Flight 2725 was three and a half hours into its four hour flight from Grantley Adams International airport, in sun-swept Barbados, when the flight attendant announced that they were beginning their descent into Miami. The Boeing 757 had provided a smooth and uneventful ride for Marissa, and she began to stir in her coach seat as she awoke from a dreamy nap. She'd made dozens of flights in her 45 years, but this one would become her personal favorite forever.
Her flight was made heavenly by the gift Jon had sent her two weeks before - a pair of high-end noise-cancelling headphones, along with an .mp3 player, filled with four hours of hand-picked music just for this important flight. Instructed not to start the music until the flight had wheels up, Marissa did precisely that. The first few songs were familiar reminders of their previous encounters. A little Ziggy Marley, a little Bob Marley, and then a stream of other tunes that either provided the perfect groove, or included the lyrics that described Jon's feelings towards Marissa. Sting's version of Ne me quitte pas, Boris Gardiner's I Want To Wake Up With You, and There's Nothing Better Than Love, by Luther Vandross and Gregory Hines, all created a soulful, sensual ambiance to an otherwise bus ride in the sky. The headphones blocked out almost every sound, creating an intimate, personal experience for her, and she could already feel Jon in her presence.
The package also included a sealed envelope, and instructions that she was not to open it until the airplane's descent had started. As that moment arrived, she anxiously opened the bright pink envelope and pulled out a greeting card, with the imprint "I Really Fancy Your Bum" printed on the front. Jon's handwritten note read, "Dear Marissa, by now you're just a couple hours from joining me. As you exit the airport, you'll see a driver holding a sign that reads, "Marissa Khan". Tell him that you're very anxious to see Jon. That will be the clue that you're the woman he's to take to our hotel. Once at the hotel, go to the front desk and find Felipe. He'll recognize you, and will give you a key card to our suite. Once inside our suite, the rest will be . . . obvious." She could already feel her thong becoming soaked in her hot, juicy wetness.
While her relationship with Jon had included a several day rendezvous in her native Barbados six months prior, and they had enjoyed hours of phone calls, emails and chats since then, there was still something daring and risky about this trip. Jon had only spoken to her directly about it a couple of times, mostly to arrange the tickets. But he was oddly quiet about it, preferring only to share discreet messages, as if he wanted it to be an intriguing mystery even amongst themselves. But he had paid for all of it, and she trusted him.
After exiting the airplane, passing through customs, and finally making her way towards the airport exit, she spotted a plain, elderly Hispanic man, patiently standing near a doorway and holding the sign Jon had mentioned. With a deep breath, she walked right up to him, and relying on her faith in Jon, she said, "Hi, I'm really anxious to see Jon." The man nodded, grabbed her carry-on, and said, "Please follow me ma'am."
Within seconds Marissa was in the back seat of an air-conditioned Mercedes Benz
S-Class Sedan. Clearly a car used to serve customers that demanded more than simply a ride from the airport. The driver placed her luggage in the trunk, and sat behind the wheel. He looked in the rear-view mirror, winked, and said, "OK, all set ma'am?" Marissa smiled, slipped on a pair of sunglasses and said, "Of course."
The drive created more anticipation than the flight, even though it lasted only fifteen or twenty minutes. Her pulse quickened as they pulled into the Four Seasons Hotel entryway. The driver was confident and assured, and as he retrieved her luggage, Marissa was naturally propelled towards Felipe. After taking only three steps into the lobby, a young Cuban man approached her and said, "Hello Marissa, welcome to the Four Seasons. Let me show you to your suite. Here's the key." So much for searching for Felipe. Resisting a smile and giggle became laborious, but composure remained intact as the elevator whisked up to the 7th floor.
"Here you go ma'am, please enjoy your stay."
And there it was. All the subtlety and mystery, and now this marvelous reality. She walked into the luxurious suite, smelling the Stargazer Lilies artfully arranged in a vase, hearing the familiar sound of one of "their songs", and then, there he was. Leaning into the bathroom door frame, a showered and fresh looking Jon stood there, drops of water clinging to his shoulders. His body looked at least ten years younger than his 47 years. For a few seconds they stood basking in the stillness of the moment, both trying to absorb this long-awaited encounter.