Chapter 10

I was the first one in the lobby the next morning. Having no idea what to dress for, I dressed for Puerto Rico in cargo shorts, T-shirt, and running shoes. All three ladies got off the elevator at the same time, laughing at something Veronica had said. Why was I apprehensive? No idea. Mom motioned for me to come with them as they turned away from the parking garage and toward the beach. I caught up with them and we stepped outside to a beautiful day.

“Someone care to tell me what we’re doing?” I asked.

“Parasailing,” Kim answered and we kept walking as though it was something normal.

I don’t think so. I kept walking with them, not particularly happy with that revelation. Veronica was telling a story about trying to get an order correct in a French restaurant. It probably would have been entertaining but I was looking at the speedboat we were walking toward. It was waiting in shallow water, with the bow pointed toward the ocean. It had a crew of two, with a captain and a guy in the back working on rigging a parachute. The boat looked fast. I looked for a way out of this, but I kept on walking.

“Shoes,” Mom said, pointing at mine. I took them off and waded out to the boat with everyone else. Why was I even getting on the boat? The last time I tried to figure out my own motivation for something, Mom and Kim both said I was a helper. I was motivated to help people. Fine. How was going parasailing going to help anyone? Vince said we chase dopamine. Was that it? What the heck was I thinking?

Once on, the captain and rigger introduced themselves and explained what we would be doing. I tried to think of some part of it that I liked. I came up empty. We would be tethered to an eight-hundred-foot line and reach an elevation of five hundred feet. Forty stories up. I’d noticed people doing this earlier in the week. No one had died doing it, as far as I knew. Maybe there was a cover up.

Everyone was excited about it. Everyone but me. I asked a couple of questions in Spanish. “How long will we be up for?”

“The length of Condado Beach. You’ll have enough time for a good view.”

Great! Not what I wanted to hear. I asked a couple of more questions but really, I was stalling. I remembered what Paul Muad’Dib said in Dune. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear and allow it to pass over me. Then, only I will remain.” That wasn’t exactly it, but I knew I was close. I will face my fear.

“You don’t want to do this, do you, Baby?” Kim whispered.

“I’ll be fine. Let’s just do it.”

Veronica joined in with her support. “It will be just like a smooth roller coaster, or one of those aerial tram rides.”

“That’s it, Baby. Just think of it as a roller coaster. Fun, right?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been on a roller coaster.” Mom knew that but Kim and Veronica were caught off guard.

“You’ve never been on a roller coaster?” Kim asked. “Not at Six Flags or Carowinds?”

“Never been. Let’s just do it. Any chance I could go first?” I asked. I thought maybe if I did it first, I wouldn’t have time to think about it. Also, if I fell to my death, no one else would do it and I’d be saving the lives of my friends and family. Sure. That was it. Also, I would face my fear.

The rigger was happy to put the harness on me and hook me to the cable. I faced the front of the boat with the cable taught as he opened up the parasail behind me.

“Very smooth. Relax and enjoy it,” he said, and my feet left the boat.

This was not good. The boat was moving forward at fifteen knots or so. I wasn’t. I was staying over the same spot as the boat sped away from me. The rigger fed line out and the parasail carried me up. I tried to look over my shoulder but I was strapped into the harness and it was tough. As far as I could tell, the parasail had plenty of wind to keep me up. Don’t look down. Don’t look down. I knew not to look down. It would be stupid to look down. Just enjoy the view. I looked down. What an idiot. I will face my fear.

The line stretching from the boat up to my harness sagged but it looked strong enough. I tried to guess how high I was. When I could see the roof of our twelve-story hotel, I knew I was over a hundred feet up and there was nothing I could do about it. Why did I do this? What was I thinking? Suck it up, cupcake. The women are going to do it so show them how brave you are and go first. Nope. Nope. Nope. Why did I ever do this? I will face my fear.

I realized I had a death grip on the harness. I tried to relax but that wasn’t easy. I took a couple of deep breaths and that helped a little but I was still going up. How far until we turned around? If he was going as far as Punta Las Marias, that was three miles. At fifteen knots that was about twelve minutes. An eternity. And then back? No. They’d bring me down and make someone else suffer for the return trip. I tried to use my imagination. I was Superman. No. That didn’t work. Neither did Spiderman or Batman. I looked over at the beach but that didn’t help. I’d already run the length of that beach. I knew what it looked like.

What was the attraction? Why was anyone supposed to enjoy this?

I felt the tension in the line as they started to reel me in. I looked down at the boat, really examining it from the air for the first time. It looked small and the ladies looked tiny. I was happy to be descending. It had seemed like an eternity. I let my imagination run wild and when my feet touched the boat, I was a paratrooper, landing behind enemy lines.

“How was it?” Mom asked, excitedly.

