over to Joe. The girls followed him, hanging back as he reached out to pet Joe’s neck. Roni watched in disbelief as Joe whipped his large head around and bit the man on the shoulder.
“Ouch,” the father yelped.
He stepped backwards so quickly that he tripped over the girls, causing one of the girls to fall to the ground. The girl let out a cry and the mother ran over to help, although the child’s fear got her up rapidly. The mother then hurried all three girls towards the cart. It happened so fast that it was a blur. The father sauntered back across the yard, rubbing his shoulder. Roni looked back at Joe who stood swishing his tail, his ears back, obviously annoyed by the contact and commotion. She had to suppress her urge to laugh. It wasn’t really funny, but it was at the same time.
“I guess you weren’t told that Joe doesn’t see so good? You might have startled him,” Roni defended.
The man shook his head as he continued to rub his shoulder.
“Man,” he groaned, “that little nip hurt.”
“You gonna be all right, Daddy?” the youngest girl asked.
“Oh yeah, I’ll be fine. Just wasn’t expecting that,” he said, slightly embarrassed.
Roni got into her cart as the Smurf family got into theirs.
“I’ve never tried to pet him. Pretty glad I haven’t,” she teased. “Have fun, maybe I’ll see you around. It’s hard not to run into people again and again here.”
Roni turned the cart around and headed back down the road. She waited until she’d turned onto the main road, out of sight, before she laughed out loud. Roni was still chuckling when she parked at Pineapples. The father hadn’t expected Joe to bite him...me either. Harrison was standing by the bathrooms swaying slightly, his eyes bloodshot and watery.
“Hey, Harrison,” Roni said as she strolled by.
“Hey,” he slurred.
A confused look crossed his face as he slowly raised his shoulder to wipe one eye. Although she had seen him numerous times at Pineapples, even listened to his drunken ramblings, he still seemed baffled by her presence. She could see Devin out on the dock, sitting in his chair. He was looking the other way, but turned when he heard someone step onto the dock. He smoothed the bill of his baseball cap, and watched as she approached.
“Hello,” she said, sitting down on the bench. “Does it ever get ugly here or is it just one beautiful day after another?”
“Mos’ da time, it jes’ b’utiful. Sometime rain and win’ do,” Devin answered. “When yer friens git here?”
Roni looked at the plastic running watch she’d put back on today after her shower. She usually left it off after she ran, but for the first time in weeks, she needed to be someplace at a specific time.
“A couple hours, depending on which ferry they’re able to catch. I’m guessing the one o’clock,” Roni laughed. “I just saw the funniest damn thing. I’m sure it wasn’t funny for the guy, but the look on his face was classic.”
Devin leaned back in his chair, listening as Roni recounted her story about going to see Joe and described the Smurf family who had found his home. She had to explain what Crocs were and why she’d nicknamed them the Smurfs, which made Devin laugh and laugh. He didn’t know what either of them was. She loved to make him laugh. It was such a genuine laugh, not an ounce of it ever forced.
“So with his girls crouched behind him, the father reaches out to pet Joe, and the minute he does,” she said animatedly, “Joe swings his head around and bites him on the shoulder.”
Devin sat up and his eyes got big, which made Roni laugh. Watching her laugh, Devin started up again and they laughed together. When they finally stopped, Roni continued with the story.
“The father kind of stumbled back into the girls with this shocked expression on his face. The girls scrambled like they were being attacked, and Joe didn’t move. Just twitched his ears and swished his tail. I had to really concentrate to not laugh. Joe obviously didn’t want to be bothered.”
“I din’t know he bite, but den I never try an’ pet Joe,” Devin said.
It had gotten so Roni didn’t have to listen hard anymore. She heard it. Almost like learning a foreign language. She got every word that was said to her now.
“So, tomorrow night, Green Turtle Club, the Cockadoodles? All the girls will be here… We’ll be dancing, taking over the floor,” Roni teased as she danced slowly on the dock.
“Yez?” Devin asked, smiling as he watched her.
Roni made him laugh. She was so in the moment and not afraid to be herself. In the beginning he’d been cautious with the white lady staying at Fair Winds. She’d been persistent and consistent in her visits however, and ultimately he’d warmed up to her. Even had feelings for her he probably shouldn’t.
“Yes, we will. So play late, we’ll be ready to party,” Roni said. “Now, let me beat you at dominoes before I have to go.”
That phrase had become a joke between Roni and Devin let me beat you because whenever she beat Randal, he professed to having let her win. His macho persona couldn’t handle it otherwise. Roni had gotten good at the game and Devin knew it. He knew he wasn’t letting her win. Devin went and got the domino set and pulled around the small table they played on. She watched as he took out the double zero, turned the tiles over, and mixed them. She beat him the first two hands, each time giving him her best victory smile. Devin was a gentle soul, and Roni knew he would remain a lifelong friend, no matter their cultural differences or distance. She also knew this island would pull her back. A feeling somewhat foreign to her clutched at her heart, Devin would pull her back. He won the next four hands smiling at her each time.
“Well, I best be going,” Roni said, as she pushed her hair back.
Devin gazed at her as she did so. He had never been with a white woman. He wasn’t like most of the Bahamian men who loved to whore around.
“Cause I beat ya,” Devin teased.
“No. I’m not a sore loser like Randal. If the girls caught the earlier ferry by chance, I don’t want them wondering where I am. So depending on how they feel, we may or may not go out tonight. There’s no live music tonight, right?”
“Nah,” Devin answered, standing as she did.
“Thanks for the games,” Roni said. “I’ll see you sometime tomorrow then.”
Devin smiled, although there was a hint of sadness in his expression.
“Don’t worry. I’ll still come visit. And you’re still welcome to come by the house,” she reassured him. “You’re not losing me to my girlfriends. You’ll just have more girls hanging around you…you lucky guy.”
Roni stepped forward and gave him a hug. It shocked him she could tell, and the hug was somewhat clumsy, his arms unsure of what to do. When she pulled away, he seemed embarrassed. There had not been a lot of physical contact, a hand touching here and there, a push on the shoulder when they teased each other. This was the first time she had made a move to hug him.
“Did I embarrass you?” she teased.
She stared into his dark eyes and cocked her head giving him a questioning, teasing look.
“Really?” she asked in a high-pitched tone.
Devin looked west and she knew she had. She debated a moment about how she should handle it and figured humor was the best.
“Right, like little ol’ me could embarrass a rock star. I don’t think so,” Roni joked.
Devin laughed and turned to look at her.
“Go git dose girls,” he said.