Think Pink

Chapter 3

Chapter 3Selene walked out of the Key West airport with a smile on her face. The sun was just starting its descent below the watery horizon. The air was thick with humidity, so different from the low October temperatures back in Toronto. It was hard to believe that twenty-four hours ago, she’d needed a scarf. Now her jeans were tight and thick with heat, and she felt as if her black V-neck shirt was sticking to her back from all the sweat.

It was hard to believe that she’d thrown up into a pink gift bag just that morning, too.

Now all she felt was delight. Freedom. Vacation. She stood for a long time simply breathing in the salty air and listening to the sounds of foot traffic and the ocean—because that was the ocean all around her—and just existing in this milieu before she remembered she had a hotel to get to. She had no plans for the day, since the law conference was starting their presentations tomorrow, but she had vague plans on meeting up with her old friend, Jill, from law school.

Selene glimpsed her phone as a taxi painted in coral blue pulled up to her along the airport sidewalk.

“Do you need a ride?”

“Yes. To the Chelsea Hotel,” she said.

“I know it.”

The man helped her put her suitcase in the back and then closed her door for her. He made small talk as he pulled out of the airport lot and drove down the one main highway that ran through all of the Keys. Selene made some small talk back, affirming that she was meeting a friend for dinner so he didn’t get the impression she was travelling alone. All her caution proved fruitless. Her driver was harmless. Truly. Everyone she’d run into so far—from the security guards in Toronto to the flight attendants on board—was so wonderful. Her seatmate had pretty much slept through the entire flight, too, so Selene even had a chance to get through a lot of Stella and her groove. The book wasn’t exactly her thing, but she appreciated having something to focus on until she arrived.

There was so much to look at during the drive. Apparently, her hotel was at the far end of the Keys, almost at mile zero. “Mile zero?” she asked, finally stumbling onto something the cabbie said as interesting beyond talk of the weather and tourism.

“Yes. It’s the furthest point in the US. There’s a big marker for it where you can do the tourist stuff. It can be fun. You can swim there, too, if you’re up for it. Though I do not recommend going to Cuba that way.” He winked.

“Don’t worry. I’m good.” Selene remembered the gift card for the clothing store. Maybe if they sold bathing suits, she’d get one. She had packed an older black one she’d had since law school. It didn’t exactly make her feel sexy, but when did swimsuits do that?

“Yes, there is all kinds of stuff here,” the cabbie went on. “But since Fantasy Fest has just stopped, many of the shops might be closing. Off season very soon.”

“I know. That’s…something to keep in mind.” Selene took out her phone and tried to Google the hours of the store for her certificate. It would be just her luck that they would shut down the moment she arrived. When she had trouble getting a signal, she gave up on the task and looked back out at the many numerous pastel-covered buildings. There was hardly a logo or design she recognized; almost everything here was a Mom and Pop place of one independent business type of another. There were a lot of crafty signs and ornate facades. And puns. There were a lot of puns in almost every single store title, and yes, so many of them had to do with Keys.

“Huh,” she said aloud. “Gil was right.”

“You see someplace you want to go?”

“Not right now. But…Wait.” Selene had been about to ask about the See Shell bar when the cabbie drove by a house with a manatee in its front yard.

Wait. A manatee? Did she really see that? She was about to ask when she spotted another one. This one was purple and stood up on its fins. It was holding something in its mouth, but they’d passed by it so fast she still had no clue. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

“The manatees? I keep seeing them. There’s a pink one!” She let out a loud cry as they passed another house with a manatee on its front lawn. It was holding a box. The next one she saw was a set of two of them, a mother and a baby manatee, both holding the same boxes. She let out a squeal of delight—a legitimate squeal she could not control—before she understood what it all meant. “Oh. That’s for mail. Isn’t it?”

“Oh, right!” The cabbie chuckled. “Yes, some people have manatee mailboxes. I see them so often, I forgot.”

“That’s just so…darling. I just can’t…Oh, wow! Another!”

This one was blue. The next house had both manatees and mermaids holding up their mailbox. Selene was practically giddy now. She had no idea why this, among all the other glorious things she was seeing in the cab ride over, was enchanting her so much.

But it was. Soon her phone was up to the window, ready to capture the next couple she saw. By the time she got one that wasn’t blurry on her phone, the cabby had pulled into her hotel.

“Here you are,” he announced before he got out and helped her with her bags. She paid him in cash before she wheeled into the lobby, still so excited at the numerous pastel and multicolored friends she’d met along the way. While she waited behind one couple to check in, her phone signal came back strong. She sent the image of the manatee to Eileen along with a brief message.

Got here safely. And look? Isn’t this amazing?!

I am glad you’re safe, she wrote back a moment later. And that is sweet. But focus, girl. You only have seven days. And if all I see when you get back are pink manatees on your phone, we are going to have a talk.

Selene sighed. She didn’t want to feel chastised about her sudden thrill of finding what was still the cutest thing ever, but she did. She sent Eileen a quick follow-up text saying that she would, of course, have as much fun as she could. Then she powered her phone down. No more browsing, no more texting.

Now that she was here, she truly wanted to be here.

“Welcome to the Chelsea Inn,” the woman behind the counter said. She gave Selene her room keys and guided her towards a door that entered into the pool area. All the rooms were built around the impressive in-ground pool and lounge; several had balconies that looked out onto the chairs and breakfast nook. “Is there another person I should give this additional key to? Perhaps someone coming for the morning?”

“Oh. Right.” Selene had forgotten that in her haste to find a room that was actually free this week, she’d booked a double room. It had pretty much been the same rate as a room with a queen mattress, so she’d not thought about it afterwards.

Now she felt a little strange. “Maybe. Can I get it later?”

“Sure.” The woman made a note in her file. She then rattled off the breakfast times, the turnover service, and all the other touristy stuff before she finished with, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Selene was about to say no, but then remembered the bar. She’d never asked the cabbie about it. “Do you know where the See Shell bar is? I don’t think I’ll go tonight, but I was wondering—”

“Oh, that place is lovely! So quaint.” The woman opened one of her drawers and took out a small map. She circled a large square area that was labeled Duval Street. “The See Shell Bar is right here.”

“Thank you.” Selene noted the numerous other places at the end of the map that she’d read about or heard about firsthand from the cabby. Mile Zero. Jimmy Buffet’s Parrothead paradise. Ernest Hemingway’s House. Tennessee Williams’ Museum. In addition to the See Shell, Duval Street seemed to be populated with all the bars, drag clubs, and queer areas that she was looking forward to the most. She also noted the clothing store from her certificate smack in the middle of everything else. “This is perfect.”

“Enjoy your stay!”

Selene walked up an ornate set of stairs to her room on the fourth level. She unlocked the door and was soon overwhelmed by the opulence of the room. She’d not been expecting much, but the additional bed gave her some additional room. She set her suitcase down on it and then wandered back to her shower. She smelled each one of the individual soaps, and then ran her hand under the water. It smelled like the outside, which smelled so much like the ocean it made her ache.

She wandered to the balcony and looked out. The sun had just started to set behind the horizon. It was almost night now and she could hear the party goers on her block getting ready to explore. Several people in the units across from hers walked down their set of stairs and through the wrought iron gating to the pool. A bachelorette party, maybe something else, but they were all together, all laughing and having fun. Selene watched them for a moment before she looked up at the night sky. A sliver of the moon was visible, and she smiled at it like an old friend.

Her vacation had truly begun.