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nieces and nephews.
It was a bit overwhelming for Julie, coming from a family of three,
but she was sure she’d get them all sorted out…sooner or later.
    The real treat was when Julie saw her friends
from Solomon Chrysler…Milt and Miriam Solomon with Avram and Marc,
Laura Bennett, Annie Tiegs, Joannie DeAngeles and Pete Soldano.
    “You look beautiful, Julie,” said Pete. “We
miss you at the store.”
    “Oh, I miss you guys, too. But I’m really
enjoying school; Dan was right about that.”
    “I went to Boston College, Julie,” said Joan.
“It’s a huge campus. Do you like it?”
    “I do. I’m certainly getting plenty of
exercise walking from class to class. “
    “What’s your major?”
    “Psychology. I’m not sure what I want to do
with it, yet. Right now, I mostly use it to figure out Dan,” she
said with a laugh.
    “Oh, yeah, right ,” said Dan. “She had
my number the day she met me!”
    Julie was glad they had a few days to recover
before flying to the Caribbean. Still, she was excitedly looking
forward to their honeymoon.
    Castle Cay, their destination, was an outer
island in the Abacos chain, a group of cays - or “keys”, as
Marc pronounced it - in the Northeast Bahamas. The island was
privately owned by the Solomon family, who had made the whole trip
a fabulous wedding gift.
    Marc had raved about Castle Cay:
    “You’ll love it, Julie. It’s so beautiful!
It’s wild and rugged on the Atlantic side and so lush and different
where our house is, on the Caribbean side. That’s where our
caretaker’s farm is, too. The water’s not deep at all there and
it’s as clear as your swimming pool.
    “And it’s completely private,” Marc added,
winking. “There couldn’t be a better place for a honeymoon!”
    * * * * *

Chapter 16
    J ulie and Dan flew from Boston to
Miami, where they changed planes for Treasure Cay in the Abacos. It
was just a short flight from Miami; it seemed that they no sooner
had gotten on the small plane, than they were getting off . The passengers descended an open staircase, swept by the warm
Bahama breeze.
    “Oh, Dan, look! Look at the palms!”
    The tall trees swayed gracefully, swishing in
the gentle trade winds like exotic dancers, filling Julie with
wonder.
    “Boy, it sure is warm,” said Dan. “It reminds
me of Hawaii, only flatter.”
    “It’ll be cooler on the water, honey,” said
Julie. “Marc said to take a taxi to the Ferry dock.”
    They still had quite a way to go to get to
Castle Cay. First, they had to board the ferry to Green Turtle Cay,
where they were to meet John Drum, the Solomon’s caretaker. Mr.
Drum would be aboard the Solomons’ boat, Wave Dancer , which
would take them to the island.
    Once aboard the ferry, Dan became as excited
as Julie. He’d brought his camera and was snapping pictures, one
after the other. “This is great! What an adventure, huh?”
    “Yes. I can’t wait to see the island!’
    They had no trouble finding the Solomon’s
slip at Green Turtle Cay. Wave Dancer was an impressive
craft in pristine condition. It was obvious from the equipment on
board that the beautiful boat was mostly used for fishing. There
was a short, dark haired man on the deck. He had a wiry look about
him and a ruddy, weathered face.
    “Hello! Are you John Drum?” said Dan.
    “Yessir,” the man said, smiling. “You must be
Mr. and Mrs. O’Hara?”
    “Yes, we are.” Dan said, as they climbed
aboard. “Please, call us Dan and Julie. Thank you for meeting us!
Should we call you John?”
    “Yessir. That’ll be fine, sir…ma’am”.
    Although he seemed quite friendly, he was
plainly uncomfortable calling them “Dan” and “Julie”. Just then, a
dark-haired teenage boy climbed onto the boat with his arms full of
groceries.
    “This here’s my boy, Alfred.”
    “Hi,” Julie said. “I’m Mrs. O’Hara…or Julie,
if you like. This is my husband, Dan. Do we call you Alfred, or
Al?”
    “Al’s fine, ma’am.”
    John Drum stowed