“I want to book you and your car while I’m here.”
“It’s a hundred and fifty per day plus expenses. Where are you staying?”
“The Cove.”
“How long you gon’ be here?”
“I haven’t decided yet. May be a week, may be longer.”
That raised an eyebrow on him. “My name is Super.”
“Mike Black.”
“You have luggage, Mr. Black?” Super asked and I handed him my claim tickets. “You get in me car and be cool. I will run go fetch yo
ur luggage.”
Once Super returned with my luggage, he got in and we left the airport. On the way to my hotel, he told me that I should call thirty minutes before I needed to leave, and he will be there to pick me up. Then he asked me if there was anything else that I needed.
“I’m gonna need a gang of buddha.”
“No problem,” he said, and we drove to pick it up and then he dropped me at my hotel. I was hungry once I got settled in my suite, so I had the concierge make dinner reservations for me at Café Martinique, one of the hotel’s restaurants. I sat at a table by the rail that hugged the shoreline.
While I was eating, my server, a woman who was in her late forties, early fifties if I had to guess, first introduced herself as Agnes and then she made repeated trips to my table and each time she came, she had questions. Of course, it started out with; “What is your name?”
“I’m Mike Black.”
“And where are you from, Mr. Black?”
“I’m from New York, the Bronx to be exact.”
“Is this your first time in Nassau?”
“Yes.” I smiled. “In fact, this is my first time out of the country.”
“Well welcome to Nassau.” She refilled my water glass. “Are you here on business or is this a pleasure trip?”
“Strictly a pleasure trip.”
“Come to get away from it all?”
“Yes. I was killing too many people at work,” I said and laughed at my truth.
“Well you come to the right place to relax and get away from all the stresses of work.” She laughed a little and then she paused before saying. “I’ll be back soon to check on you.”
She was true to her word, because it wasn’t too long before she was back to see if I wanted dessert. Once I told her that I wasn’t interested in dessert, the questions began again.
“You down here by yourself, or is your wife or girlfriend going to join you later?” she asked, and I just looked at her.
Up until now, it all seemed like her just liking to talk to her guests, but now I got the feeling that she was trying to pick me up. Agnes wasn’t a bad looking woman, but she was old enough to be my mother.
“No. I’m here alone and I’m not expecting anybody.”
Agnes laughed. “I bet you’re sitting there thinking, is this woman trying to come on to me?”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
“Well, I am not. However, one of my colleagues, it is she who have me carry these questions to you.”