“See for yourself,” was the only answer I could muster. What was I going to say? “I faced my fear and it passed over me. Only I remained.” I don’t think so. They wouldn’t get that.

Mom buckled into the harness and was airborne. She seemed to be having a great time. She laughed as she rose into the air and we could hear her laughing continue as she rose. Good for her. When she was up there, it didn’t seem like a long time at all. She came down laughing too. Kim went next and seemed excited for the opportunity to be terrorized. She went up smiling. She waved at me and blew me a kiss from a hundred feet up. She was still smiling when she came back down and then it was Veronica’s turn.

I had no idea how she would do with it. Mom had laughed, undoubtedly a nervous laugh, and Kim had smiled. Veronica was about to go airborne when she hollered at Kim to grab her camera and take a picture. Kim got one of her as she took off.

“Next time, I need to have a camera with me. The best pictures aren’t from the boat. They’re from the air,” Kim said. I wasn’t going to argue. I also wasn’t going to do it again just to take a picture.

When Veronica was on her way down, we could hear her singing. It wasn’t until she got close that we could make out the words from Mary Poppins. “Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height.” It takes all kinds.

Our captain pulled up close to shore. Mom put some bills in the tip jar and thanked them as we jumped off and another group climbed on.

Walking toward the hotel, Mom asked, “Did everyone enjoy that?”

Kim and Veronica said they did. She looked at me and I said, “It was a once in a lifetime experience,” which was true. She seemed satisfied with that but Kim knew I hadn’t enjoyed it at all.

“Maybe you could play poker,” she whispered to me as we trailed Mom and Veronica to the parking garage. “You hated every minute of that, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t mind parts.”

“Uh-huh. You didn’t mind the parts where the rest of us were in the air. It’s okay. You don’t have to pretend with me. I don’t think she has any more crazy stuff planned.”

There was a note on the windshield from the rental company. The spare had been replaced and they were sorry for the inconvenience. Veronica got behind the wheel and Kim and I climbed into the back.

“We’re going to Castillo San Felipe del Morro,” Veronica said. “I’ll do my best to find a good parking spot but on a day like today, we might need to do some walking.”

We started the drive and I realized Veronica had a pretty good singing voice, so I told her.

“Thanks. I was celebrating,” she answered, smiling at me in the rearview mirror.

“What were you celebrating?” Kim asked.

“The fact that I didn’t pee my pants. That was high,” she said and we laughed. I probably should have been singing too.

We found a parking spot on Calle de San Sebastian and started walking toward the fort. It was only two blocks to Calle del Morro, which led across a large grassy area to the castle itself. The castle was at the end of a quarter-mile path but it wasn’t what got our attention. Hundreds of people were flying kites. Franklin and Karen had mentioned it but I think we had all forgotten, and we certainly had no idea there would be so many people doing it.

There was a nice breeze and no obstructions and the field was probably ten acres or so. Perfect for flying kites. There were kites of every color and design you could imagine. Hundreds of them. Some of the people flying them were little kids but there were adults flying kites, too. People were flying their kites but they didn’t really control them. The wind did. The people flying the kites had no fear. And now, neither did I. It had passed over me.

We moved off the path and just watched. Each kite sort of danced its own dance to the wind. It was really soothing. There was so much to see. What Mom didn’t see was a big iguana right behind her. I watched him for a few moments as he bobbed his head. Apparently, he wasn’t afraid of people.

“Hey, Mom, you’ve got a friend,” I said, pointing at the three-foot lizard.

She turned, looked, then looked down, saw it, flew in the air, and took off running. She stopped about twenty feet away. We had all stayed put, watching the little guy. Veronica laughed pretty hard but I managed to keep it in check. Kim turned her back on Mom so she could laugh and not be seen.

“Not funny,” Mom hollered at us.

We looked at each other, nodded and all hollered back, “Yeah, it is.”

We caught up with her and continued toward the castle. It wasn’t like the European castles you see on TV or in movies. It was more like Fort Moultrie back home. It was designed to protect the harbor with cannons, so it was low with very thick walls. We walked around and looked at all the little history markers but it was tough to beat all the kites and the dinosaur that attacked Mom. A little laughter helped calm me down a bunch. The weather was perfect, the castle was interesting, and the signs explaining things were helpful. Every now and then, we’d catch a glimpse of the field and kites.

We walked back to Old San Juan and found a great restaurant for a late lunch. I’d skipped breakfast and not eaten well the night before. I had Canoas de Platanos Maduros for an appetizer. It’s stuffed plantains and it was a meal on its own. I had Longosta al Ajillo which was an amazing fresh lobster in garlic sauce. With tostones on the side, it was a great meal.

I had ordered in Spanish and when Mom asked what I was getting I told her fresh iguana. She wasn’t sure if I was kidding or not. Veronica told her what I’d really ordered. Pineapple rum cake with a scoop of chocolate ice cream for dessert and I was a happily sated man.

