WARMER DAYS... on to Florida (Part 156b)

WARMER DAYS… on to Florida (Part 156b)

At the gate we had about a 20 minute wait. Both Elle and I had calmed down enough to talk in reasonable tones. I apologized for being so ‘short’ with her. She didn’t readily accept it but was willing to talk. I’d had no conversation with her concerning what she was wearing for ‘protection’ so asked. She kind of bushed me off by saying she was OK. I knew that was the end of that. But, out of the blue she asked if I’d called my father about arriving early. It was like I got hit in the head with a bat. Looking at my watch told me I had maybe 10 minutes, at the most, to try and reach him.

Fortunately, the telephone number he’d given me was for the front desk. I got a lady with a drawl who said she knew exactly where my parents were and would personally take the message to them. I explained that they’d arranged for someone who worked there at the resort to pick Elle and I up and he was to have a sign with the resort name it so we could find him. She assured me that someone would be there. By the time I hung up they were making the last call for boarding and Elle was at the doorway waiting for me. By then I couldn’t wait to get to Florida and for all the ‘drama’ to end.

I'd not paid any attention to the type of plane we were to fly on and was concerned when I found out it was a propeller driven Constellation. I asked a stewardess (yes, that's what 'flight attendants' were called back in those days) about it and was told it was the only plane available. I'd flown in newer jet airliners and the main difference was the noise from the engines. Even with that Elle fell asleep soon after take off. I was still too worked up for it to happen to me. I have no idea when it came to me that in packing I didn’t remember seeing any sanitary pads or plastic panties for Elle’s night time “package”. I was back in panic mode again and really wide awake. I tried, desperately, to remember everything I'd stuffed into the suitcase... and it was then that I realized that I'd never gone to Elle's panty drawer at all and not only didn't she have the things for her night time 'package' but there were no other panties either. I sat there in the darkness and found myself perspiring. I couldn’t believe that I’d been so stupid. I was really mad at myself because one of the things I’d looked so forward to was being alone with Elle without kids around to ‘play’ with her in wet panties… and now there weren’t any at all. On top of that I knew she’d be mad from just the practical side of it… she didn’t have any underwear at all.

When I woke her to use the toilet I didn’t mention it. I’d decided to put it off as long as I could. It was impossible for me to sleep so all I did was to try and fabricate a reasonable excuse. It had been a comfortable flight as far as air turbulence was concerned but the pilot came on the intercom to tell us there would be some rough spats on out decent to the Jacksonville airport. This was only Elle’s third flight and she was, naturally, nervous so had ‘willed’ herself to sleep to avoid worrying about it. The announcement woke her and put her into a bit of a “tizzy”. I was surprised when she reached for my hand and then how hard she grasped it. We bounced around a bit before touchdown and when she felt the bump when we hit the runway she let out a little ‘yelp’ and squeezed my hand even harder. I just sat there, smiling to myself. At the gate she was back to being her usual self and told me she was really proud of herself for not panicking. I praised her as well and took a deep breath as I wondered what was going to happen when I broke the news about her panties… or lack of them.

I honestly recognized the man who’d been sent to pick us up. He’d been the bar tender when I’d last stayed at the place fifteen years ago and I even remembered his name… Ben. He was a big pleasant faced colored man (remember, it’s the 60’s) with what my mother had called “the gift of gab” in that he could talk about anything and to all age groups, kids to doddering older folks. He claimed he remembered me but I had my doubts. He’d come in his own car and explained that the original person who was to pick us up wasn’t available so he volunteered. Elle sat in the front seat and I rode in back. Ben conversed with us the entire hour it took to get to our destination. It was around 4am or so when we pulled up in front of the main entrance and there were only dim lights inside the lobby. Ben turned to me and said not to worry in that he had keys and also had an envelope for me. He yanked the suitcase out of the trunk like it was a feather (I told you he was big!) and we followed him into the lobby. I looked around and even with the poor lighting I recognized my surroundings. It was like nothing had changed in the past 15 years.

Ben stopped outside the bar area and disappeared inside. Returning with the promised envelope he took it over to a lamp in the lounge area telling me I was to read some sort of instructions. It was a handwritten letter written by the wife of the owner. It was an apology. Elle and I were to have shared rooms with my parents in what had been loosely called the “suites”. It was two rooms that shared a small vestibule area. In the years I’d been there we always had the South one. But, the letter explained that the people who had been in the room Elle and I were to have occupied had decided to stay on longer than planned. So… we had been given an oceanside room. The key tag said it was Room #1 and I still remembered where it was located. Ben insisted that he carry our bag but I won the battle. We thanked him and promised to stop in to see him in the bar that night.

Standing in the doorway that led out to the patio and courtyard I was a little dismayed. The patio had always been filled with round tables with umbrellas in the middle. I don’t remember just how many there were but there weren’t many and only a few had umbrellas. We walked across the courtyard and another thing struck me… the landscaping was very sparse. My memory of the space was that the greenery was always full and lush. Our room was located on the North part of the complex and was right next to the path leading to the beach. Without going in I put the bag down and took Elle by the hand. I’d described the beach to her many times and even though it was dark I wanted her to see it and to hear the ocean. Disappointment isn’t adequate to describe my feeling as we walked out on the sea wall.

To be continued...