Ancil“Right. Are you mad?”
“No, I’m not mad. My mom smoked too. She said that it’s a phase that everyone goes through in their life. You know, the addiction phase,” Kate said.
“I’m not addicted to it though. I just took two pulls.”
“It doesn’t matter. One then leads to two then to three then to four. Just look at how Samantha ended up.”
“Samantha is an alcoholic,” I corrected.
“It’s the same thing. They are all just addictions.”
“You know what, I would love to be addicted to right now?” I asked, attempting to change the topic.
“What?”
“That beautiful view at the top of Fort King George.”
Kate and I made our way up to Fort King George in the blistering sun of Tobago. I didn’t want to sweat but I did and so did Kate but luckily she had a bandana to wipe herself up. The sun was so hot that there were people walking around with umbrellas. They were mostly foreigners. I knew that they were foreigners because the guys wore short khakis and flowered tops with expensive DSLRs around their necks. Locals knew better than to wear that.
But enduring the hot sun proved to be worth it when we actually got to Fort King George because of the amazing view of the ocean that came with it. Even though the fort was a defensive position 400 feet above the capital city of Scarborough used to prevent invaders and protect the British stronghold during colonial times, I was 100% sure that the amazing view had a part to play in their decision-making process. I mean, if I was hired to keep guard of an entire city and stare out into the ocean for hours I might as well have something good to look at. I suddenly became envious of the British soldiers at the time who had to man the fort. Imagine getting paid to admire the Atlantic Ocean in its peaceful state of war and tumultuousness. But that piece of imagination must also come with the fact that the French, Spanish, and Dutch were like wild hungry lions ready to pounce on the fort, taking control of the capital. Unfortunately for the British, the French forces were able to bypass the British defense and gain control of the fort renaming it to Fort Castries. Over time, the original name was reestablished.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” I said to Kate who seemed just as awed by the view as I was and we didn’t even get to the ruins of the old prison and military hospital that beset the landscape beside the black cannons rooted to the floor poking out towards the ocean.
“It is. It really is.”
“You know if you take off the eye patch you will see it even better,” I said, playfully jumping onto one of the cannons and sitting on it.
Kate joined me on the cannon, sitting in front of me, and in one free flowing action, I placed my arms around her. Everything seemed perfect and the only thing missing was a beautiful sunset. It was early in the afternoon and a couple hours away from sunset but I tried to imagine the sky red as though the sun was setting. The wind was strong and it blew Kate’s hair in my face but I didn’t budge. I liked it. I liked having Kate’s hair invade my face like the French on the British and to top it all off, her hair smelt sort of French.
“The eye patch enhances the view,” Kate said. “It makes it even more worthwhile.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“It’s all about perspective, focus and clarity. The kind of clarity that comes with focus. Like when an archer closes one eye while eyeing down a prospective victim or when someone winks at someone they like. FOCUS! Keeping an eye on what really matters and closing your other eye to what doesn’t. I think that Juliet’s one-eyedness is actually a blessing in disguise.”
“You know what I love about you? The way you can make sense out of everything. I find that irresistible.”
“You know what I love about you?”
“What?” I asked.
