The first official day of vacation had
gotten off to a great start. The ladies had all slept to a moderately
late hour, and breakfasted together in the parlor room of their
suite. They had dined sufficiently on a meal consisting of vegetable
and egg quiche, crisp bacon, hot buttery croissants served with
apricot preserves, freshly squeezed orange juice and some of the most
delicious coffee they had ever drank. Feeling extremely full and
satisfied, they lounged around for a while just mulling over the
events of their trip so far.
Claudette had planned out a wonderful
travel itinerary for them which she now distributed in hard copy to
each of them. Of course they had discussed in general what they would
be doing, but now that they were here, it was time to take a look at
the schedule. Future outings were planned for The Bob Marley Museum,
Hope Botanical Gardens and The National Gallery of Jamaica. First
item for today was shopping in the marketplace, followed by
afternoon tea, and then back to the house for massages and facials.
That would definitely relax them and put them in the mood for what
lay ahead later that night. They would be having dinner at a landmark
restaurant, hosted by a friend of Alexis who lived in Kingston, and
then on to dance the night away at a trendy club called “Santana's”.
Keenan DeJohn was a
tall, distinguished and articulate gentleman who looked to be of
indeterminate age ( but she guessed him to be in his middle to late
sixties) whom Alexis had met several years before on her first trip
to Kingston. At that time she had been traveling with another friend
and a male companion. She had been introduced to Keenan, and they had
kept up a friendly communication via email several times a year, but
it was enough to maintain an acquaintance close enough that he had
come to see her on his last visit to the states two years ago. His
open invitation to be his guest at his elegant eatery when she and
her friends came down had been sincere and so had his insistence that
he comp their meals.
He was seating them
as a private party in his secluded VIP room located off from the main
dining room. He would join them for before dinner drinks and then
leave them to their dinner. To finish off the evening he had arranged
a personal escort to take them to Santana's club, and to see that
they had every comfort they needed and that everything he did for
them was top shelf. It was no secret; he had designs on Alexis. She
was aware of it, and he wanted to do everything possible to make sure
she and her friends had a fantastic vacation.
And so the day
passed in luxurious splendor for the four friends. They laughed,
sipped on exotic tasting drinks, and reveled in the beauty of their
surroundings, and in the simplicity of being in the company of each
other. It wouldn't be normal if they didn't take a few moments to
reflect on their lives for just a few moments. And in doing so, they
agreed that in the mainstream of life, they had it pretty darn good.
They were blessed and blessed indeed.
The time came for
them to dress for the evening. It was such a happy time to be getting
all dressed up in gorgeous dresses, wearing beautiful summer heels,
smelling divine and looking absolutely fabulous!Alexis had spoken to
Keenan earlier and he had told her to give their driver Delray Major
the night off because he was sending his own driver over to pick them
up at seven to deliver them to his restaurant. Later on after
closing, he would drive to meet them at the club.
It was exactly six
fifty-seven when the doorbell rang. Bonnie went to answer and she met
the man who was to be their escort for the night. He bowed low to her
as he spoke with a perfect accent” Good evening madame! I am Dante,
driver for Mr. DeJohn at your service for the evening. Are you and
your friends ready?” Just then, Helena, Claudette and Alexis
gathered at the door. More introductions were made, the destination
confirmed and off they went into the warm and sultry evening. The air
was thick and laden with the perfume of the variety of orchids and
lilies that bloomed in the gardens.
They all
experienced a heightened sense of well being and felt as if they did
indeed have the world in the palm of their hands. There was
absolutely no way they could know that this would be a night to
remember, but not for the usual reasons. There was no way they could
know that trouble waited for them around the corner.
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