Yellowstone: Love and Cowboys

The Answer was Mexico

They slept late, for them, but needed the rest. There was nothing left in the champagne bottle, so they went downstairs to see what Gator had prepared for breakfast.

They could smell the golden waffles and bacon. He had scrambled fresh eggs and there was a bowl of freshly hulled strawberries. Gemma had made her famous coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice. There was also a bottle of champagne so the family could toast the not-quite-newlyweds.

After breakfast, John and Kayce drove them to the airport where they caught a four-hour flight that would take them to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. It was two and a half hours to Cozumel from Dallas, not counting the hour layover where they got something to eat.

When they stepped off the plane onto the tarmac Travis was struck by the warm humid air. It seemed as hot as Texas, but there was a humidity from the ocean that he was not used to. And the smell, it was green and earthy, not the dry air of the desert.

The hotel was comfortable, neither expensive nor cheap, but nice without being luxurious. They could see the beach and the ocean from their room. Palm trees and banana plants surrounded the building, and the lawns were green and well-mowed.

"What do you think?" queried Coralee, "Does the El Cozumeleno suit you?" She pronounced the "n" with a Spanish accent.

"I like it, it's not fancy but it's nice. Have you stayed here before?"

"Yes, a few times, I like it. I stayed here the first time I came to Cozumel and now I stay here every time I come back. It's close to the jungle but not too close. I've seen iguanas here and monkeys, and there are some beautiful flowers." She put her arms around his neck. "I come here when I need to unwind and relax. I'm glad you agreed to come here for our honeymoon."

"This is for you, I want what makes you happy. I'm not good at relaxing unless it's at the bar, but I want to see you smile again, and you haven't done much of that lately. Let's check out the restaurant downstairs, I feel like some shots of tequila with my beer."

They sat on the beach and watched the sunset. The stars came out dotting the black velvet sky. There was no extended sunset, but a brief flash of color soon became the dark tropical night.

Travis woke up to the sound of voices speaking in Spanish, he missed the sound of cows and horses. He felt rested and waited for a while to wake Coralee so they could make love then go downstairs for breakfast.

After breakfast, they went down to the beach. The sand had a fine texture like talcum powder and no matter how hot it got, the sand would not burn their feet. The tide came in and Coralee rented masks and fins and taught him how to snorkel.

He reminded himself to thank her for this. The water was clear and pristine and there were schools of colorful fish, as well as a cowfish that lived alone in the weeds on the bottom. There was a barracuda that lived offshore, and they watched as it caught and ate a fish.

They ate lunch in a small shelter that had been built to protect the tourists from the sun. They had worked up an appetite swimming, but she ate only the fruit plate while he settled for enchiladas. They went up to their room and made love and took a shower, then spent the afternoon relaxing.

The next day she took him to Chichen Itza. The stone ruins and pyramids were overwhelming in their grandeur. They had been built without metal and the carvings on the buildings were exquisite.

She studied his face as he took in what he saw before him. "Pretty amazing, isn't it?" she asked, "All the buildings were covered with plaster and painted, can you imagine? I feel humbled every time I come here."

He put his arm around her waist, "It is pretty amazing, sweetheart, nothing like this in Texas, I see why you like to come here."

"You want amazing? You're going marlin fishing tomorrow. Don't worry, I brought along seasickness medicine. You have to release the fish, but the fun is in catching it. Just wait, I think you're going to love it."