Mañana - A Better Day

"Wahaha! I wouldn't call that a house!" Sean bellowed with laughter.

"Well he said it was a beach house." Emily mumbled.

"He's never there when he's sober! He doesn't even know what it looks like!" Sean said loudly, "If he can find it wasted, you can find it sober. Just go out of the door and take a right. You'll go past two or three stores until you find a dirt road on your right. Follow that road to the north shore of the island. His house is right at the end of the road."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Emily shrugged, "Oh and where's this notice board he was talking about to find a job?"

Jim and Sean laughed loudly. Jim beat his fist on the bar and flipped his hat off.

"Oh come on hon! We gotta get you moved in first. You're obviously not familiar with Isle De Margarita's mentality yet!" Sean said proudly.

"And what's that?" Emily asked.

"Life's a waste of time, time's a waste of life so let's all get wasted and have the time of our life!" Sean howled happily.

"Isn't that something one of those foreign comedians made, some Scotsman." Emily said.

"Pfff! Like that Scotsman could've come up with something like that! I made it and he took it from me!" Sean said, hitting himself on the chest with a fist.

"Don't get him started on the Scottish." Jim advised, "I'll show you the road."

He walked past Emily and out the door, carrying his beer glass with him. Emily turned on her heel and followed him out the door.

"So what you think?" Jim asked.

"Of the island? Seems paradise." Emily said.

"But you're not sure yet?" Jim anticipated.

"Nope. Sounds like a lot of work. I mean isn't sea air caustic to metal and such? How do you keep things like high-tech wind mills working?" Emily asked.

"We've got mechanics who moved here to the island. Two or three guys who just spend their days wandering around the island keeping the electricity running. We've got to have something to run the blenders and the freezer." Jim chuckled.

"You're as bad as Leo when it comes to priorities." Emily scoffed.

"Man he really didn't get that much of the city beaten out of you on your way here. I think we'll throw a party tonight and get rid of the rest of it." Jim said matter-of-factly.

"Confident aren't you?" Emily asked.

"Unless you're a world-class drinker, a party on this island will leave you dazed and confused at best when you wake up the next morning. We've had parties that go for days that will drink the bar out of booze." Jim said, "And considering what we have hidden in the cellar of that bar, it's an impressive feat."

"You have a cellar too? Of course you do, you're the guy who had enough money to buy an island from Fidel fucking Castro." Emily said, throwing her arms up.

"Oh come now. Castro wasn't that bad. He was happy that some Americans wanted to make a purchase that would inquire extensive tourism. He likes anything that brings in money and the American dollar is really worth something." Jim chuckled, "And he's not a half bad drinker too."

"You had a drink with Castro?" Emily said flatly.

"You don't just buy an island for millions and not talk to the guy." Jim said, "Nah, I don't have anything against the guy. Alright. If you just follow this road for a few miles, probably two or three hours walk, you'll find his house."

"Alright." Emily sighed.

"Hey Emily." Jim said.

"Yea?" She groaned, turning to him.

"Let it all go. If you don't it'll eat you away from the inside and you won't be able to enjoy paradise." Jim advised.

"I'll try. I feel happier than when I was on the plane, it's just the more I see of this island the less it seems real. I can't help but be a cynic." Emily shrugged.

"Uh-huh." Jim grunted, "Have a good day Emily."

Emily nodded and started to walk down the dirt road. It seemed to go uphill slightly and was only a few feet wide. She couldn't see a vehicle of any size being able to fit down this path. It barely looked wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The colorful green underbrush and bushes covered the ground all over and trees grew high around her. She could see coconuts and bunches of green bananas growing on them. It took her a moment to realize that some of the plants on the ground had pineapples growing on them.

"Huh. Always thought those grew on trees." Emily said, looking at a pineapple as she walked, "I should really figure out how to loosen up."

*******

The three hours of walking on that soft dirt path in bare feet helped her loosen up. The dirt wasn't hard on her feet and it had been very peaceful. She had passed only one person as she walked, a young woman with long black hair and a very nervous look about her. Half her face was hidden by that hair and she barely looked up as Emily walked by. She was wearing a long white skirt and a green shirt. Emily had said hi to her but the girl had just hurried past.

The road ended right at a beach, just turning sandy and merging with the white sand of the beach. She looked to her left and saw a building set back up at the treeline. She started to pick up the pace, eager to see her new home. However what she saw made her face fall.

