Mañana - A Better Day

"Seriously?" Emily asked flatly.

"No joke and I kept that job longer than the rest. It actually wasn't that bad. I worked from sun down to sun rise and got to see some of the cool things that only happen at night." The Captain shrugged.

"So why did you want to tell me this story?" Emily asked, "Trying to get me to take pride in my work?"

"Nah. I'm trying to tell you to be happy with what you do. No matter what you do in life, it's not like you can't inject a little music into it and make it better! Music makes everything better. You should see the band that plays down at the Margarita bar." The Captain smiled, "Steel drums, Ukuleles, guitars and beautiful women. This guy named Jim plays the Guitar and sings. Great musician."

"I suppose I could try and be a little happier with my life." Emily sighed, "I always just focus on the bad and never really have much good."

"Well you're about to have good. Isle De Margarita is a paradise that could make even the most uptight people relax and enjoy themselves." The Captain chuckled, flicking a switch, he let go of the controls and got up.

"Wait! Where're you going?" Emily asked.

"To get a beer. If anything happens, you can fly right? Just hold onto those handles and don't touch the throttle." The Captain said, pointing at the controls in front of her.

"I can't fly! Get back here!" Emily cried.

There was some rattling in the back, Emily heard some ice being dug through and then The Captain stepped back into the cockpit.

"Here, have a cold beer. I even have lime wedges if you want it." The Captain said, holding a beer out to her.

"Sorry, I don't really like beer." Emily shook her head.

"More for me then." The Captain shrugged.

He pulled out a bottle opener and cracked the top on both beers. Then he put both of them in the cup holder on his right and pulled a lime out of his pocket. A breeze of wind rocked the ship and Emily cried out.

"Hey now, keep it down. You're steppin' on my tunes." The Captain said, flicking open a knife with his right hand.

He cut the lime down the middle and into five slices. A slice when into the neck of each beer bottle and he popped one lime wedge into his mouth. He closed his eyes and laid back as the lime juices soaked over his well-worn palette.

"Here." He said, holding out the two slices left to her without even opening his eyes.

"Thanks." Emily took one of the slices.

She looked at the green fruit slice and gave it a tentative lick. An unbelievable sourness burst in her mouth and she immediately puckered her lips against it.

"Gah! How...how do you just eat these whole?" Emily gasped.

"Practice!" The Captain chuckled, flicking open the window on his right.

He tossed out the lime wedge he had sucked on and closed it again. The last lime wedge was tossed back and he gave a contented sigh. Emily gave her own another lick and started to enjoy the flavor. As sour as it was, the lime did have some delicious flavor to it.

"So Emily, what did bring you here?" The Captain said, tossing out the lime wedge before he grabbed one of his beers.

"My uncle died. I never really knew him, but mom thought he was crazy. So apparently he thought I deserved his land more than my mom. His will was delivered a while ago and I found that he left me four hundred feet of beach on Isle De Margarita as well as a key to a locker that had these sunglasses, hat and this red shirt." Emily said, pulling a corner of the shirt out of her bag.

"Ha! Leo's not dead!" The Captain laughed.

"What?" Emily looked up.

"Yea! Some would like to say ol' Leo Mcanally died, but he just went to sail a different sea." The Captain chuckled, "I bet he'll be back some day. That wryly old bastard won't give up that easily."

"You're saying even death wouldn't stop my uncle? Then why do I have his will?" Emily asked, pulling it out.

"Leo's a joker, he probably finagled his death to give you that land." The Captain chuckled, "He always talked about how his sister was too uptight about her life. I suppose he didn't want that for you."

"I didn't think Leo and Mom talked all that much. She was always angry with him and hated him over something." Emily shrugged.

The Captain pulled the lime from one of his cold beers and took a drink. He smacked his lips and put the lime back in it before putting it in the cup holder.

"I don't think your mother hated him as much as she would like to. I believe she's more jealous than anything." The Captain sighed.

"I don't think you know my mother very well then." Emily chuckled.

"Hey Emily?" The Captain said, taking another drink of beer.

"Hmm?" She looked over.

"Wanna fly the plane?" He asked.

Chapter 2 - Incommunicado

Emily was having a good time. She hadn't forgiven him for tossing her luggage in the drink, but nor would she let it ruin her time. He had let her fly the plane for a short time and it had been an exciting experience. She hadn't done much other than hold it straight and go up or down a little bit, but exciting nevertheless.

