A man from a small town in Iowa has traveled to Le Club on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia.  Le Club is a global chain of resorts which cater to either adults only or families.  The man has selected Le Club on St. Lucia because it is an adult only resort.

The man disembarks from his plane, goes through customs, picks up his luggage, and walks out of the airport.  He sees some young men and women with leis around their neck standing in front of a bus with Le Club written on it.  He walks over to one of the women.

“Is this the Le Club bus,” he asks.

“It is.  What’s your name?”

“Wilson Wayback.”

The woman looks at her clip board, checks off his name, takes off one the leis from around her neck, and puts it around his.  She smiles and says “My name is Caritza.  Welcome to Le Club.  Leave your bags where they are.  We will load them for you.”

Wilson says, “Thanks Caritza.  Glad to be here.” and boards the bus.

Instead of the good-looking women he expected to see, he sees kids and parents.

He turns around, gets off the bus, and walks over to Caritza.

“There is something wrong here Caritza.  I signed up for an adult club, not a family club.  I want to go to an adult club.”

“We definitely want you to go to an adult club if that is what you signed up for.  I’ll leave a message for the GM explaining your situation, You can talk to her first thing after breakfast tomorrow morning.  I’m sure she will accommodate you.”

After breakfast, the General Manager tells Wilson he can go to an adult club without any loss in resort time, but he will have to pay for the airfare to that club.  She directs him to the club’s travel department for assistance in booking the flight.

The travel department tells Wilson the nearest adult club is on the Island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.  The quickest way to get there is to take a Bahamasair flight tomorrow afternoon at 2: 00.  The travel department will arrange for a van from the Eleuthera club to pick him up at the airport.  He agrees and pays for the ticket.

Wilson sits down on a bench outside the travel department next to a bicycle rack with four pedal bikes and two electric bikes.  Nothing for me here.  I might as well explore the island.

He walks back into the travel department and asks, “Can I use the electric bike parked outside?  I would like take a ride around the island.”

“Certainly,” the lady in the travel department says, “but you will have to leave your passport and pay a $20.00 battery charge fee.”

Wilson hands her his passport and credit card.  “How far will the battery take me?”

“Seventy miles,” she answers and hands him his passport, credit card and the bike key.

“Is there anything to see?”

“If you go left at the main road, it will take you to the Pitons which is the big tourist attraction on St. Lucia.  The Pitons are two extinct volcanos which are about twenty-five miles from here.”

“Thank you,” Wilson says and walks out the door.

Wilson turns on to the main road.  Not a bad bike.  It would be better if I had a woman riding behind me with her arms around me.  A lot of traffic and a narrow road.  It’s going to take a while to travel to the Pitons.

After fifteen miles of up-and-down hills, Wilson gets thirsty and stops at a boat dock.  After buying a beer at the store beside the dock, he walks to the end of the dock intending to sit down and drink the beer.  At the end of the dock is a boat that looks more like a fishing trawler than a yacht.  Two men are standing on the deck next to the dock.  They are speaking excitedly in a foreign language and keep pointing to a diesel engine located on the deck in an enclosure with the door opened.  Wilson stops to take a look.

One of the men throws up his hands and turns towards the dock.  He sees Wilson standing there looking at him.  After a moment, Wilson says, “Need some help?”

The man says, “Not unless you know something about diesel engines.’

“I know a lot about diesel engines.  I’m a certified diesel mechanic.”

The two men look at each other for a few moments before the second man says, “This engine turns on the power in the boat.  If it doesn’t work, nothing in our boat works.”

“I’ll be glad to take a look at it.  I might be able to spot the problem and, if it’s simple, fix it for you right away.”

The two men extend their hands to help Wilson on board.

On board, Wilson says, “I’m Wilson Wayback, from Iowa, in the United States.”

The second man says, “I’m Aristidis and this is my brother, Menelaus.  We are from the Greek island of Ithaca.”

“Nice to meet you.”  Looking at the engine, Wilson says, “Do you mind if I try to turn it on?”

“No,” Aristidis says.

Wilson turns the key.  The motor makes a clicking noise.

“That’s the same noise we get when we turn the key,” Aristidis says.

“I assume you have checked your battery?”

“We put in a new one and tested it with a multimeter.”

“Then the odds are your problem is the stop solenoid.  If it is locked in the off position, your engine isn’t getting fuel.  There are two reasons the stop solenoid could be locked in the off position.  The first is voltage is not getting to the solenoid terminals.  I’ll test that with the multimeter.”

