Legendm: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope this was
quick enough!
Anime Soccer Lobos: Well, I don't know about Blair and Jim being injured again. They might run into some more trouble though!
MagRowan: Here're a couple more chapters for everybody! I think the guys are enjoying themselves even though they do seem to run into problems. :o) And Daryl always seems, to me at least, to be on the guys' side and so I thought it appropriate that he benefit from it! And hey, NO reviewer of mine could be weird. Uh uh, no way! ;o)
Elvenkitty: Thanks for the great review! I'm glad you agree with me, that they, too, should profit from their adventurous lives. Otherwise, how would they ever afford their hospital bills? :o) Hum, Jim, Blair and Daryl in Europe.maybe. How about Greece? I could see them in India, trying to rescue Naomi. Choices, choices. And hey, who are you accusing of being after Jim and Blair? Why would we, innocent authors want them? They're so much more fun out in the world! :o)
****
And now on to the chapter!
****
Blair arranged for the bus driver to take them to Rama in time for them to catch the ferry. The city was quite a distance away, so they had to check out quite early in the morning, even earlier than Blair had thought. He quickly informed the students of when to meet and let them know that they could sleep through most of the trip. He checked to make sure everyone had their sea sickness medicine. The ferry ride could get quite bumpy at times.
Early the next morning, sleepy students and professors left the hotel. The ride seemed like it took very little time as almost everybody slept their way through it. They arrived at the docks with a bit of time to spare. They were one of the first people to arrive so they were able to pick out their own spots on the boat. They found an open cabin with a window for some fresh air and settled in. There were enough of them that when people did climb on the boat, they didn't bother the sleeping group. Jim made sure he kept an ear open while he snoozed so that nothing was taken from their bags.
Blair had made a quick stop before climbing on and had bought some bottle water and fruit for the trip. When people woke up around 9 or so, he passed around the fruit and made happy campers out of his students.
Within an hour or so, they had reached Bluefields. From here they caught another ferry to Big Corn Island. This leg would be the last one before they reached their hotel and it too passed fairly easily and without problems. When they reached Casa Blanca they checked in the hotel and settled into their rooms.
Eli had suggested that they meet for an early supper. Everyone met at the lobby of the hotel while Blair and Jim talked to one of the hotel clerks to find out the best place to go. The clerk recommended several places along Brig Bay and everyone was enthused about finding someplace with good seafood. They decided to pass up the Red Lobster for another place called the Paraiso as they wanted to try out the hammocks the restaurant had to offer. It also had more food that they recognized. They would go to another place a different day, but for today, after traveling so much, they just wanted some comfort food.
Later that night, the group all agreed that the Paraiso was the best place they could have gone. Everyone had a good time just relaxing and enjoying the food and each other company. During the trip, Eli, Blair and Jim had talked about how they would let the next week play out. They had decided that as long as the students were responsible and checked in twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, they would let them do whatever they wanted. They just wanted to know if they had plans and make sure that everyone made it back again okay at the end of the day. They explained it to the students who were all very enthused about this plan. It gave them a lot of freedom and not everybody wanted to go snorkeling and not everyone wanted to just stay on the beach. This way, everyone was happy.
They did recommend that everyone, especially the female students, went out in pairs. No matter how safe a place was or looked, it had inherent dangers and there was no use in inviting trouble. The students agreed and Sarah suggested that people signed out. That way Eli, Jim and Blair would be able to see at a glance where people were and with whom they were with and what they were doing. That would give the leaders a place to start looking if someone was missing or if there was an emergency. Blair, Eli and especially Jim were all very impressed with this suggestion. The other students all realized that this was a good idea and no one complained. In fact, a few complimented Sarah on her idea. They had experienced enough trouble on this trip without inviting it upon themselves.
With this, the group agreed to meet for breakfast and then split up and went back to their respective rooms. Eli wished the two men a good night and went into his room. Blair and Jim hung outside on the patio and enjoyed the evening breeze and they swung on their hammocks. They didn't talk but instead just let the peaceful silence surround them. Jim extended his eyesight to gaze out at the ocean and was happy to see nothing but the occasional bird and jumping fish. He couldn't see another person or manmade object and this pleased the Sentinel's sense of territory. He loved his city, but something in him made him seek out uninhabited spaces to rejuvenate something inside him. He was fortunate enough to have found not only a Guide, but a friend that understood that about him and helped to make this possible. Blair often picked vacation spots that were far from civilization because he knew that that was what Jim needed. The stress of modern living was hard on a Sentinel and as a Guide he knew that a break was often needed.