"We're getting close. Take a look out the window. You probably can't see it all that well, but I know exactly where it is." The Captain said, "It's right in front of us."

"I think I do see it. Little speck right there." Emily said.

"Right! You want a better look at it?" The Captain said.

"Sure! How?" Emily asked.

"Take off the hat and glasses." The Captain dug in a box behind his seat, "And put these on."

"Aviator goggles?" Emily asked, looking at the large clear goggles.

"Yea, you're gonna want them. We're doing about a hundred and forty right now." The Captain said, fiddling with the floor between their seats.

He twisted a small metal loop and pulled. A trap door swung upward between their seats. It lead down into the nose of the Island Hopper.

"Crawl up into the nose there and pull open the trap door. You can stick your head and shoulders out of there. All these Albatross' were military planes at one time, so that was the set up for the nose gunner." The Captain said, holding the trap door open.

"Like...I'm going to hang out of the plane?" Emily said, fitting on the goggles.

"Well the trap doors on the top, so I wouldn't say hang. But it is a nice breeze." The Captain laughed, "Here, take some binoculars too, just don't drop them."

Emily crawled down into the nose of the plane and the Captain shut the door behind her. She was left in a very dimly lit space and had to feel around to reach the nose. Two metal latches held the trap door shut and she pulled them both. It fell open and almost hit her on the head. A roaring wind filled the space and she stood up out of the trap door. Her hair snapped wildly around her as she stood up. It was a little scary at first, but Emily chanced it and stood up completely, putting her arms on the lip of the door. She could smell the salt in the air and see the beautiful blue water beneath them. Emily pulled the binoculars up to her face and looked around.

Ahead of them she could spy a tiny island that was covered in green foliage and trees. The only thing that stuck out was a small village in the center of the trees. There was a beautiful white lighthouse on the southern shore of the island and a dozen or more sailboats could be seen floating near the lighthouse in the small bay. The island itself was shaped like a thick fishing hook with the lighthouse where the barb is. The small bay inside the curve of the island held a dozen or more ships and the entire outside of the island was encircled with one long beach.

She turned and looked back at The Captain. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Emily laughed in the roaring wind and put the binoculars down by her feet. She didn't know what it was, but being out in the fresh air so high in the sky was very relaxing. After a while, Emily noticed the island was getting closer and they were getting lower. The plane's speed seemed to be slowing and she ducked down back into the nose.

Emily closed the trap door and headed back into the cockpit.

"Wild isn't it?" The Captain said, "We're almost there, so it's best you came back in here anyway."

"It's a ton of fun! I felt like I could fly!" Emily said, flopping back down in her chair.

The Captain had finished both of his beers by now and he was slowly descending towards the island.

"Have you ever landed in water before?" The Captain asked.

"I've never been on anything smaller than a jet liner before!" Emily said, "Is there something I should know?"

"Nothing other than this is going to be a lot of fun!" The Captain smiled.

"Alright." Emily nodded, "Where's my bag?"

She looked around and then up at him.

"Hey! I didn't touch it!" The Captain held up his hands innocently.

"Well I...oh, here it is." Emily said, finding it tucked down next to her seat on her left, "Sorry."

"I don't blame ya." The Captain chuckled, "Here we go!"

The nose of the plane suddenly fell and he cut the engines. The entire plane fell silent except for the whistle of wind. Emily's stomach jumped into her throat as she watched the water approach at an alarming rate. Just as Emily started to feel very afraid, The Captain pulled up and the plane leveled out just a dozen or so feet above the water.

They kept descending towards the water and the Isle De Margarita was directly in front of them. There was a sudden loud splash as the belly of the ship touched the water. They rose back in the air a touch and splashed against the surface of the water again. They skipped the surface twice more before the ship skimmed across the surface and they started to get dangerous;y close to the ships. The Captain dropped the nose completely and the plane roared loudly as the entire belly of the ship dragged on the water. They slowed down quickly and he turned the fins of the plane.

The ship curved off to the right, heading for the outside of the lighthouse. They splashed on past the very tip of the island and well out of the way of the boats. The plane slowed to a stop alongside the outside of the island and The Captain sighed.

"I never, ever get tired of that. So much fun!" The Captain said with a wide smile.

"I thought we were going to die for a moment..." Emily put a hand on her chest.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. By the way, I hope you can swim." The Captain said.

