It is at last I write, sitting in my perch, tonight, the window seat of my office/bedroom, gladly looking out my stationary window, the rain gently showering, the street below my window sill, for a city, surprisingly quiet, outside of the tinkle of steady drops of rain, glistening upon my window, floor to ceiling, and like stars, sparkling against the screen..
My antisapation of my up coming journey, the crew and i, to florida, by air.. departing early, too early for words, we three, packing mentally, as madeline has already, completely packed, like grandma root who packed and unpacked , for a month before this same trip, for a few great years, to ft.lauderdale..
My title of this, reminds me of when i was quiet small, we'd moved to the city, Manhattan, from Pound Ridge, and my sister and i made a little stage in our room and sang the song to my mom, who was leaving to go to Bequia, i believe, and it was a popular song on the radio. she was going to spend 2 weeks there, to recoup from major surgery, the loss of her ovaries, due to cancer.That crazy woman came back 2 weeks later and said to two little girls how would you like to move to the west indies, where the stars are so bright, you can reach up and touch them.. and we said gleefully, "Yes mommy, we'd love to!" we packed up, sold things and moved to Bequia, for 6 months, and stayed 3 years!!!
Two little white girls, and what mom came to be know as, a bit later, the white Queen. We, at first, stayed at Friendship bay Inn, a most beautiful hotel, owned by stan young and his brother, they were from england, my mom had befriended or vis versa, stan during her honeymoon with Gleb, my father. My mother made friends, and developed friendships like none other. The hotel was massive, elegant, remote, hovering over the bay, and beach. I can remember many things about that first 6 months like it was yesterday, I was nearly 8, at the time, i remember our first christmas there, we'd moved from a hotel room to a cottage, style room, and i even think we had a tree, outside, the only gift i remember was a tiny radio, that had little ear buds, if u will, for those days. and ten days later i would turn 8. another birthday, i don't remember.
One morning, at breakfast in the sprawling dining room, the server, taking our order, and the wall of windows over looking the bay, sunny, an empty room but for us, and the bequian girl said after some incredibly long wait for OJ, after my mom inquired how long it would be, "Soon come" the standard answer for anything in Bequia, which basically meant, when ever its ready, or whenever period. another time at a luncheon in that same dining room, nearer to the floor to ceiling, wall of windows, a long set of tables, dining on turtle soup, a broth.
I remember one of many days on the beach that first six months, not long there, my mother had made many friends, Pam and Nick, Holly Ford, and Rusty Ford, and family, Tiare and Lee Austin, and their wild boys, about our ages, Winnie and Peter, the boys still friends of mine to this day, Jimmy Carvel and his lover Sandy Meisner.. a famed acting instructor, and booloo, and let me not for get christina miller, the young 20 yr old that arrived on her 100 foot black baltic trader from denmark, having captained the ship to Bequia with 2 young men, her crew. we had been embraced by all these people, and at 8 so impressionable, can remember all being so mad about Nick, I swore if i ever had a son, i'd name him nick, of course i had a son, but didn't name him nick after all.. but at that moment, walking along the shore, i knew i'd have a son one day..
Six months later, no way did my mother want to move back, state side, and so looked for a place to rent, found on the top of the center of the island, the Gap, where the road split in a "Y" left to friendship bay, and right to pageant farm. and we prepared for life as island girls, and registered for school, went to a seamstress to make our school uniforms, green skirts, and white shirts, and proper shoes, the private, one room (seventh day adventist) school, built of cinder blocks that didn't meet the galvanized roof, divided by two huge free standing black boards, 3 teachers, and grades, i was placed i believe in 5th grade, next to the first graders on my side of the black board, Miss Jarvis was the teacher, eugenia was on the other side. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.. their was an out house for a bathroom. we walked with the other island children to school down the winding narrow, one way often, road. On our walks back from school, we'd pick guavas or mangoes, and sometimes broke off these orange vines called love vines, and if we threw it over an un-strangled bush, and it grew, our love was true.. so sweet huh?
we spent endless time on the beach, princess Margret, beach comes to mind, named after some princess from Denmark, i believe, that had been there once, we went sailing, hanging out at the frangipani hotel, watching mom hang with her friends, we went to many a party, mom took us everywhere, maybe because she had too, i don't know, or maybe they all wanted us there.
there are so many vinyets to share about each of the above persons, i could write a story about each of them, and remember it well indeed i do.. and will tell you sometime down the road, about them..This comes to mind only as i brace for myself this trip to florida, as my mom continued to visit Bequia, over the last 10-15 years.. and when passing through, to there, would stay with us, in ft.lauderdale. on exactly this same flight hour, 7am, she'd have to get up at 4am, as we will be, and had a 12 hour day of travel, quiet something for a woman, who at this point, had a colostomy.. and it's mishaps, a burden to travel.. much less the long day, more difficult with out a ready bathroom.. she certainly had courage, no one can deny that.. one might have forgotten but not me.. i always knew..mom..
and i do wonder how this adventure will pan out, over the christmas break, new years, i have no plans for, or worse my dreaded birthday, and Madelines.. not that i dread my birthday, just, was never a day i wanted to remember, and often can not even recall, , it has always been a disappointment, I put too much hope into one pathetic day. anticipating something nice, that never happened. so this year, i plan on doing nothing and let what may be, be.
i've always made a fuss over Madeline's so she would not grow up as i had, with a b-day 9 days after christmas, with the one lone gift under a christmas tree, waiting, taunting me, for all those days to pass.
Off i go to the wild blue yonder, the sunshine state, where some shows are lined up, one pending confirmation, and many other business things to take care of, it will be productive.. and i'm praying for some creative time to write.. heck i'm just gonna make time..see friends. and embrace what will be..
And to Bequia, where i'd hoped to be this christmas, to take mom's ashes, i will not be .. in person, but promise, weather permitting, i might sit on a beach for new years and think of mom and Tereasa, another of moms friends from there, make a toast to the stars, that shown so brightly, i could touch..
with all my love, to my readers near and far
may this holiday season bring you great joy in simple things, like the stars and star like things..
expect a miracle.. i do.
Andrea and crew
here are a few links that will help to see Bequia, hear the song and inform u of sandy M
http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=bequia+island&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=hkkOTaKkO5P2tgPx-pnSAg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEEQsAQwAg&biw=1224&bih=631
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDV6x4nIEhw&NR=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meisner_technique
i'm sorry u will have to copy and past links.. well worth it though..
http://bequiablog.com/
ah some one looked from bequia, getting round the world!!