Aristidis hands Wilson the multimeter, and Wilson attaches the multimeter to the solenoid.

“Turn the key,” Wilson says.  “Turn it again.”

Wilson stands up and hands the multimeter to Aristidis.  “Voltage is not getting to the solenoid.  The solenoid has to be replaced.  Do you have a spare?”

Aristidis shakes his head.  After a few moments he says, “Take it out.  We will go from boat-to-boat until we find a replacement.”

Wilson takes the solenoid out and hands it to Aristidis.  “If you will give me a pen and a piece of paper, I will write down the specifications the solenoid must have for it to work in your engine.”

Aristidis walks to the cabin entrance and says something in Greek and returns.

He hands Wilson a cloth to wipe his hands clean.

“Do you live close by?” Aristidis asks.  “We didn’t plan on this.  Would you mind renting us your car.  We may have to go to another dock.”

“I’m renting an electric bike myself.  I was on my way to see the Pitons when I decided to stop for a beer and drink it at the end of the dock.  You can use it for free.  It rides two so your brother can go with you if you like.  However, you must watch the mileage carefully.  You can use it for a maximum of twenty miles.  The battery mileage is limited, and I want to be able to get back to where I came from.”

Aristidis laughs.  “I guess so.  Here is the pen and paper you wanted.”

Wilson turns and is surprised to see Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty, standing in front of him, holding a pen and a sheet of paper.

“This is my daughter, Elena,” Aristidis says.  “Elena, this is Wilson Wayback from the United States.  He is a certified diesel mechanic.”

Elena hands Wilson the pen and paper.  “You must be helping my father and uncle start the engine,” she says.

“I am.  The problem was a faulty stop solenoid blocking the flow of fuel to the engine.  Now the problem is finding a replacement.”

Wilson writes down the solenoid specifications and hands the paper to Aristidis.

Aristidis raises the paper to his head and tips it towards Wilson.  “We are off.  Elena, please get Wilson another beer.  He left his on the dock when he came aboard to help us.”

Aristidis and Menelaus leave the boat and walk down the dock towards Wilson’s bike.  They stop at the next boat on the dock and shout, “Ahoy Capitan!”

Wilson says to Elena, “Your dad said he was going from dock-to-dock asking boat owners if they had a spare solenoid.”

“Do you think he will be successful?”

“I think so.”

“Let’s go to the upper deck where there is shade, and I’ll get you a beer,” Elena says.

Elena hands Wilson a glass of beer.  “Fortunately,” she says, “the refrigerator is still cool inside.”

“Thanks,” Wilson says.

Elena sits down and asks, “Do you live on St. Lucia?”

“No.  I’m staying at Le Club, a French resort.  I saw the club had electric bikes, so on the spur-of-the-moment I decided to take a ride to the Pitons.  I stopped at the store at the front of the dock to buy a beer and was walking to the end of the dock to drink it and watch the ships go by.  As I was passing your boat, I saw your dad and uncle were having engine problems, so I asked if they needed help.”

“It was serendipitous you came along when you did.  My dad and uncle are knowledgeable mechanics, but apparently their knowledge doesn’t include solenoids.”

“Your English is excellent,” Wilson says.

“Thank you.  I can also write it.  I’m literate in French as well.”

“Did you major in languages when you were in college?”

“No.  I was trilingual growing up.  My dad spoke English at home and my nursemaid spoke French.  I was learning to write both languages before I went to school.  Greek schools teach English as a second language beginning in the third grade.”

“Where did you go to college?” Wilson asks.

“The Sorbonne in Paris.”

“What did you major in?”

“World Literature.”  She shrugs.  “Not very useful for getting a job, but it’s what I liked.  Anyway, I knew I would be working for my dad after college, so it didn’t matter.”

“What does your dad do?”

She smiles.  “A lot of different things.”

They sit silently for a few moments

“Tell me about yourself,” Elena says, “Where did you go to college?”

“I didn’t.  I played sports in high school and enjoyed using my body and being outdoors.  I knew I would not like sitting behind a desk, so I became a heavy equipment operator.  I operate bulldozers, cranes, farm combines, that type of equipment.  I like using my hands too.  In addition to being a certified diesel mechanic, I’m a licensed plumber and a licensed electrician.  I live on the outskirts of Winston, a small town in Iowa.  Those three occupations keep me busy year-round.”

