“We need tickets, and we’ll go on a bus. I just love the bus trips,” Henry answered. “I’ve met some mighty fine folks on the trip that takes us out there, and yes, we need tickets. I’ll meet you on the dock in thirty minutes. I got to go back to my room and get my hat, and I’ll stop by the booth and get us two tickets. And, Vince, the way to get a second chance is not to run away when you come face-to-face with your pretty wife. You should have said something nice to her the last time, even if she was all sweaty from exercising. You kind of left things hanging in the air.”
“I was completely caught off guard,” Vince said, “but I won’t be again. You are right, and, Henry, I’ll repay you for the tickets.”
Henry waved him off with a flick of the wrist. “You can get the ones when we get to Belize. You’re going to love the howler monkeys and the zoo.”
“It’s a deal. I’ll see you at the dock then.” Vinceheaded back to his room to get a floppy hat he’d packed. If Henry needed one with that mop of gray hair he had, then Vince figured he should wear one, too.
Henry was already on the dock when Vince arrived, and he pointed toward the bus driver on the other end. The man was motioning toward a vehicle that folks were loading onto.
“That’s our tour bus,” Henry said. “Windows are up so maybe we got one with air-conditioning.”
“You mean that…” Vince started.
Henry butted in before he could finish. “Yep, some of them don’t have AC and even with the windows down, it gets pretty warm, but we’re lucky today.”
When they reached the bus, the guide smiled and said, “Now we are all full. You guys go find a seat.”
Vince stepped up into a jam-packed bus. There was only one seat left and that was right behind the driver, so he slid across to the far side to make room for Henry. The hair on the back of his neck prickled, giving him the signal that someone was staring at him. He turned slightly just as Henry was sitting down and locked gazes with Ava. She was right across the aisle from him, sitting with Sookie. Minnie and Dotty were in the seat behind them, and all three older women were staring at him, too.
“Oops!” Henry chuckled. “I should never have said never when it comes to a woman, but remember that what don’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m living proof of that.”
“I sure hope you are right.” Vince smiled and waved at Ava, but she turned and looked out the window. Baby steps, he told himself. Maybe before the cruise was over, she would be sitting next to him on an excursion.
A young lady with dark hair and nearly black eyes came from the back of the bus and stood beside the driver as he started the engine and pulled out on the narrow street. “Hello, my name is Mia. I’m your tour guide today,” the woman said. “As we drive, I’ll tell you about the places we’re going through. First rule of business is don’t pet the lions.” No one laughed, but a few people leaned over to peek out the windows. “Man, you guys are a tough crowd today. I was joking with you. We don’t have lions, but we do have iguanas. If you stop at a place to eat, ask for chicken with bones. That way you get a cluck-cluck and not an iguana.”
That brought on a few giggles, but not from Vince, who was trying to think of ways to flirt with his wife. He’d been so busy the past five years that he couldn’t even remember the last time he complimented her for anything—from her cooking skills to the way she looked all dressed up.
Your mama is a good woman, but she likes to have her way.His grandfather’s voice was back in his head.
“Much better,” Mia said.
That brought Vince out of la-la land, as Ava called it when his mind wasn’t on what she was trying to tell him. He glanced over to find Ava looking right at him.Their eyes locked like they did the first time he met her, and there was that familiar chemistry that he had been too busy to feel for a long time. Finally, a faint smile twitched at the corners of her mouth—not a brilliant one like she’d flashed toward him that first time he laid eyes on her across the room, but it was a start.
Mia kept up a running story about each place they passed until they reached their destination. “Now, you have two hours to check out the souvenir shop and go up to the ruins. This bus leaves at exactly…” She looked at her watch and gave them a time. “If you aren’t here, then you can walk back. If you see a giant lizard, don’t try to hitch a ride with him. They charge too much.”
That garnered a few more giggles as everyone began to move out of the bus. Henry waited until most of the people had cleared out and said, “I figured we would give them women time to get to the souvenir shop before we leave. Sorry that I didn’t do my research a little bit better and you got stuck with your ex again but, son, this is a perfect time for you to talk to her. You might be amazed at what results you’ll get from an apology and a promise to do better if she’ll give you a chance.”
“She’s not my ex yet,” Vince said.
“That’s right?” Henry said. “The way you’ve been staring at her, it’s plain as the snout on a piglet that you want her to never be your ex, unless you’ve got another woman already picked out. Are you on this cruise to tell her you want a divorce?”
“No, I do not!” Vince declared as he stood up and bumped his head on the bus ceiling. “I’m not sure how I feel. I just came home one night, and she wasn’t there. She hasn’t answered my texts or calls, and now we’re on this same trip, and…” he stammered.
“Did you have an affair?” Henry asked.
“No, I did not!” Vince repeated his previous answer, and his tone went up an octave as he stepped down off the bus and onto the ground. “And I don’t think she did.”
“Then what’s the problem? And remember, you can have an affair with your job just as much as you can with another woman.” Henry started walking toward the pavilion which was close to the steps leading up to the ruins.
“Then I guess I did.” Vince kept in step with Henry. “I work long hours, and there always seems to be a business dinner that doesn’t include her.”
“Why don’t those dinners include your wife?” Henry kept pace with him.
“Mother usually sets them up, makes the reservations, and does all the work, and she…” Vince stammered.
“Doesn’t want to spend that much time with your wife, does she?” Henry chuckled. “Sounds to me like you got a decision to make, son. It’s either your marriage or your job, and your wife or your mama. You can’t have both in either instance. Is your wife hard to live with? Do you love her?”
“No, she is not, and yes, I love her, but I’m not sosure that she loves me anymore. I would never abuse her, but the way I’ve put her at the end of the line when it comes to time with her would tax any woman’s love.”
