Return to Grand Turk

My conversations with Joseph are always interesting. And I am sure that what I hear is very different than what he is saying.

“Your face always looks very good when you came back from the US,” is how our conversation began.

“But this island makes you very ugly,” this is where our conversation should have ended.

“What?” said I.

“Judette thinks you look really good when you come back from trips off the island,” Joseph backpedaled. “But this island changes you. It makes everyone look ugly.”

I have lost about 35 pounds in the last year. I have a constant tan. I have been able to work out occasionally. I swim a lot. This island has changed me. Many of these things are for the better. Ugly is not one of the adjectives I would use, but I thought my sister Linda would love this story.

I have been traveling for the last 15 days. In mid November I flew home and brought Deneen and the boys back to Grand Turk on the Carnival Destiny. We spent six weeks together here. First in a small resort apartment and by Christmas in our rebuilt house. On November 5, we left Grand Turk on the Holland America Eurodam.

“The most spoiled people in the world being spoiled,” is how someone characterized our week on the Eurodam.

The day we landed in Ft. Lauderdale, Lucas and I flew to London. We stayed at the Crown Plaza St. James. How bad could that be?

On our return to Charlotte, N.C., we rented a car and drove to Columbus. I did our taxes, saw some old friends, and on Sunday I drove through the night back to Charlotte. On Monday I met with an exhibit designer who is doing a project for the museum. On Tuesday I flew back to Provo.

I have not seen Joseph in several weeks as he has been off the island for Christmas. He went to Haiti and then in to the Dominican Republic to get his hearing checked. He has problems with his hearing.

The doctor told him that he would have to get hearing aids. They are too expensive. He said the doctor told him that if he did not come back to the Dominican Republic and get help soon he was going to loose his hearing all together.

“When he told me this I felt inside like I had died.”

Joseph and I often have a hard time understanding each other. This I understood.

Oh, he also lost all his luggage which has never made it back from Haiti.

Thousands of miles of combined travel. Two very different experiences. I don't owe Joseph anything. I have absolutely no responsibility for his health or welfare. I spend almost everyday with him. And all I can think about is that I owe him a second opinion.