“I know about small towns, I’m from one myself.  Ithica is a small island with a population of 3,000 people.  I live in Vathy, the largest town on the island.  It has a population of 1,700, and everybody knows everybody.”  She laughs.  “Now that is a small town.”

After several moments of silence, Winston asks, “Would you like to see the sights while we wait for your dad and uncle?  We could walk to the store at the beginning of the dock, and I’ll buy you a cold drink.”

“Sure.”

As they walk along the dock, Elena says, “You are the first person I have ever met who said they liked to use their body.  You know, I have always liked to use mine too.  I dive, scuba dive, almost everyday we are at sea.  At home, I either play tennis or lift weights for two hours a day, six days a week.  I like the feeling I get during and after the workout.  People say I’m obsessive about exercise, but I’m not.  If something else comes up, I skip the exercise and don’t think a thing about it.”

When they enter the store, the men stop what they are doing and stare at Elena.

I don’t like the looks of these guys, Wilson thinks, or the way they are looking at Elena.  They must think they are at a strip bar.  I’ll bust the head of anybody who says the wrong thing.

They walk to the cold drink section of the store and pick out two drinks.  Wilson pays for them, and they leave.

Walking back to the boat, Elena asks, “Do you read much?”

“Every chance I get.  Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and Edgar Rice Burroughs’s ‘The Chessmen of Mars’ are two of my favorites.  I like ‘Sir Launfal’ a story from ‘The Lais of Marie De France’ where a down‑and‑out knight wins the heart of a fairy queen.  I’ve also read the Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides.”

He pauses.  “Have you read the Odyssey?”

“Of course.  We study the Iliad and the Odyssey and other ancient Greek literature in middle and high school.”

“It’s been a while since I read it, but I think it said Odysseus was the king of Ithaca.”

“We are proud of our connection to the Odyssey and Odysseus.  Odysseus was a very clever, resourceful man, which enabled him to get back to Ithaca after the Trojan War despite many hardships.”

After a few moments, Elena asks, “How did you become interested in literature?”

“Well, I was in twelfth grade, and we read “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Ernest Hemingway in English class and part of the “The Gallic Wars” by Julius Caesar in history class.  I enjoyed them and wanted to read more.  Either I check them out from the library in town or buy them used on the internet.”

Elena makes no reply.

“Why don’t we walk to the end of the dock and watch the boats go by?” Wilson says.

They are sitting on the edge of the dock, not saying anything, just watching the ships go by when Elena says, “I am familiar with Le Club.  It’s a French company.  Why did you leave it today?  Weren’t the women pretty?”

Wilson laughs.  They may have been pretty, but they were also married.  There was a miscommunication somewhere along the line, and I ended up at a family club instead of an adult club, but I’m fixing that.  I’ve got a flight booked tomorrow afternoon to the singles club at Eleuthera.”

After a few minutes, Elena says, “I never thought about it before, but a man with the practical, everyday skills you have is just as good as a man who goes to college.  I don’t know if it is appropriate for me to say this. . .but you impress me.”

Wilson smiles.  “Thanks for the compliment.”

“I mean it,” Elena says.

Wilson doesn’t reply, and they go back to sitting silently until a voice behind them says, “We finally found the right solenoid.  A brand new one.  A boat owner at a dock several miles away had one.”

They turn around to see Aristidis holding up a solenoid.

“Don’t worry about the mileage on your bike, I rented a truck from the owner of the general store at the end of the dock using my boat as collateral.  We carried your bike along with us.”

Wilson takes the solenoid.  “This is the right one.  Let’s go back to the boat.  It will only take a few minutes to install it.”

Wilson installs the solenoid, turns the key, and the motor starts.

“Thank you Wilson,” Aristidis says.  “How much do we owe you?”

Wilson is taken aback.  “Nothing.  I’m on vacation.”

“How about ten thousand—ten thousand U.S. dollars—for quickly diagnosing and fixing the engine problem and for the loan of your bike.”

“No honestly, it was a simple thing for me to do.  When someone is in trouble, I try to help them if I can.”

“Believe me,” Aristidis says.  “We won’t miss the money.”

Wilson shakes his head.

They stand there silently for a few moments until Wilson says, “I’d better be on my way.  It’s getting late, and I don’t want to be locked out of the club.  It was nice meeting you.”

Aristidis extends his hand.  “Same here.”

Wilson shakes hands with Aristidis and Menelaus and turns towards the dock.

Elena says, “I’ll walk with you.”

