Cruising with the Blakemores

by Olivia Gaines

  “Mm, you are some kind of woman,” he told her as his body covered hers and he slowly began to make love to his wife.

  Odessa woke to the sound of a loud British voice announcing their arrival in Barbados. She rolled over to see Saxton wide awake as well and staring at her. Her hand covered her mouth to shield him from the toxic spray of morning breath, especially after the wine from dinner. “Good morning, Saxton,” she said through muffled fingers. “What are you doing?”

  He leaned forward and kissed her in the middle of her forehead. “I am doing my second favorite morning activity – watching you sleep.”

  “Ohhh ... kay....” she said as her eyes lifted to meet his. The softness, the love and tenderness in his eyes for her, hit her with a bevy of emotions. So many feelings were rushing through her that she tried to change the subject. “Are you ready for your breakfast?”

  He surprised her. “No. Not this morning. I’m still full from dinner. If it’s okay, I would love to just hold you for a few.”

  She slid closer to him, facing his chest, but he corrected her. “The other way. I would like to spoon with you.”

  “And you sure you don’t want any forking?”

  He chuckled. “I’m good, baby. I just want to hold you.” She rolled to her left side as the mass of his body curled up behind her, his arm draped across her midriff, with his hands splayed upon her tummy. “In a little while, this will be protruding with our child.”

  “What do you want first, a boy or a girl?”

  “I don’t care. I just want a healthy baby that has its Mama’s eyes and my ability to shoot a gun,” he said with a bit of a chortle.

  “That is important to you?”

  “Hell yeah!” He laughed.

  The room was quiet as the two lay in bed. “Odessa, when I first saw you, I immediately noticed your legs.” His hand had begun to gently stroke her thigh, “But when you walked over to me, I looked into your eyes and was drawn in. Even if Mateo hadn’t tricked us into getting married, I would have come looking for you.”

  Her hand rubbed the small hairs on the back of his hand as she responded, “And from the moment I saw you, I wanted you. I wanted you in the worst way and having to share that bed with you, pretending to make love to you was difficult. Especially when I wanted to be with you for real.” She turned in the bed to face him, her eyes searching his face.

  “I swear, you get more beautiful every day. I lie here looking at you, thinking how lucky I am to have you,” he told her as his thumb grazed across her bottom lip, then his hand moved to touch her hair. “This new haircut is cool. It shows off your face and how much you’ve matured in two years.”

  Her hand went to his hair. “And you’ve grayed a bit.”

  “Guarding this sexy ass body is making me old before my time,” he said with a smile.

  “Are we ready to give it all up, Saxton?”

  “As soon as we conceive, yes. Yes, we will,” he told her. “In the meantime, we need to get up and get dressed. I booked a shore excursion for us and the family.”

  Odessa’s eyes were wide as she listened to her husband explain that when they returned to the states, her sister, Ryanne, would be moving to San Antonio to be with her husband. Kevin, Jr. would be back at school and she would hopefully be growing round with child. “I was also thinking with this tour, we could see the island, ask some questions of a knowledgeable tour guide, and spend some time with the family at the same time.”

  Odessa was perched in the middle of the bed, hugging her knees – just staring at him while he spoke. “Who are you and what did you do with my guns blazing, shoot first, ask questions later husband?”

  He was grinning at her as he stood by the bed. “You said you wanted me to think more. I can think. I went to college and got edu-ma-cated, too!”

  Saxton pulled her by her ankle across the bed, flipping her over to her stomach. He swatted her on a butt cheek that was peeking out from under the covers. “Now, let’s do this, Mrs. Blakemore. We are spending the day with your parents.”

  He stopped and looked at her. “... And Agent Roget and Hilda.”

  “And my brother along with Mary Jean...” she told him, “... and my sister and her husband, and his parents.”

  “... And Rentería and his wife,” he said a puzzled look all over his face. “Dear God, what have I done?”

  Odessa rolled to her back in laughter.

  “See Odessa, that’s why I don’t like this thinking shit. It makes me feel all funny and do stupid stuff.” She only laughed harder as lowered his head and schlepped his body to the bathroom to shower and get dressed.

