6
LivingNotes
THE
WATER NYMPH
The hot and mugg y air bursts through the airp l a n e ’s o p e n d o o r. M a n , i t ’s h o t . Re a l l y h o t . D e f i n i t e l y d o n’ t need Gwyn. My hands quickly unwrap the cashmere scarf f r o m m y n e c k , a g i f t f r o m a f r i e n d a n d l ov i n g ly nicknamed “gwyneth”. What seemed like a g r e a t i d e a o n t h e p l a n e, f e e l s l i k e t h e w o r s t decision ever in 82 very humid deg rees. “First time in Belize?” - a border control officer is looking through passport pages that are n o w f i l l e d w i t h t h e s t a m p s f r o m a l l ov e r t h e g l o b e f r o m t h e l a s t ye a r o r s o . “First time”, a smile behind the mask makes i t s w a y o u t t h r o u g h m y e ye s . “ We l c o m e ! H av e a g o o d t i m e ! ” . Tw o p a s s p o r t s s l i d e f r o m t h e o t h e r s i d e o f t h e kiosk. Easiest border control stop in the last 9 m o n t h f o r s u r e. “ We h av e a b o u t 3 . 5 h o u r d r i v e t o N a i a . I f yo u a r e h u n g r y, w e c a n s t o p o n t h e w a y. T h e r e a r e s o m e r e a l l y g o o d r e s t a u r a n t s n e a r B e l i z e C i t y, I c a n s h o w yo u ” , - o u r yo u n g d r i v e r ’s e n e r g y i s s o h a p py. A n d c a l m i n g t o o . Fe e l s l i k e w e ’v e b e e n f r i e n d s f o r e v e r. B o b by ’s a n d m y e ye s m e e t . “ I t h i n k w e a r e g o o d . T h a n k yo u , ” - h i s w o r d s r e c o n f i r m m y t h o u g h t s . Ju s t w a n t t o g e t t o t h e r o o m . T h e f l i g h t a n d t h e l a yov e r f e e l s o d r a i n i n g s o m e h o w. “A r e yo u s u r e ? I t ’s a l o n g d r i v e ! ” , - Wi l d e r s ’ e ye s ( o u r d r i v e r ) l o o k c o n c e r n e d i n t h e r e a r v i e w m i r r o r. “ We a r e g o o d ! ” , - B o b by b e a t s m e t o i t a g a i n . “If he only knew about our 11 hour long drives”, -a quiet whisper from my right is barely audible among the surrounding car
n o i s e. M y l i p s s m i l e. T h a t c o m m e n t b r o u g h t back so many memories. We l c o m e t o N a i a ! ” , - a t a l l yo u n g m a n i s r e a c h i n g f o r w a r d w i t h h i s e l b o w : C ov i d - 1 9 a p p r ov e d “ g r e e t i n g ” . I m i s s h a n d s h a k e s . C l i v e i s c o o l . Re a l l y g o o d e n e r g y. A n o t h e r t a l l m a n w a l k s u p. “ O l y a a n d B o b by, p l e a s e, m e e t o u r g e n e r a l m a n a g e r ” , - a p a i r o f v e r y k i n d e ye s c a t c h e s m i n e. T h e s m i l e, g e n u i n e a n d s i n c e r e, i s s h i n ing even through the mask. “ Re s t t o d a y, I a m s u r e yo u a r e v e r y t i r e d a n d need some r&r”, - Clive seems to literally read m y m i n d . “ J i m a n d I w i l l s e e yo u t o m o r r o w f o r o u r b r e a k f a s t . Wo u l d 8 a m b e a g o o d t i m e ? ” My half-asleep brain is trying to process the infor mation. 8 am is g reat. Anything is g reat. “ M i s s O l y a , yo u r b a g s a r e i n t h e c a r t . I a m h e r e t o t a k e yo u t o yo u r r o o m a s s o o n a s yo u are ready”, a voice from my left belongs to a l ov e l y B e l i z e a n . “ M y n a m e i s Fa u r a a n d I w i l l b e h e r e t o a s s i s t yo u w i t h a n y t h i n g yo u m a y n e e d . Fo l l o w m e, please!” A g o l f c a r t ! H m m m . Ve r y c o o l . T h e r e i s n o shadow of sleep left in my brain that is trying t o f i g u r e o u t w h e r e e x a c t l y w e a r e g o i n g. I s the room far? Our cart stops before my brain can make up a m e n t a l m a p o f t h e p l a c e. “ We l c o m e t o yo u r n e w h o m e f o r t h e n e x t 1 0 d a y s ! ” - Fa u r a ’s e ye s s m i l e. M y e ye s s c a n t h e s u r r o u n d i n g s a s t h o u g h t s a r e r a c i n g a h e a d o f e a c h o t h e r. A b u n g a l o w ? A B E AC H f r o n t b u n g a l o w ? ! H o w w i l l I e v e r l e av e t h i s p l a c e ?
