Feelin' the Vibe (23 page)

He grabbed my luggage and said, “I’m happy. I really am.”

He started walking, and I followed him to a small airport that would take us to the Corn Islands. Devin explained that the
flight didn’t technically leave on a schedule. It would leave once they had enough passengers. We laughed about it, because
it really didn’t matter. It was whatever, and if we had to stay the night in Managua it didn’t matter. I was with the person
I wanted to see.

We walked into the airport and up to the counter holding hands. Devin was simply good at everything. I watched in awe as he
fluently talked to the airline representative. He said something about me, assumingly positive, as the attendant pointed and
nodded. I smiled back. Devin told me to get on the scale with my luggage. Suddenly, I began to question this connecting flight.

“This is one of those little tiny planes. Oh, God.”

Devin wrapped one arm around me. “If you gotta die, you may as well go in style. On a plane in Nicaragua, headed to the Corn
Islands on a mission.”

He laughed, but I didn’t like the sound of the headline. “Personally, I’d rather not die.”

“It’s inevitable, though. That’s why you have to live for today.
Pura Vida
.” He explained, “Pure Life. It’s a common slogan throughout Central America.”

I guess that was what made Devin Patterson special. He was multidimensional, a master at most things. And of everything he
was, he didn’t have an inflated view of himself. He was still simplistic and easygoing. I smiled back.
“Pura Vida.”

“You might want to text someone to let them know you arrived. My cell phone doesn’t work well in the islands.”

I sent a safe-arrival message to Ms. Teeny and Kenneth. Kenneth responded:
GOOD
. Teeny responded:
HAVE FUN
.

When time came to board the plane, I held Devin’s hand. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. We climbed into the little
ten-passenger plane. Devin sat by the window and I took the aisle seat. Within minutes we were on the runway. The plane rocked
sloppily during takeoff. I crunched Devin’s hand. The plane felt extremely unstable. Once up in the air, it fishtailed continuously.
While Devin tried to show me sights from the sky, I started singing gospel songs. It got so bad at one point, I was singing,
“Yes, Jesus loves me.”

Devin looked at me and burst into laughter. “Clark, don’t worry. We’re going to get there safely. God promised me this election.
I can’t win if I’m dead.”

“Devin, stop joking.”

“People that are afraid of death aren’t doing what they want to do. You know that. Right?”

“I’m not afraid of dying; I just want it to be an easy death. A plane crash seems like torture before death.”

“I’ll protect you. I promise. Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

When I felt the plane finally descending, I covered my face. My palms were damp and I looked over at Devin and he said, “It
wasn’t that bad, huh?”

“I guess not.”

The plane struggled to balance during landing and I felt like there was a baseball in my throat. I dropped my head in my hands
and Devin massaged my neck. Finally, it touched down on the short, asphalt runway, and I kissed Devin. He looked at me. “You
still with me, baby?”

I nodded and quickly climbed from the plane. We walked into the miniairport and waited for our bags.

Taxi drivers asked, “You need taxi?”

Devin negotiated a price with one and we headed to the hotel. While we rode, Devin explained that a lot of African settlers
came to this part of Nicaragua to escape slavery. They speak a mixture of English Creole and Spanish, so he didn’t expect
too much of a language barrier.

Devin said, “You used to speak a little Spanish. What happened?”

“If you don’t use it, you lose it.”

“You haven’t lost anything. Nothing.”

His eyes scanned me from head to toe. The taxi driver asked, “Honeymoon?”

Devin said, “Yes.” Then he looked at me. “A long overdue honeymoon.”

I nodded in agreement. Our love was long overdue, and it was unfortunate there were so many obstacles in front of us preventing
it. But I planned to live it up while we were thousands of miles away from all the obligations and false commitments.

The taxi pulled over to a small resort at the side of the road. Devin hopped out and I followed. I could see the beach through
the walkway. The water crashing up on the shore made me feel good. Devin said, “Welcome to paradise.”

“Thank you.”

After we checked in, we headed to our cabin-style room. I walked in and the suite was surprisingly beautiful. Dark hardwood
floors and furniture, a very large bathroom, a sitting room, and a high-post king-sized bed. Devin sat on the couch and asked
me to sit beside him. He said, “We’re going to have fun. We’ll be at the clinic from nine to twelve each day. Mainly the students
will be there. I just came to oversee things.”

“The students?”

“Yeah, it’s a program for law students interested in politics or community service. A different group each year, so don’t
worry.”

“Devin, I don’t know. That’s not cool to flaunt me around these students.”

“You could be my wife.”

“I should be your wife.”

He gave me a high five. “Absolutely.”

We changed into something more comfortable and headed to the resort bar. Devin purchased a bottle of ron de caña and a bottle
of Coke. The young lady at the bar flirted with him. She spoke English, but I could barely understand her. He grabbed my hand
to guide me to the cabana on the beach deck.

“What about the drinks?”

“She’s going to bring them to us.”

“It’s not like she has to make it.”

“Yeah, I know.”

We sat side by side in the brightly colored wooden beach chairs. The sun had just started to go down, and we watched in awe.
The water washing up on the rocks beneath us gave the beautiful sunset a melody. The sea met the sky and it seemed like the
perfect picture. The beach wasn’t loaded with a bunch of people. Aside from one or two other people, it was just Devin and
me. When I was done soaking up nature, I looked at Devin and he grabbed my hand.

I said, “Don’t you wish life could be so simple?”

“It can be.”

He grabbed the side of my chair and pulled me closer to him and began to stroke my hair. Finally, the waitress brought our
drinks down, with two glasses of ice. Devin sat up to mix the drinks and handed me one. He’d boasted about how sweet this
rum was and how it was like honey. I couldn’t dispute his claim. It went down so smoothly you could drink it straight, which
Devin did.

