Our Time On Land

​After our first day at the Airbnb, when we invited almost everyone we knew in Grenada, we spent the next day by ourselves. It was fairly quiet which is something I’m not used to. There is always noise on a boat. Either there are waves or other boats but there will always be something keeping you from total silence. Well, you can never have true silence. In the house we had insects and AC to keep the volume.  That’s about as silent as you can be.
We all just spent the day in our respective rooms establishing a routine for the following week. Starting that morning I would wake up a little later than I would on the boat (no chores, so I got to be free for a reprieve!).  After having whatever my parents had laid out for breakfast, I would go to my room and not emerge until lunch. During that time, I would do school.
Recently we have been very social people.  So, even though I wouldn’t see the other teenagers until Cameron’s birthday, I did see the adults that have been my parent’s friends in recent months…Kate, Curt, Mandy, and Joe. You’d think I’d lock myself in my room like most kids my age but, admittedly, I did for a time but I did emerge to play a few games.
There are some games that we always play when we can or actually just one in particular: Pit. Pit is my favorite game; it helps that I’m not absolutely dreadful at it. I can hold my own among almost anyone, even when they are competitive adults like the ones I was playing against that night. The goal is to earn 200 points by successfully trading commodities in “the pit” to create a set of nine (you would know what I’m talking about if you have played this game).  In the end, I was the one who emerged victorious. Not to brag…well, maybe a little.
Afterwards, even though it was late and I definitely should have been heading to bed, we continued our game night with a game Kate and Curt brought called Catchphrase. Catchphrase is one of the easiest games to understand.  It’s just a verbal charade. The only rule: don’t say any of the words in the statement you are given. We played this game so much and over so many rounds that I don’t know who truly won because we kept switching the teams.
Eventually everyone was kicked out and it was just our very sleepy family. Of course, even though it was midnight, I wasn’t allowed to sleep in.
Our newly minted routine continued and by noon I was free of school. This meant one thing, I would be going back to Port Louis. Having previously made cookies as a gift to Cameron on his 16th birthday, I was prepared to celebrate with my friends.
The plan was that I’d travel with my mom to the marina, I would go to find the kids (wherever they were) and she can check on the boat. She would finish her responsibilities and return to the house, whereas, I would spend the rest of the day with the Port Louis Posse. From there I would spend the night on Dorothy Rose and catch a taxi midday to go back to the house. Is it complicated logistics so I could go to a birthday party? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes.
We didn’t do much out of the ordinary. The only difference was that the parents supplied special treats and some kids brought gifts. Otherwise, it was completely ordinary. We watched a movie, swam (for all of thirty minutes before the pool closed), played some games, and listened to music. Yet, it was something I wouldn’t have missed because it was thoroughly entertaining. Or at least it was more fun than being in my room, reading to myself. Though I am perfectly content to do that, too.

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