"Why?" Emily asked.

"There's no actual docks on this island. Everyone either swims to their boats, uses dinghies or can just drive their boat up on shore. Since we have neither dinghies nor a reverse gear, you're only left with one option." The Captain smiled.

"I can't do that, everything in my bag will get soaked! Plus I've got on a white shirt!" Emily said.

"Okay, I'll tell you what, change into the red shirt and I'll toss your bag out the door with a parachute when I circle back around." The Captain said, "I swear it'll land safely on the island. Man...you people need to stop coming to the islands with things that can't get wet!"

"What're you going to use as a chute?" Emily asked, stepping into the back of the plane to change her shirt.

"Can I see that shirt?" The Captain asked.

"Sure, here you go." Emily said, coming back up with the Hawaiian shirt on.

The shirt was a little big. It went well past her waste and fluttered about her like a cloak. Being only a lithe, B-cup, she didn't have anything to fill out the shirt with.

"This'll do." The Captain said, ripping the shirt in a few choice places.

"Ack! What're you doing?" Emily cried, "That was one of my favorite shirts!"

"I only ripped the bottom. You can sew it up, cut it off or just wear it like this." The Captain sighed, tying the shirt skillfully to the bag's straps, "Now when I take off, I'll circle back around and toss this right over top the Margarita Bar. You'll just have to wander up there and get it back!"

"You're not coming with me?" Emily asked.

"Nope! When you get on the island, just head towards the lighthouse. There's a dirt road from the light house that goes the entire length of the island to the other tip. It'll take you maybe an hour to walk to the middle of the island on that path." The Captain said, "Find Jim, he always hangs around the bar. Just let him know you're Leo's niece. He'll take care of ya. I've got some deliveries to do, I'll be back in a few days to see how you're getting along. Trust me, everyone on the Isle are nice people and they'll take to you as nicely as you take to them. Oh, and lose the shoes, it'll be easier to swim."

"I suppose I should thank you then." Emily said, "Though I won't for throwing my luggage over board!"

She sighed, removed her shoes and tugged her socks off. They were basic sneakers and The Captain was right, they weren't meant for swimming.

"See ya later honey." The Captain chuckled as she walked to the back of the plane, "I'll tuck your shoes into your bag for you."

The water was only a few inches under the edge of the door and Emily could see the bottom. The water was beautiful and clear. She had to admit, it was worth it.

"Hey!" The Captain yelled.

"What?" Emily asked.

"Don't forget your hat." The Captain smiled, holding it up.

"Right." Emily smiled, taking the straw hat from him.

She put the hat on her head, kept a hand on it and leapt out the door without a second thought. The water felt great and she opened her eyes underwater. She could see as far as the ocean went. She kicked her bare feet and resurfaced. Turning over onto her back, she kicked gently away from the plane. When she was about halfway across the thirty feet between the plane and the shore, the engines issued a loud cough and growl. White smoke burst from them as they started to spin up.

The water was much more shallow than she thought and her feet touched bottom rather quickly. Getting to her feet, Emily walked up the sandy white beach and looked up at the lighthouse. She couldn't tell exactly, but the tower seemed around a hundred feet tall. It was currently off, but that was to be expected during the day.

"Alhoa sistah! What is happenin?!" A tall black man said from the doorway of the lighthouse.

He was bare chested, rather thin and wore only a small pair of swim trunks. His hair was done up in short, natural dreadlocks. He had a rugged goatee and dark brown eyes. The man waved to Emily.

"Not much! New to the island, just inherited some land!" Emily said loudly, wringing the water out of the bottom of her skirt.

"Ahh! Ya be Leo's little niece are ya?" The man called, "Mah names Jimarcus. People just call me J."

"I'm guessing Leo is well known here?" Emily said, wringing out her shirt next.

"Well known? Nah!" J said, "He's one'a Margarita's makers! He helped make dis city!"

"So I'm pretty well known already and I've never even been here!" Emily laughed, "Alright then, I'ma walk into town!"

"Give ol' Jim an aloha for mah!" J called.

"Will do!" Emily waved and started up the dirt path.

Behind her, the Island Hopper soared into the sky. The Captain banked around and flew over the Eastern shore of the island. The plane seemed to be flying without a pilot as The Captain stuck his head out the back door and tossed an object out. Her white shirt inflated and carried her bag down at a reasonably slow rate. It landed somewhere in the center of the island and the Island Hopper buzzed into the distance.