  Welcome to Barbados...

  The morning was pleasant with winds blowing across Bridgetown Bay, welcoming the tourists to frolic in the Caribbean sun and take in the best of Barbados. Odessa was surprised at how elated Saxton was to get out and about and have some fun. The enjoyable outing was barely off the ground before an ugly spur popped up in the road.

  As pleased as Odessa was that Saxton had thought ahead, he still was not that great at details. A major detail that he failed to notice was that the 4x4 excursion he booked was not what he thought. In his mind, he believed that each family would have their own vehicle, and a 4x4 tour would take place convoy style around the island. Instead, it was a 4x4 Land Rover painted with zebra stripes with a covered back over center facing row seats that lined the sides of the truck bed. The look of disappointment on his face made Odessa feel sorry for him. It was even worse when everyone climbed in and because of his size, Saxton had to sit in the last seat, with half of his leg hanging out of the vehicle.

  The other spur came with Rentería, who showed up with a very tall, modelesque black woman name Antoinette. She was easily 15 years younger than him and evidently a very good friend of Ryanne.

  “You two know each other?” both Odessa and Dora asked at the same time.

  The ladies hugged. “Yes, Antoinette and I went to college together. We met Victorio on Spring Break our freshman year, and that was it for them.”

  No one. Absolutely no one wanted to point out the obvious. Antoinette bore a striking resemblance to Odessa Blakemore. It was at that moment that she thanked God for small favors. Had she not gotten the haircut, people could easily assume the two were sisters. Now... now they simply looked closely related.

  Was this the reason for Mateo’s obsession with my wife?

  However, when she opened her mouth, the resemblance stopped there. “Hunnneeee,” she whined to Rentería, “we have to ride in the back of this? Can you call for a limo or something?”

  Everyone in the group stared. As hard as each tried to turn away, it was like passing the scene of an accident, curiosity made you look on. The tough, Mexican drug lord became all soft and malleable as he moved closer to the statuesque woman. “Mi querida, we are on a fun outing. I wanted to do this to shake up our lives a bit. Have some fun. Get outside without the body guards, just be normal people and hang out with my friends.”

  Big Sarge, Dora, and Kevin, Jr. all looked at Odessa and Saxton. Every one of them motioned the same words with their mouths, “Friends?”

  Dwight wasn’t happy about any of it. Saxton watched him again as he saw the flash of something in his eyes and moved closer to Ryanne. His voice was low when he asked her, “And you thought it was a good idea to hang out on Spring Break with an unsavory looking character like him?”

  If Rentería heard him, he said nothing. Ryanne, a cross between her mother and father, was the consummate diplomat. When she responded to her new husband, she did so by embracing him closely and speaking into his ear. “That was then, this is now. And he is a very well educated man with a heart of gold. I consider him to be my friend as well.” Saxton liked her a great deal.

  The tour guide called for everyone to load up as Ryanne, Dwight and his family took the second car and Saxton and Odessa, along with the Trodats, took the first vehicle. It was a bumpy ride along the southern point of the island as the family c
ruised through the parish of Christ Church. The tour guide, a funny man named Erik, who missed his calling as a comedian, kept the family entertained as they cruised along the coastline up to the Parish of St. Phillip. Kevin asked, “Is it this warm here all year round?”

  Erik was eager to share his comical answer. “Yes, but one year, the temperature dropped to 60º and we all thought we were going to die!”

  Saxton looked the same way. As the riders came up close to the vehicle, especially one guy on a motorcycle, she saw her husband physically reach for his 9 mm. He didn’t have the gun on him, thank God for that. Maybe my mother was right, we need to relax a bit more. The tour guide spoke more about how the island had changed from a plantocracy to a tourist destination which relied on capitalism to support its infrastructure.

  Mary Jean asked, “What is a plantocracy?”

  Kevin, Jr. answered, “It’s a society that relies on a main crop for it to survive. Much like the south during the civil war with cotton and tobacco. I assume for Barbados it was sugar cane?”