After an undetermined amount of time, Blair spoke up. "Jim?"
"Yeah?" Jim didn't even open his now shut eyes.
"Can we stay here? No men with guns shooting at us, no Simon bellowing "Ellison! Sandburg! My office. NOW!' No terrorists threatening us with total annihilation."
Jim snorted and asked, "Don't you think they'd find us? They've found us a couple times so far this trip."
"Hey, man, don't jinx us! And they haven't found us here."
"Yet. We haven't been here that long."
Blair sighed. "I know. You're right. But it's just so peaceful and how can anything interrupt that?" His voice, pleading at the end, faded off.
Jim just smiled. He got to his feet and extended a hand to his partner. Pulling the younger man up to his feet, he replied, "We can only hope. Maybe our luck will hold and nothing will happen for the next week or so."
"Yeah. We can hope!" Blair got to his feet and smiled brightly. "Let's go in. It's time for all good Sentinels to be in bed."
Jim just snorted and swiped at Blair's head. He ducked and Jim missed, but Jim was expecting this and caught him on the second time. Blair just laughed and went in the room. Jim followed and the two slept soundly, secure in their relationship and in their lives together.
The next day dawned quickly and brightly. The group all met up at breakfast and plans were discussed. Most wanted to explore the island, but a few decided to go back to bed and sleep some more. Everyone agreed that the hotel was a great place for relaxing and that they were glad they had decided to stay here.
This would be the set for the next several days. Most of the students arranged snorkeling trips through the Hotel Paraiso Club and took the opportunity to explore some of the coral reefs and the wreck of the Spanish galleon. Many also walked around the island as it only took a few hours. Everyone took advantage of the beautiful swimming conditions the island had.
One day, Blair arranged for a boat transport over to Little Corn Island which has a black-sand beach. The difference between a black-sand beach and a normal white sand one was something that everyone would always remember. Only one or two students, who had been to Hawaii, had ever even seen one.
Soon, though, the peaceful break from reality ended and it was the day that the group returned to Managua. They had bought tickets for the plane, and the ride back to the capital was only an hour long. The view out the window was wonderful-they were able to see the two major lakes of the country, the volcanoes of Ometepe, mountains and even some of the shacks of the farmers. They reached the city quickly and didn't have problems at all. Jim joked, "Huh; that was a bit unreal. If that trip was fine, I'm really not looking forward to tomorrow's flight home. Something's going to happen for sure!"
Blair only answered him with a swat and a glare. He did not want to anger the gods of travel and the easiest way to do that was to make fun of them. With their luck, they couldn't afford to anger anyone!
The night passed quickly, they had decided to stay in their original hotel. The students took advantage of the pool and swam after dinner. Everyone went to bed fairly early as they had to be at the airport by 4:30 in the morning. The hotel was quiet by 9 as people went back to their rooms and took advantage of the TV set. Most watched American shows that were translated into Spanish while others just watched the one channel that was in English.
The next morning they arrived at the airport, enjoying one last look at the quiet, pre-dawn city. Even at 3:30 a.m. the city was not completely still, people wandered around. They reached the airport safely and Jim, Blair and Eli stood at the entrance and just looked. "Well." Blair stated.
"Yes. Well." Eli looked over and he seemed to twinkle.
Jim just looked at the two of them and sighed. "We survived and earthquake. A shooting. A bus hijacking and a kidnapping. I got shot. Are all your expeditions like this?"
"No, but all our vacations are." Blair looked over at Jim and smiled. "At least Daryl made a few bucks off of us."
Jim snorted, "Yeah; you know we're going to get hassled by the guys at work, right?"
"Yup, but such is our life."
Eli just laughed at the two men's antics and drew them into the airport. They paid for their exiting fee, 30 bucks American, and took the escalator up to their departure gate. The last thing that was heard as the doors closed behind the group was Jim's voice. "Sandburg, you know I didn't forget the fact that you changed your dissertation to your "Closed Societies" idea." And Blair's answer, "Aw, Jim, it's no big deal."