Her thoughts of a beach home had been a grand house with great huge windows and a beautiful big patio. Soft carpets and lush furniture. A nice big bedroom and a wonderful bathroom.

Instead she was staring at a small shack about twenty feet across. It was built under the shade of a dozen palm trees and had the usual shingle roof. The front had a short porch on it that stretched the width of the small house. A large window filled half the front wall, only the window was the same screen that the bar had. The front door was simply a doorway with a colorful curtain hanging in the way. She stepped up the single stair and onto the porch. Poking her head through the curtain, her face only grew worse.

The inside was as bad as the outside. The walls were bare with exception to a single fishing pole and one stuffed fish. There wasn't another window in the entire house, which was easy enough to see since there were no walls. A single worn old couch sat against one wall across from the front window. A table and a chair sat next to the couch. A hammock swung lazily on the side of the hut without a window. Next to the hammock was a single three drawer dresser with a few nick-knacks on top of it. A chest, literally a treasure-chest, sat opposite the dresser. A large iron lock held the chest closed.

A thick but shoddy rug covered most of the floor, made of the most gaudy red fabric. The floor of the shack was smooth, worn wood flooring. There was no refrigerator or bathroom in sight. She groaned and kicked the side of the couch.

"I knew it. That tricky son of a bitch, I just knew it! He brings me here, promises me happiness and sticks me in a...a sea shack!" Emily yelled, flopping down on the couch, which immediately sank to the floor under any weight at all.

She bit her thumb and stared out the screen-window across from her. She could see the beach and the ocean splashing on the shore. As she thought about her previous life and the change to this one, maybe she could become accustom to this. It gave her the chance to do what she always wanted and in all reality this hut wasn't much worse than her dirty old apartment. At least this hut was completely free.

Heaving herself off the couch, she looked over the old table and walked to the dresser. She found it empty. The hammock ropes creaked as it moved softly in the gentle breeze that blew through the screen-window. Only a scratchy old blanket sat on the hammock. If it got cold here she would have no protection from the weather.

Kneeling down in front of the chest, she tried the lid. The lock held it tight. She messed with the lock a bit. It was heavy iron and didn't budge much at all. Whatever was in that chest was beyond her reach without a key or a sledge-hammer. She turned around and sat down on the rounded lid to the chest. Rubbing her face, she sighed and looked at the hammock. Maybe this life could work for her.

Just maybe.

*******

CHAPTER 4 - STRANDED ON A SANDBAR

Emily yawned and stretched. She had spent the day before wandering around the hut and the beach. She tied her shirt, rolled her pants up and lazed in the sun on the beach. As it started to get dark she headed back into the hut and fell asleep on the hammock in the warm ocean air, listening to the waves splash on the shore.

Now she was lying in the hammock, the blanket across her lap. It had been surprisingly comfortable. She turned over slowly, starting to get the hang of sleeping in a hammock. The sun was starting to shine across the beach and Emily carefully rolled out of the hammock. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head. Something about waking up on this warm island made her feel wonderful. All of her worries and pains from yesterday were almost completely gone.

"What a nice morning." Emily sighed, looking out the screen-covered window.

The ocean was clear and splashing happily on the shore. Emily hadn't done much other than just walk up to her knees in it because all she had for clothes was what she was wearing. She turned and walked through the curtain, stepping down onto the soft sand.

"You know...where is that scooter he had mentioned?" Emily asked as she walked around the hut.

She found it sitting against the back wall of the hut. It looked like a little 50cc scooter. It's paint was peeling and there were buts of rust on it. The tires were full and she found some gas in the tank. There was no ignition on the scooter, just a pull cord. She rolled it out to the dirt road and got a better look at it in the sun. The engine was in good condition and it looked like it hadn't been used in a few weeks. It was mostly made of painted tube steel with small tires and some bare metal handles. The seat was a worn old leather that looked like it might fit two people, although she didn't think the scooter could take two people.

She turned the choke and pulled the start cord. It coughed and started to run. It was a quiet little engine that seemed to burn clean. She sat down on it and found the scooter solid and able to hold her. She pushed the thumb throttle and it took off quicker than she thought it would. Wind whipped her short hair around as the scooter zipped along happily, buzzing as it took her down the road. She figured it might go five or ten miles an hour, but it felt like the scooter was going twenty or thirty. She let up and it slowed down a bit.

