The airport terminal was open to the Caribbean air. It seemed strange to me at first, until I realized that the weather was always nice enough here that they wouldn’t need to have double-paned windows. It was a foreign concept to someone like me who had always lived in a place that required heating and cooling throughout the year. My windows in Iowa were only open in the late spring and early fall due to the weather outside which was either too hot or too cold. I loved the idea of having windows open year round, the weather always nice.
My bags were already circling the small baggage carousel, the benefit of being the only plane at a small airport. The bag clicked behind me on the tile floor as I looked around for my ride to the hotel. I found a well-dressed man with large aviator glasses holding up a sign with my name on it: Emma LaRue. I must have looked like someone ready for vacation because he started smiling at me as soon as he saw me. Must have been the grin plastered on my face and the big eyes trying to take it all in.
“Ms. LaRue?” he asked, a lilting accent twisting my name into something exotic. “I’m Felipe. If you need anything during your stay here, please just let me know.” I smiled and nodded excitedly as he took my bags and ushered me towards a waiting fancy town car. I felt spoiled as he opened the door and I slid into the soft leather seat. The air was running and the car felt cold after the tropical warmth of the airport.
Felipe entered the driver’s seat and easily maneuvered the car out onto the main road. I pressed my nose against the tinted glass like a little kid, watching this beautiful world zoom past. Palm trees and plants that only grew in greenhouses lined the road, green things growing wild against the bright blue sky.
“Is this your first time to the island?” Felipe asked, smiling in the mirror at my amazement.
“Yes — I’ve almost never left Iowa,” I said, never taking my eyes from the window.
“Iowa? What is in Iowa?” Felipe asked, his accent making my home state sound like a foreign country.
“Just pigs and corn,” I said with a laugh.
“Pigs and corn. We have only fish and coconuts here. Hopefully you will find it to your liking,” he said as he turned the car smoothly. I could see the ocean in the distance now, the sunlight making it gleam along the horizon.
“I like fish and coconuts,” I said and he laughed.
“Is that why you are vacationing here?”
“Well, I actually won this trip. There was a contest on the radio. I never win anything, but I somehow won this,” I said staring at the gleaming horizon. I had never seen the ocean, and even from this distance, I could only stare in wonder. It was so big and beautiful, even from far away. I could barely believe I would see it up close.
I was sure I was going to wake up at any moment. My favorite radio station had run a contest for an all-expenses-paid vacation to the exclusive tropical paradise resort on Ocean Key. I had called in on a whim, and fast-forward two months, here I was. It still felt surreal.
“You must be very lucky if you won a trip to Ocean Blue Resort,” Felipe said as he drove past an ornate sign bearing the name. A waterfall cascaded next to bright blue tile letters proclaiming the name from the road. It looked expensive and fancy.
“It might be the universe trying to even out my usual bad luck,” I said. Felipe laughed, as if I had made a joke. I smiled, but it wasn’t a joke to me. Things never seemed to go my way. I had this horrible suspicion that this was merely an elaborate joke at my expense. I was going to arrive at the resort and my room would be occupied, or I’ll find that I was actually responsible for the bill and would end up paying for everything. That would be the kind of luck I usually had. Not this good kind of luck.
Felipe pulled the car up to the entrance of the resort. I stepped out and felt my jaw drop. The main entrance was huge and open to the air. High above marble floors beautiful gossamer fabric hung in giant loops fluttering gently in the soft ocean breeze. Big, comfy chairs adorned the lobby and a babbling creek ran along the side complete with several small wooden foot bridges. A beautiful bar in the corner served drinks in colorful glasses. I could see only top shelf liquor.
I gulped. This was by far the nicest place I had ever been in. It really was a tropical paradise. There was no way I would have been able to afford a place like this on my vet tech salary. I wondered how much the radio station paid for all this, or rather what connections they had that allowed them offer a free vacation in a place like this. I shook my head at the thought of all that money and power.
“You must be Ms. LaRue. I am Anna,” said a female voice with a soft British accent. A woman in a linen sleeveless dress stepped forward, a smile highlighting her tropical features. I smiled nervously and nodded. “We’ve been expecting you. If you would follow me to check-in please.” She smiled again and gestured towards a glass-enclosed office in the corner of the lobby. I picked up the handle to my suitcase, but she waved a hand to stop me. “The bellhop will take it to your room for you. You are on vacation, Ms. LaRue,” she said as she smiled, her white teeth beautiful against her dark skin. A man in a navy-blue uniform hurried over and reached for my suitcase. I let him take it and he gave a curt nod and placed it on a luggage trolley. “If you will please follow me?”
Anna opened the door to her office and cold air-conditioned air flowed out. I stepped inside and sat gingerly down on a leather chair.
“I just need your signature here to indicate that you are checking in. Music Radio Inc. has already covered all charges,” Anna said handing me a pen and an important looking document. “I will need your signature on the next page as well. It is simply a liability waiver and that you agree not to damage the property.”
I scanned the document quickly, looking over the legal words and evaluating. Anna waited patiently as I read every word, her eyes only confused for a moment. Most people must not read this, I thought, but I wanted to know exactly what I was signing. The control freak in me had to make sure I was in control of what I agreed to. It was the standard legal agreement I was expecting, so I signed it with a flourish.
“Excellent. You will be staying in Cabana Four. Here is your identification bracelet. This simply notifies staff that you are staying at the resort and will allow you to access all the dining facilities, beverage stations, and the spa,” Anna said as she handed me a bright pink rubber bracelet. She helped me fasten it as she continued. “You have complete access to all the amenities of the resort. If you need anything, please ask any of our staff. I have included a packet with all the information you will need for your stay.”