Anime Soccer Lobos: Well, I don't know about Blair and Jim being injured again. They might run into some more trouble though!
MagRowan: Here're a couple more chapters for everybody! I think the guys are enjoying themselves even though they do seem to run into problems. :o) And Daryl always seems, to me at least, to be on the guys' side and so I thought it appropriate that he benefit from it! And hey, NO reviewer of mine could be weird. Uh uh, no way! ;o)
Elvenkitty: Thanks for the great review! I'm glad you agree with me, that they, too, should profit from their adventurous lives. Otherwise, how would they ever afford their hospital bills? :o) Hum, Jim, Blair and Daryl in Europe.maybe. How about Greece? I could see them in India, trying to rescue Naomi. Choices, choices. And hey, who are you accusing of being after Jim and Blair? Why would we, innocent authors want them? They're so much more fun out in the world! :o)
****
And now on to the chapter!
****
Blair arranged for the bus driver to take them to Rama in time for them to catch the ferry. The city was quite a distance away, so they had to check out quite early in the morning, even earlier than Blair had thought. He quickly informed the students of when to meet and let them know that they could sleep through most of the trip. He checked to make sure everyone had their sea sickness medicine. The ferry ride could get quite bumpy at times.
Early the next morning, sleepy students and professors left the hotel. The ride seemed like it took very little time as almost everybody slept their way through it. They arrived at the docks with a bit of time to spare. They were one of the first people to arrive so they were able to pick out their own spots on the boat. They found an open cabin with a window for some fresh air and settled in. There were enough of them that when people did climb on the boat, they didn't bother the sleeping group. Jim made sure he kept an ear open while he snoozed so that nothing was taken from their bags.
Blair had made a quick stop before climbing on and had bought some bottle water and fruit for the trip. When people woke up around 9 or so, he passed around the fruit and made happy campers out of his students.
Within an hour or so, they had reached Bluefields. From here they caught another ferry to Big Corn Island. This leg would be the last one before they reached their hotel and it too passed fairly easily and without problems. When they reached Casa Blanca they checked in the hotel and settled into their rooms.
Eli had suggested that they meet for an early supper. Everyone met at the lobby of the hotel while Blair and Jim talked to one of the hotel clerks to find out the best place to go. The clerk recommended several places along Brig Bay and everyone was enthused about finding someplace with good seafood. They decided to pass up the Red Lobster for another place called the Paraiso as they wanted to try out the hammocks the restaurant had to offer. It also had more food that they recognized. They would go to another place a different day, but for today, after traveling so much, they just wanted some comfort food.
Later that night, the group all agreed that the Paraiso was the best place they could have gone. Everyone had a good time just relaxing and enjoying the food and each other company. During the trip, Eli, Blair and Jim had talked about how they would let the next week play out. They had decided that as long as the students were responsible and checked in twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, they would let them do whatever they wanted. They just wanted to know if they had plans and make sure that everyone made it back again okay at the end of the day. They explained it to the students who were all very enthused about this plan. It gave them a lot of freedom and not everybody wanted to go snorkeling and not everyone wanted to just stay on the beach. This way, everyone was happy.
They did recommend that everyone, especially the female students, went out in pairs. No matter how safe a place was or looked, it had inherent dangers and there was no use in inviting trouble. The students agreed and Sarah suggested that people signed out. That way Eli, Jim and Blair would be able to see at a glance where people were and with whom they were with and what they were doing. That would give the leaders a place to start looking if someone was missing or if there was an emergency. Blair, Eli and especially Jim were all very impressed with this suggestion. The other students all realized that this was a good idea and no one complained. In fact, a few complimented Sarah on her idea. They had experienced enough trouble on this trip without inviting it upon themselves.
With this, the group agreed to meet for breakfast and then split up and went back to their respective rooms. Eli wished the two men a good night and went into his room. Blair and Jim hung outside on the patio and enjoyed the evening breeze and they swung on their hammocks. They didn't talk but instead just let the peaceful silence surround them. Jim extended his eyesight to gaze out at the ocean and was happy to see nothing but the occasional bird and jumping fish. He couldn't see another person or manmade object and this pleased the Sentinel's sense of territory. He loved his city, but something in him made him seek out uninhabited spaces to rejuvenate something inside him. He was fortunate enough to have found not only a Guide, but a friend that understood that about him and helped to make this possible. Blair often picked vacation spots that were far from civilization because he knew that that was what Jim needed. The stress of modern living was hard on a Sentinel and as a Guide he knew that a break was often needed.
