Rock and Roll Never Forgets (The Rock and Roll Trilogy) (5 page)

Rock and Roll Never Forgets

Chapter Five

A
s they cleared customs, everyone seemed to know Andy.
When they went out, there was an old station wagon parked, waiting for them. A man walked up and handed Andy the keys.

“Wilford, this is my Bethy.”

“My pleasure, miss,” the man replied.

When they got in and Andy started the car he looked at Beth to explain, “The US ships old cars over here and when I came the first time this is what was available,” he laughed, explaining the red 1963 Chevy Nova station wagon.

“I call ahead
and Wilford has
it gassed up and ready
.”
 

August 3, 1978 ~ The Island was quiet because of the late hour, and it was only a short drive. The cottage was in an area
of Rock Sound
called Sound Point, and I saw the beautiful frame of the cottage with its gingerbread woodwork, hibiscus bushes, and palm trees swaying in the moonlight. The sky was so clear I could count the stars. B
eautiful, peaceful and quaint…

Andy pulled the car along-side the little house. Someone had opened up windows and left lights on for their arrival. They grabbed their bags and headed to the door. It was a warm night but a light breeze blew, and she heard the sound of the waves breaking softly on the beach
.

Once inside there were hibiscus flowers in old glass bottles sitting around on tables. Andy found a note that said there was a bottle of rum
;
and a pitcher of fruit juice in the refrigerator. It was also well
-
stocked with food
.

Beth roamed and explored as she waited for him. The cottage was small and homey. There were two bedrooms, one small and the other large. The larger room had a king-sized bed and
sliding
glass doors that opened out to a covered patio that faced the water. The kitchen, dining and living area were one big open room.

“I bought it a few years ago,” he said about the cottage as he fixed drinks. “I
could afford something in this area because it
’s
not the touristy part of the island. It’s
heaven
to me and
I come as often as I can.”

It was beautiful, very white and tropical
. N
o dark walls and no carpet. The floors were a speckled stone with rugs here and there. The windows had sheer curtains and white plantation shutters. The furniture was wicker. There was a big overstuffed sofa with tropical print pillows. The accents were light-colored and tropical as well. Beach and seaside town-scene watercolors adorned the walls.
Soft colors and a woman
’
s touch here and there…

“My mom,” he said, as though he could read her mind, and she laughed. “She came over when I bought it. I’m not so good at that decorating stuff and she enjoyed it. The paintings are local. You’ll see tomorrow,” he said handing her the drink. “A lady here on the island did them for me.” He took a sip of his drink and pulled the band from his hair shaking it loose.

I LOVE when he does that!

“I love it here,” he told her, and she could see why. They got comfy on the sofa and spent the next hour talking. When he showed her to the bedroom, there were hibiscus flowers placed on each pillow on the bed that she didn’t notice on the earlier quick tour of the cottage. It was sweet and beautiful.
She stepped into the bathroom to get ready for bed and when she came out Andy stood waiting. She stepped into his open arms and he lifted the nightie she had just put on over her head and she laughed.

“I’ve waited ten days to feel you, so you won’t need this,” he said. T
hey fell into bed
, on sheets that were soft and
smelled of lavender. Andy wrapped
her
in his arms
and they made love.

In the middle of the night a clawing, scratching sound sent Beth flying up, yelling, from a deep sleep. Andy took a flashlight from a drawer beside the bed and shined it on the screen to show a huge land crab clawing its way along, a true “welcome” to the islands!

Saturday morning was sunny and beautiful. Andy rose, slipped on a pair of shorts and went shirtless to the kitchen, returning with a big plastic bowl, and a grin. He opened the doors and went out. Lying in bed, Beth could smell the outside. It was sweet and salty and she got up to have a peek. A minute later, curious to see what he was doing, she went out. She rounded the corner to a very loud THUD! She found Andy standing there with a big grin on his face holding the bowl. He tipped it to show the contents. There was a coconut with a large crack. Beth followed him to the kitchen, where he finished splitting the coconut, putting the water into a pitcher, and chunked the ‘meat’ into a bowl. He took a bottle of rum and covered the coconut meat with the gold-colored liquid.

Beth
watched intently, wondering…
‘S
urely to goodness that is not part of our breakfast.’

“You’ll see later,” he
said, and
raised his eyebrows, much like Grouch
o
Marx, and grinned when he saw the look on her face.

They ate sweet, fresh, pineapple, bananas and mangoes from the island, along with toasted Bahamian bread that Edwina left for them for breakfast. Andy told her more about Edwina, the woman who lived next door
, while they ate
.

“I met her when I bought the cottage and she ‘adopted’ me. She takes care of things here when I’m away and gets everything ready when I let her know I’m coming. She’s a sweet, special lady and I love her,” he said with a big, genuine
,
smile that touched Beth’s heart. He’d already captured it, and now pieces of him kept moving in, taking up more space.

After breakfast they began a day of exploring. Beth had never even heard of Eleuthera before the trip.

“It’s part of the Bahamas but not as commercial as s
ome of the better-known islands,
” Andy told her. “It’s long and narrow and Rock Sound is just a little south of the middle of the island.”

The village was old with narrow streets lined with beautiful Bougainvillea in full color. Houses were small cottages painted pretty pastel colors, Andy’s was yellow. There were no hotels and hardly any restaurants
.

