The Usual Suspects have this routine down cold.  Many countries do not have disaster contingency plans that are executed with this level of precision.  For us, it’s simple, and it’s all done automatically and without any verbal or written communications.

Tiny, our Master H’ors D’eourves chef, made his customary trip to the grocery store to pick up the necessary bites that go with Cocktail Hour on board.  We find that certain rare or processed foods are extremely expensive or not available in the Caribbean, so we bring down a bagful.

I booked the Limousine, packed my single carry-on bag, and cracked open my first vacation beer. 

Winston Watch

Winston originally suggested that he use his vehicle to make a milk-run pickup of the Suspects before proceeding to the airport.  Had I agreed to this, the April trip would have never happened.  Let me explain why.

Winston is a magnet for travel problems.  By itself, that’s no big deal, however he usually has one small problem that mushrooms into a chain reaction of some of the most improbable situations ever faced by anybody on this planet.  Let me demonstrate.  On a recent trip, he misplaced his passport, so he could not get out of the country he was in.  He had no local currency, and without his passport, nobody would cash his travelers cheques.  Because he had traveler’s cheques, he did not bother to bring his bank and credit cards.  Without money, he could not get transportation to the airport, and missed his plane.  Get the picture?

Winston’s success in keeping a motor vehicle operating is equally suspect.  I could go on for days describing the improbable string of car trouble this poor man has had.  For that reason, there was NO WAY we were going to rely on him to take us all to the airport.  I could foresee all kinds of problems associated with this plan, and I’m not even in the fortune telling business.

I insisted that we know his exact whereabouts 24 hours before departure, a sort of “Winston Watch”.  He was required to report to my place the day before, and sleep on my couch.  That way, I could be sure of his whereabouts and take comfort in knowing he would be on the plane.

Sounds simple?  Well, with Winston, nothing is simple.  He had planned for his son to drive him to my place, and that would be it.  His son had other plans, so Winston decided to drive his car to the nearest subway station and take the tube to my place.  I later found out that he left his car in the parking lot of a large shopping center.  I was certain at that point that the car would not be in that lot when he returned – stolen, towed, vandalized, take your pick.  A classic “Winston Story” was in the making right before my very eyes.  I’ve often thought that CNN should follow this man around because he is walking fodder for a live “Breaking Story”.  I did have Winston in custody, and felt that the car situation could be addressed when we returned.  (Be sure to read the Epilogue to find out what happened).  We were ready to go on vacation.