Chapter 12

More Sun and Sightseeing

Tuesday 23rd April After breakfast which we had on the roof-top terrace, Abelinda had excelled herself with choices of fruit, yogurt, granola, a breakfast burrito stuffed with eggs, cheese and sausage, as well as omelette with peppers, mushrooms and cheese, all done to perfection I felt a bit guilty as I just picked the granola with yogurt and fruit, but the rest of my family made sure her hard work wasn't for nothing with Christian wanting an omelette and Asia picked the burrito and then she finished with an assortment of fruit.

We jumped in the car with Raul out driver/gardener, for the trip to the village of Abala about an hours drive away to begin our day's experience; our first stop is at Cenote Yaax-Ha, and after a safety induction we swam and snorkelled in its lovely warm waters. The stalactites and stalagmites that form inside are true natural works of art, Christian had brought his underwater camera and I am sure he got some fantastic shots, hopefully we can have some blown up to make a features of them for the house, we do still have the house on the sound but it's just been left since before Asia was born, when we get back Christian wants us to meet up with Elliot and an architect Elliot has been working with for a couple of years, thank goodness he got rid of that awful, awful woman Gia, I'll have Kate fill me in on all the gory details when we get back.

After a light lunch we go on to the second part of our day which again is swimming and snorkelling but this time we are at Cenote Kankirixche, where the sunlight filtering through holes in the ceiling of the cave gives it a magical feeling. Again Christian takes loads of photos.

Back at the villa we have a lazy evening after a meal of Sopa de tortilla, Ceviche de mar and Camarones al mojo de ajo. We all opt for an early night as tomorrow will be another big day we are taking a trip to the Mayan pyramids of Chichén Itzá I am really looking forward to this.

After another fabulous breakfast again courtesy of Abelinda we set off in the car, the trip will take just short of two hours. We arrive without incident and meet up with our guide for the day; the site is divided into three sections. The northern group of structures is distinctly Toltec in style, we see Temple of Kukulkan and Temple of the Warriors, as well as the Great Ball Court, which is the largest ball court in Mesoamerica, measuring 168 metres in length and 70 metres in width, where the guide tells us Mayan men played a game called pok ta pok. Anthropologists believe that the object of the game was to hurl a ball through a ring that was mounted on a wall, seven metres above the ground. Each team had six field players who would attempt to pass the ball - using any body part except their hands - to their captain who would attempt the shot using a racket of sorts. The captain of the team that made the first successful shot was then decapitated as a sacrifice to the gods. This was seen as an honour and guaranteed entrance into heaven. Ohh those thoughts gave me the shivers.

We then move on to Chichén Itzá where we see the spectacular Cenote Sagrado, a large sinkhole that measures 60 metres in diameter, we also visit the Caracol, a circular stellar observatory whose spiral staircase accounts for its name, and The Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl.

It's been a long and busy day; we are all each in our own ways pleased to be back at the villa for an evening on our terrace where we are served a beautiful meal of Carne asada, which is char grilled skirt steak, avocado mash, salsa mexicana followed by Pudin de vanilla con jarabe de flor de Jamaica, or in English, vanilla pudding with hibiscus syrup.

When Christian goes to the study to check in with GEH Asia and I stay on the terrace in order to talk and enjoy our none-alcoholic Strawberry fizz cocktails, she tells me about her best friend Monica, she is a brunette like Asia they met on the first day at pre-school, and have being inseparable ever since, and they are going to WSU - Pullman campus together, Monica is going to study Veterinary Medicine

Then she talks about when they were younger, "oh the scrapes we got in-to would have sent Mom's hair white if she knew", I catch a sob as I realise it's Rose she is talking about. I say "and what about Christian", she giggle snorts "oh he'd be bald" she knows when agitated her father pulls at his hair. Monica's parents moved next door to Asia just before they started pre-school and they still live there, "that's nice I wish I had had such a close friend when I was little", then she says "would you like to meet my other best friend, not Monica", then states "well yes I want you to meet Monica too". I say "I would love to meet him, what's his name and does your father know?" she replies with "well they were right, you're no doozzy".