  “Oh, and you are smart, too. Dang!” Mary Jean said as she gave Kevin, Jr. more googly eyes. Kevin’s eyes raked her up and down as he noticed she was wearing cropped pants that were covered in ladybugs. She even carried a small bag that was shaped like a ladybug.

  Kevin looked for somewhere to hide and he even tried to scoot over to keep from touching her, but he ended up too close to Saxton, who physically lifted, hefted and then pushed him almost in Mary Jean’s lap. This made the woman extremely happy. With the new hairstyle Dora insisted Mary Jean get along with some more flattering makeup, Saxton thought she wasn’t a bad looking woman. Kevin, Jr. asked her, with far too much honesty in his voice, “And why you didn’t ride in the other vehicle with your family?”

  Mary Jean gave him a rather toothy grin. “You were over here. So I am over here.”

  Kevin, Jr. looked at Saxton, who was having way too much fun simply watching the young man squirm as he responded to his new admirer, “Well, there ya go!”

  She was a strange bird though. Mary Jean reminded you of the girl in the office who wore retro clothes. Her styling wasn’t a fashion statement, but more so a personal choice of the worst selections of a second hand store. She was quirky, but she was sharp. Odessa liked the young woman and Saxton seemed amused by her. Her parents only watched with mild curiosity.

  As the tour wound its way up the coast towards the Bathsheba’s Soup Bowl, the giant rocks were the first thing that everyone noticed. Dwight, who dismounted from their vehicle, looked at the rocks and yelled, “Hey, you guys!”

  Saxton grinned from ear to ear at the reference to The Goonies once he saw the rocks, which looked eerily similar to the pirate’s cove in the movie. Erik poured cups of rum punch as the guests stepped down from the vehicle. Street vendors of grass baskets approached and Saxton stepped between the men and his wife.

  Bathsheba’s Soup Bowl, which stretches along the east side of the island, was named after the wife of King David, who was known for taking milk baths. The foamy white surf that is rich in minerals draws many people to visit the rugged part of the island to bathe in the healing waters. The large rocks, which would require a tsunami to be moved, Erik informed them, were broken off pieces of an ancient coral reef.

  Kevin, Jr. spoke up, “That must have been a big ass reef!”

  “Erik,” Odessa asked. “How long are we here?”

  The stop was for 20 minutes. She placed her hand in Saxton’s and said, “Let’s take a walk on the beach and get some photos.”

  To all watchful eyes, the Blakemores did in fact look like a couple on holiday with the family. Kevin, Jr., not so much. He spent the better part of 20 minutes running from Mary Jean, who insisted upon holding his hand and taking selfies. All they could hear was him yelling, “Nooooo... I don’t wanna. Stop it, Mary Jean!”

  Saxton had already spotted the man with the snake tattooed on his arm smoking coconuts in the fire down the street. Odessa also spotted the snake tattoo on the forearm of the basket carrying man who initially approached them to buy his wares. One look from Rentería, and they all backed off.

  “I am not going to engage them, so they should not bother us,” Saxton told her as he took her hand and walked towards the beach. “That’s a pretty dress you are wearing,” he told her.

  “This old thing?”

  “I’m just wondering how long it will take me to get it off of you,” he said with a lascivious grin as he released her hand and used his phone to snap several pictures of her by the large rock. Photos that also included the three men they had encountered earlier.

  “Stop working, Saxton,” she whispered.

  “I still have to do my job,” he told her.

  Her feelings were almost hurt. “So, what you said about the dress... was that part of your job, too?”

  “Nope, you are a fine looking woman, Odessa. And that is a pretty dress,” he winked at her as he took a few more photos before they were called back to the vehicle.

  The drive through the interior of the island took them through the Welshman Hall Gully Tropical Jungle and Cave. Odessa sat in awe of the amazing trees, which gave the gully an enchanted feel as if fairies and wood sprites would pop out to greet them. The trees almost looked like an upside sapling growing from the top of the tree down to the ground. Its winding branches looked much like dreadlocks trying to reach the rich soil. Erik told the group, “The Island took its name from the barbed trees, and it’s what the Spanish called Barb-Be-Dos or the bearded ones.” He also told the groups that the gully was an orchard that was owned by a Welshman.

