Calypso and Collapso
Being There
The first impression of Antigua is of reggae music, ragamuffins, heat and humidity. By the time I'd walked across the sun
drenched tarmac, my shirt was wringing wet, as my body poured out its protest at the sudden climate change.
We'd left England on a bright, late summers day, but this was very different. Babbling crowds thronged the tiny
terminal building as passengers waited in line to get through immigration and customs. It took a long time
for us to get through, and into a waiting taxi. Nothing hurried the officials. By contrast,
the taxi sped to our destination, swerving to miss the potholes littering the unkempt streets.
I gasped at the beauty of our final destination. We rounded a corner to reveal a small hotel
nestling right on the beach at one end of Runaway Bay. Phil had told me it was ready to open for guests,
I was about to find out.
Surveying the Scene
We alighted from the taxi, expecting to meet the owner of the Sandhaven Hotel, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was immediately obvious to
my trained eye, that this hotel needed some work to make it reasonable for guests. I told Phil I would carry out a survey for him,
so he could know what he was facing. Much to my surprise, he told me not to bother.
After waiting a couple of hours for the owner in vain, we trailed off to the next hotel, a half mile down the beach and spent the night there.
Not an auspicious start,
but I was to get used to the Antiguan way.
Perhaps I should say, understand, because I never really got used to their lethargic ways.
The next morning, we were laying on the beach, soaking the atmosphere and sun when Leroy, the owner of the Sanhaven arrived.
It looked as though he'd had a tough night. He gave us keys to two rooms and left, agreeing to meet Phil the next day for contract talks.
I was a little taken aback, I thought it was a done deal already.
Sun and Sand
The view from my bedroom was spectacular. The balcony looked west across the narrow beach and the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean.
Only a row of Coconut palms, rustling in the breeze interrupted the vista. Tiny islands could be seen poking through the
calm sea. On the horizon were the outlines of St Kitts and Nevis, looming large out of the sea. Sunsets decorated the evening,
which arrived abruptly every night at about six o'clock. My personal fitness programme began. For the last year or so, my body had become
flabby and my chest congested. This was the perfect place to regain my health. I stopped smoking and started swimming every morning at
sunrise. Once finished, I inhaled from the aromatherapy oils I'd selected to take with me. Rosemary for invigoration, Juniper for detoxification,
Chamomile for purifying, and Geranium to feel good. It fast became a routine. Every day, whilst I relaxed, Phil would trail into nearby St Johns and his lawyers to continue negotiating.
Each afternoon he would return without a sign of the contract being signed. He'd then disappear into his room until the evening. Then we would talk. I began to
understand he had problems to deal with.
The Conundrum
The first inkling that something was really amiss, dawned when I told Phil I thought the hotel would be a winner.
I believed the fourteen rooms would be
easy to fill. Sure the hotel wasn't ready to open, but with a lick of paint and about $25,000 spent on tarting it up, it could become a little haven,
as its name indicated. Phil shook his head. "No," he declared, " I don't expect any more than three people a night in here, that is all there has ever been. Leroy hired it by the hour to his friends in town who come with
their mistresses." This flabby person was flabbergasted.
Knowing, as I did, the proposed terms of the lease, I knew he had to have a busy hotel to make money. Yet, here was a guy, prepared to invest in a ten year lease, thinking he was going to lose. No matter how I tried, I couldn't convince him. My enthusiasm for his project
just didn't rub off. It was obvious he was depressed. As time went on, he became more remote, spending all his time in his room. I became worried for him, but determined to enjoy myself. I was becoming fit, tanned and healthy.
Delay and frustration
After six weeks, and a couple of self-administered injections, the contract was still unsigned. I challenged Phil to tell me whether he was actually going to sign it. I'd brought some money to last me for a month, thinking the hotel would be under way
and I would be earning my keep. Phil paid for all the food, as I'd expected, but I needed to either get more funds from the UK or go back home. He assured me he was taking the hotel, so I transferred my money.
When it arrived, we went out to dinner. At its end, the bill arrived. Phil just sat there instead of taking it and paying as he normally did.
Finally, with a snort, he paid.
Two nights later, he did the same, only this time I paid. The atmosphere between us was strained. After a couple of days I asked him what the problem was. He exploded, telling me I had
lived off him and obviously thought I should not be. I explained it was his responsibility to do take care of me, given the terms under which I'd joined him in his venture. He denied we'd agreed to those terms. From then on,
I decided to share costs with him to avoid further problems, at least until the hotel was under way. Work on putting the hotel in shape finally began in November, with the busy period a mere five weeks away
and there was no signed contract. My good friend Dave, from Twickenham, came out to help.
He paid his own flight and worked cheerfully painting the hotel rooms.
I told him of Phil's problems and he spoke with him many times, confirming my opinion of Phil's state of mind.
On the last day of November, an xtremely irate Leroy stopped me as I was driving into town, telling me that we had to leave the island if the contract wasn't signed within twenty four hours. I went to Phil and told him. I've never seen anyone quiver
like a jelly before, but that's what he did. Gently I said, "Listen Phil, I know this is really hard for you. If you can't go through with it, I will take on the lease." The next day he signed.
The next week would show me how he reacted.