Only in Florida would a vacation hotel install a Jacuzzi on an outside balcony. And that’s where Punkus and I, for a few days of spring break, spent the evenings lolling in the warm swirling water, staring at the huge moon over our heads, and listening to the soothing sloshing of a nearby sea against warm sands. Like most of our days together, we spent long hours just relaxing in each other’s company. Unlike many dramatic stories I have written of our affair, most of our days and nights then were spent quietly in love. We had no wildly erotic scenes in that Jacuzzi. Just the two of us silently watching the moon move across a darkened sky. If anything, once in a while our toes would touch in a flirting move and once in a while, our lips would softly touch. If any words were spoken, it would be Punkus sighing, “I’m so happy!” That was her favorite expression, spoken at any time of the day, in any place, on any occasion. Not “I love you” but “I am so happy!”
Punkus’s favorite activity was shopping—especially shopping for shoes. She had a passion for shoes—not buying them—but trying them on. Most of the time she wanted me along, I didn’t mind--just being with Punkus made me happy. I was even pleased when she asked my opinion of a pair she had tried on. She had lovely feet, and I had no problem giving my diplomatically, noncommittal judgment of her shoe choices! We once spent two hours in one Florida shoe outlet store without buying anything. But I didn’t mind! At the end of a long, shoe shopping spree we would arrive home with maybe one or two new purchases. And her predictable comment would always be, “I’m so happy!” Whether in a downtown bistro or a country bar, Punkus and I had the uncanny ability to carve out a “zone of quietude” for ourselves. The adjoining room could be filled with shouting revelers or ear-pounding music, but we always managed to find a booth where we could drink and, if not talk, at least absorb the atmosphere. Our favorite country restaurant and bar was a Caribbean-themed edifice, but we preferred sitting on an outside patio, away from the jangle of calypso beats, so we could sit, sip our umbrella-topped drinks, and talk. At the end of such “nights out” Punkus’s summary words were, “I’m so happy!”
