After his wife's death, Doc decides to complete the touring they had planned. Throughout sojourns to Nepal, the US and Brazil he questions his sexual orientation without searching for an answer. A former patient -- a teenage prostitute in Panama -- decides to return from his search of social liberty in Rome and encounters Doc's presence at a critical point in his life.
Excerpt
Bocas del Toro
He hates Mass for the dead, and even less the following nine days when the mourners are supposed to be together remembering those who had left - or were taken - because in her case, she was taken without her consent.
This time he decided not to stay and honor her memory in a Mass several years after her departure.
He asked a friend to accompany him to the Caribbean for three days.
It sounds gay, he thought, but he did not want to go alone.
There must be a church to visit and say a few prayers for her soul … a weird thought for someone who perceived himself more Jewish than Catholic … anyway, a mess out of teaching by priests in school.
After he registered at the hotel, he felt a bit strange when he did not write down her name but his travel mate’s.
The truth is that it was a friendly island, and nobody thought it was strange to see an old man walking alongside a young fellow or getting into a canoe to go around the Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama.
Who were left in the capital city? The sons and grandchildren, who seemed to approve of their dad’s trip... He always liked globetrotting.
To the old man, this trotting seemed to have the same pattern as before spending several days in the same place, getting to know it well, laughing at everyone around and at themselves while deciding to return in a few years.
When the afternoon arrived, they walked around, visited some tourist and native spots and found a local place to have dinner.
Then, on to bed because the trip had a rough start due to a storm in Panama City which forced them to arrive late and scared in Bocas.
A bit before he lost himself in sleep, he told himself “What a bitch… instead of her….” However, he was grateful for not being alone.
Well, she would have required a queen bed rather than two singles.
Also, they would have celebrated their arrival in the new temporal habitat.
There was nothing to celebrate now.
Out of habit, the old man awoke at the same time while the kid slept as during vacations. Immediately, he took a shower and shaved quickly. It was a morning ritual -- his way of declaring himself officially awake, though for nothing special. He got dressed, went down to the hotel’s small restaurant, bought coffee and sweet cakes for two, and took them to the room.
He was not aware that the routine was automatic until he
deposited the tray on the night table and went to awaken the wrapped shape in the other bed... “Shit, I almost gave him a good morning kiss!” He told himself.
It was then that he realized that she was not there. Furthermore, they were in the same hotel where they had been five years ago. Luckily, they were not in the same room.
Usually he would comment what he felt, but decided not to. He did not know if he felt shame or ridiculous.
Professional Reviews
Readers Favorite
Reviewed By Lynette Fowlston for Readers’ Favorite
The old man grieved at the loss of his wife; they had planned to take a world tour but never seemed to have time. Doc and one of his friends took the tour, but at each stop something reminded him of his wife. At times it was the scent of the country or the motel room, or the aroma of the food. Panic attacks, depression and other ailments attacked the widower. As he traveled to Napal, United States, Brazil and other countries, he looked back on their life together when they were young.
This book is full of information on the countries that Doc visits. Rome, Panama, Kathmandu and Hong Kong are just a few of the stops on his journey.
This short story is a quick and easy read. The style is narrative. I enjoyed learning about the different countries; but more than that, I basked in the love Doc had for his wife. The author deftly demonstrated the love between the two. Too often we put off the adventures of life until it is too late. This tale is a reminder to live everyday as if it were your last.
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