The Siren's Code

Good vibrations

Winding inland along tiny dirt roads, navigating extreme potholes, the jeep creaking and bouncing through the dust, they finally pulled up outside a ramshackle colonial finca.

"It's beautiful." Cassie exclaimed.

"And it's home, or it used to be,'' he smiled a touch of melancholy in the crinkle of his eyes, the moment of quiet after the noisy off roading broken suddenly by Jay's Mum launching out of the door in a fluster with a bustle of dogs and what is that, a pig? an anteater? Seeing Cassie looking, she said by way of explanation "Oh that's a baby tapir, we found him trying to suckle his dead mother on that main road you probably came along, now he doesn't want to leave," and without taking a breath "darling what an honour," giving Jay an enormous hug, "it has been far too long." She turned to Cassie "hello dear, you must be Cassie, welcome to our humble abode, I've heard so much about you, but need to know so much more."

Cassie gave Jay a quizzical look, who gave his Mum a raised eyebrow.. and then another, expectantly. "From Bear," she added, "to be honest the way he talks I wonder why you are here not him, but hay ho."

Owch thought Cassie.

"Oh," they both said in unison.

"Come in, come in you must be thirsty, dusty? What do you need?"

The house, of Spanish influence had mustard yellow walls, terracotta roof tiles and teak trims. Hugo, Jay's father came out to say hello giving Cassie a kiss and his son a welcoming hug. Cassie was gaging it had been a really long time since Jay had visited, and sounded like he didn't talk to them much either, they got their intel via Bear.

As she was shown around, Cassie pondered Carol's comment, insightful perhaps, Bear was lovely, uncomplicated, available – but... her sights were set on Jay.

"Penny for them," Jay said as he walked through the door.

"What?"

"Don't take what Mum says too seriously, she likes to point out the elephant in the room." Seeing Cassie's dented confusion he changed tack, passing her phad from the bed.

"Hey, pick a bar for us to visit tonight, they all have memories for me so I can't choose," he watched as she flicked through. Fuego Brew Co, The Jolly Roger, all which he knew well, she settled on Pacos as Carol called them for lunch but he didn't need to ask her why.

Lunch was laid under the pergola out the back of the house. Dripping with vines, it created a cool spot to survey the fantastically ornate design around the garden. The planting must have taken years, shaped like an orchestra keeping tune to a tropical firework display, red hot pokers shooting out from exploding hibiscus orange, passion flowers like waggon wheels tumbling to the ground and parrot flowers standing out from the green, a feast for the eyes.

"Tuck in," Carol said, pointing to the equally resplendent spread.

"Thank you, this looks amazing!"

"Well it's not every day we get our eldest son home," Hugo added as he filled their wine and water glasses and sat down to join them.

"We need to show him what he's missing,'' he winked at Cassie, "of course Carol takes all the credit here though," he raised his glass to Carol, then Jay, then Cassie, "to family and friends. So Cassie, tell us about yourself, how did Jay rope you into working at Paradise Bungalows then?"

"Ah I, it was a bit of an impulsive one really, I was working in Mexico City, I'm an app designer, but I found some coordinates on a scrap of paper, and looking them up, they drew me to the Bungalows, and well, always up for an adventure me," she shrugged.

"Ooh very cryptic, did you ever read 'The Beach' or was that before your time?" Carol asked.

"No, not sure that I did." The conversation swung from Cassie to Jay via Paradise and a few other tangents and back to Jay as, by the second glass of wine, Carol and Hugo were enlightening them with stories of their dear little boys.