Chapter 18-Desperate Searching

We all packed ourselves on the sides of the streets as the parade made its way by. It wasn’t a terribly large parade but it was well done. They had made one elaborate float that came first. They had made what looked like an enormous sun out of all different colors of balloons and it was suspended above a huge model of the island. On the model, little children dressed in bright colors of the sun all sat and waved at everyone. We all cooed, even the guys. Behind them, the leader from before rode in a beautiful black, vintage mustang convertible with bright banners on it. Following them was another car, this one a cherry red convertible catty with a pretty young woman riding in it. She wore a banner with words in Patois which must have been something like, "Miss Solstice."

All the other parts of the parade were on foot. First came dancers dressed in elaborate costumes. They were well choreographed and I had never seen the particular dances. Perhaps they were local or perhaps I just don’t know anything about dances. Following them were people doing all manner of tricks, juggling, eating fire, and other corny stunts. A final large truck rolled down the road with the band setup in it. They had already begun playing and people were following, cheering and dancing.

"You guys want to go?" asked Kyle.

"Yeah!" we all cried at once. So we made our way into the throng of people, moving as the crowd seemed to. For awhile we simply went down the road and then couples began twirling around us. I felt a hand grab mine and pull me to an empty spot.

"Oh Joseph," I said, to see myself staring at Kyle. He was grinning and I laughed.

"You don’t mind do you?" he asked. "I suppose I should have begged permission." He winked at the last part and I shoved him a little.

"Lets dance!" I said. We spun and twirled. It was fun but nothing like dancing with Joseph. The road was packed full of people and we kept having to move around.

"Should we try to make our way back to the others?" I asked on a slower dance when we settled down.

Kyle shrugged. "They’ll find us, or we’ll find them," he said with a smile. "Eventually."

I stopped dancing and looked around me. Faces were everywhere and the world seemed to be a huge mass of color. Except the sky, which twinkled above me in the early night. I didn’t recognize any of the faces. "I think I’m going to look for them," I said. Kyle let go of me reluctantly. "I’m sorry," I said. "Come on." I turned and started making my way through the crowd.

"Right behind you," I heard Kyle say.

Everyone was moving forward, whether they were dancing or talking or simply enjoying the night. I attracted annoyed stares as I tried to go against the flow. I really had no idea which way to go though. How had we gotten separated from them so quickly? We could have been dancing more than 2..5..10..well, maybe it had been more like 15 minutes. I kept expecting to see them as I broke through each crowd of faces but I didn’t. Along the way men, and some women, tried to dance with me but I pushed them away and kept on going. "Its okay," I assured myself. "You’ll see them eventually and if nothing else we’d meet back at the hotel." But that would mean I wouldn’t get to spend any of the night with them. No Kat, no Mitch, no dear Joseph. Well, I had Kyle. I turned to check on him, but he was gone.

"No!" I heard myself shout. People turned to stare curiously at me and my cheeks turned pick. I quickly got out of there. I kept searching, to no avail. Where the hell were they. I felt like crying, I always do when I lose people even if I know I’ll see them in the end. The sounds of merry-making around me only made me feel even worse because I was starting to grow miserable. "Its futile," I said in frustration. "Simply futile!"

"What is?" asked a male voice beside me. I whirled, the voice sounded familiar. The face didn’t though. He was handsome. Definitely an islander with his dark chocolate skin and rounded features. Like the voice it seemed oddly familiar but I couldn’t place it. Dark eyes stared at me curiously.

"Nothing," I said. I started to push my way through the crowd.

"Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing my arm with one of his strong arms. "You don’t look so good."

I sighed and two tears trickled down my glitter-covered face. His arm moved around my shoulders. The feeling was comforting but I pulled away. "I’m sorry," I said. "I just got lost from all my friends and I’ve been searching desperately for them. Its so frustrating."

"I’m so sorry to hear that," he said. His voice sounded genuine but there was something else to it, something I couldn’t place. "Would you like my help?" he asked. "I’m a lot taller and perhaps I can see them."

"Alright," I said with a sigh and allowed myself to be led along. I was beyond arguing. I just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep. I didn’t even want to party anymore, even if I did find my friends.

"I am Nick," said my guide as we walked.

"My name’s Melanie," I said with a smile. "But my friends call me Mel. Nice to meet you Nick. Thanks for helping me."

"Have you been in Bequia long?" asked Nick.

"Nope," I replied. "I just got here earlier."

"Did you know about the festival?" he asked.

"Again, no," I said with a slight chuckle. "We just walked into the middle of it."

"You and your friends?" he asked. I nodded. "It is surprising you have such a beautiful costume with such little time. It looks good on you."

"Thanks," I said shyly and he flashed a warm smile.

"Is this them?" he asked as we stopped.

I couldn’t answer because I had been staring at him. Turning to look, something occurred to me. As I moved, I asked, "How did you know what they looked-?" I stopped because I recognized faces, but they weren’t my friends.