Emily shook the water off her hat and readjusted it. The sun shone brightly above and she took a deep breath of fresh air. She was feeling better than she had in years. Emily finally realized how miserable she had been at her job and in her previous life.

*******

An hour later, she had walked barefoot up the soft, sandy dirt into the small village. There was no pavement, no cars and maybe ten buildings. Only two of them seemed to have businesses in them. One was the Margarita Bar and the other was a shop. People walked here and there and nearly every one of them waved or said hello to her. She walked over to the bar and headed inside. The floor was made of a soft brown wood and the bar had a nice patio on the front.

The door jingled when she walked inside. Two people sitting at the bar and one tending it all looked up at her.

"Ah! Miss, I have your bag here!" The Bartender said, holding up her brown bag from behind the counter, "Desdemona found it on the roof of her clothing store."

"Thank you. I'm really surprised at how many of you know me already." Emily said, walking over to the bar.

The Margarita Bar had three sections. The back section had the bar and a dozen stools along it. The door into the Bar was to the side of the bar. The center section was just tables and chairs. The front section of the bar had a nice wood stage with a guitar, a drum set, and a few other things. The bar had two open air windows near the front door that let in an ample amount of light. The walls around the bar were covered in, what is seemed like, was random things. Everything from a life ring to netting, to a few dozen pictures tacked about at random.

"You'll learn pretty quick that we're a tight knit community here. There's only around a hundred people who live here on the island. Actually...ah! Here we go!" The bartender plucked a picture from the wall behind the bar and handed it to her.

"This...is me?" Emily said, looking at the picture of herself, except she was maybe eight in the photo.

"Yea, Leo left that here probably ten years ago. He talked about his uptight sister and his little niece often." The Bartender said, "I'm Joseph."

Joseph had an island look to him, well tanned skin, a Cuban accent and not a hair above his neck except for his handlebar mustache. He wore torn and ragged jeans and a white apron.

"I suppose it's no good introducing myself since you all know me already. Is Jim around?" Emily asked.

"Right in front of you dear." One of the bar's patrons turned to her.

He had a baseball cap on over his wavy dirty-blonde hair. He had striking green eyes and a matching goatee and mustache. His chest was bronzed from the sun and he only wore Bermuda shorts and flip flops.

"Oh! Sorry, it just seems you're the one everyone told me to talk to. The pilot...umm...he never did tell me his name...anyway...he told me that you could show me around." Emily said.

"Haha! That smart-ass sonuva bitch!" Jim laughed loudly.

"What is it?" Emily asked, "Who was that pilot anyway?"

"That..." Jim tried to stop laughing, "That was your Uncle Leo!"

"What?!" Emily cried.

"Yea! I bet he was just playing with you the whole time!" Jim howled with laughter.

"Wait a second...damn it! He didn't pack my shoes for me!" Emily yelled angrily, looking into her bag.

"You want me to get you some clothes?" The other patron turned around.

She was wearing a purple bikini top and tan short-shorts. Her hair was blonde and curly, cut short around her head. Her breasts were rather large and barely contained by the purple top. She crossed her arms under her ample bust and gave a crooked smile.

"Let me guess, Desdemona." Emily said, pointing at her.

"You're catching on." Desdemona smiled, "Come on honey, I got a nice clothing shop."

"Good thing I've got money." Emily sighed, putting her bag on her shoulder.

"Oh don't worry about it. The shops and such are just a formality. We don't sell stuff for profit around here. Everyone helps everyone else out around here." Joseph said, "We sell stuff just high enough to make sure we can still get down to Cuba or to another island of the Bahamas to get supplies."

*******

Emily, Desdemona and Jim were walking along a dirt path to the Eastern shore of the island. Emily was carrying a new bag of clothes and wore a new pair of flip-flops. She was really getting to know the both of them rather well.

Desdemona was a girl who had grown up with a passion for space. However, that passion had been cut short when her parents passed away in a car crash. From there, she went to stay with an aunt, who also died soon after. But by that time Desdemona was old enough to be on her own. One thing led to another and somehow, after a hell of a drunken party, she ended up on a boat with a man much older than herself. She was now twenty four and that older man had been Emily's uncle Leo. They ended up back here on Isle De Margarita and Desdemona had just never left.