First Day in the Caribbean - Diveshop 03

To my dear readers: this episode includes the Maori Haka dance. No text description can do it justice. I recommend you google the term if you don't already know what the maori Haka Dance looks like.

*****

Friday, the big day. The dive shop was spotless, shelves full of gear were arranged tantalizingly. Air tanks were lined up, heavy with compressed air. The shop in back was clean enough to show to people, with tapes across areas that were off limits. Two monitors on a wall near the entrance area showed Caribbean weather radar, and a videocam view of the north terminal. Just inside the door the store had a display of brochures from local tourist-oriented businesses. Flyers had been distributed to both terminals-tourists might buy impulse items like cameras-the college, the industrial park, hotels, and the marinas. Even the other two dive shops posted brochures and promised to stop by. Karen had sent press releases to the island's three newspapers and gotten flyers into the windows of every place that would take one, including the jitneys and the airport.

When Karen woke up that morning (Rick having left while she was still sleeping, as usual), she found a vase of roses outside the front door. At first she thought it was from Rick, but the card named the store next door! Karen was touched, and displayed the flowers prominently on the counter.

The first person through the door was the kid from the bakery down the street, carrying a bag and a large flat box. "Rick, uh, Kah, Kahur-angi?" He stuttered.

Karen smiled, "No I'm Karen, but Rick works here. "Whatcha got?"

He proudly unboxed a large plate of cookies. Most of them were shaped like fish, air tanks, masks, and fins. "Helped make them myself!" He announced, then handed her the bag, which contained a box of coffee and assorted accoutrements.

"That was quite a load. What do I owe you?" Karen headed for the till.

"Uh, nothing, ma'am. Some guy really covered with tattoos came by yesterday and ordered it. Wanted it delivered. Gave me five bucks to get it here first thing."

Karen reached into the till. "Well you did an excellent job. Here's another fiver. The cookies look wonderful."

"Gee, thanks, ma'am! I'll tell all my friends to come here to buy, uh," he looked around. "Scuba gear! Yeah!" And he ran out.

The morning got busy. Karen talked shop, gave tours, informally surveyed people about interest in classes, gave out lots of business cards, got a lot of promises to come back, and graciously received compliments, especially from the people at the other two dive shops. One guy half kidded that his boss was going to have to sharpen his game to keep up with her.

The cookies and coffee were gone by noon. About then a greasy-looking older kid came in with an insulated pizza carrier. "Uh, Karen's Dive Shop, right?"

"This is the place."

"Somebody ordered these. All paid for, including tip," he said around his chewing gum, and slid the pizzas onto the counter, then dumped a bag of paper plates and napkins next to them. "Have a nice day." He ambled out. The pizzas were rectangular and cut into little squares, and gone by the time Rick arrived.

Karen gave him a huge, tired smile. "Welcome! Take a look around!"

"How many times have you said that today?" He grinned.

Karen looked at the guest register. "More than a hundred. So far. Of people who signed the log. And most of them checked that they want me to send them info about renting equipment when I get that all set up. It looks like there's some interest in classes, too. I've talked so much I'm hoarse. Thank you for the cookies and pizza. They were a hit."

Rick looked puzzled for a moment. "I didn't order pizza."

"I wonder who did then." More people came in, and they were fairly busy until they closed it up at 9:00.

Karen collapsed onto the bed. "Rick, give me one of those Maori foot rubs. I'm exhausted. And we still have tomorrow to do. I wonder who donated the pizza? I'm pretty sure no one stole anything, and I sold several hundred dollars worth of stuff. Mostly scuba-related." She smiled.

Rick sat at the foot of the bed and rubbed her feet. "You probably have a hundred friends. Could be anyone. Those roses were a nice touch from your neighbor." He switched to the other foot. "When did he bring them in?"

"They were at the door when I got up. He didn't come in all day, either. But it was nice."

Rick switched to doing both feet at once, and included her lower legs.

She moaned with pleasure. "You can keep doing that forever if you want."

"I wouldn't mind, but I need to go shower so I can be civilized tomorrow. I think I want you to sleep tonight. For a change." He grinned a boyish grin. "These past nights have been wonderful, but you're exhausted."

"But I like having you here," she mumbled, already half asleep.

He pulled the light blanket over her, kissed her forehead, and switched off the light. She was asleep before he got to the front door.

