Thankful she was back on dry land, Mel huffed as she stormed ahead of John without the slightest idea of where she was going.
“Melanie, you aren’t even going in the right direction. Give me that wet bag. I’ll carry it.”
“I’m fine.”
“No you aren’t. Will you please slow down and give me the bag?”
She stopped only because she had to. The light turned red, and the traffic was constant. She waited at the intersection until John caught up to her and took the damp bag off her shoulder.
“The cell phone store is this way.” He pointed across the street and one block to the right. “I think we’re done with water sports unless you only plan to wade from shore.”
“Well, even then, a sneaky wave can grab me and wash me out to sea,” she said, scowling.
“Maybe it’s a good thing you brought those books after all. That might be the safest thing for you to do while you’re here.”
“I agree. God knows I don’t have a phone to call anyone with. I can’t even get online now to check my emails. I’m going to lie on the beach for the next week and catch up on my reading.”
“Good, I’m glad that’s settled. I’ll go back to work, and you can relax ten feet away on a lounge chair and read. It sounds perfect to me.”
They crossed the street at the green light, turned right, and entered the small cell phone store. The buzzer rang out, apparently startling the two clerks sitting alone in the back, playing cribbage and eating fast-food burgers and fries. As one man stood and approached them, he wiped his greasy hands on a paper towel and shot it into the garbage can. “Hello. What do you need today?” he asked, sounding perturbed that they had interrupted his meal and game.
“I’ll tell you what I need. I need a dry cell phone, one that hasn’t been destroyed by the damn ocean.” Mel stood with her hand on her hip, waiting for a magical remedy to pass through the store clerk’s lips and fix her phone. She unzipped the bag, pulled out the phone, and showed him.
“So, do you want to buy a new phone?”
“Of course not, I want this one to work. It has all my stuff on it. Can I dry it with a blow dryer?”
The clerk gave John a wide-eyed look. John shrugged.
“I don’t know if that will work, ma’am. I’d suggest you take out the battery, put everything in a bag of rice, and seal it. You can try a hair dryer, too, if you like, but I’ve never heard of anyone doing that.”
“What are my odds of success? I mean does the rice thing actually work, or is that an urban legend?”
“Ma’am, I only know what others have said. I’ve never tried it myself. We do have a special running on this closeout model until tomorrow.”
“I’m not buying a new phone until I get home to the good ol’ US of A.”
“St. Thomas is part of the USA, Mel. Let’s buy some rice and try it out. Thanks, man.”
She threw the phone back into her bag and stormed out the door. “Now what?”
“Now we go across the street to Pueblo and buy a bag of rice.”
“We don’t know if we’re supposed to buy white or brown, instant or regular. Nobody told us. I’m so over this island life.”
“Okay, I’m buying a bag of brown rice because that’s what I like. You can use that, or buy anything else you want.”
“I can’t spend wet, shriveled-up money. Nobody is going to take it.”
“I really just want to go home, Mel. I’ll buy the white and brown rice if we can leave after that.”
“I still don’t have any fruit juice, butter, or bacon at Abby’s house. Can we get that, too?” Mel asked as they entered the food store.
“Sure… but in ten minutes I’m walking out of the grocery store and going back to the car, with or without groceries and rice.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her two twenties.
“You don’t have to cop an attitude, you know. I didn’t fall off the boat on purpose,” Mel said. She grabbed a grocery cart and took off. She power walked up and down the aisles, and John told her he’d be waiting on a small bench near the entrance.
***
“How am I going to contact you if I have an emergency?” Mel asked. She sat on the passenger seat with her head back and her eyes closed. She told John she wasn’t about to look out the car window as he drove over the mountaintop.
“Why would you have an emergency? I need a little alone time. You have enough food for a few days, and you can eat at the beach with me during the day. You’ll be fine tonight. When you get inside, take the battery out of your phone and place everything in a Ziploc bag. Pour the rice over it, seal it, and let it sit until morning.”
John dropped Mel off at Abby’s beach house, waited for her to go inside with her wet bag and groceries, then drove down the gravel road to find quiet and solace at his own house—alone.
He sat on his couch and called Abby, explaining the course of events since he last spoke to her.
“I’m at a loss for words, John. I’m actually stunned to be honest with you. What are you going to do? What’s that noise?”
“I’m just moving things around in the fridge. I know there’s a Red Stripe in here somewhere.” He found it behind a jar of pickles. With a snap of the ring, he cracked open the pull tab and took a deep gulp. “Damn it, one isn’t going to hold me over tonight.” He placed a bottle of chardonnay in the refrigerator door and closed it. “I’m going to start working again tomorrow. Mel said the only thing she wants to do for the next week is lie on the beach and read. I guess she’s safer that way.” He almost chuckled at the absurdity of it. There was so much to do on the islands, yet Mel was having none of it. “Why didn’t you tell me she was a diva, Abs? I would have thought twice about having her visit.”
“I’ve known Mel my entire life. She’s never acted like this, but I’ve never gone on vacation with her either. I don’t think she leaves Charleston very often.”
