The Cuban sun shined onto Jessy Phelps' face as the airplane rode into the
Havana Airport. She packed her journal back into her pack, and stood,
stretching her arms.
"Come on, Jessy!" JJ said, beckoning her with an arm.
She turned and walked the few steps down the aisle. First Class always had that advantage. First ones on, first ones off. She took the gloved hand of the Hispanic attendant helping guests off the plane, and stepped into the sunny atmosphere that was Cuba. She took a deep breath of the air, and immediately begun to cough it out.
Her brother quickly found the problem. He pointed out a huge building, a plant of some sort, about a thousand yards away. It was producing huge clouds of thick smoke, and they were continuing over their way. Jessy scowled at it as she continued into the terminal.
She looked around, noticing that the terminal wasn't as... clean as the one back home.
'No, this is your home now,' Jessy thought, scolding herself.
"Nice flight, darling?" James came behind his daughter and squeezed his shoulder.
"Beautiful, Daddy!" She said, looking around.
"Our luggage has been taken care of; let's go find our cab," he suggested, taking his wife's arm.
"Jessica, pull your skirt down!" Katey said, noticing quite a few young boys looking their way.
Jessy was wearing a strappy pink dress which came to mid-thigh at the moment. Not exactly seventies fashion, but she adored it just the same. Besides, it looked much better on her here than it did back in Chicago.
"Yes, Mother," Jessy sighed, and pulled the bottom of her dress near her knee.
The family climbed into the black cab waiting outside, and fit themselves comfortably. JJ rolled down the window and stuck his head out, making his unruly hair stick to his sucker. Katey scolded him and made him close the window, and then began to desperately fix his hair. James sat in the front, talking politics and other boring things with the cab driver. So that left Jessy to stare out the window, her hand on her chin.
She wondered what Rafael would look like.
'... and I bet he has a great tan,' Jessy considered. 'And green eyes... no, brown. Maybe green. But probably brown. And black hair! Messy, black hair. Just like Raul in the fifth grade... he was hot. Oh, I hope he's tall! All the guys in Illinois are really short...'
Jessy was interrupted by the sound of a door 'thud', which made her double-take to the car door. The seats next to her were empty.
"That didn't take very long," Jessy said to her father, who was still sitting in front.
"It's been thirty minutes, darling," James said, twisting to see his daughter.
"Oh. Well, I guess we should get out then?" she said, blushing. She had never met Rafael and she was already obsessed.
"Might be a sensible idea," James smiled.
He climbed out of his seat, and then turned to open Jessy's door.
"Your palace awaits, m'lady," James said, beckoning with his hand to the hotel.
Jessy got out, and walked around the car to see the hotel. 'Hotel Oceana', it read.
"Wow. This place is... big!" Jessy said, smiling.
"James!" Jessy heard someone call her father's name.
She turned to see a lady in a white flowery dress coming their way.
"Eve!" James smiled, and walked over to the lady. They exchanged kisses on each cheek, and then turned to Jessy, who stood staring.
"This is my daughter, Jessica Anne," James introduced her.
Jessy shuddered at her full name. The woman, however, walked over in her one-hundred dollar sandals and bent over to greet Jessy, even though they were the same height. She held out her hand, smiling her trophy-wife smile.
"So nice to meet you, Jessy Anne! May I call you that? Oh, I'm sure you don't mind," she said. Jessy smirked insincerely. "I was a friend of your father's when he used to live here," she turned and smiled. Jessy frowned.
"Did you know my mother?" Jessy asked.
"Your mother..? Oh! Katey! Of course I knew her!" she smiled widely, trying to cover up her mistake.
"Jessy, why don't you go up to the room and keep your mother and brother company? I'll be up soon," James suggested.
"There's no reason for her to stay stuffed up in that room! My daughter and her friends are sitting by the pool. Why don't you put your swimsuit on and go say hi?" she asked, addressing James more that Jessy.
"I don't have a problem with it. Go ahead," James encouraged her.
Jessy shrugged and continued up the stairs. Making friends wasn't a bad idea. She reached her room number, unlocked it, and walked in. Her mother or brother weren't in sight, so she dug through her suitcase and pulled out a light blue bathing suit. She pulled it on, and traded her white sandals in for tan ones.
