Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Michael showed me the list.
“What have we gotten ourselves into?” I wailed.
Then I made myself a drink.
He gave me his best “please calm down” look. Then he poured himself a double.
Fortified by tequila, we sat down to create a separate list of stuff we'd need just to make
the house habitable within the next few months (we doubted it would be ready for our up-
coming trip in February, but maybe we could knock it into shape by late spring or early sum-
mer).
As far as renting out the house was concerned, we couldn't even bring ourselves to think
about the things our potential guests might need once we put the house on the market.
That list would take shape in its own good time.
☼ ☼ ☼
Setting up housekeeping from scratch is something you do once (maybe twice) in your life-
time, usually when you're young and a tiny bit stupid and find that sort of thing exciting.
When you're middle-aged and stressed and have to figure out how every last item you
buy is going to get transported to an island in the middle of the Caribbean, it's a smidge less
thrilling.
Still, we soldiered on.
Michael became obsessed with the website of the now-defunct
Linens 'n Things
. As one
of the only U.S. purveyors of household items willing to ship to Puerto Rico, LNT became
our favorite cyberstore. We ordered forty-two items the first week.
Poor Daniel.
Speaking of Daniel, he called in early January and asked if he could get a few projects
going—shoring up the terrace columns on the bottom level, gutting the downstairs bath-
room, building two sets of concrete steps to replace crumbling stoops in the side yard.
He seemed almost human.
Yes, of course, Michael told him, surprised by the rare note of enthusiasm in his voice.
Clearly the boxes from
Sears
hadn't arrived yet.
☼ ☼ ☼
Winter descended.
We thought about Vieques a lot. I propped a framed photo of the house next to my office
computer and stared at it with more ardor than I've ever stared at a picture of a loved one.
I was definitely a goner.
Our lives thrummed along at their usual pace, but with a slight upbeat. We went to
work every day, made dinner, got together with friends. But thoughts of Vieques crept into
everything we did, adding an unexpected zing to our little world.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search