Day 7 (Wherein Rum-polephoreskin Surrenders)
When I got up I found the crew at Xtabi had pulled the ladders and laid them across the entrance to the walkways down the cliffs(there had been high seas the past two days - but they had passed). They had left the cave entrance near our cottage open. I had serious doubts that either of our dive masks would fit Mrs. Peel so I'd suggested she try competitive goggles. Mrs. Peel is a good swimmer (former Life Guard and WSI) but she does wear contacts. I didn't want her losing them in the sea. We swam out together a ways. My idea was to do some wave riding (treading water while rising and falling with the waves).
Mrs. Peel kept getting water in her mouth. She said, " I don't like salt water," between coughs .
Sobering news indeed. Any Mrs. Rum-pole has to be fully aquatic. Mrs. Peel's chops to this point had been impeccable. I mentioned her swimming pedigree. I'd swam in a pool with her, seen her strokes. I've seen her in high seas in her kayak in both Lake Michigan and Superior (very scary water because of the potential for hypothermia). I "drew me brakes" for a second. Could I marry someone who is uncomfortable in the sea?
Mrs. Peel said she was going in to read. I asked her if she'd take a picture of me if I swam out?
She explained the picture this way:
"I zoomed all the way. I wanted to get a cliff in [for scale use a human figure vs a natural object to convey relative size] but that made you too small to see." Oh well.
The saltwater thing was really troubling but I was hoping we could overcome that. There was a cloud on the horizon, our dwindling time. Mrs. Peel had taken to Negril better than I could ever have hoped. A test for prospective brides: see how they handle Negril. Think about all that could reveal about a person. Mrs. Peel had passed that with flying colors, to the point that leaving was stabbing her as hard as it was hitting me. She responded perfectly when I brought it up.
"That doesn't sound like you. Aren't we supposed to enjoy the moment? Not get caught up in what may come?"
Skewered and buoyed at the same time. She is good! Hell, a Negril vacation is a microcosm of our time on the planet.
Our evening started with a trip to the Banmark Cambio (near Seastar Lane). After we got our money we drifted over to De Bar. We had just sat down when we saw Fatty and his wife (Deb - if I have that wrong I'm going to be so embarrassed - they were so nice to us). We had a drink or two with them then headed up the cliffs road.
Presley's
This how our proposal happened. I'd secured Presley's for the evening. Presley's is not Ivans, but it has qualities unique to Jamaica. That is what I want her to remember when she thinks back on the night.
Presley is a Rasta so no shellfish (his words) instead I'd pre-ordered snapper. It was grilled to perfection and served on a bed of rice. The dining room was all ours (that was taken care of by the $1000J down payment). Presley left to cook and Mrs. Peel and I had the dining room to ourselves (Presley cooks behind the dining room). Mrs. Peel loved the decor.
