Story-A-Day #372: Tropic Of Cancers

TROPIC OF CANCERS

There is something to be said for a mid-November getaway, especially when the destination is a tropical one.  The promise of sunshine, white sandy beaches, hot women, and an open bar is almost impossible to resist.

If you had the chance, would you be there today?  Would you be basking in the sun and sipping on a nice tropical drink on the edge of an expansive blue oasis?  Of course you would.  You would be a fool not to embrace such an opportunity, especially with the first wisps of winter starting to lick along the streets of the place you call home.

You are there now...

A bright green lizard skitters across the patio as you return to your lounge chair from the nearby bar, a sweating mojito in each hand.  You settle back down into the lounge chair and adjust your sunglasses against the impossibly bright glare of the sun.  The pool glimmers brightly before you and you take a moment to survey the scene.  Fit people wander to and fro in skimpy outfits.  Festive music drifts out from the poolside bar, mingling with the laughter of those frolicking and splashing in the pool.

You knock back the generous cocktails and rise back to your feet, slipping into your sandals.  The ocean beckons.  You wander off around the pool, nodding to the few acquaintances you have made over the past few days, and along the narrow dirt path that leads to the boardwalk over the dunes.

You climb the wooden stairs and grab another drink at the thatched roofed cabana bar the leads down to the expansive, white sandy beach.  You can see the ocean stretching off to the horizon and smile.  You descend the stairs, find a free lounge chair, and throw your towel down.  You screw your drink down into the sand next to the seat, kick off your sandals, and pull off your sweat soaked t-shirt.

The ocean beckons and you sprint towards it, kicking your legs out to the side as you enter the warm salty water.  Eventually, the waves trip you up and you flop down into the water, letting the waves sluice over your body.  After a few moments, you roll over to face the sun and float effortlessly in the salty ocean water.

This is paradise, an abundance of sun and drink.  It is the place you would most like to be.  It is the place that you are furthest from.  You are now at 23.5 degrees north, and it is as north as you would ever want to be.