Dad knows there are four of us that hang round together all the time but I don't think he has thought much more about it", "if this boy is important to you, you need to tell your father" "I will, but will you meet him. His name is Samuel, he wants to be a lawyer like his dad and grandfather", "is he going to Pullman too?" I ask "yes" is her reply, I say "then you have two choices, either you continue to keep your father in the dark which if he finds out I cant be responsible for his actions or we together will spend the next five months preparing him, first you should tell him about Samuel, then ask him to meet with him to get to know him", I'm preying she will pick the latter as I don't want to lie to him I know it's by omission, for me it's still lying. She says "can you be there when I tell him in the morning before we go shopping" "yes" I tell her; "now tell me more about Samuel." Oh gosh the look on her face, the inflections in her voice when she talks about him, I hope she finishes school before she marries.

Thursday 25th April

Our last day, Asia and I have arranged to go sightseeing and shopping around the old town after breakfast but first she want to talk to Christian, "Dad can we go to your study after breakfast?" She asks "Yes Princess" he answers; I give her a reassuring smile,

We all troupe off to the study together, Christian looks at me I just give him a smile

Asia – "Dad you know how you said no dating before I was thirty?" I swivel on my chair to look at him open mouthed oh gosh did I just send my daughter in to the lions den

Christian – "yes"

Asia "can we pretend I'm thirty"

Christian – "no, why do we need to?"

Asia – "emm you know Samuel and Arthur? Well Samuel asked me out a few weeks ago and I said yes"

Christian - "I want to know his full name, date of birth and his address and you will not see him again unless I say you can"

I just look at him stunned and Asia looks like she will burst into tears, then Christian picks the phone up, "Welsh I want a full background check as soon as you can yes full name", he looks at Asia, "Samuel Theodore Johnson III", "date of birth" he again looks at Asia, "23rd December 2011" "and address", which she gives him before running from the study in tears.

I don't know whether to stay and give it to him with both barrels or run after my daughter and try to comfort her, I pick my daughter,

I check the pool area then the roof terrace before finally listening outside her door, only to hear her sobbing, I knock and say "it's Ana can I come in" (I won't call myself mum till she gives me permission) "yes" she sniffles through her tears

"Oh sweetheart I would never have suggested you spoke to him if I knew that's how he would react" Asia asks "why did he want that information on Samuel and who is Welsh?" "I imagine he is having Samuel checked out, Welsh is his tame well I'm really not sure what he is". I ask her "Asia how much do you know about your dad, like what he does for a living", "he runs his own company" she answers, "and how successful is he?" She answers "I don't know, fairly I suppose that's one of the reasons Rose and Ted brought me up cos he was busy all the time", where do I go with this? I think to myself.

"Let's cheer ourselves up and go shopping and you can tell me more about this Samuel of yours without his lordship sticking his nose in". We have a lovely day in the old town looking in all the local boutiques, buying gifts for everyone back home. I persuade Asia to let me buy her a top and skirt set for the summer and help her buy Samuel and Monica a little something suggesting she puts Samuel's at the bottom of her suitcase where the control freak won't see it, this elects the first giggle since we were in the study this morning we decide to eat lunch out, I text 'the idiot' to leave us be and maybe work out what he would like to say to his daughter when we return.

Our last evening meal in this beautiful place is a somewhat stilted affair neither of them really talking to each other, he hasn't apologised to her and she hasn't asked him what he wanted the information for, then she pipes up "I would like to go to Boise tomorrow and can Ana come with me", that the first time she has addressed him all night and it's to tell him he is not welcome at Boise this week-end, he answers her very quietly "if that's what you want, yes princess".

I curl up on one of the love seats to take in the last of the warmth of the day, Christian has gone to the study to check things with GEH (really I think he has gone to escape us two) Asia picks a cushion off one of the chairs and places it on the floor and sits in front of me, and asks "how would you feel if I called you Amma it's kinda a mix of mam and Ana, it also means mother in some Arabic countries."

The flight from Mexico to Seattle on Friday was difficult, Asia read or slept the whole way back and only spoke to answer questions, the plane just landed long enough for Christian to disembark then took off again to take us to Boise, Ted picked us up from the airport, he looks at me as if to ask what happened,

We arrive at the houses Ted goes to one and we go to the other, I wonder what he thinks of all of this? Have we stolen his daughter?