Somebody's Watching You

I watch the sun sparkling on the waves from the balcony of my castle by the sea. I wave to my subjects…no, wait a minute. This is not a fairy tale, and they are not my subjects. Those are my friends, waving me to breakfast. It must be time to start our day!

The craft market is a place you don’t go to alone. Rows of small, open-fronted sheds are manned by aggressive salespersons all vying to get you into their space. And they’re all selling the same things. They’re in cahoots with the cab drivers, who take you to their personal favorite, and get a kickback if the tourists buy something. But we kill an hour there, looking for souvenirs and watching out for each other in case a seller tries some funny business.

We returned to Rick’s Café, settling in at a booth with drinks and plenty of sunscreen. I staked out a good spot to watch the cliff divers. There are many different types of divers, from the terrified to the nonchalant, from novices to experts. The kids are the most fun to watch – seeing their fear turn to joy as they make that first leap safely, then beg to do it again. The lifeguards put on their own show, diving from handstands or doing backflips, or diving from a tower far above the cliffs. And like the audience at a car race waiting for a wreck, so does this audience wait for mishaps. Thankfully they are few, but there are some rough landings that make everyone gasp. And we all keep watching…

I soak up the sun, circulating between the pool and our table. Boats and catamarans come in with their tour groups, the brave ones swimming over to dive the cliffs. Everyone waves madly to Donovan in the Yamon catamaran, Rasta Ralphie included. We watch dolphins frolicking in the waves, and lovers frolicking on the dance floor. When the dinner hour arrives, it’s cheeseburgers all around. We are done with rice and peas and callaloo for this trip!

Rick’s Café is the hot spot to be at sunset. Everyone watches as the sun sinks slowly into the sea, cell phones and cameras at the ready. As soon as the sun sets, a big portion of the crowd leaves, us among them.

Back at the castle, we’re reluctant to call it a day. This is our last night here, and we just don’t want it to end yet. So we have a few drinks, a lot of laughs, and reminisce about old friends and old times. And we watch…the stars, the waves, the boats, but always, the people, because that’s how memories are made. Goodnight, friends.

Sunset in Jamaica