Page 14 of Strictly Friends
Momentarily distracted by the unnerving sensation of the aircraft rapidly losing altitude, Ruby gripped the seat rest between her and Jake so tightly that her knuckles turned white. When the plane righted itself, she slowly released the breath trapped in her chest and reminded herself she wasn’t the one in the wrong. If Kenny hadn’t walked out on them, Jake wouldn’t be going through a crisis, and she wouldn’t be on a plane that looked more suited to spraying crops in a field than carrying passengers.
The captain’s voice announcing their imminent landing was barely audible above the roar of the plane’s engines, and Ruby reached for Jake’s hand, more for her own reassurance than his. Glancing at his mother’s fixed expression, Jake gave her a sweet smile before returning his attention to the thick forests and sandy beaches coming into sharp focus.
The plane swooped ever lower before finally landing with a gentle bump and screeching unsteadily down the runway. As soon as the aircraft came to a standstill and the engines were switched off, the aircraft doors swung open. Eager to escape the confined space, Ruby unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up to retrieve their backpacks from the small overhead locker.
A few minutes later, they were outside the plane and bathed in brilliant sunshine streaming from cloudless, deep blue skies. Standing at the top of the aircraft steps, Ruby looked around curiously, not altogether surprised to find Sorrel Island’s airport a far cry from the bustling international hub they had passed through in Jamaica. Jake’s impatient nudge in the small of her back galvanised her into motion and she descended the metal steps, wondering afresh just what had possessed her to take Auntie Pearl’s advice.
Trailing behind the other passengers, they arrived at a whitewashed building marked ‘Arrivals’, where an official in a short-sleeved khaki green jacket and matching shorts held open the door, greeting each passenger with a smile and a tip of his brocade-embroidered cap. The air-conditioned building was a welcome relief from the intense sunshine and, along with the other passengers, Ruby and Jake continued down a long, wide corridor with whitewashed walls displaying colourful posters of beaches, coral reefs, tropical forests, and clear natural springs. Joining a short queue, they passed through passport control, where a sleepy-eyed man behind a glass booth gave their passports little more than a passing glance before stamping them with a flourish.
Why Kenny had chosen this tiny, out-of-the-way island was a mystery. In the past, their holidays together had been spent in cosmopolitan cities that provided the bustling nightlife, slick entertainment and five-star restaurants Kenny favoured. Notwithstanding the posters showing off the island’s stunningbiodiversity, nothing Ruby had seen so far suggested Sorrel Island was anyone’s idea of a sophisticated tourist destination.
By the time Ruby and Jake arrived at the solitary luggage carousel, only a few of their fellow passengers were there waiting for baggage. Ruby felt the first stirrings of unease, acutely conscious that this was where her itinerary planning ended. According to the travel agent, there was an official tourist office in the airport where she could book accommodation, but as the remaining passengers disappeared after collecting their cases, her misgivings about relying on travel advice from someone thousands of miles away in London were growing stronger.
Ruby loaded their luggage on to a trolley, trying to hide her disquiet from Jake, who was too excited by their new surroundings to notice they were the only people left in the hall. The wheels of the trolley seemed to have a mind of their own and it took all her strength to steer it past an unattended desk marked ‘Customs’ and towards the exit. When they emerged into a quiet airport terminal, Ruby was relieved to see a large signboard with the words ‘Tourist Office’ above an arrow and she turned the uncooperative trolley in the direction indicated. However, her relief was short-lived when she found herself in front of the tourist office itself. The glass-fronted unit was in darkness, and when she reached for the handle in the hope someone might be inside, the door was locked. Squeezing her eyes shut, Ruby leaned her forehead on the cold glass, unable to hold back an involuntary groan. Why, why,whyhad she been such a coward about speaking to the only person she knew on Sorrel Island?!
‘Need a taxi, miss?’
Ruby opened her eyes and spun around to see a wiry, dark-skinned man watching her with interest, his jaw working rhythmically as he chewed what she presumed was gum. Ruby frowned as she scanned the stranger’s face – or what she could seeof it under his rather battered straw boater. Although his expression seemed kindly, she was stranded in an almost deserted airport on a remote island, and it was hard to know who to trust.