"Okay, towel, sunglasses... I think that's it," she muttered to herself.
Jessy walked down the staircase to the pool, and walked through the doors. Immediately she saw Eve waving frantically to her, calling her over.
"Jessy Anne, this is my daughter, Selena," she introduced a slender girl sitting on the side of the pool with her feet in the water.
Selena pulled her sunglasses down, rotating her head to face Jessy. She smiled at Jessy and looked her over.
"Come stick your feet in the water. Feels nice," Selena offered.
Jessy took the offer and walked over to the side, sitting down and plunging her feet into the water. She hadn't been in a pool for over two years. She smiled, closing her eyes pleasantly. She then felt several bodies closing in on her.
"These are my friends, Margie, Cynthia, Ben, and Marc," Selena said.
Jessy opened her eyes to four boys and girls surrounding her. The two boys were in the pool, and the two girls took seats next to her.
"It's Jessy, right?" Margie asked.
"Uh, yeah," Jessy smiled. She felt a bit intimidated by these kids, though she wasn't too sure why.
"Excited for school tomorrow?" Ben asked, his voice a bit flat.
"In some aspects," Jessy said flirtatiously. Ben was cute.
"We have to jet, guys. Party starts at seven," Nancy warned.
Jessy's ears perked up. Party? She wanted to go!
"Right. Oh, Jessy! You want to come with us to a party tonight? It's at the country club. Perfectly safe," Selena offered.
"Yeah! I'd love to," Jessy smiled, getting up.
Jessy noticed Margie and Nancy scowling, Marc and Ben not paying any attention. Selena didn't see their glares, since she was busy writing a number on Jessy's hand.
"Just call this number when you're ready, and we'll come up and get you, 'K?" Selena said through the pen cap between her teeth.
"Great," Jessy smiled weakly.
"See you then!" Selena called, as Margie and Nancy whisked her away, bombarding her with questions as to why she invited Jessy. Ben and Marc pulled themselves out of the water, and left, but not before Ben gave her a small wink.
She smiled and continued in the opposite direction towards her room, any thoughts of Rafael Suarez completely gone from her mind.
"Come on, Jessy!" JJ said, beckoning her with an arm.
She turned and walked the few steps down the aisle. First Class always had that advantage. First ones on, first ones off. She took the gloved hand of the Hispanic attendant helping guests off the plane, and stepped into the sunny atmosphere that was Cuba. She took a deep breath of the air, and immediately begun to cough it out.
Her brother quickly found the problem. He pointed out a huge building, a plant of some sort, about a thousand yards away. It was producing huge clouds of thick smoke, and they were continuing over their way. Jessy scowled at it as she continued into the terminal.
She looked around, noticing that the terminal wasn't as... clean as the one back home.
'No, this is your home now,' Jessy thought, scolding herself.
"Nice flight, darling?" James came behind his daughter and squeezed his shoulder.
"Beautiful, Daddy!" She said, looking around.
"Our luggage has been taken care of; let's go find our cab," he suggested, taking his wife's arm.
"Jessica, pull your skirt down!" Katey said, noticing quite a few young boys looking their way.
Jessy was wearing a strappy pink dress which came to mid-thigh at the moment. Not exactly seventies fashion, but she adored it just the same. Besides, it looked much better on her here than it did back in Chicago.
"Yes, Mother," Jessy sighed, and pulled the bottom of her dress near her knee.
The family climbed into the black cab waiting outside, and fit themselves comfortably. JJ rolled down the window and stuck his head out, making his unruly hair stick to his sucker. Katey scolded him and made him close the window, and then began to desperately fix his hair. James sat in the front, talking politics and other boring things with the cab driver. So that left Jessy to stare out the window, her hand on her chin.
She wondered what Rafael would look like.
'... and I bet he has a great tan,' Jessy considered. 'And green eyes... no, brown. Maybe green. But probably brown. And black hair! Messy, black hair. Just like Raul in the fifth grade... he was hot. Oh, I hope he's tall! All the guys in Illinois are really short...'
Jessy was interrupted by the sound of a door 'thud', which made her double-take to the car door. The seats next to her were empty.