  She smiled at the information as her head turned she saw something move in the trees. By the size of it, she knew it wasn’t a green monkey. Her eyes went to Saxton, who also had spotted it, as well as Big Sarge. Odessa began to snap pictures as if nothing was untoward. I am on vacation with my husband. I am on vacation with my husband. But in truth, she knew they were not.

  The human traffickers saw them as a threat. Their job was to identify the lines used to ship product. The business was the cover. During a quiet lunch at Copacabana Beach Bar on Bay Street, they watched the number of people who were observing them. They were in the open and vulnerable. Everyone was on high alert, including Dwight, who was watching three men come towards them. The knapsack he carried with water and first aid supplies he lifted and placed on the table. His right hand went inside of the zipper as he kept his eyes on the men, who decided to take a detour and walked right past them.

  Saxton looked at Odessa.

  Odessa stared back at Saxton.

  Big Sarge sat looking perplexed by his new son-in-law. I don’t trust him.

  Kevin, Jr., who was far less tactful asked, “Dude, what you got in that bag?”

  Fun in the St. Lucia sun...

  That evening back on the ship brought out many questions in the minds of the Blakemores as they pondered the day of being followed. What truly concerned them more and more as each day passed was Odessa’s new brother-in-law. Dwight wasn’t at all what he seemed. Big Sarge pretty much said so over dinner. “Something about that dude ain’t right. I mean his background check came up clean... almost too clean.”

  Saxton’s mouth was wide. “You ran a background check on him?” Then he thought about it. “Did you run one on me, too?”

  Big Sarge tried to look innocent, then thought about it. “Of course I did. I knew what you did for a living the moment stuff started coming back redacted.”

  “What about Dwight?” Saxton asked.

  “It’s too clean. So clean, like he’s been made up, you know what I’m saying?” Big Sarge added.

  Dora cleared her throat as her the middle child walked up with the point of conversation – Dwight. “I’m starving. All this fresh air and sunshine is making me feel like a school girl again,” she said as she winked at her husband who responded by waggling his brows.

  Kevin, Jr. groaned. “You two are kind of grossing me out,” he said to his
parents as Mary Jean plopped down beside him.

  “I think it’s cute. I mean being married for so long and still hot for each other. Like Saxton and Odessa there. Saxton always looks at her like he wants to tear her clothes off,” Mary Jean said.

  Odessa, had she been fair complexioned, would have had red cheeks. “See. Saying stuff like that is why you and I will never see eye to eye, Mary Jane,” Kevin, Jr. told her. Tonight she wore a black gown with black and yellow embroidered wasps as shoulder straps.

  “We ain’t gonna ever see eye to eye if you keep getting my name wrong. It is Mary Jean and married people should feel that way about each other. That is when you know the love is real. You are married and you still want to go at each other like horny teens,” she said as she smiled at Dwight and Ryanne.

  Kevin stood up. “Appetite... just left. And that is my cue. Goodnight.” But Mary Jean stood up as well.

  “Kev, just because you don’t want to talk about certain things, don’t make it go away. If you cannot appreciate the love a man has for his woman, then you still have a lot of growing up to do,” she told him flatly.

  Kevin had a look of incredulity on his face. “I don’t even know you! I just met you two days ago and you want to tell me about growing up?” His eyes were wide, but his voice was firm and full of authority. “Growing up is understanding when there is a connection between two people and when there is only a potential for friendship.”

  Everyone at the table was quiet. The embarrassment they all felt for Mary Jean was floating in the air like the stench from a sewer. Her face was expressionless as she looked at Kevin with more than a mild interest. She frowned, scrunching her nose. “I am so turned on right now. I want you so bad I can’t stand myself!”

  “Oh hell nawww!” Kevin, Jr. said as he waved to his parents and sisters and left the table.

  Mary Jean took a seat. “Oh, he gonna come around and then he is going to be like all addicted and stuff. Then I am going to have to fight him off,” she said as she raised her hand to call over the waiter, who was also named I Putu like the servers from the bon voyage party. She looked at Big Sarge. “You might as well get used to seeing me around, ‘cause it’s gonna happen between me and your son.”