‘Yes, I’m sure we will, but I need to find a hotel first.’ Not wanting Jake to sense her apprehension, Ruby tried to sound calm.
‘Don’t you worry none ’bout that, miss,’ the man said cheerfully. His accent held a pleasant musical lilt, and his smile was so infectious that Ruby couldn’t help responding. Briefly lifting his hat to scratch a balding pate, he added, ‘I can drive you and your boy over to Paradise Inn. MissIda’s always got room for guests.’
Paradise Inn!Ruby looked at him uncertainly. The name sounded lovely but what if it turned out to be a dump?
‘Erm, that’s very kind of you but... is there anyone actually working in the tourist office?’
The man burst into laughter. ‘Not since old Marvin passed on last year. I hear they’re looking for someone else to run it, but you’ll be waitin’ a while.’
Clearly tired of all the chit-chat, Jake nudged his mother. ‘C’mon, Mum, let’sgo!’
‘Okay, then I guess Paradise Inn it is,’ Ruby conceded with a mental shrug. Given the circumstances, it wasn’t as if she had much choice, and if the place proved awful, Kenny would surely be able to recommend somewhere else for them to stay. Once they found him.
‘I’m Ruby, by the way, and this is my son, Jake.’ She smiled at the man, hoping he hadn’t been offended by her earlier brusqueness.
‘My name’s Hezekiah, but everyone calls me Zeke.’ He held out a hand in greeting and when she returned his firm handshake, Zeke’s gaze ran up and down the length of Ruby’s lean frame with a raised eyebrow.
‘My, you’re a tall one,’ he observed.
‘All my life,’ Ruby quipped. Being part of an African-Caribbean community made her no stranger to unsolicited personal comments, and besides, Zeke’s expression was so obviously one of admiration that it was impossible to take offence.
With an appreciative chuckle, Zeke reached for the trolley, spinning it around easily despite the heavy suitcases. ‘My taxi’s outside, folks. Jus’ follow me.’
The yellow taxi wound its way along a single-lane road lined by tall trees with thick branches shrouded in green foliage. Although it was late in the afternoon, the sun remained bright in the clear blue sky and Ruby relaxed in the back seat, admiring the passing scenery and enjoying the breeze coming through the open windows of Zeke’s roomy vehicle. The colourful landscape and occasional glimpse through the trees of brightly painted bungalows set on stilts were a world away from the brick buildings and choked traffic of London’s streets.
Jake had insisted on sitting in front next to Zeke and, since leaving the airport, he had lobbed a non-stop barrage of questions in his high-pitched voice at their driver. Ruby caught Zeke’s eye in his rear-view mirror, and he returned her wry smile with an easy grin, clearly enjoying Jake’s excitement at his new surroundings.
‘Look, Mum, it’s the sea!’ Jake jabbed his finger against the glass of his window.
Ruby followed his instruction and caught her breath at the picture-postcard scenery. The curtain of trees had thinned out to reveal turquoise waters and bleached-white sandy beaches fringed with swaying palm trees. The faint scent of salty sea wafted in through the open windows and Ruby inhaled deeply, slowly feeling the tension from the flight and their arrival drain away.Sorrel Islandmust be casting a spell on me, she thought dreamily, as suddenly even the looming hurdle of confronting Kenny felt less daunting.
‘Y’all picked a good day to arrive,’ Zeke remarked during a brief lull between Jake’s questions. ‘Yesterday, it rained so hard I had to go round and fix a leak at MissIda’s place – and that roof is sealed tighter than a tin can.’
‘Do you think there’ll be a hurricane while we’re here?’ Jake asked, sounding unusually subdued.
‘No, son,’ Zeke chuckled, his tone reassuring. ‘There hasn’t been a hurricane on Sorrel Island as long as I’ve been alive. We get the odd monsoon rain this time of year but that’s all you need to worry ’bout.’
‘There weren’t that many people on our plane, Zeke. Do you keep busy driving a cab here?’ Ruby asked. If the island’s sleepy airport was anything to go by, it was hard to see how the man sustained a taxi business.