"That didn't take very long," Jessy said to her father, who was still sitting in front.
"It's been thirty minutes, darling," James said, twisting to see his daughter.
"Oh. Well, I guess we should get out then?" she said, blushing. She had never met Rafael and she was already obsessed.
"Might be a sensible idea," James smiled.
He climbed out of his seat, and then turned to open Jessy's door.
"Your palace awaits, m'lady," James said, beckoning with his hand to the hotel.
Jessy got out, and walked around the car to see the hotel. 'Hotel Oceana', it read.
"Wow. This place is... big!" Jessy said, smiling.
"James!" Jessy heard someone call her father's name.
She turned to see a lady in a white flowery dress coming their way.
"Eve!" James smiled, and walked over to the lady. They exchanged kisses on each cheek, and then turned to Jessy, who stood staring.
"This is my daughter, Jessica Anne," James introduced her.
Jessy shuddered at her full name. The woman, however, walked over in her one-hundred dollar sandals and bent over to greet Jessy, even though they were the same height. She held out her hand, smiling her trophy-wife smile.
"So nice to meet you, Jessy Anne! May I call you that? Oh, I'm sure you don't mind," she said. Jessy smirked insincerely. "I was a friend of your father's when he used to live here," she turned and smiled. Jessy frowned.
"Did you know my mother?" Jessy asked.
"Your mother..? Oh! Katey! Of course I knew her!" she smiled widely, trying to cover up her mistake.
"Jessy, why don't you go up to the room and keep your mother and brother company? I'll be up soon," James suggested.
"There's no reason for her to stay stuffed up in that room! My daughter and her friends are sitting by the pool. Why don't you put your swimsuit on and go say hi?" she asked, addressing James more that Jessy.
"I don't have a problem with it. Go ahead," James encouraged her.
Jessy shrugged and continued up the stairs. Making friends wasn't a bad idea. She reached her room number, unlocked it, and walked in. Her mother or brother weren't in sight, so she dug through her suitcase and pulled out a light blue bathing suit. She pulled it on, and traded her white sandals in for tan ones.
"Okay, towel, sunglasses... I think that's it," she muttered to herself.
Jessy walked down the staircase to the pool, and walked through the doors. Immediately she saw Eve waving frantically to her, calling her over.
"Jessy Anne, this is my daughter, Selena," she introduced a slender girl sitting on the side of the pool with her feet in the water.
Selena pulled her sunglasses down, rotating her head to face Jessy. She smiled at Jessy and looked her over.
"Come stick your feet in the water. Feels nice," Selena offered.
Jessy took the offer and walked over to the side, sitting down and plunging her feet into the water. She hadn't been in a pool for over two years. She smiled, closing her eyes pleasantly. She then felt several bodies closing in on her.
"These are my friends, Margie, Cynthia, Ben, and Marc," Selena said.
Jessy opened her eyes to four boys and girls surrounding her. The two boys were in the pool, and the two girls took seats next to her.
"It's Jessy, right?" Margie asked.
"Uh, yeah," Jessy smiled. She felt a bit intimidated by these kids, though she wasn't too sure why.
"Excited for school tomorrow?" Ben asked, his voice a bit flat.
"In some aspects," Jessy said flirtatiously. Ben was cute.
"We have to jet, guys. Party starts at seven," Nancy warned.
Jessy's ears perked up. Party? She wanted to go!
"Right. Oh, Jessy! You want to come with us to a party tonight? It's at the country club. Perfectly safe," Selena offered.
"Yeah! I'd love to," Jessy smiled, getting up.
Jessy noticed Margie and Nancy scowling, Marc and Ben not paying any attention. Selena didn't see their glares, since she was busy writing a number on Jessy's hand.
"Just call this number when you're ready, and we'll come up and get you, 'K?" Selena said through the pen cap between her teeth.
"Great," Jessy smiled weakly.
"See you then!" Selena called, as Margie and Nancy whisked her away, bombarding her with questions as to why she invited Jessy. Ben and Marc pulled themselves out of the water, and left, but not before Ben gave her a small wink.
She smiled and continued in the opposite direction towards her room, any thoughts of Rafael Suarez completely gone from her mind.