John and Melanie sat in the backseat of the cab as it zoomed up and over the mountain. Melanie screeched at the hairpin curves, steep cliffs, and other cars sharing the road.
“What’s wrong?” the cabbie asked as he turned his head toward the backseat.
Mel screeched again, “Don’t take your eyes off the road, please! Is this the same way we came last night?”
“Yeah, except it was dark, and you didn’t know there was a cliff a few feet away. You’re safe. These guys drive this route every day,” John said.
“They’re also on the wrong side of the road! Oh my God, I’m going to have a heart attack right now.”
“It’s only the wrong side of the road to you. This is where they live. Close your eyes for now, Mel. You’ll be fine. We’ll be on flat ground in ten minutes.”
“Pull over. I’m going to throw up.” Mel had already rolled down her window in obvious anticipation of upchucking in front of the world. Another taxi was tight on their rear bumper.
“Miss, there’s no shoulder on the road. I can’t pull over. Please don’t vomit in my cab.” The driver looked at John in the rearview mirror, his eyes the size of dinner plates.
“Oh, shit… it’s coming,” Mel squealed. She hung her head out the window and shot her breakfast all over the side of the cab.
John lay his head back on the seat and groaned as he held his hands over his face. This can’t be happening. We better buy some antianxiety medicine while we’re in town. I hope she isn’t going to regret this vacation… I hope I won’t either.
Mel wiped her nose and mouth while coughing into the tissues she ripped out of her bag. She looked at John, her eyes blackened with runny mascara, and choked out a short sentence. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know.”
***
John asked the taxi driver to drop them off in front of the ferry terminal. Mel pulled out a twenty and three singles and handed them to the driver with her apologies. John opened his own wallet and slipped the cabbie another ten to wash his car.
“Let’s duck into this bar. You need to wash your face somewhere before we do anything else. Do you want an antacid or a Bloody Mary? I certainly need one.” He plopped down on a barstool with a loud sigh.
“A Bloody sounds good. I’ll be right back.” Mel followed the arrow on the wall, pointing to the ladies’ room at the back of the bar.
The bartender gave her a quizzical stare as she passed by. “Rough night?” He looked at John as he began preparing two Bloody Mary’s.
“You can say that, and so far, the morning hasn’t been any better.” John groaned and shook his head. “Why are women so different from guys?”
“Do you have all day?” The bartender handed him both drinks and chuckled. “Sorry, man, I can’t give you any advice. My second wife divorced me a long time ago. Guess I wasn’t understanding enough.”
Mel returned, looking human again, and sat next to John at the bar. “Isn’t this a nice-looking Bloody Mary? There’s celery, olives, a dill pickle, and even a Slim Jim. It’s almost an entire meal.”
She could probably use a meal again since her breakfast is gone, John thought.
Mel appeared to be trying to think of anything she could say to break the tension in the air. “You do make a lovely Bloody Mary, sir. Thank you.”
“My pleasure, ma’am. I’ll be right over here if you folks need anything else.” He gave John a glance as he walked away and began to cube some pineapple.
“What are we going to do in town today?” Mel asked.
“If you feel like walking, we can start in the diamond district. Some of the little alleyways that cut through the streets are really beautiful with fountains and tables to sit at. They might be things you’d like to take pictures of. After lunch, I’d like to show you Blackbeard’s Castle and the government buildings. The vantage point of the harbor is great from up there.”
“Okay, I feel fine. I really do. It was just the shock of the cliffs and the fast cab ride that shook me up. Now, I know what to expect going over the mountain. I’ll keep my eyes closed from now on.” Mel ate everything in her Bloody Mary and guzzled the drink. “There, I think I have my vitamins for the day.” She grinned at John and seemed to be back in true, happy Mel mode.
“Do you think we should stop at a pharmacy while we’re in town? Maybe they can recommend something for anxiety or at least car sickness.”
“No, seriously, I’ll be fine. I’m ready to go.”
***
Mel studied the small pair of diamond studs the shopkeeper gave her as enticement to enter his store. “Are these real?” she asked John as they continued down the sidewalk.
“Sure, but they’re just diamond chips. It’s all part of the persuasion game. It works in their favor most of the time.”
“Well, maybe I’ll look a little more seriously before I go home. Right now, it’s fun just to browse and take in all the hawkers and their ploys.”
“Yeah, usually when the cruise ships are in and the area is crowded with tourists, they’re too busy to stand on the sidewalk and coax you to come in with little trinkets. Are you ready to hit the ninety-nine steps?”
“What are the ninety-nine steps? It sounds daunting.”
“They’re a popular attraction on the island. Actually, there are one hundred three steps, but who’s counting, right?”
Melanie’s face went from a smile to a grimace in two seconds flat. “What’s at the top of the steps?”
“Everything, Mel. It’s really worth seeing. There’s a beautiful Lutheran church up there that’s actually the second oldest Lutheran church in the western hemisphere.”
“That sounds impressive.” They strolled as she peered into T-shirt and souvenir shops. “What else is up there?”
“Blackbeard’s Castle, the government buildings, the Three Queens Fountain, and beautiful historic homes, not to mention the amazing view. The steps aren’t that bad, plus you can stop and take plenty of pictures.”
“Okay, but these espadrilles are going to give me blisters. I should have worn sneakers.”
“Let’s go to the pharmacy first. We’ll get Band-Aids and motion sickness medicine. It’s just around the block. After we take in the sites up the mountain, we’ll go to Bluebeard’s Castle for lunch.”
“Do we have to walk to get there?” She frowned with the question.
“Normally, but we won’t. We’ll catch a cab.” John entered the pharmacy and asked about motion sickness medicine. The pharmacist showed him what was available. John grabbed the bottle of medicine and a box of Band-Aids. “Here, find a place to sit and put on your Band-Aids.”
Mel sat on a bench facing the water while she wrapped her toes with the adhesive strips. “Are you disappointed in me?”
“We’re good. I’d just like to show you some cool, historic things about St. Thomas, that’s all. Are you ready?”
“I think so.”
“Good. Let’s go.”