Javier Strikes Again!

I slept soundly not waking even once until about 6am. After that I woke two or three times before finally sliding up and out of bed for good at 7:15am. The sun was already shining brightly after purposefully leaving the curtains open leaving only the shears closed overnight. Mindy remained in bed while I brushed my teeth, started coffee, and took to the veranda for some morning Caribbean air. I did a little more writing and sipped some coffee before heading out on a run. Mindy stayed in bed even after I sat her coffee bedside. I kissed her and slipped out for my run. It was 8:00am. I ran pretty much the same route I ran the morning before. It was again very warm and sunny. I tired not to think about the heat. I soaked my sleeveless wicking shirt in a hurry. I only wore the shirt so not to walk through the hotel lobby without one at all. Going shirtless would almost certainly be frowned upon. I could feel a little atrophy settling in my lower legs, no doubt a byproduct of drinking a boat load of alcohol, playing in the sunshine, and drinking much less water than usual. I managed through it just fine. I was back to the room just before 8:40am. Mindy was still in bed but awake. I poured some more coffee then took to the laptop to do some more writing. At the same time Mindy finally got up and moving around. She freshened up but didn’t take a shower. Unlike me, she hadn’t really done anything since her shower the night before. While she freshened up for breakfast, I showered. We headed to the pool and beachside restaurant around 9:30am. We did the breakfast buffet again. It made no sense to do anything else. We’d still get eggs/omelets cooked to order along with all the fixins as well as coffee and mimosas. No Jorge today, however. In fact, the entire crew with few exceptions was turned over. Still, the service was top notch, and the food was great. We relaxed and ate breakfast for about 90 minutes. Afterwards we headed back to the room to get beach ready. Mindy was tired and took a brief nap after breakfast. I did some writing. Both of us got lots of sun on Monday so a little respite was OK with me. Eventually, however, the lure of the beach called. Mindy suggested I head down on my own and she’d join me later. I agreed and organized myself accordingly. I took the pool bag but left the sunscreen bag behind. I lubed up before heading down. I grabbed a couple towels not knowing if Javier was working or if he had spots prepped for us like the day before. Sure enough. Javier recognized me in my different trunks and ballcap and lead me to the area he already had set-up for us. He took the two towels I brought along and set those up under the papala directly behind our beach chairs. I didn’t yet order a drink. The sun felt almost too hot initially, but like anything else, I eventually equalized to the heat and felt fine. However, like the past two days, my face dripped sweat profusely. I think it due to the heavy dose of sunblock Mindy requires me to wear. Mindy joined me about 30-45 minutes later. Javier was along soon after her arrival and we sent him for drinks- Captains, Fresca, and a splash of grapefruit juice. I appreciate the fact that he always brings the mixture separate. That way you see just how much rum you’re getting; and here they do not skimp. Mindy spent the lion’s share of the afternoon under the papala. I bounced between the two but spent more time in the sun. Her skin is much fairer than mine. We didn’t do much more than sun, drink, read, and listen to music. So far I’d made it through 350 pages of my book. Mindy was just finishing up hers. Around 4pm (best guess) we decided to head up by the pool having only walked by it thus far. And just like everything else, the pool was/is remarkable, whether it’s the service, the water temperature, the design, or the little extras. There was nothing left for chance. Javier made sure we had fresh towels by the pool and a spot most pleasing to our senses. Thanks Javier! We spent the next hour in and out of the pool climbing the waterfalls allowing the warm pool water to spill over our backs almost like a natural hot tub. I brought my waterproof digital along to capture the occasion. Judging from the view finder, I got lots of good ones. Javier was just getting ready to leave for the day and brought us our tab to sign. We were just getting ready to order some food so he agreed to stay late and see that our food was delivered as ordered. Mindy ordered the same chicken salad she had the evening before from room service and I ordered a cheese burger. Reviewing our bill, Mindy said we ordered eleven drinks through the day. Wow! We ate poolside. Both of us agreed that our food was again delicious. Usually something as American as a hamburger is marginal at best in the Caribbean, but not only was this one good, it was right up there with my favorite Barley burger. The sunshine was waning. We decided to take another dip in the pool before calling it a day. Javier’s replacement we spotted clearing our drinks. I whistled. I still intended to finish my last drink. He obliged us. After a cooling dip in the pool we headed back to our room. I quickly changed out of my swim suit and into my comfy pajama shorts. Mindy took up refuge with another book, The Shack, a book that everyone’s raving about and one sent to me mysteriously via the US mail last fall. I read the introduction but never got back to it, although have intentions of doing so. While Mindy read I turned on the TV. And by the way, it was only 5:40pm CDT. I thought it much later. I watched a couple magazine TV shows (Inside Edition/ Access Hollywood) shows I haven’t seen in many years. Scandals, eavesdropping, and overall bad news dominated their presentations. I napped off and on all the while watching TV. Each time I woke I glanced over at Mindy who was still intently reading that book. I’m quite sure that we never intended that to be how our day ended but that’s how it worked. I never got up from bed for the rest of the night. The next time I glanced at the clock it was after 9:30pm. I haven’t had one of those sleepy nights in a long, long while.