“Happy?” Mom asked.

“I could go again,” I said. I couldn’t even eat a wafer-thin mint.

“You didn’t like parasailing, did you, Aquaman?” Veronica asked.

“Not really. No.”

“Interesting. You went flying a few months ago and enjoyed that,” she said.

“That was last summer, Veronica,” Mom said.

“Wow. Time really flies, doesn’t it? What now?” Veronica asked.

“We have almost a week left in Puerto Rico and eight days before school starts. I want to make the most of it,” I said.

“What’s the forecast for this week?” Kim asked. “I hope weather doesn’t change our plans. I really want to go riding on the beach.”

“We will, Honey. We will. Let’s relax tomorrow and take you riding on Monday. I think it will be less crowded on a weekday,” Mom said and Kim nodded.

“We need a day for shopping,” Veronica said and Mom agreed.

“What about you, Buddy?” Mom asked.

“The rainforest was cool. Snorkeling was very cool. I’m sure riding will be fun. The food has been awesome. Besides riding, I could spend the rest of the week in a hammock by the beach.”

After lunch, we walked around Old San Juan for a while and then went back to the hotel. Kim and I went back to our hammocks and read. We had both finished our Robert Parker novels and started on Topaz by Leon Uris. I’d done a report on the Cuban Missile Crisis in eighth grade so I knew the background of the story. Kim wasn’t as familiar and asked a couple of questions as we read.

She’d never read a book at the same time as someone else unless it was an assignment for school. When we paused from reading, I told her about reading Hemingway with Sally and especially Hills Like White Elephants. She knew the story but not the analysis. I reminded her of the storyline and how easy it was to come to the wrong conclusion. She said she’d have to read it again when we got home.

When it got closer to dinner time, the pool became crowded and noisy so we moved upstairs. From my balcony, it wasn’t as loud. Kim dropped the lounge chair so it was flat and lay down on her stomach. She had on neon green shorts and a yellow bikini top that somehow went together. Her legs were toned and she had an even Coppertone tan that looked really good. Her butt was toned, too, from squats that she hated.

“You’re beautiful, Baby,” I said. She moaned a little. “You’re so beautiful that I’m going to go work out.”

“I’m not sure how those two things are connected,” she said.

“I’m going to work out so that I’m beautiful, too.”

“Ah. Good luck,” she said as though no working out in the world would make me beautiful, which, of course, was true. I threw my towel at her as I stood.

“Hey.”

“I’ll probably be an hour or so. Dinner?”

“Not hungry. Get what you want.”

How could she just skip dinner? I went back to the gym at the hotel next door. Once again, I had it to myself. I guessed most people didn’t work out on vacation. I worked my shoulders hard, then did a few exercises I couldn’t do at home. I used the Roman Chair for sit-ups and hyperextensions, then finished with the leg press. I probably should have started with it, but I was on vacation so this was all just bonus points. There was a scale by the door and I hadn’t checked my weight in a month. I stepped on and moved the little weights until it balanced. One-seventy-five! That couldn’t be right. Where did I get the extra weight? Eating a lot of food might have had something to do with it. It was a balance scale so I doubted it would be wrong. Huh.

I wasn’t dressed for the restaurant so I put in a takeout order at the café. Ten minutes later, I went upstairs with my Cuban sandwich and virgin Tropical Fizz. Back in my room, I washed my hands and face and went out on the balcony to eat.

“Where’s mine?” Kim asked.

“You weren’t hungry,” I said. Where’s hers? What kind of a question was that?

“I wasn’t. I am now. You should have read my mind.”

“Want half?”

“No, I’ll just lay here and starve.” She must have noticed that I was okay with that and kept eating. “What is it?”

“Cuban sandwich. Want me to call down?”

“Yes, please. And one of whatever you’re drinking.”

When I came back from ordering, she’d taken two bites of my sandwich and a healthy chug of my drink. I went back to the phone and doubled the order. I knew better than to say anything. Sometimes a guy just has to roll with it.

We managed to split the sandwiches so we were both happy. She fell asleep in the lounge chair. I wasn’t ready to go back to my book. I watched her sleep for a while. She was really beautiful.

I heard an argument down by the pool. I’d heard arguments before but this was pretty heated. I stood and looked over the rail. A young man and woman faced each other in the shallow end. She was yelling at him and he’d wait and say something back. She’d yell again. I thought he must be her husband and he was taking the brunt end of a good chewing out and doing his best to remain calm. After a few moments, an older man got in the pool and walked up to her. She ignored him until he put his hands on her shoulder. She stopped yelling.

