Content Warning : Do you want to continue?
This poem contains content which some readers may find disturbing.
It is unsuitable for children or anyone who is easily offended.

YES
I am over 18 years old, I have been warned and I still want to read this poem.
NO
I don't want to read this type of content, take me back to the previous page.


deepundergroundpoetry.com

James Landis Story Chapter 11

James Landis Story Chapter 11


The manager's rum punch party wasn't what James expected at all and the punch was strong! He'd had two already and his head felt funny.

He saw Dale and Tristan coming down the path and he smiled and waved, spilling some of his drink. They grinned back at him.

"I see he's found the rum punch." Tristan smiled at Rose who was absolutely glowing tonight.

Yes and he's stopping at two, she stated in her no-argument voice with a hint of a smile.

James bowed his head in fake shame. "They said it was punch!"

Tristan giggled and Rose relaxed. Something had passed between her and James. The hesitation, the holding back was gone. She was open to James now and Rose was able to relax. Dale was also relaxed and looked splendid in his black linen shirt and white linen pants. Very dapper for a manager's party, James was also very sharply dressed in his tan explorer's shirt and khaki pants. Rose had on her gold cocktail dress which drew James's gaze frequently as well as other nearby eyes. Tristan looked splendid in her red cocktail dress as it showed off her shapely, long legs.

The new arrivals were handed their rum punches and James gracefully refused a replacement for his empty glass.

What do people do at a Manager's Rum Punch Party? James asked looking around at the other guests milling about. "Is this it?"

"It's a chance to mingle and meet new people. I believe the Manager actually makes an appearance and greets the guests." Dale replied.

James asked a passing waitress for a glass of water. She returned with one in moments and he thanked her.

Rose gave him a smile and he winked back.

The Manager took that moment to arrive and he did give a short speech welcoming everyone to the resort and ran through a list of activities they would be offering. James perked up when they mentioned going on a cruise. There was a party boat and a catamaran cruise. Either appealed to James he just liked the idea of going for a ride on a boat. Once the manager was done they decided to head over to the dining room. They got a table for four overlooking one of the pools. Very few people were in the pool at this hour. They looked over the menu and placed their orders. James decided to try some fish and Dale recommended the grouper.

Once the group was alone again James looked around the table. "Anyone interested in those cruises they offered?"

Rose nodded as did Tristan. Rose said the catamaran as Tristan said the party boat. They chuckled.

"OK, it's settled. We do both." Dale grinned and James's eyes lit up.

Tomorrow we were thinking of renting a car and driving around to see some of the sights on the island. You're welcome to join us. Dale offered.

Rose looked at James who nodded. "We'd be delighted," she said.

I'd also like to poke around Bridgetown to do some shopping sometime this week. Tristan said.

Ooo! Count me in! Rose grinned and James rolled his eyes and thinking shit not again.

Dale chuckled as he felt exactly how James did about that. He had a thought. "Maybe the ladies could go shopping and the men could try our hand at deep sea fishing.

I've never fished before, James said.

Dale put on a tragic expression and looked at the ladies. "Now we have to go fishing!"

It was Tristan's turn to roll her eyes.

Dinner was delicious and James thanked Dale for the suggestion. He really enjoyed the grouper!

They went to the bar and ordered drinks. As it was almost time to turn in for the night James could have another drink. They did a little dancing and Rose told James she was done after two. He went back out on the floor with Tristan as Dale wanted to sit out this one as well.

"Everything ok?" he asked when they were alone.

She glanced at his perceptive eyes and smiled. "Yes, we were just a little too enthusiastic this afternoon and I'm feeling it now."

He nodded with a sympathetic smile. Her eyebrows went up. "Oh! Not today but there have been times. They have more energy."

"Like kids." Rose said absently.

Do you have children? he asked.

No, I discovered early on that I wouldn't be able to have them. I think that's one of the reasons my ex married me. He didn't want any more kids. He had the one son. That was enough for him. I've always wanted one." Rose said sadly.

"So does Tristan."

Rose looked at his sad expression. "But..."

I'm the same as you. Unable to, he said looking away. "She says she is ok with it but I've seen the pain in her eyes when she thinks I'm not watching and someone walks by with a baby."

The song ended and the dancers returned to the table. Dale wiped his sad expression away and gave his wife a smile. "I'm pooped," she announced.

"Time to hit the hay?" he asked and she nodded.

Well, we'll see you at breakfast. 8:30AM? Dale asked and received nods.

After breakfast the following day the four sat in the lobby waiting for a man to bring them the rental car. They'd discussed what sites they'd visit and settled on a tour of the outer perimeter of the island and stopping along the way. The Animal Flower Cave was at the most northern tip of the island. The rock formations at Bathsheba were on the east coast. Harrison's cave was almost smack dab in the middle of the island so would require a diversion inwards. They just wanted to see the island and a drive through the country seemed to be the best way to do it.

A slim older man approached them with a clipboard and car keys and sat with them to fill out the paperwork. When they discovered the car was a right hand drive vehicle Dale was a little nervous so James offered to drive. They switched to James's license and Rose's for the second day of the rental as she'd drive Tristan into Bridgetown tomorrow for their shopping day. Dale had already booked the fishing expedition the following day. The paperwork taken care of, they made their way out to see the small car they'd rented.

