Tuesday morning on the verandah felt strange. Long faces had replaced the regular sleepy-eyed faces of our group. This was our last day together and already the inevitability of parting ways was weighing heavily on all of us. The coffee was strong and was helping. Breakfast was easy as the leftover Killer Chicken was cleaned from the bone and liberally bathed in Killer's Jerk Sauce for chicken sandwiches with just a dab of mayonaise.
Mary and I retired to our rooms to start packing up stuff we wouldn't be using before leaving the following morning. Rasta Freddy was working on a couple of gifts for Mary on the back stoop. He had a coffee stick cane which he was finish sanding and polishing as well as putting the finishing touches on a cat carving Mary had chosen from his craft market stall the day before.
I finished up first and joined Penny on the verandah to share some coconut water with a shot of JB Rum when Penny asked me to give our friend Luther a call for a ride down and back from the Canoe. She reminded me that we should go early so Luther could get some fares to and from sunset at Rick's Cafe while we ate. We decided on 4:00pm as the time to go then I called Luther and arranged for a pickup.
We arrived at Canoe only to find it was closed for painting so Luther suggested we go across the street to Quality's Sea Breeze restaurant. I had always wanted to give it a try anyways so I was happy with the choice. When we got there, we were the only customers so we ordered right away and have some time drinking a beer or two before the food arrived.
The waitress was intentive to our needs and she was right there everytime we needed something. We had cold beers around on the first order but I got a Rum Punch on the second round. We didn't have a chance to talk with Quality until he finished cooking the meals and we were too engrossed with the delicious food to talk until after we finished.
We only managed to get three pictures of the meals so here they are. I normally don't eat meat (except for Killer's Chicken!) so I ordered a fish sandwich and french fries. I particularly liked the coleslaw in a lettuce leaf cup. Both the sandwich and fries were cooked to perfection.
Mary got Curry Chicken as she travels often to India and loves the curry flavoring. She remarked that the fresh vegetable selection was very tasty and the rice and peas she mixed in with the curry sauce was very good too. She said that if she were staying longer, she would be coming back for another meal.
Rasta Freddy, being a Rastafarian, ordered fish with fresh vegetables and rice and peas. He gave the meal good marks and said that only a very few places in Negril cook fish the way he likes it and that he won't eat anywhere that meat comes in contact with the fish. Quality assured him that he understands that and cooks fish separate from everything else.
Rasta Freddy suddenly shouted to a peanut man who was passing by the restaurant. He serves up roasted peanuts in a cone shaped wrapper made from a paper bag. I don't eat peanuts but Freddy bought one for me anyways. While they were lying on the table, we talked about how in the days before the readily available rolling papers, people used paper bags to roll a spliff. With that, Mary picked up one of the peanut cones and put it in her mouth and I supplied the lighter for the picture. Sure to be a classic with us.
We chatted with Quality for about an hour and I found we had a lot of friends in common both in Negril and elsewhere on the island. I don't eat out very often but this restaurant is on my short list. It was about dark and Luther pulled in to pick us up for the ride back to Y Worry Cottage.
We shared a last drink of JB and coconut water before turning in. Mary got up first and gave me a hug. She told me that this was the best vacation she had taken in a long time. I told her that it is always good to stay connected with those people who knew you best. After this trip, we knew each other just a little bit better.
We assembled again on the verandah to await my ride back to Accompong Town and Mary's ride to the airport from Killer's brother, Gary. Both drivers had agreed upon a 9:00am pickup time and both arrived together at 8:30am. I love it when people are early.
Goodbyes all around and we went our separate ways with a pledge to get together again as soon as possible.
Peace and Guidance