Karen heard banging on the store door the next morning. She dragged herself out of bed and peered out the office-bedroom door. It was Gus and Bill and their wives. Carrying stuff. She hurried to the door and let them in. "Man! I'm glad it's you guys. I overslept. Go do stuff while I wash my face." She scurried off while they looked around ooing and ahing.

When Karen came out, the counter was spread with breakfast sandwiches, coffee, and cut up fruit. "Figured we may as well join you for breakfast since you joined us last weekend. Where's that guy you were with? How come he's not here? You didn't run him off, did you? The women want to meet him." Gus and Bill took turns talking, and the women nodded.

"Here he comes now." Karen nodded toward the door.

Rick came in carrying a bag of breakfast sandwiches. He looked up in surprise. "Bill and Gus! And these lovely ladies must be the poor souls who have to put up with you two. I wondered why the door was open. Sorry I brought only four sandwiches Some of us'll have to arm wrestle-" then he got to the counter and saw the feast already there. "I see you guys beat me to the punch!"

They introduced Rick to Lydia and Vivian and they all dug in. Vivian was particularly interested in Rick's tattoos, and wanted to see everything he would show her. "Is there any place where you aren't tattooed?" she asked.

"Only one," Rick replied straight-faced. Karen nearly choked.

"I like your monitors," Gus remarked, and everyone gathered around to see the sights. "You can just about see our boat!"

Karen pressed a button on the weather monitor and cycled through several views and magnifications. The largest scale view showed almost the entire Atlantic Ocean; a small tropical depression was just visible near the right edge. "Hmm. That storm looks to be about a week, ten days away, if it heads straight for us, which it probably won't," added Bill. "Most of the real weather swings north of us."

Everyone had a good time, and the food was pretty much gone by the time the store was scheduled to open. The kid with the cookies and coffee showed up again, and happily accepted another extra tip. Karen smiled thanks at Rick.

Saturday was even busier than Friday.

The kid from the bakery came in with several of his friends, and he wouldn't let them take any cookies, but they enjoyed looking over the equipment and telling each other what adventures they had and would have under water.

Bill and Gus and their wives hung around for a while and left.

Karen sold one of the wireless regulators, and two people came in to get tanks filled. Rick gave tours of the shop in back and lucked out with an easy regulator repair in front of spectators.

Pizza arrived again. The delivery kid had no idea who bought them. He just delivered what his boss gave him. This time he glanced around. "Cool store y'got," he said around his chewing gum, and sauntered out.

Closing time finally rolled around and the last visitor left. Karen leafed through the guest register, "Whew! Lessee, thirty lines to a page, um, eleven and a half pages, almost 350 people!" She counted check marks. "Looks like about three dozen interested in a class, and nearly everyone wants info about rentals. Three people asked about jobs, including a clerk at one of the other dive shops. I saw someone I recognized from the cruise ship office, too. I think we might be able to make an arrangement to provide them with equipment for day diving and snorkeling excursions. I'm excited!" She looked at Rick, who had just stifled a yawn. "I'm also tired," she yawned back at him. "Can I talk you into giving me one of those Maori backrubs? And you don't have permission to sneak away to your apartment tonight, either."

"I'd be delighted to give you a Maori backrub if I knew what one was," he quipped. "How about a plain old everyday backrub? Maybe a little special if you're naked."

"That's what I was hoping. I'll show you what I mean by Maori backrub." She folded a couple wetsuit tops and put them side by side on the bed, then covered them with two of her T-shirts. She undressed and collapsed onto her stomach with her knees on the two piles, legs stretched out."Okay, get between my knees and give me that back rub."

Rick hesitated, "Isn't this a little uncomfortable?"

"Won't be in a minute. Get started."

He leaned forward and started with long slow strokes from the backs of her thighs, over her buttocks up to her shoulders, then back, massaging her tired, stiff muscles. He leaned farther forward to massage the back of her neck and she moaned with contentment and with her hips raised by the padding, he couldn't help his already nearly erect penis from touching her as he leaned that far forward. He started down her back again, and she bent her hips a little, raising her bottom and moving backward just enough to keep in contact.

She kept bending until her thighs were about vertical and her butt was raised into the air, at a height increased by the cushioning to match Rick's longer legs. It brought her high enough for some serious genital contact, and she wiggled her hips to indicate her interest in that contact.