“That’s awesome. I feel like a jerk, but I just need to decompress tonight. She’s at your house and has plenty of food but no phone.”
“Yeah, she has plenty of books though. I hope they’ll hold her over for a while. I’ll call you back during the day tomorrow. If she’s lying on the beach within range, put her on. I’ll talk to her and try to pick her brain. Maybe there’s more going on in her head than we know.”
“Thanks, Abs. All I can say is she’s a handful. I’m going to have a few drinks, relax, and hopefully get a good night’s rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
***
Thank God nothing crazy happened during the night. I half expected her to be pounding on my door at three a.m. With a yawn and a stretch, John got up, started a pot of coffee, and headed for the bathroom. The lukewarm water felt refreshing against his skin as he lingered in the shower. A pair of shorts and T-shirt was his work attire. He loved the casual work clothes his job afforded him. With a cup of coffee in one hand and the remote in the other, John scrolled through the TV channels to watch The Morning Show. The segment about bicycle safety was interrupted by a breaking news bulletin. Hurricane Freda was heading toward the Leeward Islands. It was estimated to be a Category 2 hurricane and would soon hit land within the Leeward Island vicinity. Everyone was instructed to buckle down and take safety measures. The storm was on its way and would make landfall by four p.m.
Oh, hell no. I thought that stupid hurricane was supposed to dissipate and turn into a tropical storm heading toward Haiti. Can this week get any worse? Category 2 can do plenty of damage. I have to batten down the houses and the bar and grill today. Mel is really going to have a meltdown now. John actually found himself laughing at the turn of events over the last few days. How can this much shit even be possible in such a short amount of time? I guess this is karma since I’ve skated past every major disaster for the last sixteen years. Hurricane Melanie is already here, and Freda is on her way. God, give me the strength to get through both of these women. I’ve got to get Mel so she can give me a hand boarding up these houses. Before he left, John called Bobby and told him to start putting up the hurricane shutters on the gift shop and bar and grill. He’d meet up with him later to help get all the beach chairs, boogie boards, and sailboards cleared off the beach and safely put away.
***
As Mel sat on the balcony, enjoying her morning coffee, she noticed the wind seemed stronger that morning, blowing her hair across her face. With the elastic band she had around her wrist, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “There, that’s better. Oh yeah, my phone.” She stepped back in the house through the sliders and plucked the cell phone and battery out of the bowl of rice on the nightstand. In ten steps, Mel was outside again and sitting on the lounge chair with her phone and battery in hand. “Let’s see if this stupid rice legend really works. Come on, baby, you have to light up.” With the battery secure, she snapped the back closed, pressed the on button, and waited. She stared at the phone after giving it a thorough shake, hoping that would do the trick. It didn’t. “Son of a gun, I knew the whole rice thing was a load of crap. At least I can eat the rice for dinner.” Mel tossed the phone onto the chair next to her and sipped her coffee as she watched the palm trees sway back and forth.
The pounding on the door made her jump and spill coffee all over her robe. “I don’t even believe this shit… now what?” She slammed the cup down on the side table, stepped into the house, and wiped her wet robe with the dish towel as she walked to the door. She saw John on the other side through the window. “I thought you were working today,” she said as she opened the door.
He glanced at the large brown spot on the front of her white robe. “Spill your coffee?”
“Yes, actually, I did. What’s up?”
“You need to get dressed. There’s been a change of plans.” He walked in and poured himself a cup of coffee.
“What does that mean? I haven’t eaten breakfast yet. I have bacon, butter, and juice now, and I’m going to enjoy it.”
John looked at the clock on the stove. “Okay, there’s time to eat. I’ll give you a hand with breakfast, but after that, you’re coming with me.”
“Am I helping you at the bar and grill today? I guess that’s something different.”
“I’m glad you said that. Today, you’re definitely doing something different. We’re putting up all of the hurricane shutters and boarding the sliders at my house and here. Then we’re going to the bar and grill and making sure that’s secure, too. We have to get all of the water sports equipment off the beach and put away. Hurricane Freda is making landfall later this afternoon, and it sounds like the entire Leeward Islands are in her path.” John pulled the bacon out of the refrigerator, set the griddle on the counter, and plugged it in. He separated the bacon strips and placed each one on the griddle, side by side.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“I wish I was, but it is hurricane season. Freda was supposed to veer northwest, but she didn’t. She’s heading right toward us. The weather bulletin said we’ll probably feel the initial force around four o’clock.”
Mel cracked the eggs into a bowl. She added a bit of milk and began stirring with a frenzy. “Then I have time to leave. I need to pack and get off this island if there really is a hurricane coming.”
“Sorry, but that isn’t going to happen. Do you have any idea how many people are already at the airport, trying to get out? The news already said it’s a gridlock there. Pretty soon, they’ll close down the airport and won’t allow any flights in or out. I’m going to need all the help I can get today from you and Bobby. He’s at the beach right now putting the hurricane shutters on the gift shop. Let’s eat. We have a lot of work to do.”