“
Laid back and local” is how Andy described it all. They strolled hand in hand and checked out what was in walking distance. After they had been out and about for a while, they returned to the cottage for some wonderful seafood chowder that Edwina left to heat up.

“Conch
chowder,” he said, and added, “It’s
just one of her specialties.”

After lunch they took the car for a quick trip around Rock Sound. At times they parked and walked. There were little churches, beautiful architecture, and everywhere they stopped chickens ran wild. It was all unique and interesting.

August 4, 1978 ~
Out and about, we came across a lovely old-woman making straw hats on her porch. Andy chose one for me, and the woman told him he was a lucky man to be
“
a
’
sharin
’
your time with such a beautiful woman, now!” Her accent was sing-songy and lovely. Later we met the artist who painted the pictures in the cottage. I picked out a small painting of a yellow hibiscus to take home. It was vibrant and beautiful, a wonderful treasure to always remember my time on the island.

They ran into Edwina out buying fresh Bahamian bread and pineapples. Andy shared more of the history of the island with Beth as the explored.

“In the 1800s there were many pineapple plantations on the island, they are still grown in Gregory Town, an area north of here.” And when they came across the markets where fishermen were hauling in their fresh catch, Andy commented, “The grouper here is the finest I’ve ever tasted.”

They returned to the cottage, deciding to save some of the sights for the next day. As they drove Andy explained, “Most of the little eating establishments close early so they can go home and be with their families, some are actually in their homes.” He spotted one that he wanted to visit, a favorite of his, and they stopped in to ask about dinner. The owner came to Andy and hugged him.

“Hello Miss Issie! This is Bethy and I want her to taste some of that good fried grouper that you
always
fix for me. Are you cooking it tonight?” he asked, giving her an extra squeeze.

“For you,” she
said
. “Charmer,” she said to Beth, and they shared a laugh. “Dinner is at 5:30, no later.”

They returned to the cottage to relax and freshen up before dinner. Miss Issie’s place was only a short walk away, and they strolled hand in hand. They enjoyed more of the conch chowder, and an incredible fried grouper dish served with pigeon peas and rice. After the meal Miss Issie appeared with a luscious lemon pie.

“I know you like this,” she said. “I made it just for you.” Full and happy, Andy and Beth made room for a piece of pie.

Back a
t the cottage after their meal, Andy dragged two lounge chairs close to the water. Sound Point is a strip of land with beach access to the west and
Rock Sound
to the east. He turned the lounge chairs to face the west. “I’ll be right back,” he said, as Beth stretched out on the chair. He was gone for just a few minutes and returned with a big, silly grin on his face. He sat down with one of the coconut halves filled with some of the coconut that he had chunked into bite size pieces.

“Taste this,” he told her, and put a chunk in her mouth.

“Wow! That’s potent!” The coconut had soaked in the rum all day. Beth laughed, as rum ran down her chin. Andy quickly leaned in for what she thought would be a kiss but he licked the rum off her chin instead, making them both laugh.

He pulled his chair against hers and stretched out. Taking her hand in his he told her,
“
Get ready for the show,” and they experienced the most amazing sunset. Both the view and the company were incredible.

Wrapped in each other’s arms
, later, Andy’s fingers gently caressed her back. Kisses were passionate and Beth’s body curled closer, tighter, their bodies touched from head to toe, skin to skin. The heat in her eyes told him what she wanted. “Now,” she whispered, “now Andy.”

Sunday morning, Beth woke early. It was barely daylight, a breeze gently blew the curtains back, and she rose, wanting to peek outside. Naked, she pulled her nightie over her head and slid the glass door open to walk out to the patio. The sun appeared, and she experienced the smell and sounds of a light rain shower. She stood watching for a while taking it all in as a mocking-bird was singing and she could hear the waves rolling on the beach. It was warm, but a soft breeze blew.

Andy rose and joined her on the patio. Standing behind her he wrapped his arms around her. The sun, after the rain, glistened on the palm fronds like crystal beads on green satin ribbons. It was beautiful, and Beth thought it was the best way to start the day, but there was more.

She turned into him and laughed. “You’re naked!”

“You’re observant…” he grinned. “You might as well be naked, I can see right through that thing.” He laughed, and led her back to the bed pulling her into his arms. “I love the feel of you,” he whispered in her ear as he slipped the nightie she wore over her head and they made love…

The sun was full
y
up when they rose again. After a quick breakfast they got ready to head out for more exploring. Swimsuits were the attire for the day. They packed a bag, jumped in the car and headed north.

There is only one road, and they drove for a while. Along the way the road followed a wall lined with conch shells that paralleled the beach. They came on a man cleaning the shells, and stopped. He picked one out and handed it to Beth. It was beautiful and white on the outside and shiny and pink on the inside. He held it to her ear for a listen. She thanked him and started to hand it back and he told her, “Now it is yours!” 

A little further along there was a woman selling beautiful bright-colored shirts and dresses from her porch. Andy chose a dress for Beth in shades of blue and green, a beautiful cover-up to wear with her bathing suit instead of shorts that day
.

As they drove along Andy shared island information and folklore. He explained that there were caves all over the island and that people journeyed there to go spelunking. Eleuthera was also known as a great surf and dive destination, and
he
pointed out good spots all along the way.

I love
d
the gift of conversation we shared as he told me about the island.