Missing Parrot Cay…

My departure from Parrot Cay was as emotional as the last one in November had been…

There was no time for a long and lingering goodbye… After her morning meetings, Patricia drove me to the guest dock in one of the Spa buggies and saw me onto the waiting boat… As the guests clambered aboard, all we had time for was a long hug and a quick kiss before the lines were untied and Captain Neil Diamond-Forbes (I kid you not…!!) eased the vessel into the channel between Parrot Cay and North Caicos, and headed towards the narrow inlet that led to the open sea…

I stood on the upper deck, waving goodbye and watching the lone figure of Patricia standing on the edge of the jetty… My death grip on the railing was all that prevented me from leaping overboard and swimming back to her…!!

The wooden walkway leading to the inviting Caribbean beyond...

There are many things I will miss from my three week stay on Parrot Cay:

The hot, sunny days and even the cloudy afternoons; the long walks on the beach; the warm, clear waters of the Caribbean; the beautiful sunsets and the star-filled skies at night…

There's more to spending a day on the beach than you would think...!!

I will miss the super-friendly staff who treated me like “one of the guys”, and went out of their way to make me feel at home … (and whose names I often forgot, but who never forgot mine…!!)

"Hi Honey... I'm home...!!"

I will miss the peace and quiet that allowed me to think about what I had achieved thus far; the journey that still lay ahead; and the plans I have for the future…;

The many guests whom I befriended and who showed a genuine interest in who I was, and the circumstances surrounding my visit to the island…

We enjoyed a few evenings with Caio Fonseca, an artist from New York, who I hope to meet again in Colorado…

Together we were able to compare our philosophies pertaining to “the meaning of life”, and found that in many ways they were very similar …!! Perhaps we knew each other in a previous life…!! Great to meet you, Caio…

And then there was James and Debbie Buckland from Jacksonville in Florida, with whom we shared many an interesting conversation…

It was a pleasure meeting you both and I hope we can stay in touch… Sorry I did not get to say goodbye… Seems I was on an earlier boat after all…!!

I will miss the fairly regular exercise I tried to take part in; the yoga classes with Andrea; the Pilates sessions with Annabel and the Gym visits with “She Who Must Be Obeyed…” (One day I’ll learn to switch the machines on all by myself…!!)

But most of all, I’ll miss the “Hi Honey… I’m home…!!” that heralded the return from work of Patricia…

I will miss the quiet evenings we spent in her apartment, the meals we shared and the wine we sipped while discussing our options for our future that we know is meant to be spent together…

I will miss walking hand in hand with her, the ready smile she always has for me, and the sparkle in her eyes that tells me she loves me…

These are the things I will miss the most during the coming months that we will be apart, but will look forward to, when next we are together…

And for me, that day can’t come soon enough…!!

©GBWT 2012