~~~ Part 1 ~~~
Henry came in from the patio, bringing with him the warm humid air and the smell of salt.
"Okay, I might have overpacked," Elizabeth conceded. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of her husband, his sexily graying hair slightly tousled by the wind. He was wearing a guayabera he had bought with Alison in Cuba a few years back, tan slacks, and loafers.
"Might have?" Henry raised an eyebrow and chuckled, surveying the sprawl that now covered the bed and the rest of the room: summer dresses, blouses, shorts, capris, jeans, a wetsuit, multiple swimsuits and cover ups, a hat, a large toiletry bag, multiple pairs of sandals, paddock boots, golf shoes, a bag of golf clubs, ...
In contrast, Henry's side of the room was sparse: the only things visible were a pair of glasses, his phone, and two books on his nightstand, a travel Scrabble set on a table, and a mesh bag containing snorkel masks and dive boots and fins on the floor in a corner. Being a much lighter packer, it hadn't taken him long to settle in, and the archway-framed view from the room had enticed him out to the patio. He had reclined on a chaise lounge, looking out over the crescent-shaped stretch of sand, so much whiter than the sand of the beaches in Virginia, Florida, or California, to say nothing of the desert sands of the Persian Gulf. The clear aquamarine waters that commanded his attention were the most mesmerizing blue he had ever seen, excepting the blue of his wife's eyes. Despite his apprehensions about scuba diving, the ocean looked positively inviting. In addition to swimming, he was looking forward to lying on the shore with Elizabeth, listening to the waves, taking in the view, and enjoying their little bubble - no, what was the phrase? - their "circle of two".
If things went the way he suspected they would, this might be their last alone time for years. So he had torn himself away from the siren call of the ocean and gone back into their suite to find Elizabeth still in the midst of unpacking.
"Babe, why don't you pick out what you're wearing for dinner, and I'll put everything away while you get ready?"
"If only I could take you with me every time I travel!" replied Elizabeth appreciatively.
Henry's voice took on a lower tone, "I think you'll find that packing and unpacking is one of the less notable services I can provide as your travel companion." Henry came up behind Elizabeth and enveloped her in a hug and began massaging her shoulders.
Elizabeth leaned into Henry and sighed, her tension melting away under his touch. Henry worked at her shoulders and then slowly down to her lower back until she felt much looser.
"C'mon, let's go get dinner, and then you can choose from my menu of services." Henry gave her a light pat on the butt, gently pushing her away.
Elizabeth mock pouted at him in response, then quickly selected a sleeveless floral dress, grabbed her toiletry bag, and headed into the enormous bathroom.
Henry whistled to himself while straightening up the room. He hung the dresses, skirts, and pants in the closet, lined up the shoes, and put all the swim items in one drawer. He had moved on to the rest of the clothing when he heard Elizabeth getting out of the shower.
"How's it going with the unpacking?" Elizabeth called out, just as he encountered her lingerie.
"Uh, good. Very good." Henry couldn't help but laugh at her timing.
"Still think I overpacked?" Elizabeth teased knowingly, and Henry wondered if she had eyes in the back of her head.
"Let's just say I appreciate that you packed some smaller items."
"Thought you would." Henry could practically hear Elizabeth's smirk.
By the time Elizabeth emerged, hair dried and lightly made-up, Henry had everything put away. Elizabeth retrieved her dress, underwear, and jewelry. She returned a few moments later completely transformed and gave Henry a light kiss. "Thanks for finishing unpacking," she said, as she slid her feet into a pair of sandals.
"Shall we?" Henry asked, holding out his arm. They linked arms and strolled to the hotel's main dining room, following the mellow sounds of steel pan music that greeted them.
"Did you know the steel pan is the only acoustic instrument invented in the 1900s?" Henry asked. He continued, "It was invented in Trinidad just after World War II using discarded oil drums." They lingered near the steel pannist who was playing outside the restaurant, watching his arms fly like a marionettist as he coaxed the rich reverberating tones from his pans.
"Maybe you can learn to play," Elizabeth suggested, gesturing at a flyer advertising weekly lessons at the hotel. "Remember when you were learning guitar?" She smiled wistfully, thinking back on the early days of their relationship when Henry would serenade her with the goofily romantic lyrics he'd make up to his simple practice tunes.
As the pannist sang "I never knew anyone, so one of a kind," Henry smiled to himself as well. Elizabeth was truly one of a kind.
After sunset - a brief but spectacular ocean sunset with pinks and oranges reflecting off the shimmering waters - and an excellent dinner of chimichurri steak and Caribbean lobster (larger than Maine lobster), they retired to their room, where Henry had champagne, strawberries, and crème fraîche waiting for them.
"Oh you're good," Elizabeth noted, as Henry uncorked the champagne and poured them each a glass.
"To the next chapter, and to a well-deserved vacation!" Henry toasted. They clinked glasses and sipped their champagne glasses together.
Elizabeth slipped out of her dress, revealing her light blue lacy underwear set. "You know what I want to do before dessert?"
Henry looked at his wife, still every bit as breathtaking - no, make that even more breathtaking - than she was on their twenty-fifth anniversary trip or their first anniversary trip, and his eyes lit up. "I know what I want to do," he said, starting to unbutton his shirt.
Elizabeth glanced over at him. "Call the kids," they both said in unison, collapsing onto the bed with laughter.
"Well, maybe we could have just one strawberry first," Elizabeth half-asked half-stated once they had recovered.
"Just one," Henry agreed, picking up a strawberry and dragging it through the cream before bringing it to Elizabeth's lips. Elizabeth moaned seductively while eating it, and he caught the challenging glint in her eye as she sucked the remnants of the cream off Henry's fingers. "Hey, you're the one who said 'just one'."
"I meant one strawberry each," she replied, unclasping her bra behind her back with one hand, while retrieving a strawberry for Henry with the other. She lay back in bed, taking the strawberry and the bowl of cream with her.
Henry put up no resistance. "If you insist, Mrs. McCord..."