(Well, this took so long to finally get it out. My laptop crashed with it three-thirds done and I just couldn't get back into the swing of writing. I hope the turn in the story works for you all)
The days could not go by fast enough for Jen. Her excitement could hardly be contained. All her school friends were jealous of her with the exception of wondering what she was going to do with an "older women" on this trip. "If only they knew," thought Jen to herself. The weekend before the trip Anne took Jen shopping. The girls bought some bikinis complete with matching wraps. They bought a couple of sundresses, sunglasses, and sandals.
When the day finally arrived, Anne picked up Jen right after school and along with the Gracie and Johnny drove to Anne's parent's house, about a five hour drive. They stopped along the way to eat dinner. The long drive gave them the opportunity to catch up on life. Jen asked questions about Anne's family and her childhood. Jen found out that Anne has another sister named Liz that lives in California. During the discussions, Anne brought up the subject of how they were going to handle the week with Lori. It was decided that they would not risk being discovered. Unless they were sure of not being discovered, they would refrain from any physical activities. Jen was ok with that. She didn't want to put Anne in an awkward situation with her sister.
They arrived at Anne's parents about 9:30 that night. Lori arrived about an hour later. The girls were soon asleep, Lori and Anne in their old rooms, and Jen in Liz's room. They got up early to meet the shuttle van that came to pick them up. They were at the gate by 8:00 AM and boarded by 9:00 AM. They arrived in Miami at 11:30 and they made their connection that boarded at 1:00 PM and they were in the air by 2:00 PM arriving in Cayman Island about 2:25 PM. They had an hour layover before taking the jumper flight to Little Cayman. They were met by a driver at the airport who loaded their bags onto a Landrover and then about an hour to the house on the northeast side of the Island.
They pulled up to house, a ranch style house with bright Caribbean colors, surrounded by lush vegetation giving it extreme privacy. The driver unloaded the luggage and carried it into the house. Once inside a short black man with a British accent greeted them.
"I'm Jameson Crawley. Mr. Morris hired me to cook and look after you girls this week." The ladies introduced themselves to Jameson. Jameson showed them to their rooms. Lori and Anne picked a large room with two queen beds. Jen got one with a large king sized bed. Each room had its own bathroom and French doors that opened up to the beach. There was a large kitchen and dining area towards the front of the house. The backside of the house had a large family area with pit coaches and a large screen TV mounted on the wall. As they walked through the family room there were two sets French doors that opened up to a covered patio. The patio had a large glass table which Jameson had filled with fresh tropical fruit, breads and cheese, and small cuts of meat. Beyond the patio there was a small pool with an in-ground Jacuzzi. About 50 feet beyond the pool the ladies could see the white sand, and about 25 yards beyond that, the crystal blue water of the Caribbean.
The ladies stood there for several minutes in stunned amazement. They felt the ocean breeze on their faces as they breathed in the salt air. It was as though the scene alone was enough to wash away all their stress and cares.
The ladies ate around the table unable to take their eyes away from the blue water in front of them. After dinner they went to their rooms and unpacked their luggage. They each changed clothes and went back out to the patio taking a seat on rocking chairs. The scene was incredible. They watched the sunset as it disappeared over the Caribbean Ocean. Jen had never seen anything so breathtaking.
Jameson came out to the patio just as the sun set, "If there is nothing else you ladies need this evening, I will take my leave. My telephone number is on the wall in the kitchen should you need anything. I will be back in the morning to fix breakfast."
"Thank you Jameson, have a good night," said Anne and echoed by the other two. The girls sat there for about half hour. Nothing much was said between the girls. Jen was the first to get up.
"I'm a tired. I think I'm going to go take a shower and hit the hay," said Jen.
"Goodnight Jen," said Anne. Lori nodded in agreement but said nothing. Anne had noticed that Lori had not said much all day long. Maybe she was tired, Anne reasoned.
Anne and Lori sat in the rocking chairs with their knees drawn up. They wrapped their arms around their legs resting their chin on the top of their knees. They sat in the dim light of the candles that Jameson had lit before leaving. The sound of the waves provided a soothing backdrop as the women sat just two feet apart.
Lori was the first to break the silence, "We haven't really talked much since the funeral. How are you doing?"
Anne stared at the ground in front of her for a few seconds before answering, "Honestly, I have some good days and some bad days. But the good days are outnumbering the bad. I miss Jim so much some days. Almost daily I'm reminded of something Jim did to take care of us. He was such a good husband, father, and provider." Tears began to weld up in her eyes. Lori looked over and noticed tears slowing rolling down Anne's cheek.
Anne continued, "I know that you can't really prepare yourself for something like that, but Jim's death really threw me for an emotional loop."
"I can't even begin to imagine what that feels like," said Jen. "I was always a little jealous of you and Jim."
"Why do you say that?" asked Anne.
"Don't get me wrong, I love Doug, but Jim was one of those one-in-a-million kind of guys. I always admired the way he treated you, like if you were a queen," Lori continued.
Anne smiled as she wiped away the tears from eyes. "Now you know why it's so hard to go on dates. The half dozen I have been on have been such a great disappointment. Maybe Jim set the bar so high for me that no man can possibly hold a candle to him. It's like you said, one-in-a-million." Anne said this while still staring at the ground. The memory of Jim at the moment overwhelmed her. The tears began to flow more freely now.
"He was that Anne. Doug is good to me and the kids and I love him, but he doesn't hold a candle to Jim. Very few will," said Lori reaching out rubbing Anne's shoulder.
Both women were silent for few minutes. It was Lori that broke the silence again, "Can I ask you question?"
"Sure," answered Anne.
"Why did you invite me to come this week?" asked Lori looking down at the tip of her toes on the edge of the rocking chair.
"What do mean why? You are my baby sister. Do I need a reason to invite you to spend a week with me?" Anne asked a little confused by the question.
"I guess not," replied Lori, "It's just that we have never done much together in the past."
"Better reason to spend time together now," replied Anne. "If Jim's death has taught me anything is that life is too short to waste and we need to make the most of it while we can."
"I guess you're right about that," replied Lori. "But why did you invite Jen to come with us? If you really wanted to spend time with me why include her?"
"Lori, I told you why when I invited her and you told me that you didn't have a problem with it. Had you said something to me before we left I would have uninvited her. Although, it would have been very rude and hurtful to all of the sudden tell her she could not come. But I thought you were ok with this? What has changed your mind?" Anne was now a little disturbed with her sister. It was really so unlike her to be this petty and childish.
Lori didn't say anything. She kept staring at her feet rocking slowly back and forth.
"Come on Lori, You're killing me here. What's going on?" Anne pleaded.
Lori's eyes began to tear up. Anne noticed it. She reached out and touched Lori's arms. "Come on Lori. What's wrong?" she pleaded again a little softer with genuine compassion in her voice.
The tears now flowed down Lori's cheeks. After a few minutes of silence to utter three words that she knew would change her relationship with her sister forever.
"I saw you." It came out almost as a whisper.
"You saw me what?" asked Anne with genuinely perplexed by the statement.
"The night I stayed over your house. I saw you and Jen." Lori was still talking in hush tone.
