Iscreamed with delight as we lifted into the air. Harlem turned to me and smiled, giving me a little wink. My heart did a little somersault in my chest. The water sprayed over my face, and I enjoyed the feeling of soaring through the air. I felt freer and more independent than I ever had despite the harness I was strapped in.
Flying five hundred feet above the ocean was the most exhilarating feeling I had ever experienced. This was incomparable, and I was so grateful that my man had planned this excursion for me.
It was Labor Day weekend, and almost two months had passed since my birthday. Every day with Harlem had been a beautiful experience, even on the challenging days.
Almost three years ago when I lost my job and broke up with a man who didn’t appreciate me, my future had seemed bleak for so long. I was hopeless and depressed for a while. Now, itseemed as if all God’s favor did was shine on me, making up for the challenges of my past.
The last seven weeks had been extremely busy as I kept one shop running and made preparations to open the second. This vacation to Saint Kitts and Nevis was everything that I needed and so much more.
Harlem and I had been here for two weeks, although I didn’t think I could afford to leave for that long. He told me that I would return refreshed and ready to tackle the world. We spent the first week here alone, vibing with each other, being relaxed, and enjoying loving one another. Our siblings and friends joined us here for the last week.
Palmer, Easy, EJ, Courtney, Eli, and a girl named Nicole that he was dating, and CJ and his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Dena, were on vacation with us. Nicole was one of the bottle girls at Black Diamonds, the night of my birthday party. According to Harlem, she and Eli had been spending a lot of time together since that night, but I was still surprised to see her accompany us on the trip. That showed how serious he was about her, in my opinion.
We welcomed her company, though, because she was a lot of fun, had positive energy, and she was a bright ray of sunshine in Eli’s life. I hoped that things worked out between them, because like I was with Harlem, she was all about Eli, encouraging him and lifting him up. I believed every man needed a woman like that in his corner.
I tried to show Harlem my appreciation for the things he did for me in little ways: breakfast in bed, hiring a landscaping service, buying his favorite sports apparel, or a nice watch. Yet, I felt that with all I did, it paled in comparison to what he was willing to do for me.
The boat crew lowered our feet into the water and gently lifted us again. I lifted my face to the sun, closed my eyes, and whispered, “Thank You, God, for being so good to me.”
The parasailing adventure lasted fifteen minutes for Harlem and me, but the rest of our crew took their turns as well. When we returned to the island almost two hours later, we were all exhausted. We decided to stop for drinks before returning to the villa, except for Palmer, who was ready for a nap, and Easy, who needed to check on a work project.
“Look at you, making all my wishes come true. What’d you do? Look in my phone and decide to check off the items on my bucket list?” I asked.
“Yo! Word? You got a bucket list?” Harlem asked, looking at me from over the top of his sunglasses as we walked hand-in-hand up to Vibes Beach Bar.
“No, but if I did, you’ve hit three of them. Do a big community event, open a new store, and now you’ve brought me to Nevis and Saint Kitts.”
“I told you I would give you whatever you wanted. Early on, I told you that I would bring you here.”
Our first day, we hiked Brimstone Hill, and thankfully, we were in great shape because that hike wasn’t for the faint of heart. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the panoramic views, including seeing the islands of Saba and St. Eustatius, as well as checking out the museum with the military artillery that Harlem enjoyed.
We had also been ziplining, hiking the Central Forest Reserve National Park to spot a variety of tropical birds and the vervet monkey, and jet skiing since we had been here. Yesterday, we booked a catamaran tour and went snorkeling on the coral reefs.
It was late afternoon now, and we were on the Frigate Bay strip again. When we weren’t participating in activities, we allspent time enjoying the sun, the water, the island people, and tropical drinks.
Palm trees swayed in the light breeze outside as Harlem ordered everyone’s drinks, and Courtney and I vibed to the Soca music being played by the live band. Last night we had come to Vibes beach bar for a foam party, and it was wild. Today was just as fun, but a little more chill.
“How you feeling, Baby?” EJ asked, walking up to Harlem, Courtney, and me.
“This is the best vacation that I’ve had in a long while.”
My big brother smiled at me. “Glad you’re happy. We were all going back and forth with dates, trying to make it work for you.”
“Yeah, I wanted to do it for your birthday, originally, but everyone couldn’t get time off then,” Harlem explained.
“Oh, that was perfect. With wedding season underway, I wouldn’t have been able to get away for an entire week anyway, let alone two weeks. Besides, the gift you gave me was more than perfect,” I replied, looking sideways as Harlem leaned forward from behind me to kiss my lips.
“A’ight, y’all, enough of that,” EJ stated, rolling his eyes and then sipping his drink.
“Don’t even act like that. Not with the way that you’ve been all under Courtney,” I announced.
Courtney bit her bottom lip shyly and looked at EJ.
“What?” Harlem stiffened behind me, and his voice was tight.
“Baby, chill.” I gripped his wrist.
“You coming for my little sister?” Harlem asked, ignoring me.
