Big Time

Seventeen

After some serious planning by Barbara, John and Barbara flew to Mexico for a six-week adventure. Barbara had researched and booked each flight, hotel, destination, and activity while John kept repeating how good it sounded and promised to buy a Let’s Go guide, which he never did. They started in Cancun in a five-star hotel.

Once in the room, Barbara stripped the sheets from the bed and remade it with the high thread-count cotton she’d brought from New York. John laughed heartily.

“Don’t mock me. Who knows where these sheets have been.”

“They have detergent down here too, you know.”

She threw a T-shirt at him from her bag.

John laughed harder.

They changed into swimsuits and walked to the pool, eager to relax in the warmth of the sun. They found the pool surrounded by late teens and 20-somethings lying around the pool behind dark glasses with blasting headphones perched in their ears. John couldn’t help but check out some of the bikini-clad women. One beautiful young woman with full breasts filling out a small white bikini, walked toward them. She noticeably looked Barbara up and down. John couldn’t help but look over his shoulder after she passed. Her swinging blonde ponytail, toned back, great ass, and tanned legs glimpsed him back. If Barbara had noticed him ogling, she didn’t let on.

After lunch, she and John walked along the beach in front of the hotel until they found a secluded section. The 15-minute walk in the hot sun had left them sweating. They walked into the ocean until it was deep enough to dive in. John was relieved in a number of senses. The water was cool and while he was completely into Barbara, he couldn’t stop fantasizing about the hot young blonde Scandinavian-looking girl parading around the pool.

“What do you think of the hotel,” Barbara asked John.

“It’s fine. Are you happy now the sheets are changed?”

“Huh!” Barbara pretended to look hurt. “It’s okay, but it’s far from special.”

She canoodled up to him and kissed him on the lips. How about we go exploring a bit earlier and leave the college kids to it?”

While John and Barbara both considered themselves young enough to party, theydecided to leave Cancun early. On the third day, they escaped in a minibus to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. One large pyramid stood impressively in the center. John enjoyed the exertion of climbing to the top, but didn’t care for it much more than that while Barbara commentated from the guide-book she’d bought at the airport. “The Mayan city of Chichen Itza is one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. It says the archaeological center, the most important Mayan capital at the end of the classic period around 1200 A.D., was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.”

It didn’t make much sense to John. He understood that a UNESCO World Heritage Site was important but he had no idea what UNESCO even stood for.

“So was it the Mayan capital or not?” he asked.

“Um, I’m not sure,” answered Barbara.

“How many years did the Mayans exist?”

“Let me find it.”

“We should have paid the five dollars for the tour.”

“Slow down and I’ll find it.”

John nodded and feigned interest.

They went on to a resort 20 minutes out of Playa del Carmen and Tulum. The Mexican receptionist behind the check in desk greeted them warmly and took John’s passport and credit card on arrival. Barbara sat down in a chair to help her cool down while John took care of the arrangements.