The older man leaned forward and said something to her, then stood straight again, waiting to see what she would do. She was obviously still steamed. Other people at the pool tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. The older guy leaned forward and spoke to her again. When he finished, she shook her shoulders free of him. Then she shoved the guy in front of her, but not hard. He smiled and put his arms out and waited. She shook her head, the older guys said something both of them could hear. She turned and stuck her tongue out at the older guy and then hugged her husband and it was over.

What had I just seen? I thought about it for a few minutes and guessed that the older guy was her dad. Maybe. It was someone she would listen to in the middle of a fight. It had to be her dad. Something about the whole thing started percolating around in my head but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I sat back down. I picked up my book but couldn’t open it. What was it about that fight that was important to me? I tried to start reading three or four times but couldn’t.

The older guy was probably her dad. That would make him the young guy’s father-in-law. I bounced that thought around for a minute. Dane would be Kim’s and Mr. McTighe would be mine. If Kim were ever angry with me, I’d want Mr. McTighe in my corner. That would be nice but that wasn’t it. And then, ding, like a light switching on. I planned to ask Kim to marry me the following Saturday. I hadn’t asked her father. I needed to ask his permission. Holy crap. I hadn’t even thought of that. I definitely needed to do that.

How? I had about a week to figure it out. Great. It wasn’t enough that I needed to nail down exactly what I planned to say to Kim. Now, I needed to figure out what I would say to Mr. McTighe. What if he said ‘no’? I didn’t think he’d do that. He knew what we were planning and that I’d worked all summer to buy her a ring. He’d have to be a real butt to say ‘no’ after that. Still...

The rest of the evening and Sunday morning were completely uneventful. Sunday afternoon was different. Veronica drove us to Chocobar Cortez for lunch. We’d been hearing about this place practically since we’d landed. The menu was very different and everything sounded good. I ordered something called Pionono crujiente for an appetizer. Oh, my, goodness. Sweet plantain fritters, bacon, some spices, and this amazing chocolate hazelnut cream. It was the best thing I’d ever had. That lasted right up until my meal came. I don’t know how they did it but chalupitas de mofongo was just as good and maybe a little better. I slowed down to enjoy it.

“Look at you, Buddy. You eat everything quickly but...” Mom started.

“Shhh. You’re distracting me,” I said with my eyes closed. The menu described it as roasted pork with pineapple pico de gallo, guacamole with chocolate and some other stuff. They should have just listed as “Heaven for Jack” because that’s what it was. It was the best thing I’d ever had. That lasted right up until dessert came. I had chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and super dark chocolate ice cream.

“Good?” Kim asked.

“I will be outside waiting for them to open for breakfast. Did you see the breakfast menu?”

“Uh huh,” Mom said, rolling her eyes. “Five stars from Jack?”

“No. All the stars. No one else gets any. See if they have a cookbook. This is amazing. Chocolate French toast. Who even thought of that? Maybe I can go hug the chef or the owner or someone.”

“You’re funny. We’ll get you some chocolate bonbons to go. What do you think?” Mom asked.

“I think that’s the only way you’re going to get me to leave this place. What does real estate cost around here.”

“You’re a dufus,” Kim said.

Mom paid and we left. I didn’t wait to pop open my bonbons. They were the best thing I’d ever had. How can one restaurant serve the four best dishes I’d ever had? We had to go back. There might have been a fifth or sixth best. I was sure of it.

When we got back to the hotel, part of me wanted to work out. The other part of me thought I should do a beached whale impression. That part won. I was stuffed. Kim had something to do with Mom and Veronica so I took Topaz down to the beach and relaxed. I’d read a hundred pages or so when Mom walked up.

“How’s it going, Buddy?” she asked, as she sat across from me.

“I’m doing okay. What’s everyone else up to?”

“Kim is getting a massage. I don’t know what Veronica is doing. Something’s on your mind.”

“Pretty transparent, huh.”

“Pretty transparent. Besides, I’m your mom.”

“Yeah. You know I plan on asking Kim when we get back,” I said and she nodded. She’d just come to accept it and I was happy with that. “I forgot something important.”

“Oh, oh. Something big?”

“Yeah. I need to ask Mr. McTighe first. His permission. I haven’t asked him. I should do that, right?”

“Probably a good idea.”

“Franklin didn’t ask, did he?”

“No. Who would he ask? And what difference would it have made, anyway?”

“I guess that’s true. This is different, though,” I said. “What about Dane?”

“Who would he ask? He might have some insight, though. Call him.”

“From here? Won’t that be too expensive?”

“Now, there’s a question I haven’t heard before. No, Mr. Working Man. I think we can afford it. How strange is it that I’ve had two marriages and going to have a third and haven’t had anyone ask permission to ask. Franklin didn’t, but that wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t Karen’s fault, either. Just the way it was. Looks like you’ll have to be the ones to do it right.”