"Finally he wasn't lying about something." Emily giggled as she scooted down the road.

It didn't take a lot of time for her to drive into town. She puttered over to the bar and parked it. She found a rusted kick stand and put it out to hold up the scooter.

"I see you found Leo's old scooter." Jim said as she walked into the bar.

"Yea, finally something he didn't lie about. Although I'm gonna need to fix it up a bit. I imagine that bare metal will rust a lot in the ocean air. Need to find some fresh paint or something." Emily sighed ad she sat down at the bar, "Damn I'm hungry, you got something for breakfast?"

"We got taters, eggs, fish, pickles and liquor. What do you want?" Sean asked, walking around the bar to her.

"Just fry a couple of eggs and cook some hash browns." Emily said.

"One old fashion." Sean said over his shoulder.

It was then Emily noticed the wiry young woman standing in front of the stove facing the other way. She was the same black-haired girl that Emily had passed on her way here. She didn't turn around when Sean said that, instead she just opened the fridge, got out a pair of eggs and started to cut up some potatoes.

"Hey, I saw you on my way to Leo's hut." Emily said, pointing at the dark haired girl.

The girl mumbled something quietly and continued working with the food.

"Sorry, my little girl's as shy as a sheep in a wolf's den. Her name's Jo O'Brannigan." Sean said, putting a hand on her shoulder and kissing her on the back of her head, "And she's the light of my life."

Jo turned around and waved gently to Emily, "Hi."

Everyone looked at her in surprise as she turned around quickly, intent on the food she was cooking.

"She must like you. She doesn't ever say anything to anyone but Sean." Jim said.

"So Leo told me to find you and your girl...um...I forgot her name. He said you two could help me get some new clothes." Emily said.

"Oh yea, Desdemona runs the little clothing shop across the way there. Just go tell her you're new to the island and she'll give you a good price." Jim said, "Get you into a cute little bikini."

"What? No, I just want some shorts." Emily blushed and shook her head, "I don't...I don't look good in bikinis."

"Oh well whatever." Jim shrugged, "I think you'd be pretty sexy in one."

"Here..." Jo mumbled quietly as she set a plate on the counter.

"Now I'm surprised. That's the most I've ever heard her say in the bar." Sean said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the back counter.

"Mmm! Hey! This is really good." Emily said as she took another bite of the potatoes.

"Yea, Jo's our chef. Probably the best cook on the island." Sean said, "Too bad her mom's not still around. Her mom was great cook too."

"Oh? What happened?" Emily asked.

"Her mom ran back to the states. Didn't like the island life or something. But apparently she didn't care enough about Jo to take her, not that I would've let her anyway." Sean said.

"Not exactly how I remember it. She said she was going back to the states and was going to take Jo with her but you screamed loud enough to try and take the bar down around your heads." Jim chuckled, "If I remember right, she more ran away in terror than anything."

"Well whatever. If she really loved Jo, she would've stayed here." Sean grunted.

Emily quietly finished her meal and looked up at Sean.

"On the house. Anyone who can get Jo to talk needs to come back more often." Sean smiled.

"Alright, well I'm gonna go talk to Desdemona." Emily said, rubbing her hands together.

"Think I'll come with." Jim said with a smile.

"Jim, you're not going to peek at the new girl." Sean said, grabbing Jim's shoulder.

"Oh come on, have you seen that ass?" Jim hissed at Sean as Emily walked out the door.

"Stay." Sean sighed.

Emily blushed as she walked away from the bar. She had heard Jim's comment and she had never had a man comment on her body like that. Nobody had ever really had an interest in her small-breasted, flat-hipped thin body. The closest thing to a man hitting on her she ever had was creepy Ceo's son back at her old job.

She spotted the clothing store pretty easily, it being a building with two large open windows and a lot of clothing racks inside. Emily walked through the beads that made a front door and a girl looked up from the register. She was a tall woman, head and shoulders over Emily's small stature. She had waist long brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and tanned skin. However what made Emily stare was her breasts. She was only wearing a purple bikini top that barely held back her enormous chest, one that had to be at least a D cup. She stepped around the counter and Emily groaned. Her body was completely perfect, tanned from head to toe. She had luscious full hips and was wearing a pair of tan hot pants, which the purple bikini bottom could be seen poking out the top of. Her stomach was smooth and her entire body seemed to emanate sexuality. It was girls like this that made Emily wonder if she was bisexual because of how hot they looked to her.

