(from travel journal entry dated Sept. 29, 2010)
THE FOLKS AT THE ROCK HOUSE HAD PROJECTED THAT THE GENERATOR WOULD BE FIXED BY NOON…
I so wanted to remain hopeful and went around telling everyone that the generator would be fixed and we would soon be saved. I went back to my room to wait on G*d to make this true. I lay on my moist bed sort of napping and occasionally taking a peak at the fan above the mosquito net. I expected to suddenly look up and see the thing spinning as if by magic. As the day wore on and I could see that darkness was imminent, I decided I had to make a move. Apparently G*d does help those who help themselves.
Matthew the Manager at Moondance & me
Armed with my non-slippery Keens and the Rock House provided umbrella I slap slap slapped down the long slippery path to the front desk again. It was time to call for help. I asked the manager Charlotte to put in a call to my sister in law’s sister, who my sister in law had told me, was on the road trying to make her way back from Kingston. Cathy is the manager of another hotel in Negril so I was going to seek shelter there. As luck would have it…no room at the Inn! I had been looking forward to some well lit all-inclusive luxury while waiting out my exile from the Rock House, but this was not meant to be.
Charlotte said she could take me to Moondance on the Cliffs and asked if I wanted to check it out first. I told her we need not waste time with that…I’d take it! I pretty quickly packed my knapsack with my pajamas, Runner (my beanie baby mongoose), my passport and valuables and grabbed my computer. We drove through flooded streets going further West than I’d ever been. Moondance is a much bigger hotel than Rock House but not one of those big hotels. The open entryway was flooded and puddles stood on the tile floor. After a brief delay the cheerful manager, Matthew, showed me to my room which I have affectionately named “Little Havana” because the décor and design remind me of photos I’ve seen of the old Cuba. My new digs were spacious and tasteful, the walls painted in a sort of deep lime green which I really like. I smiled at the nice big dry kingsize bed and big comfy chair by the window.
Little Havana, My Shelter from the Storm
One of the first things I did when I was left alone was to take a shower. It was hot and the water pressure divine. I even watched cable, something I would NEVER do while on holiday in the islands…please! I was even glad to watch the commercials which where in Spanish even though the movie, Mi2, was in English. After a bit more of this escapism I turned toward my work.
Staying Dry
I was able to work out a draft of the publishing plan I came here to work on. It had been so long since I’d written anything on Book II of Isabelle that I had to start by reading portions of what I’ve written thus far. I see it will not be easy to get back in the swing but I am supremely determined to make some serious headway and I will. I went to bed after dinner to wait out the storm in my new shelter.
Pressing On
TO BE CONTINUED…
To participate in my non-fiction book about women living their visions, by answering a brief survey and telling us your story, please visit The Vision Quest Survey