They walk in silence until they get to Wilson’s bike.

Wilson gets on the bike and turns the motor on,

Elena stands beside the bike.  “Good luck at the new club.”

Without thinking, Wilson says, “Who do you see when you look in a mirror?”

“Me, of course.”

Wilson says, “I see the goddess Aphrodite.”

Instantly, at that moment, their eyes become a bridge carrying a powerful emotional message into each heart.  They are oblivious to their surroundings.  Only the message matters.  It’s an emotional message so strong they become one, sharing the same desires and hopes that only a future together can satisfy.

After a few moments, Wilson says, “I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” and rides away.

Wilson returns to the dock early the next morning, locks his bike to a post at the store, and walks down the dock towards the boat.

It’s gone.  The damn boat is gone.  Elena didn’t say a word about leaving.  She was a dream come true, but, puff, she has disappeared like a cloud of smoke.  The dream is over.  I really liked that girl.  I don’t feel like going to Eleuthera now.  I’ll go to the end of the dock and sit down for a while.

He walks past the empty slip where Elena’s boat had docked and pauses for a moment.  He looks at the piling where the boat was secured and sees the boat’s old solenoid with a note tied around it.  He picks up the solenoid, unties the string, and reads the note written on the paper.

     Wilson,

       Please return this message to me.

                             Elena Thanos

Wilson reads the note.  Wonder why she didn’t add her phone number?  It doesn’t matter.  I’ll find her.

Wilson returns to Le Club and books a flight for the following day to the Greek Island of Kefalonia, the closest island to Ithica with an airport.

The trip from St. Lucia to Elena’s hometown of Vathy on the Island of Ithaca was not as simple as Wilson had imagined it would be.  The trip took 20 hours and involved a flight layover, a ferry ride and two taxi rides.

“This hotel is within walking distance of all the important buildings in Vathy,” the taxi diver says.  “The famous statue of Odysseus on the waterfront is only a couple of blocks away.”

“Thanks,” Wilson says.  “I’m exhausted from my trip.  Do you know how I could contact this woman?”

He holds up a piece of paper with Elena’s name on it.

The taxi driver shakes his head and drives away.

Wilson enters the hotel and goes to the check-in desk.

“I need a room for three nights.”

“May I see your passport please,” the hotel clerk says.

Wilson hands it to him, the clerk takes a picture of it with his phone and hands it back.

“It will be 243 euros for three nights.”

Wilson hands him his credit card.

The clerk process the credit card payment and hands the card back.

Wilson shows the clerk the piece of paper with Elena’s name on it.

“Do you know this woman?”

The clerk shakes his head.  “Your room is 214.”

The next morning, Wilson walks to the waterfront.

This must be the famous statue of Odysseus the taxi driver told me about.  The inscription is in Greek.  I can’t begin to read a word of it.

He goes to a nearby shop with a picture of a coffee cup on the sign, sits down, and orders a coffee

“Do you want cream and sugar?” the waiter asks.

“Yes.”

When the waiter returns, Wilson holds up a piece of paper with Elena’s name on it and asks, “Do you know this woman?”

The waiter looks at the paper and shakes his head.

Wilson pays for the coffee, leaves a tip, and walks outside.

All three of those guys were young.  They should have known about a women as beautiful as Elena in a small town like Vathy, but they didn’t.  That means asking around is not an acceptable way for a tourist to find somebody.  I need a new plan.  What Odysseus would do in situation like this?

He stares at the statue of Odysseus for several minutes.

“I’ll go to the post office.”

Wilson walks back to the coffee shop and asks the waiter, “Could you please tell me where the post office is?”

“Certainly,” the waiter answers.  “When you walk out the front door, make a right, walk three blocks, make another right, and walk four blocks.  It’s in the middle of the next block on your left.  It has a small blue sign and a green door.”

“Thank you,” Wilson says and walks out the front door.

Wilson opens the green door of the post office and walks to an open counter.

“Good morning,” he says to the clerk behind the glass enclosure.  “What is Elena Thanos’ address.”

The clerk gives Wilson a puzzled look.  “I don’t know an Elena Thanos.”

“She told me she lives in Vathy, and the post office would know her address.”

The clerk stares at Wilson for several seconds.

“I’ll get the post master,” he says and walks away.

After several minutes, a man walks to the glass enclosure and says, “I’m Nikos Carras, Ithica’s Postmaster.  How can I help you?”

