TRAVEL TALK: FRANCES MAKES A LOVE CONNECTION
While we’d been focused on whether or not Michael and the gang were going to make it to our end of the island or not, apparently Frances had been fielding some other calls we’d been totally unaware of. When we woke up on the fourth day we discovered Frances had other plans.
Frances in Charge
So, at SFA I’d met Frances before anyone else. I remember her introducing herself the first day and helping my family carry in my stuff. Frances was an operator. By the end of the first week she had a connection to pretty much everyone on campus. She was constantly heading off to this party, that trip or another hot date. As I said, she was our organizer.
At the same time she had health issues. Allergies to this or that. Asthma bad enough to need one of those inhalers and for good measure, on this trip she’d brought along some mechanical devise we were supposed to hook her up to if her inhaler didn’t do the job.
She was also late to everything, always. It was her trademark. Debbie and I knew that when we planned the vacation, but it was just part of Frances. You take the good with the bad. However, it did get a little irritating.
Every morning it was something. She’d be the first one to take a shower and be sitting on the sofa waiting for us, but as we started to walk out of the room, she’d start to paint her finger nails. Just as every bus driver closed the door, she’d be the one to say, “I forgot __________, can I go back to my room. It will only take a sec.” If it had been me, they would have told me to just catch the next bus, but folks always waited on Frances.
A Different Sort of Morning
Debbie and I were just about through with Frances and her shenanigans. We loved her, but everyone on the trip had begun to paint us with her brush. Every time we showed up, late or not, there would be some sort of verbal jab at our roommate. Like contestants on Survivor we’d conspired to band together and whatever Frances dreamed up that morning, we were leaving her behind. Someone had to let her know her behavior was unacceptable.
Only we didn’t get the chance. She was ready to head out the door when we did and she had her beach bag all packed up to go. She was going sailing with a dealer from the casino. What? When? Where? How? Somehow she had met one of the dealers at the casino and made a date to go sailing today, because it was his day off. One of the many phone calls the night before had actually been from him and they’d confirmed he’d be there to pick her up this morning. And then she was gone. She promised to be back in time for dinner. We were going out to a special restaurant with a small contingency from our group.
Well that was a fine how-do-you-do! I think this was the day Debbie and I rented bicycles and took a little tour of the resort and its surrounding. There wasn’t much, but Debbie had spied some ladies selling craft goods on the road to the resort and we used the bikes to get there.
While I’d faced disappointment and frustration on this trip, I was about to become acquainted with fear. Come back next week and find out why.
jane sadek 