Nancy, his wife of twenty-four years, looked away, gazing at the sheltered
harbor where a score of boats rested at anchor, perfectly aligned toward the
morning breeze like a naval convoy — weathered fishing boats with upright,
spindly booms that at sea would reach out like dragonfly wings, sailboats
of assorted sizes, ages, and colors, and several yachts like those often pictured
in glossy travel magazines, cruising tranquil Caribbean waters with bronzed,
bikinied damsels adorning their decks. Now, in the balmy, morning sunshine,
their decks were bare, while atop each mast a small flag fluttered lazily.
“Nothing works here,” Robert continued. “My cellphone, not even the damned pay phone in the lobby. Our air-conditioner? Made one helluva racket but did
“Nothing works here,” Robert continued. “My cellphone, not even the damned pay phone in the lobby. Our air-conditioner? Made one helluva racket but did
the room ever cool off? Didn’t sleep worth a damn.” He brandished
the cellphone at Nancy as if the failed communications were her fault. “Next
time, Nancy dear, I’ll choose where we go.”
The couple had flown from JFK to San Juan the previous day, and driven the 120 miles to Boqueron. Actually, she had driven after the first few miles — the chaotic traffic made him nervous. And he was uncomfortable in the compact car which she had rented; at home he drove a Buick, as befitted his bank executive status.
“The clerk said someone would check the air conditioner,” Nancy assured him, “and...”
“When? What makes you think there’s anybody here who can fix anything? Couldn’t you have picked some place civilized?”
The couple had flown from JFK to San Juan the previous day, and driven the 120 miles to Boqueron. Actually, she had driven after the first few miles — the chaotic traffic made him nervous. And he was uncomfortable in the compact car which she had rented; at home he drove a Buick, as befitted his bank executive status.
“The clerk said someone would check the air conditioner,” Nancy assured him, “and...”
“When? What makes you think there’s anybody here who can fix anything? Couldn’t you have picked some place civilized?”
In past years, they had vacationed in Florida, and once in Cancún,
where Robert had suffered a rough bout of diarrhea. They had always stayed
in “better” hotels, despite his constant fretting about costs.
Boqueron had been her idea.
“You wanted to save money, remember? Something less expensive.”
“You wanted to save money, remember? Something less expensive.”
True, the guidebook described Boqueron as an “inexpensive but picturesque fishing village,” and an accompanying photograph depicted its main attraction: Playa Boqueron, an endless, sandy beach fringed with coconut trees, lapped by turquoise water, and framed by verdant hillsides. Yet despite its charms, Boqueron had eluded exploitation by major hotel chains — a sharp contrast to cosmopolitan, congested San Juan, with its
high-rise resorts and historic forts guarding the harbor where cruise ships
regularly disgorged hordes of tourists.
Café Felipe’s other customers appeared to be regular patrons. A lean, tanned man with a neatly-trimmed, dappled-gray beard, wearing a faded T-shirt and shorts, sat nearby on the patio, engrossed in studying a nautical chart. Folding, rather rickety glass doors, wide-open in the morning warmth, separated the patio from a small dining area with a half-dozen booths and a counter. Two men in working clothes perched on stools, conversing in Spanish with a man behind the counter. A short, round, middle-aged woman shuffled between the few customers.
Café Felipe’s other customers appeared to be regular patrons. A lean, tanned man with a neatly-trimmed, dappled-gray beard, wearing a faded T-shirt and shorts, sat nearby on the patio, engrossed in studying a nautical chart. Folding, rather rickety glass doors, wide-open in the morning warmth, separated the patio from a small dining area with a half-dozen booths and a counter. Two men in working clothes perched on stools, conversing in Spanish with a man behind the counter. A short, round, middle-aged woman shuffled between the few customers.
“You wanted peace and quiet,” Nancy added softly, “and
no more foreign countries.”
continue reading >
