A vacation that became life changing
*
It had been a long and difficult project. Construction and start-up of a gas turbine power plant seems to have a personality all of its own. The weather and changes requested by the owner were wreaking havoc on the schedule and budget. My job is the start-up portion which requires testing and putting into service everything associated with the operation of the plant. I'd been at the site over two months working a minimum of twelve hours almost every day. I was worn out. Fortunately my boss is a good guy and when an opportunity arose, he came to my rescue. When things were beginning to smooth out, he called me to his office.
I walked into his office and before I even sat down, he said, "You've done a hell of a job, Larry, and if I recall, don't you like to go scuba diving?"
"Yes," I replied.
He handed me an envelope and said with a big grin, "What are you waiting around here for?"
"Yes sir," I replied somewhat bewildered and walked out of his office.
Once back at to my desk, I opened the envelope and just about fell out of my chair. It was a very nice bonus check that would pay for several dive trips. I closed my eyes and pictured some of my favorite dive destinations. I needed a place that was secluded, a place where the ocean lapping against the shore would be my companion as I read the latest novel by Lee Child starring Jack Reacher.
One place quickly came to mind, which made me grin, the Turneffe Atoll in Belize. Thank goodness for the internet. In short order, I was able to book a room on the beach and round trip airline tickets; first class, thanks to the bonus check. Today was Thursday and come Saturday afternoon, I'd be walking the beach.
The flight to Belize City was just the way I liked it, uneventful. My checked bag containing my dive gear was waiting for me on the carrousel by the time I cleared customs. I didn't need many clothes at the resort since shorts and tee shirts are the norm so my carry-on bag was pretty light. With luggage in hand I headed out and found my old friend Juan waiting to take me to the meeting place for the boat that transfers the arriving guests to the resort.
Juan dropped me at a nearby hotel and said I had an hour to wait and he had one more pickup at the airport before we would all leave. I took that opportunity to enjoy a drink by the pool and think about the week of R and R ahead of me. Little did I know that my life was soon going to be turned up-side-down and for the better.
I saw the boat that would take us to the resort making its way to the dock and headed over. Two couples were also waiting and I saw Juan escorting three women with their luggage in tow. The couples appeared to be middle age. However, the three women looked to be nearer my age. Not bad I thought.
The three women were an interesting ensemble. One was a strikingly tall blond who carried herself like she knew how pretty she was, hair in a ponytail, designer sun glasses, shorts tiny and tight, and her top accented a very nice pair with a lot of cleavage. She garnered a lot of attention, especially from the men, as she strutted down the boardwalk like a model on a runway.
Following a few feet behind were two more lovely ladies who were observing the affect their blond friend was having on the people on the pier. They seemed to be enjoying their own private joke. The two women were quite a contrast. One was dark haired, looked to be a bit shorter than the blond, and had a nice body. If she was equally endowed, I couldn't tell. The third member of the trio was definitely shorter, shoulder length red hair, and slim. A very nice figure made the lettering on her tee shirt stand out like pointed statements.
The thought of seeing these three in bikinis made me smile. I imagined that the tall blond would put on quite the display of her assets. How unfortunate that the resort doesn't have a clothing optional beach.
This could turn out to be an interesting week.
I refocused my attention and helped Juan and Captain Joey load the bags. As I was doing this, I couldn't help but notice some icy glares by the two married women directed at the blond. The women appeared to know each other from the way they were talking. Given their appearance, I could see why they weren't pleased. Let me just say they were not only overweight but the muffin tops they both displayed made their appearance worse. Contrast that with their husbands who looked a lot trimmer and in decent shape.
Before the engines fired up, Captain Joey called roll and I learned the names of the three women. The blond was Sharon, the brunette was Pam, and the red head was Susan.
Once the boat got underway, I grabbed a bottle of water and made the rounds of greeting my fellow passengers. I moved to the stern first to meet the two couples. They were from Austin, the guys were co-workers and they were there to dive. Their wives were there to read and relax. My first thought was the bar was going to do a great business this week.
The three women sat forward, just under the canopy. They were close friends from Tulsa, and had come there because it had been recommended as a place to scuba dive and snorkel. Susan identified herself as the diver. My heart skipped a beat.
"Marvelous," I exclaimed. "The diving here is nice and easy and they have great snorkeling too."
I turned to Susan, the red head, and asked about her diving experience. She looked up and in an almost apologetic voice replied that this was her first real diving experience in the ocean.
"I just got certified last month."
"That's great, where?"
"Beaver Lake, Arkansas."
I couldn't help myself as I started to laugh. Susan had that 'what's so funny about that' look and I said, "Come with me." She followed me over to my carryon bag and in a few moments I put a small card in her hand. She looked at it and then awareness spread across her face.
"You're an instructor?"
"Not only that but we do our open water checkouts at Beaver Lake."
She looked up at me with sparkling eyes and a smile that would light up a room.
"Do you need a dive buddy?" I asked.
"Yes I do, but I don't want to interfere with your vacation."
"It would be entirely my pleasure to be your buddy and hopefully share with you the wonderful world under the sea."
I looked down at this lovely woman who was probably all of five feet two or three. The late afternoon sun made her hair glow like a flame. She seemed more relaxed and I invited her to sit and chat.
"What inspired you to be a diver?" I asked.
"Well.....I had taken a trip to Cozumel with my boyfriend and we did the discover scuba introduction at the resort. I enjoyed it but he didn't. That relationship ended a while back but I never forgot about that scuba experience. This trip is a celebration of two things, first getting certified and the second is completing my masters in ah..., now don't laugh....engineering project management."
"What was your undergraduate degree in?"
"Mechanical engineering."