"It's cute." Tristan said and Dale looked at it with concern.

"I don't think I've ever been in a car this small," he grumbled.

There was a lot of glass so they'd certainly have an unobstructed view as they drove. They piled in, ladies taking the back seat to chat, and headed out. They'd agreed to avoid the larger highways as they wanted to take a slower pace and see the island more intimately.

Driving on the left felt a little weird at first but James was concentrating hard and it clicked into place. They used roundabouts instead of four way stops so that also took a little getting used to but once again James saw the pattern and slipped into it.

Dale was a nervous passenger but James’s natural calm and lack of aggression put him at ease. James was a safe driver seemingly lacking the recklessness of youth. Soon Dale was able to ignore the driving entirely and just enjoy the view though he was chief navigator with a crappy map.

The resort was on the southern end of the island and they'd decided to travel clockwise so their first challenge was navigating through Bridgetown. The capital was large and busy but they made their way through it with only a few wrong turns. James never lost his cool when the directions he was given pointed him the wrong way and he got them back on the route smoothly each time. Everyone relaxed and there was a lot of giggling going on in the back seat.

Finally they exited out the northern side of the city and were on their way. The waters on the western side of the island were flat and calm contrasting to the waves they had on the southern edge. It looked so serene. James preferred the waves.

They reached the point where they had to move onto smaller side roads to make their way further north. Eventually they pulled into a large gravel parking lot. They saw the sign for the Animal Flower Cave. Getting out of the car they heard the crash of the surf against the rocks and they made their way forward to see the rough seas. Dale pointed out that heading north from here you'd only find the open waters of the Atlantic until you reached the east coast of Canada. That was a very large expanse of water. Heading straight east you wouldn't see land until you reached Africa. Barbados stood alone, well east of the curving arc of Caribbean islands.

They paid their admission and followed the guide down the steps into a cave which was open to the northern exposure. James helped Rose and Dale helped his wife move around in the cave. Trish had a small camera and their guide took pictures of the group for them.

Once back up at the car they looked at the map again and worked out a way to reach Bathsheba through the smaller byways. The east coast of the island bore the brunt of the wind and waves and its rugged beauty brought smiles to their faces. They stopped along the way so Tristan could take pictures.

Bathsheba was lovely. They parked and walked along the beach and took pictures of the huge rock rising out of the surf. Everyone was feeling a little hungry by this point so it was back to the car to map out their next target. They decided to aim for Crane Beach as there was a resort nearby where they could buy lunch.

The drive was scenic and the beach was lovely but James's stomach was impatient for lunch. They found the restaurant and once more ordered some amazing seafood. James was wondering if he'd be able to make meals like this at home.

Dale and Tristan were feeling very good about the day so far. Rose and James were excellent travel companions, easy going and lots of fun with enough, intelligence and wit to make conversations interesting. They also seemed to hold the same values as them. They were hopeful that they'd found the beginnings of a new social circle.

Harrison's Caves was going to take some serious navigating from Crane beach so they got out the map while they ate ice cream for dessert and went over possible routes. Rose dripped ice cream on the map and Dale and James shrieked in mock outrage at the difficulty of reading their impossibly poor map now that it had ice cream stains on it. Much giggling ensued from the ladies. Once they settled on a few possible routes, knowing they'd get lost a few times, they headed out.

They were right. They did get lost but that only added an additional thirty minutes to the trip. They eventually found the tourist spot and parked the car. There was a fair amount of other tourists on the tour which was amazing as the caves were cool and beautifully lit. They rode in a trolley from level to level on a smooth road underground. Water dripped on them from the ceiling adding to the ambiance.

Once they were back on the surface they decided to head back to the resort. Now it was ok to take the faster highway to return but they had a drive through the scenic countryside first to reach it. It didn't take long to get back once they were on the highway and bypassing the city.

James parked the car and handed the keys to Rose as she'd be the next driver. She was feeling more confident now that they'd driven through Bridgetown and she'd seen where the public parking was located.

They agreed to meet for dinner and went their separate ways. James told Rose he'd meet her at the room as he wanted to check out the gym first. He gave her a kiss then made his way over to the building where the equipment was located. They had a good number of machines and he tried some of them out. Thirty minutes later he felt a little better having gotten in a workout. He was sweaty but he'd take a shower when he got to the room. He pulled off his shirt as it was clinging uncomfortably to him and walked across the property. He saw Tristan walking towards him.

"What happened to you? You're... wet? Did you go swimming?" she asked taking in his red face and wet muscles.

I just did a little working out in the gym, he said, pointing back over his shoulder.

She saw how pumped his muscles looked and smiled. Driving all over the island wasn't enough of a workout?

He snorted. Hardly! I'm going to go take a shower. See you at dinner?




By nutbuster
Written by nutbuster (D C)
Published
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 0 reading list entries 0
comments 0 reads 270
Commenting Preference: 
The author is looking for friendly feedback.

Latest Forum Discussions
SPEAKEASY
Today 12:50pm by Casted_Runes
SPEAKEASY
Today 12:19pm by cold_fusion
SPEAKEASY
Today 12:17pm by cold_fusion
SPEAKEASY
Today 12:17pm by cold_fusion
SPEAKEASY
Today 12:15pm by cold_fusion
SPEAKEASY
Today 10:14am by mel44