By the time the sun was gone, we were in one chair. My back rested on his chest and my hands stroked his legs, while he rubbed
my shoulders. We talked about our relationships and how despite being apart, we’d grown together. We weighed the risks, and
that night we agreed that we all have a short time on this earth and you may as well follow your heart.

W
hen we arrived at the clinic the next morning, the students were having their introduction briefing. Some had their backpacks.
Others appeared to be dressed for the beach. The AIDS Outreach Center was run by Señora Gonzales. She was a middle-aged nurse
who decided she had to do something for new mothers living with HIV. And she took what little she had to open up the facility.
They didn’t have much and survived mainly on donations. She tried to take as many women and children as possible, and often
they’d share beds. But she was more concerned with them having food, shelter, and medical care. Love My People volunteers
came in to help cook food, wash clothes, and provide Señora Gonzales with any support she needed. Many of the volunteers in
my foundation were first-year law students. I designed the program so that students could experience and identify with the
people; that way they would be more compelled to fight for injustice around the world after graduation. Many other foundations
also supported her with similar programs.

Señora Gonzales and I immediately developed a special bond the first time I came to Nicaragua. She was a petite, dark-skinned
woman with steel caps on her teeth, but her motherly spirit was bigger than life. Not that she wasn’t thankful for all the
help she received, but she was ecstatic to see someone her color running this type of organization. She would encourage me:
“Devin, bring more of my color to Nicaragua.”

The home sat up on wooden stilts and was constructed of wood and cinder blocks. It was a large home and many of the women
had small cots to sleep on. When we walked up the stairs, Clark looked at me with an uncomfortable expression. I put my hand
on her back to let her know this was cool. When we walked in, Señora Gonzales said, “Devin, thank you so much. I am so happy
to see you.”

I gave her a hug, and she quickly turned to Clark. “Oh my, is this your wife, ay?”

“Yes.”

“She is beautiful,” she said, hugging Clark.

“I smell coco bread, Señora Gonzales.”

She pushed me. “You know I made coco bread.”

She led us through the open house and briefly introduced us to the women staying there. “These are my ladies. They are about
to have a class.”

She took the bread out and handed me a warm loaf. I began breaking pieces off and tearing it up. I pointed the loaf at Clark.
Initially, she looked like she didn’t want to snatch a piece. After she tasted it, she was nearly tackling me for the bread.
Then we started talking to the women.

Clark smiled and greeted them. She even had the courtesy to ask them if they wanted to eat some of our bread. Each of them
refused, as they were trying to be hospitable. Clark asked their names and held the babies, while Señora Gonzales and I talked
about the goals and necessities of the week.

Clark’s nose and forehead were moist with sweat, and her shirt was sticking to her, but she was so relaxed with the women.
Although some of the ladies only spoke Spanish, Clark did her best to communicate with them. I loved it.

Señora Gonzales noticed my admiration. She nodded. “A good woman, ay. Take care of her, you know.”

“I will,” I said, as we headed to the front porch to talk.

“She beautiful. How do you say?” Her eyes rolled in her head, as she tried to remember the cliché. “From the inside out. I
don’t know if you believe in spirits, but her spirit is pure.”

She spoke as if she knew I had conflicted feelings. I nodded. “Yeah, she is pure.”

“Good woman is hard to find.”

I laughed, but I never doubted that. It was just weird how passionate she seemed about my stand-in wife. She was definitely
a deep lady with a lot of wisdom. Maybe she knew more about Clark and me than even we knew.

When the students finished their briefing, I introduced myself to them and spoke with the group leaders. They were being driven
around by a van service, and I stressed how important it was for them to stay together. When they all piled into the house,
Clark came out. Tears were in her eyes.

“What’s up?” I said, rubbing her shoulders.

“It’s just so sad. Some of their babies died, or others are waiting to be tested. I mean, it’s just so sad.”

She tried to hold back tears. When I held her, she let the tears fall and continued, “It takes experiences like this to realize
how blessed you are. I was so angry with God because I couldn’t have a baby, and there are more problems in the world than
the ones we complain about. Some of them have nowhere to go but here. This is the only place they can get health care.”

“That’s why we’re here.”

“Devin, I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m more proud of you.”

We stayed long enough to serve lunch and wash the sheets. Then we left the students to do the rest. Clark and I headed to
the beach.

We lay a sheet out on the beach and Clark proceeded to take her shorts and top off, exposing her bikini. Her body looked like
a perfectly shaped bottle of honey. She twisted her ponytail up and looped the rubber band around twice so her hair wouldn’t
be on her neck. She bent over to grab the sunblock from the bag, and I instantly got hard.
It’s a shame what this girl does to me
, I thought. I took the lotion from her and put some into my hand and began to rub it on her. She returned the favor. It aroused
me and I wanted to feel her that very minute. I told her to get on my back and we ran into the calm water.

There were no high waves, so we were able to walk far out. Once we were away from the shore, I put her in front of me and
plunged my tongue in her ear. I reached my hand down her bikini bottom. Her hands held my face and she stared in my eyes.
We kissed again. I dove in and pushed her up so that her legs were around my neck. The other people on the beach didn’t exist
as I pushed my tongue inside of her. I swallowed saltwater along with her sweetness. Finally, I took my dick from my shorts
and wrapped her legs around my waist. I tried to glide inside her, but the water interrupted our movement. Finally, once I
fought my way inside, her vagina clamped on to me and lubricated enough for us to make it work.