"You must be Emily. Jim told me about you." Desdemona said with a smile.

"B...Boobs..." Emily stuttered, still staring at Desdemona.

"Oh? You like 'em? Biggest on the island. Trust me, I've measured." Desdemona smiled, putting her hands on her breasts, "You're not too bad yourself. Grow out that blonde hair...get a nice tan...you could really be sexy. You could have a real cute teenage thing going on. If only your boobs were a bit bigger. How old are you? Nineteen?"

"I'm...I'm not a kid! I'm in my twenties!" Emily squeaked.

"Really? Well you feel about eighteen or nineteen." Desdemona said, rubbing Emily's small breasts.

"Hey!" Emily squealed, stepping back and covering her chest.

"Hang on a second...oooh there's the age. Now I see it. Twenty-five, twenty-six maybe." Desdemona said as she grabbed Emily's ass in both hands.

Emily blushed as Desdemona's breasts pressed against her face. As Desdemona's hands explored her ass further, she pushed Desdemona away and put her hands on her butt.

"How...how can you tell how old someone is from feeling their butt!" Emily yelled, "You're just a perv trying to touch me!"

"Oh come on newbie, loosen up. With a cute little bod like yours you're gonna have a dozen guys and gals trying to fuck you at our first party. I'm just messing with you." Desdemona giggled, "I thought we had a good trade, I mean you got a face full of what you wanted, didn't ya?"

She was rubbing her breasts together as she smiled.

"I...uh...I mean..." Emily stumbled over her words.

"Or maybe you want a better feel?" Desdemona asked, pulling up her bikini top to expose her large breasts.

Emily stared open mouthed at the enormous bosoms, marveling at the smooth beauty of her well tanned skin. Her nipples were large and beautifully pink. Emily shook her head and looked at Desdemona's face, remembering that Leo had called her 'Jim's girl'.

"I just need some clothes!" Emily squeaked, her face still blushing.

"Aww...don't wanna play with me?" Desdemona sighed.

"Well Leo said you were with Jim." Emily said, pointing over her shoulder towards the bar.

"Oh ho! Leo never told you the unspoken rule of Isle De Margarita!" Desdemona laughed.

"What's that?" Emily asked.

"Monogamy sucks!" Desdemona exclaimed.

"What?" Emily said flatly.

"Monogamy sucks. Everyone here on the island just has sex with whoever they want. We're all friends. Nobody really tries for private relationships around here." Desdemona said, "He just said I was Jim's girl because I'm his sister!"

"Oh...huh...he made it sound kinda like you two were together." Emily shrugged.

"Well we do fuck. But it's all just in good fun." Desdemona said nonchalantly.

"He's your brother and you have sex with him?" Emily asked in surprise.

"Oh come on. It's not like we're trying to have kids or anything. It's just sex." Desdemona sighed, putting her hands behind her head as she walked away.

Emily stared at Desdemona's ass as she walked away. It almost seemed to call out to her with every step.

"Well pick out some clothes. I got boxes in the back if you don't find something you like." Desdemona said, sitting back down at the counter.

"Okay." Emily said, turning to a rack of shorts.

Ten minutes later, she had picked out a few shorts, shirts and two bikinis. Everything seemed to be small and almost immodest. The longest shorts she had found were only a few inches below her crotch and the bikinis were all tiny cut G-strings. Luckily enough Desdemona did have some nice hip-skirts that she could wear over the bottom of the bikini. She didn't even have any panties or underwear in the store.

"Doesn't anyone wear underwear?" Emily asked as she went into the changing room.

"Nah. We live on an island. Everyone where's bikinis or nothing at all underneath. I could order some underwear if it matters that much to you." Desdemona said.

"I'm okay." Emily said as she took off her old clothes, "Although where do you do laundry at?"

"One of the ladies here in town runs a little laundromat. Give her a dollar or two and leave your clothes with her for a day or two." Desdemona said, walking over to the dressing room.

Emily pulled on the white bikini bottom and looked at it in the mirror. The front was cut low enough that she would really need to keep herself shaven. She could see her blonde pubes clearly when the G-string was pulled all the way up. It barely covered her nether region and it didn't cover her ass at all.