I don’t have my private lessons this morning. On one hand it’s a pain as I could always do with some extra mullah but on the other hand it’s a relief as I can have a lie-in. However, as Murphy’s Law reigns I don’t avail of my extra hours in bed as I’m not that tired – yet. Anyway I can always sleep on the beach because that’s where we’re bound today. It’s another scorching day and I take to the sea-breezed, but sun-sheltered, benches as is my custom of late. I don’t see any slouched forms pensively scribbling away today but I eventually do spy Nicola seeking me out among the sun-drenched crowds.
Nicola was up early to take two private students and so the hunger is now on her. No! No! Not McDo! She goes for the salad option. It’s just leaves so it can’t be too bad, right? The salad disappears behind pleased dressing-greased lips but the butter and garlic croutons are destined for the bin. Chef Masaile joins us and squashes in between me and some disgustingly fat lady who probably has a desert with every meal. Oliver is on for the beach but surely his gear can’t be in that plastic bag. I take a peak. I’m really not so surprised to find his expensive souvenir towel and not-very-expansive trunks present instead of presents for Nic and I. My bag is brimming. I’ve brought my beach ball along. The Annoying Frog will be doing more bouncing than revving later. Sebastian, Lionel and Alex however are up for both as they take to the jet skis with the same casse-cou we rode with over Christmas.
It’s a pleasant day by the sea at Anse Mitan. While we bake and burn we burn off some energy playing volleyball. The guys have a proper volleyball so the lone frog stays in the shade with the black beach babes and their beaus. Snorkelling is also on the agenda. The sea here is full of urchins and strange plant life and somewhere down there is Nic’s hair bobbin. I spy it and she gets it. Go team! There are more team tactics as we play throw-about and piggy-in-the-middle. Piggy Red (that’s me!) starts off as the jambon but I don’t stay too long in the sea-sandwich.
Us girls are the quickest at getting back into our civvies so we take a stroll to a nearby shop for ice-creams. Nicola gets a luxurious caramel creation and we get a selection of exotic cornetto copies for everyone else; Alex chooses vanilla as he’s the original cool prankster: Sebastian takes strawberry to detract from his sunburn: Lionel gets pistachio to match his green board shorts: Oli picks chocolate to match his skin: and I’m left with coconut which is the desired destination for tonight’s Saturday night revelry. Coconuts. There’s also a BBQ on the cards at the regiment - J.V and Gwendal invited us earlier. There are many options for the evening’s entertainment but Nicola and I decide to stick with our original plan to meet with Will, our long-lost Martiniquan friend. But before we go our separate ways we decide to gather at L’Embarcadère. It’s right beside the quay at Point du Bout so we can keep an eye out for our bumpy, spray-filled, wind-swept ride across the bay. On the way over we raced windsurfers but this time round we race the end of the day, and the end of the good weather. There’s a lunar eclipse this evening. The sky soon becomes so dark that one could think God forgot to sprinkle the sky with stars tonight. I get a call from Christina, the friendly Saint-Lucian, saying that a friend of hers can pick us up in the morning before church. Bingo!
Oliver is meeting his brother, Patrick, and has no desire to go clubbing tonight. However once we saunter into the city we find that he has no choice but to join us in the hills for the evening as there’s another tour de cyclisme in town which means he has missed the last bus back to base. There are two places in the city which the military are not allowed set foot in: La Savane and Rue de la Folie. The former is a palm tree-lined park which after dark becomes a drug haven and the later is a breeding ground for debauchery as well as being the main route to the regiment. Although many do walk up it Oliver is not up for the risk of getting caught or catching something else so he decides to hop on the last bus with us and take a ride with Will later on. Will, however, is either i) annoyed at us, ii) growing forgetful in his old age or iii) totally stoned. He never appears. His absence, however, is filled in by the presence of Oliver and our neighbour Fred. Fred is leaving tomorrow and so we decide to throw an impromptu farewell do for him. Fred has already cleaned out his fridge so he can’t drive Oliver home so in the end I lend him one of the huge green St. Patrick’s Day Festival t-shirts I got in the post.
Pizza. Cards. Music. Beer. Cheer. We’ve the perfect ingredients for a great night in. And with the wild wind and raging rain its inside we stay. The stormy weather knocks out the noise from the sound system and reduces our chattering to a low rumble. By the time we all hit the hay day is breaking through as God finally throws some coal on the horizon and we throw ourselves into a deep sleep.
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