“My name is Wilson Wayback.  I’m from Iowa in the United States.  I’m trying to find Elena Thanos.  She said she lives in Vathy, and the post office would know her address.”

“Why are you looking for her?”

I met Elena a few days ago when I was helping her father and uncle, Aristidis and Menelaus, repair their boat on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia.  We were supposed to meet the next morning, but when I arrived, their boat was gone.  Elena left me this note on the dock.”

Wilson takes the note out of his pocket and hands it to Nikos.

Nikos reads the note and chuckles.  He hands it back to Wilson.

“Wilson, every unmarried man on this island would like to have this invitation.  I’ll call a taxi and tell the driver to take you to her house.”

Nikos takes out his phone, thumbs in a number, says something in Greek, and hangs up.

“Lets walk outside, and I’ll show you her house.”

When they get outside, Nikos points to a large white house on a hill.  “Aristidis has money.”

“What kind of work does he do?”

“He claims he’s a fisherman, but he’s a treasure hunter with good information on shipwrecks.  He and Menelaus work alone and are very secretive.”

The taxi pulls up, and Nikos says to the driver, “Please take this gentleman to Elena Thanos’ house.”

Wilson says, “Thanks Nikos.  I never would have found her without your help.”

Nikos smiles and says, “Good luck.”

After a while, the taxi driver says, “Elena could be a taxi driver.”

“Why do you say that?” Wilson asks.

“I’ve talked with her many times.  She is friendly, polite, has a good sense of humor, and makes me feel at ease.  Those are the qualities a good taxi driver has.”

“Although I only talked with her for a short time, I understand what you mean.”

“Why are visiting her?” the taxi driver asks.

“Because I want to talk to her again.”

Wilson asks the taxi to wait for him.   After he leaves the taxi, he pauses for a moment  to look at the house and to gather his thoughts.  He knows Elena won’t be there because of the distance between St. Lucia and Ithica.  He doesn’t know when she will return.  He guesses six months to a year, but no longer than a year.

A lot can happen in a year.  This note could get misplaced.  I doubt if she will get married as long as she is on the boat . . . I hope.  No use wasting time standing here.

He walks up the steps to the front door and rings the doorbell.

A middle-aged woman opens the door.

Wilson says, “I have a note from Elena.” and hands her the note.

The woman looks at the note.

“My name is Wilson Wayback.  I’m from the United States.  Are you Elena’s mother?”

“No.  I’m Mrs. Castellanos, Mr. Thanos’ housekeeper.  Elena is not here.  I don’t expect her for quite a while.”

“I would like to write a response to her note.  Do you have a pen?”

“I’ll get one,” Mrs. Castellanos says and goes back into the house.

She returns and hands the pen and Elena’s note back to Wilson.

Wilson puts the note against the doorway and writes on the back:

     Elena,

       Your message is returned.

                    Wilson Wayback

                    Winston, Iowa

                    (712) 580-7200

Wilson hands the note and the pen to Mrs. Castellanos.

“Please keep this note in a safe place until she returns,” Wilson says, smiles, turns around, and walks away.

Seven months later, Elena walks into her house and drops her backpack and suitcase on the entrance floor next to the stairs.

“We’re home!” she shouts.  “Finally.”

Mrs. Castellanos comes into the hallway.  “How was the voyage?  Were your father and uncle successful?”

“Successful beyond belief.  Dad will tell you all about it.  All I want to do is go to bed.  We hit a storm last night, and I haven’t had sleep for 17 hours.”

She pauses.  “Did an American man come by while I was gone?”

“A very handsome American man came by while you were gone.”

“What did he say?” Elena asks.

“He said he had a note from you and wanted to respond to it, so I gave him a pen, and he wrote a message on the back.  He gave the note back to me and told me to keep it in a safe place until you were back home.”

“Where did you put it.”

“On your bed.”

Elena smiles.  “Thanks.”

She runs up the stairs to her room, takes the note from her bed, reads it, then sits down on the side of the bed—holding the note—and thinking about the situation.

Wilson is using a crawler excavator to demolish the remains of some farm buildings when his phone rings.  He turns the engine off to take the call.

“Hello.”

“Wilson, this is Dave Whiting.”

“Hi Dave.”

“Wilson, this is your lucky day!  There is somebody staying at my hotel who is looking for you.”

“Oh yeah.  Who is it?”

“The best looking woman I’ve ever seen.”

Wilson smiles.  “I’m on my way.”