Ok – Here goes. It was Dec. 1975,and I was heading to Fla. To escape the Cleveland winters that I hated. Had been to Fla. A lot before, as a kid to Hollywood for family vacations, and to Tampa Bay with girl who would call me and say “How soon can yo be packed to go to Fla.”? This time, I ended up getting a ride from a girl I'd just met the week before. I was 23 and she was 34...but that's a different story. Suffice to say after a few weeks in Ft. Meyers, she got mad and left. I had met a couple who had just returned from Jamaica, and they said that since you're so close, you should go to Jamaica. They told me where to go (Negril) and where to stay (Perseverance) and I thought, what the hell. I flew from Ft. Meyers to Miami, and from there to Jamaica, on Air Jamaica. The best flight I'd ever been on. Free rum punches and a fashion show from the stewardess's on the way. I should mention, at the time you bought one of two tickets. One for 6 weeks or less, and one for 6 weeks or more. Of course I got the 6 weeks or less, as I never spent more than that anywhere.

I'll never forget the feeling going through the door of the plane, to the tarmac. The heat just hit you like a wall. It was great. After a trip of undetermined time on a bus with chickens, goats and people, we arrived at Perseverance. I got a room (shack) with a bed (sort of) a table, and light. What more could you ask for. Oh, and this was at a cost of $2 per day. Plus you got a meal each day. I made my way across the road to the beach, and I was in heaven. As my days turned into weeks I wondered where this place had been all of my life. This was the life I was meant for. Days on the beach, having a grilled cheese sandwich and conch soup for lunch, and nights at the bar that was just up the road a ways. I'll never forget how impressed I was with all of the stars that you could see...as if the moon wasn't out, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

At this point, it was some 3 months later, and as much as I didn't want to, I had to go, as I was running out of money, and still had to settle up for my accommodations. When back at the airport, I had another surprise waiting for me. The guards (army) at the airport took one look at my ticket and said “You owe us hundred dollars mon”. I told them I didn't have any money left, and they repeated “you owe us hundred dollars mon”. I put down my suitcase and told them “Here is everything I have. You can have whatever you want, but I don't have any more money”. They just looked at each other and then said “ Get on de plane mon”.

Memories I'll never forget