After an undetermined amount of time, Blair spoke up. "Jim?"
"Yeah?" Jim didn't even open his now shut eyes.
"Can we stay here? No men with guns shooting at us, no Simon bellowing "Ellison! Sandburg! My office. NOW!' No terrorists threatening us with total annihilation."
Jim snorted and asked, "Don't you think they'd find us? They've found us a couple times so far this trip."
"Hey, man, don't jinx us! And they haven't found us here."
"Yet. We haven't been here that long."
Blair sighed. "I know. You're right. But it's just so peaceful and how can anything interrupt that?" His voice, pleading at the end, faded off.
Jim just smiled. He got to his feet and extended a hand to his partner. Pulling the younger man up to his feet, he replied, "We can only hope. Maybe our luck will hold and nothing will happen for the next week or so."
"Yeah. We can hope!" Blair got to his feet and smiled brightly. "Let's go in. It's time for all good Sentinels to be in bed."
Jim just snorted and swiped at Blair's head. He ducked and Jim missed, but Jim was expecting this and caught him on the second time. Blair just laughed and went in the room. Jim followed and the two slept soundly, secure in their relationship and in their lives together.
The next day dawned quickly and brightly. The group all met up at breakfast and plans were discussed. Most wanted to explore the island, but a few decided to go back to bed and sleep some more. Everyone agreed that the hotel was a great place for relaxing and that they were glad they had decided to stay here.
This would be the set for the next several days. Most of the students arranged snorkeling trips through the Hotel Paraiso Club and took the opportunity to explore some of the coral reefs and the wreck of the Spanish galleon. Many also walked around the island as it only took a few hours. Everyone took advantage of the beautiful swimming conditions the island had.
One day, Blair arranged for a boat transport over to Little Corn Island which has a black-sand beach. The difference between a black-sand beach and a normal white sand one was something that everyone would always remember. Only one or two students, who had been to Hawaii, had ever even seen one.
Soon, though, the peaceful break from reality ended and it was the day that the group returned to Managua. They had bought tickets for the plane, and the ride back to the capital was only an hour long. The view out the window was wonderful-they were able to see the two major lakes of the country, the volcanoes of Ometepe, mountains and even some of the shacks of the farmers. They reached the city quickly and didn't have problems at all. Jim joked, "Huh; that was a bit unreal. If that trip was fine, I'm really not looking forward to tomorrow's flight home. Something's going to happen for sure!"
Blair only answered him with a swat and a glare. He did not want to anger the gods of travel and the easiest way to do that was to make fun of them. With their luck, they couldn't afford to anger anyone!
The night passed quickly, they had decided to stay in their original hotel. The students took advantage of the pool and swam after dinner. Everyone went to bed fairly early as they had to be at the airport by 4:30 in the morning. The hotel was quiet by 9 as people went back to their rooms and took advantage of the TV set. Most watched American shows that were translated into Spanish while others just watched the one channel that was in English.
The next morning they arrived at the airport, enjoying one last look at the quiet, pre-dawn city. Even at 3:30 a.m. the city was not completely still, people wandered around. They reached the airport safely and Jim, Blair and Eli stood at the entrance and just looked. "Well." Blair stated.
"Yes. Well." Eli looked over and he seemed to twinkle.
Jim just looked at the two of them and sighed. "We survived and earthquake. A shooting. A bus hijacking and a kidnapping. I got shot. Are all your expeditions like this?"
"No, but all our vacations are." Blair looked over at Jim and smiled. "At least Daryl made a few bucks off of us."
Jim snorted, "Yeah; you know we're going to get hassled by the guys at work, right?"
"Yup, but such is our life."
Eli just laughed at the two men's antics and drew them into the airport. They paid for their exiting fee, 30 bucks American, and took the escalator up to their departure gate. The last thing that was heard as the doors closed behind the group was Jim's voice. "Sandburg, you know I didn't forget the fact that you changed your dissertation to your "Closed Societies" idea." And Blair's answer, "Aw, Jim, it's no big deal."