“Two to dine tonight at eight. Mr. Strorror’s table.” Wesley said as if Stacey had his own table at Zozo’s. He did not. The guard smiled and waved Wesley through the gate. On each side of the single lane asphalt drive Caneel Bay Resort’s wide lawns were manicured to their edges, the clipping and grooming ceasing only where the rain forest refused access. Walls, made of rough hand hewn blocks of the black flecked native rock, remnants of the volcanic explosions which had created the island eons ago, and floors of grouted smooth round Ostrich egg sized river rocks, the walls stacked and the round rocks laid by slaves of the great Dutch sailing captains who had landed here centuries ago and brought the slaves to build and make function the now decaying sugarcane mill, dotted the lawns. “Look.” Stacey said. He lifted his right arm from around Mariah’s shoulders and gestured with his hand at the lawn. Small sun tanned deer, sized by their island environment, calmed by their forced closeness to people and protected by the rain forest’s merciful barrier and the lack of hunting, adorned the lawns which sloped down to Caneel Bay’s white sand beaches and the blue waters. Stacey waved his arm again, pointed and Mariah clapped her hands and said. “’the governor of the Coral Bay has come to greet me.” A large white mule stood against one of the rock walls. He twisted his long ears, raised his large head and brayed and brayed and brayed, stopped, stood still and defecated, almost baptizing a smaller gray Jenny lying beside him. “Your greeting.” “Hah! Damn Jack!” Mariah cursed. “’same as all you men.” Stacey laughed and teased. “At least he knows the place for his lady.” “Bah!” Mariah said. “’that will cost you two bottles of good wine this night.” She held up two fingers. Stacey nodded and said. “Well worth it. To see you put in place.”
12. Stacey and Mariah climbed the rock steps to the restaurant’s entrance. Zozo’s incorporated the rock motif of the sugarcane plantation. A large bar ran the length of the only floor to ceiling wall to their right. The kitchen and the wine collection were hidden behind the mirrored rows of liquor. Tuxedoed waiters and gowned waitresses flowed from behind the wall and out onto the concrete dining room floor carrying bottles of wine, carafes and white linen cloths folded over their left forearms. They carried the wine and the carafes to the tables pinched against the thigh high rock walls which formed the remaining four sides of Zozo’s. Columns rose from these short walls and supported the thatched roof above. The restaurant was open except for its roof and the bar. Away from the low walls which allowed the diners to stare out into Caneel Bay and beyond less desirable tables were crammed across the concrete floor. The maitre’d greeted Stacey and Mariah. “Daniela will seat you. Enjoy.” An attractive young Colombian woman smiled at them and said. “This way.” She led them to one of the tables against the short rock wall. “Carlos will take care of you tonight.” “’gracias, Daniela.” Mariah rolled the words across her lips and Daniela smiled, again, recognizing that this was a natural tongue for Mariah. Carlos immediately stepped forward and slid the heavy chair back for Mariah to be seated. She sat, happy. He unfolded her linen napkin and laid it in her lap. Stacey slid into the chair across from Mariah and Carlos unfolded and handed his linen napkin to him. The sun was setting beyond the islands across the bay, splaying out great reefs of wild magenta and pink flyers. For a moment Daniela, Carlos, Mariah and Stacey watched the sunset, held by its colors, its contrasts of light and dark, its galleons filled with clouds which floated across the frescos in the darkening sky. Then Daniela left and Carlos asked. “Will you be having wine tonight?” “Yes.” Stacey answered. “Bring us a bottle of Calena Alta.” “Ah! Yes. The Malbec.” Carlos concurred with the choice. He lifted the smaller white wine glasses from in front of Stacey and Mariah and shifted the larger tender stemmed Riedel Vinum Cabernet/Bordeaux glasses and aligned one in front of Stacey’s right shoulder and one in front of Mariah’s right shoulder. Mariah caught Stacey’s attention and stink eyed him. He rolled his eyes, touched Carlos’ sleeve before he could leave and said. “And please have a second bottle ready for us.” Carlos smiled and nodded. Mariah flushed with satisfaction and studied the fading sunset which was dyeing the Caribbean sky above the bay. “You just cost me close to two hundred dollars.” Stacey said. “’good.” Mariah said. “’that is good. ‘you should spend on me not on this woman of your fancy. ‘who she be anyway? Huh?” Carlos returned with the first bottle of wine and his removing and presenting the cork to Stacey, pouring a taste of the wine into Stacey’s glass, Stacey swirling the wine, smelling and tasting it, nodding his approval to Carlos who decanted the rich red wine into the crystal carafe, picked up the carafe and filled Mariah’s glass first just above the midway point before he poured the same into Stacey’s glass saved Stacey from answering Mariah’s inquiry. Carlos set the carafe in the center of the table and asked. “Do you wish to order?” Stacey looked at Mariah who said. “I wish the Osso Buco.” “Excellent choice with the Calena Malbec.” Carlos said. “It comes with saffron risotto and prosciutto wrapped asparagus.” “Yes. ‘that, too.” Mariah said. She folded her hands in her lap. “You know that’s veal shank.” Stacey said. He doubted she had eaten veal in her life. “’you should try it.” Mariah said. Stacey looked up at Carlos, who grinned, enjoying Mariah’s boldness. Stacey massaged his bottom lip with his top teeth and shrugged. “Yes. I should try that, too, Carlos. Thank you.” “Very good, sir.” Carlos said and disappeared. “Have you eaten veal?” Stacey asked. “’why? ‘cost too much for you for Mariah to eat veal?” She demanded.
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