Chapter 01
There’s a Pool on the Roof!
From the airplane window, Panama had looked like a jungle. The ocean water seemed to end where the trees began. Spanning from one end to the other it was one long stretch of dark green. To my non-trained eye, each tree looked the same.
Back home in Alabama, summer meant a suffocating ninety-degree soup that could choke a person. As I stepped off the plane onto the pavement, the day felt like spring.
As our taxi rattled through the Calidonia district toward the hotel, everyone on the sidewalks seemed to be melting and dripping sweat.
To me? This felt better than at home.
The weather was beautiful. The city itself looked like it had seen some things.
Colorful concrete buildings still showed the damage of Operation Just Cause.
Buildings were missing the majority of their windows.
Traffic was loud and impatient.
When the light turns green, if you don’t move immediately…
Shots.
I stayed silent because of the kids.
I nervously looked at Robert.
“That’s their version of a horn.”
“Firing in city limits? It’s not against the law?”
“Technically, probably.”
The taxi crawled to a halt in front of a towering concrete monolith.
High above the roof, a massive yellow sun disk stood beside the words Hotel Soloy, known as Casa del Sol around the U.S. military.
Robert stepped onto the sidewalk and shifted our heavy luggage.
“I’ve got my bags in the room already, but I’ll go up with you all.”
I looked at Robert and jerked my head toward still war-scarred scenery.
“You pushed to come here,” he said, hauling a duffel bag over his shoulder. “It’ll just be a month before we’re on base. They are treating me like an officer with this move. Casa del Sol is one of the best hotels here. Enlisted military isn’t given concurrent family options. My making Warrant Officer is changing things.”
I adjusted my grip on Patrick’s hand and followed him toward the lobby.
“Housing told me to phone them when we got here. I’ll try calling them tomorrow.”
“I already phoned,” Robert said. “They said it’d be four to six weeks. You’ve always been lucky cutting through red tape.”
Robert glanced toward the glass entrance doors.
“My taxi is here. Do you mind taking the kids up and getting settled in? I need to go back to the office before I quit for the day.”
I reached over and firmly took my bag from his hand.
“You go ahead. We won’t leave the hotel without you.”
I turned and started toward the elevators with the children.
Robert did not follow.
Through the glass doors, I watched him climb into a black car with TAXI handwritten on a sign.
“Mom,” Jane said loudly, “Dad just got into a taxi.”
“Yes, Jane. He said he needed to go back to Fort Clayton.”
“He’s not coming up to the room with us?”
“His things have been here for days. We need to get settled in.”
A man stepped from behind a polished wooden desk.
“Miss, your man spoke with me earlier. He asked me to show you up to your room. I am the hotel manager. Get your bags, please. The elevator is over here.”
I reached for Patrick.
“Patrick, can you take my hand? Daddy said I might need your help.”
His face lit up as we approached the golden elevator doors.
“Can I push the buttons?”
“No, they have someone in the elevator here who does that, son.”
“Oh.”
His shoulders dropped.
“Well, I can carry my own bag?”
“Yes, you can.”
The elevator doors slid open.
Looking up at the hotel manager, Patrick proudly announced, “I’m eight.”
“Miss, this way, please,” the manager said. “Keep the children back away from the doors as they shut. All bags in. Floor eight.”
He gave the last instruction to an elevator operator, who threw a manual lever.
“I’m eleven,” Jane added as the doors closed.
The manager did not acknowledge either child. His attention remained on our luggage.
“Do not ever set your bags down unattended.”
The elevator began to climb, shuddering with a heavy mechanical rhythm.
“A bumpy ride, isn’t it?” I said.
“Not as bad as some.”
That was comforting.
With a thump, the elevator stopped. The doors opened onto a long corridor smelling of fresh floor wax.
“Okay, all off,” the manager instructed. “Bags, children, then you. Your rooms are this way.”
I followed him down the hallway.
“Rooms?”
“Yes. The military has supplied two rooms in a suite for you and your family while you stay here. There will be only one key to this door. Your husband has the second key. If you need to get in, don’t ask the maid. Find me.”
He shoved a heavy brass key into the lock and opened the door. Inside, he crossed the tile floor and unlocked another door connecting the two efficiency suites.
Kish-klack.
“Lock works on this side. Children cannot lock you out.”
I looked around.
“Two kitchens?”
“Sí, dos. If you cook, leave the dishes. It is best if you use both kitchens. If it is not dirty, the maids do not get paid.”
I stared at him.
“Excuse me, could you speak more slowly? It sounded like you said the maids don’t get paid if the dishes aren’t in the sink.”
“Yes. But I speak more slowly for you.”
He walked toward the windows just as Jane reached for the curtain.
“Keep the children away from the windows.”
He said every word slowly and deliberately.
“Jane, come here.”
She had already moved the curtain.
“Mom.”
Her voice dropped almost to a whisper.
“There are bullet holes in the window.”
That bothered me more than the holes.
Jane was not known to whisper.
Jane spoke with the confidence of Scarlett O’Hara.
Before I could answer, the manager—whose shiny nameplate read Rafael—pulled the curtain shut.
“Those are nothing.”
“Keep the curtain closed. The rain falls straight here in Panama, it’s no problem. Fire truck ladders go up to floor eight. There is a restaurant on the roof. It is best if you eat there. There is a pool on the roof. When you must leave, do not call a taxi. We call. Casa del Sol is safe for you. Do not trust the street. Do not trust children.”
I stared at him.
“Children?”
“Crafty,” Rafael said, completely expressionless. “Learn from bad adults. You have no questions, I leave.”
Show no fear.
“No questions,” I said confidently.
Rafael gave a sharp nod and left. The heavy suite door clicked shut behind him.
The silence lasted approximately one second.
“A POOL ON THE ROOF!”
The kids exploded into cheers.
I didn’t think they were listening.
Apparently, kids know what’s important.
I forced a smile and unzipped our largest suitcase.
“Your dad won’t be home for a while. You have suits in my case.”
The kids dove across the beds, jumping over their father’s neatly packed luggage and landing in a tangled heap on mine.
I left them celebrating and went into the bathroom.
I closed the door.
I stood there listening to the laughter from the other side.
The kids were thrilled.
I felt completely on my own.