Thralldom

Chapter 16

Ethan arrives at my house in his unexceptional red pick up truck promptly at 7 am. Thankfully, I see the headlights rather than hear a horn. My neighbors would probably kill me if they were awoken abruptly by an alarming blast at this hour of a Friday morning. I am pretty sure nobody in the neighborhood usually gets up before 8 am. Surprisingly, almost no one works on Fridays in Florida. If they do, it is only for half the day. 

I gather up my small violaceous suitcase, purse and extra shoes and breeze out the front door. I pluck my keys out of my purse and fiddle with them as I attempt to lock the door. I am not accustomed to locking up the house. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I leave my home unlocked. But, since we are going out of town, I don't want any unknown intruders while we are away.

Satisfied that the door is locked, and I have everything I need in tow, I bound over to the truck hopping up into the passenger seat. I settle my things in the small cab compartment behind the seat. I notice that Ethan has packed a cooler and some snacks for the journey. That's good. We'll be able to make it there quicker, because we will probably only need to stop once for gas and a bathroom break. 

"Morning, babe" Ethan greets me as he covers his mouth with one hand, a yawn escaping his lips.

"Good morning" I blithely respond to his greeting. 

Ethan sounds businesslike as he continues speaking, "I figure we won't have to stop until just after Orlando. We can do everything we need to do at a gas station there and pick up lunch. We should be to Miami pretty early in the afternoon, so we'll have plenty of time to explore before dinner."

The truck pulls out of the driveway as I muster a reply, "That sounds great. Maybe we can go to that chichi shopping mall. What was it called, again?" 

"Oh, the Brickell City Centre. I think that was the place you liked so much last time we went there. It was hard to get around to park if I remember correctly." He's mentally planning the evening.

"Yeah. That's it. I remember I loved it because it has all those baronial shops that you would never find anywhere close to where we live." I say wistfully.

Ethan snickers quietly. He knows he is not interested in most of the brands, but he'll endure the travail for my happiness. "Well, we can't spend too long at the mall. We have to check in to the hotel and go to dinner too." he reminds me.

"Where are we staying?" I ask earnestly. Ethan hasn't told me anything, but he is a planner, so I know he has thought about all the details as a result.

"The Fontainebleau Miami Beach" he answers brusquely.

"Wow!" I am stunned as I turn my head to him, jaw slacking, "You didn't have to pick such an extravagant hotel." I am trying to calm myself. But, now I am really excited. 

"It's not a big deal. I knew you really liked it when we walked through the hotel to go to the beach that one time. So, I figured we would stay there this time rather than just tour the place." 

I grab his free hand and squeeze it, a huge smile  flushing across my face. "I suspect you have dinner planned as well. You seem way too specific not to have." 

"I made us a reservation for 7 pm at Havana 1957. It was the Cuban restaurant you liked so much when we went to Miami  three years ago. If I recall correctly, the food was good, but the atmosphere was incredible. Remember, the restaurant had an eclectic, old school Cuban atmosphere and you could here the Cuban music wafting in obstreperously from outside on the street." 

I giggle, "Obstreperously. That is way too big a word for this early hour."

"Hey, get a dictionary if you can't keep up. The music was loud, okay?" he sniggers at me.