Rick caught on, and pulled her hips into him, gently. Both of them were pretty moist, and he slid in easily, deeper and deeper.

"Ah! Oh yes, just like that, oh that feels so good, you're so deep, don't stop, you can push harder, keep it up, you're driving me crazy..."

Rick kept up his pushing and withdrawing, going agonizingly slow, drawing out her sensations and keeping himself from coming too quickly. Nonetheless, he had to grunt at the bottom of each stroke; the sensation of his skin being pulled back was electrifying, and the tightness of her opening was almost more than he could handle without ejaculating.

Karen reached up between her legs and played with her clit. Her cries intensified. "Ah! Faster! I'm going to come! Harder! Harder!"

Rick sped up his strokes, plunging into her with more and more force until he could hold himself back no longer and he began to buck and thrust in mindless lust; her own cries matched his and he could feel her vagina squeezing his member as they both climaxed. He plunged in several more times as she kept up her animal noises, then held her pressed against him until he sensed that she was relaxing.

She didn't pull away when he released her, so he let her stay impaled while she caught her breath. It was kind of flattering that she didn't want him to pull out any sooner than necessary. "I wish we could stay like this forever," she said, still panting, he voice muffled by the bed.

"Be pretty hard to run a dive shop, though," he replied.

"Guess you're right," she chuckled, and reluctantly pulled herself off, then rolled onto her back to face him. Now the cushions held her knees up and she lay there fully exposed.

Rick stared. "The scenery here is absolutely amazing. I never get tired of looking at it." He sat back, and the perspective enabled him to watch between her legs and look at her breasts and face from below all in the same eyeful. He loved it.

"It's yours to look at all you want," She said, smiling. "In fact, I might force you to look sometimes."

"You certainly tempt me to look," he agreed. "And touch." He very gently rested his hand on her, knowing that area would still be sensitive.

They cleared off the bed, snuggled together, and conked out.

She was awakened the next morning by Rick bringing in coffee and two donuts.

"Mm. Yum. Where's our usual nice healthy steak and egg sandwich?" She forced her eyes open. "How come you always get up so early? Though I'm glad for the coffee and goodies."

"Guess I'm just used to getting up. Besides, I like to bring you stuff. And it's not early any more."

"Hmf," she grumbled. "What say we go shopping for a bed and a table? Might be some place open. Then I can sleep with you instead of you having to sleep with me all the time."

"Hmm. I'm not sure I get the distinction, but I do think it'll be better for you to get out of the store once in awhile. Especially now that it's under way. Payday was Friday, so I'm flush, too. By the way-did you see that tropical depression? It's now a storm. Should be fun to track on the radar."

They found a used stuff shop in one of the back neighborhoods that had a bed frame and a small table with two chairs that would work for Rick's apartment. The lady who ran the store loaned Rick a couple hand tools and he disassembled the frame and table into carryable pieces. It was only a couple blocks, and they managed the task in three trips.

"All we need is a mattress!" exclaimed Karen after they had reassembled everything.

"I think I saw an inflatable full size mattress in that hardware store. They're probably closed today, but I should be able to pick one up tomorrow after work. We can test it tomorrow night," Rick said.

They spent the rest of the day sightseeing; Karen pointed out the good stores and the crummy ones. They looked over the south terminal, visited the other two dive shops and exchanged pleasantries. Rick wanted to check out some bike shops in case he decided he wanted to travel faster than 3 mph. One place, near the terminal, was too pushy for Rick. Another one, about halfway to the north terminal, was run by an old guy who was friendly and pleasant, though the inventory wasn't quite as large. Rick decided that if he found a bike he liked, the rest of the inventory didn't matter; he needed only one bike. Well, two, if he got one for Karen.

Evening rolled around and they headed for the store. They approached from across the street, and suddenly Rick's reflexes triggered, and he swung his hand in front of Karen's path. "Step back from the curb and head down the street about twenty feet, then stand next to that pole and watch me. Call the police if anything happens. Go!"

Frightened, Karen got. When she turned toward Rick, he was gone! Then she saw him next to the store door, flat against the wall. He got to his knees and reached for the door handle, and slowly operated it, then sloowly pushed the door open. Karen had a clear recollection of having locked the door when they left. Somehow Rick disappeared inside, then she heard a cut-short scream that was not Rick's voice. She disobeyed him and ran toward the store, stepped inside, and flipped on the light.

