The Menu by Steven Manchester

Author:Steven Manchester
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Luna Bella Media, Incorporated
Published: 2020-06-15T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Maddie had decided that they’d honeymoon in St. Lucia, the world’s leading destination for newly married couples. The enchanted honeymoon package included a bottle of champagne and two commemorative glasses, a tropical fruit plate and a flower arrangement upon arrival, a 50-minute couples massage, celebration dinner for two, and a room upgrade to a king-sized bed that featured a third floor ocean view from a private balcony.

Phinn had been hoping for flip flop weather: but from the moment they stepped off the plane, he was concerned that his melting sandals might actually fuse with the steaming asphalt. It’s hotter than hell, he thought, or at least on par.

After a seven-hour flight, Phinn and Maddie hobbled on sleeping legs through the tiny airport, which definitely had a third world feel about it. Two customs officials, slow enough to avoid any chance of heart disease, processed their paperwork.

The taxi ride to the resort—in an older model Mercedes that reeked of incense—sped through the hilly jungle terrain. While Maddie snapped off one photo after the next, the grinning driver maneuvered through switchback after switchback, all the way up the narrow mountain road. Speeding past plush countryside, the green blur was broken up by the occasional banana farm. A few times, Phinn thought he might actually lose his continental breakfast. To distract from the onset of car sickness, he began a relentless line of questioning about the island. Thankfully, the driver was happy to answer each one, as he raced into 180-degree turns at 45-degree angles.

“What’s the one thing we should absolutely do while we’re here?” Phinn asked.

“Besides make a baby?” the man said, smiling.

“Yeah, besides that,” Phinn said, while Maddie continued to take pictures as though she hadn’t caught the comment.

“Make sure you visit Soufriere, our old capital, and the Pitons.”

“Thanks,” Phinn said, deciding to cease the interview.

The car wound through several traditional Caribbean fishing villages, tropical rainforests, and banana plantations. The scenery was stunning. As they passed one shanty town after the next—consisting of cinder block shacks, barefooted children running about, and the occasional roadside stop with signage of cold beer and bottled water—Phinn worried that he might puke up his guts at any moment.

Maddie looked at him. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

She winked. “You gotta take the bad with the good, right?”

The St. James’s Club at Morgan Bay was a vibrant, all-inclusive resort, promising relaxation, romance, and adventure.

Phinn and Maddie met their bags at the room. After tipping the bell hop, they shut the door behind them. Phinn hurried to the balcony to check out the view. Beyond the white sugar beach, peppered with vacationers enjoying different water sports, the aqua blue and teal Caribbean Sea met a sky of baby blue. There was a warm breeze, making the palm trees sway to the rhythm of the island’s calypso music. To the left, a giant thatched hut—one of the resort’s many restaurants—was perched on the end of a long dock. To the right, there were several pools, with people swimming up to the bars to order their colorful cocktails.

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