Blue Beach

The water was so blue and clear, you could literally see all the way to the bottom of it... It was 97
degrees on sunny Isla De Vieques, Puerto Rico nicknamed -"Blue Beach" If you waded in the water you could see the tropical fish swimming near your feet. It wasn't an easy place to find, but once found...I could see why Chris had picked this spot. It was quiet and serene...A man could think here. The weather was great, the beach was clean and beautiful, nothing like Atlantic City back where we lived. Chris and I would get up early in the morning, take a swim in the beautiful ocean...then sit back, smoke a joint..and then drink a Corona and laugh like kids...Suzie,
his girlfriend would invite Cherry and I over to their little villa, where one morning she made us
Vegatable Omelets with hot salsa sauce and Sausage and served us Mimosas... The four of us would then go for a swim and then return to our respective villas.

Cherry and I would spend the rest of the day making love and I'm sure Chris and Suzie were doing the same thing. This was too much of a good thing. Who needed to return to Philly, when you could live like this? No man in his right mind right? After two weeks of this..I wanted to go
back...Really...and for a strange reason..I missed Rell...I often wondered what she was doing, if she was seeing someone else...all kinds of things. Cherry was nice and all, but for some reason..I
knew that my heart wasn't there, not all the way the way it was supposed to be. Yet I knew that Rell would never take me back..I knew that she was essentially using me and that as soon as I was free....she'd cut me off...I might as well make a go at being happy with Cherry.

Cherry and I were walking on the beach one afternoon that we weren't with Chris and Suzie and I brought up something that had been bugging me for awhile.

"How come you never talk about your man back in Oakland?" I asked...

"Because there is no need to talk about him...He's in the past..I choose to leave the past
in the past." she said.

"What was his name?" I asked.

"Why you wanna know that? " she asked.

"I'm curious, indulge me." I said.

"His name was Ray...Ray Johnson." she said.

"So he was your husband.....and you're still married aren't you??" I asked.

"I don't consider myself married to that creep...you see I don't wear no ring." she said.

"Never the less, you married." I said.

"So what that mean? You tellin me , you gonna turn all of this down because of a little
technicality like that?" she snarled.

"You plannin to get a divorce?" I asked.

"Sure am..just as soon as I can get the money and get a lawyer.' she said.

"Done..I want you to take care of that when we get back to Philly." I said.

"You serious? " she laughed.

"What's the problem? I got the money covered and I got a good lawyer named Conrad who can rep you." I said.

"What if I don't?" she said.

"If you don't...we can't hang out like this anymore...I don't get down like that."

"So this is an ultimatum?" she asked.

"Nope...you do what you want or don't...but I'm tellin you what I won't do." I said.

"Oh okay...okay....if it means that much to you." she said.

"What I don't understand is why it doesn't mean anything to you..You said he beat you and you left him, came halfway across the country..why don't you want to divorce him? " I asked.

"I do.....and...and I will.....let's talk about something else..." she said.

"Well okay, but one other thing...I think he's found you and he's in Philadelphia looking for you." I said.

"Wh-What? How could he...how do you know that?" she asked.

"I have people on the street who have been tellin me that a guy is throwing
a lot of money around and flashing a picture of you around...now I'm not
worried about him or his finding you.....I got that covered too...If you do
the right thing." I said.

"Okay..Okay Chess....When we get back to Philly...Get me that lawyer and
let's start on that divorce." she said.

I smiled and I picked her up and took her back to our rented villa in my arms, I
carried her over the threshold and tossed her on the bed....I slipped her shorts off and opened
her blouse...We kissed passionately and within minutes, I slipped her bra and panties off and
stepped out of my shorts and made passionate love to her, right there on the sweaty bed....We
did that the better part of the afternoon...Finnally we passed out and went to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning....Cherry was gone, all of her clothes were gone,
everything. The Car that I had rented was also gone!!! About $750.00 in cash that I had in a dresser drawer was also gone along with one ticket back to Philly. Chris, Suzie and I searched for her all day, but it was apparent she had left the island.

As I stood in the Airport, heading back to Philly , Chris said to me-

"Man, did you two have an argument or something?"

"No, not at all..we had a very good night." I said.

"Did you say something that she might have taken the wrong way?" he asked.

"Nah Man..I don't know why she just up and flew the coop like this." I said.

"Well I hope you get to the bottom of it all partner." He said.

"Chris, you aint coming back to Philly are you?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Maybe one day buddy, but no time soon...I need some peace in my life." he said and held his head down.

"Yeah, I can dig it..maybe I'll get to that place one day...be easy buddy." I said as I boarded my
plane.

"Yeah man, you know me....always." said Chris.

Upon arriving in Philly, I rented a car and drove to Cherry's place. I wasn't surprised when I got there to find that the place was empty....everything , gone...She had had a two day jump on me...I shook my head...I didn't quite understand....but I knew this was inevitable..Maybe it's what I wanted all along...who knows.

(Conclusion next..)