Chapter 12: The Cays

Evan's POV

I was already tired of seeing sea water and seasickness had come onto me. I just wanted to to be back in my office, in my chair, doing what I loved to do most. Work. I shouldn't have agreed to come on this god forsaken sea voyage.

I laid in my cabin and tried to relax and stop having regrets.

We had finally arrived at the Cayman Islands at night fall. The captain docked the boat at an island called Grand Cayman, which is the largest of the three islands.

The Cayman Islands are made up of three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The largest, Grand Cayman, has a cosmopolitan vibe, gourmet restaurants, world-class diving and the famous Seven Mile Beach. Cayman Brac is a nature lover's paradise with stunning diving and breathtaking walks along the rocky bluff. The smallest island, Little Cayman, is home to just one hundred and fifty people. Visitors, like myself, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and sunny sky.

It was beautiful here, even at night. We checked into a hotel my late grandmother had established on the island. I wanted to go exploring immediately and for a late night swim, but mom had scolded me and told me that I ought to relax and probably get some rest, but I felt better as my feet hit solid land.

I think I'll fly home while Mom and the others sail back.

I couldn't handle the motion the waves had on the boat. I hated it as we entered into the Caribbean Sea.

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The next day, I woke earlier than everyone. I had picked out my diving gear and ran down to the beach where I met up with some other tourists who were excited to go by the coral reefs.



A small boat arrived and I paid a small fee to get on board with some other people.

We were carried to a very colorful reef and, after I had put on my gear, I got off the boat and entered the water. The reefs looked so magical as it housed an environment to millions of tiny colorful fishes. I had my water resistant camera with me. I took couple pictures. 

Mom and Emily would love seeing this, I thought. 



I explored the reefs for nearly thirty minutes before I got bored and swam back to the surface and to the small boat.

"You enjoyed it, man?" the captain asked.

"Yeah. Very spectacular," I answered.

After another thirty minutes waiting on the others, we sailed back to the shore. 

Mom was up and had seemed to be looking all over for me when I walked through the hotel's lobby.

"Evan!" she started. "Where have you been?"

"I went diving Mom."

"So early baby?"

"Yeah. I couldn't wait to do it."

"Lets get breakfast now."

I followed her to the family's patio set up and we all sat down to breakfast. I was telling them about the reef and how colorful it was to the eyes.

After breakfast, Emily, EJ and I went down to the beach. We sipped on coconut water as we set up a volleyball net.

"That's not fair! There're two of you against only me," she complained when we told her we'd play guys versus girls.

Mom should have really had another girl. Emily was just too whinny.

"Ask someone to join your team!" I said back at her.

She scanned the beach front then made her way over a young lady with long, blonde flowing hair. She was getting a coconut water from one of the local beach vendors. They talked for a minute then the two of them came over to us smiling.

"Evan, you remember Elle?" Emily asked with a smirk and I almost choked on my coconut water.

"Hi Evan."

"Hey Elle."

Elle and I dated very briefly the summer before I started college, which also happened to be the time I broke up with Jessica. Elle was also a volleyball champion at her old high school and agreed to play with Emily against EJ and me.

"Elle this is EJ, the little one," I introduced since she had never met him.

"Hey. I'm not so little."

"Hi EJ." She shook hands with him. 

She was always so polite and beautiful. She hadn't changed at all.

"Okay. Time to kick their butts!" Emily cheered and took her position behind the net.

The girls were good, so good that EJ and I lost the game ten to two. Emily did her champion dance as she hugged Elle and they walked over to a shade underneath the coconut trees.

Another guy approached them and I watched as he took Elle into his arms and kissed her.

I went back to my hotel room and laid down in bed, looking up at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and eventually fell asleep.

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I woke up at sunset. Mom and Dad had gone down to the beach and I was looking at them from my bedroom window. They were dancing and sipping each other's drinks and they appeared to be so happy and so in love after all these years. I wanted something like that. A love that wouldn't die.

I smiled as I watched them kiss. Dad was madly in love with her and she was deeply in love with him.

I went into the shower and took a hot bath. I got dressed in white jeans, a black T-shirt and black Nike shoes. 

I went outside to join them. 

Emily and EJ were sitting on some beach chairs laughing and looking at mom and dad. I sat down beside them.

"Finally awake?" EJ rhetorically asked.

"You're not bummed, are you?" Emily asked.

"About what?" I asked her.

"Elle and her husband."

"That was her husband?"

"Yeah. She got married one month ago and they're honeymooning here."

"I'm not bummed. I'm happy for her actually," I answered truthfully .

I nodded my head to the live band music and Emily passed me a fruity cocktail. We looked at mom and dad, along with some others tourist couples, dancing away to the live band. Family was important to me. I was so happy I had one.

But I wanted one of my own.