Rick was standing near the monitors, one arm extended, holding the pizza delivery kid by the neck. The kid was on his tiptoes, eyes bulging, pants deeply stained in the crotch, his arms waving uncoordinatedly as he tried to breathe. Then his eyes rolled up and he fainted. Rick released him and he crumpled onto the floor. Rick checked the kid's pockets, relieving him of a set of lock picking tools. "You didn't call the police, but maybe that's okay. Go in back and bring me out a handful of those cable ties. Circle wide just in case, but I suspect he's out."

She brought him the ties, and Rick trussed him up, using far more than necessary, fastening his legs together at the knees, calves, and ankles, a string of ties up his back from his wrists to his neck, and elbows cinched together. He took out the kid's wallet and had Karen copy down his name and address. Rick grabbed his hair and dragged him into the back.

"Stand there where he can't see you, and be silent." He pointed to a spot several feet past the kid's head. Then Rick took off his shirt.

The kid moaned, and Rick poured a can of water from one of the tanks onto his head. He shuddered, tried to move, looked puzzled, then his eyes focused and he saw Rick. He turned white.

Rick suddenly made a Maori face at him, tongue out and down, eyes and mouth wide open. Bare-chested and tattooed, the effect was terrifying. Even Karen wondered what Rick might do next.

The kid started to make incoherent noises, sobbing and wailing, trying without success to back away.

Rick began a Maori dance, designed not to be romantic like western dancing, but intended to intimidate one's enemies. It featured violent fist swings, stamping of feet, and slapping one's arms and thighs. The whole time Rick stared at the kid with clear menace on his face.

The babbling turned to weeping in sheer terror. If he hadn't already wet his pants he would have now.

Rick stopped and spoke to the kid in his best monster voice. "Hnngh. Stealing bad. Punish." Rick looked around as if searching for an idea. Then he looked at the water tanks and brightened. "You breathe water? Hold under a few minutes. Maybe ten," he grunted.

The kid's eyes got even wider, and he tried vigorously to scrabble away from Rick. "Nonono!!"

Rick scowled. "Maybe cut off hand." He brandished a diving knife that had been lying on a compressor. "No. Cut off weewee. Then learn not to steal. Sharks eat weewee."

The kid pulled his knees up, "no no please. I swear I'll never steal again! Ever! Please. Don't kill me! I promise. I swear! Swear to tiki! Whatever. Just don't hurt me."

Rick bared his teeth and reached down with the knife and cut the tie around his knees, then the one around his calves. He poked the inside of one knee to force them apart.

"No noooo!!" He started sobbing again.

Slowly Rick straightened up. In normal English, he said, "Are there any gangs or mob on this island? They got nothing on me, understand? They respect me. They don't want no part of me. They don't mess with me 'cause they know what's good for them. Understand, punk?" Rick stared at him, letting his eyes get bigger and angrier. "How you gonna treat me and my stuff?"

"I'll be good. Never do anything. I swear on my mother's grave. Just don't hurt me."

Rick looked up at Karen as if to ask her opinion.

She cleared her throat, whipped off her top and sauntered up to Rick. She pressed herself against him and kissed him. "I say let the boy go. This time." She inhaled and gave the kid a level look.

The kid fainted again.

Rick untied him while Karen put on her top. "That was a nice touch. He won't be able to have an erection when he sees a naked woman for a looong time. Should drive the lesson home, eh?" Rick dragged him out the front door, laid him gently on the sidewalk, returned the wallet, and tucked a dollar under his waistband. Then he went in and locked the door. He and Karen had a good laugh.

They snuggled down. He noticed Karen's heart was still beating a little fast. "We still don't know who gave us the pizzas."

"I wonder if the kid did-which would be dumb," Rick said. "Good way to call attention to himself instead of just being one of hundreds of visitors. Oh well."

Karen couldn't sleep. "Rick, I can't sleep."

"Mm? Hm. Tell you what. Roll over onto me a little and I'll give you a nice relaxing back rub." He rolled onto his back, and she lay across his chest, kissed him, then laid her head under his chin. He began a back rub and she was snoring gently in a few minutes. Then Rick couldn't sleep, so he imagined scenarios about what to do if that storm hit them.