The next day was our last on the island, and we spent it lazing around the dock. Aimee and Jill decided to take out the paddle boards again looking for some sea turtles, and again finding a six-foot sandbar shark. Having been there for both sightings, Aimee much preferred the above-water vantage point. But the real attraction was soaking up their last twenty four hours of blissful independence.
Not a child in sight.
Our only real task that day was getting the COVID test required for re-entry into the United States. Like everything relating to COVID on the island, we were very impressed with how professional the operation was. There were several testing sites around the island (including most of the bigger resorts), and conveniently the main lab was right next to the grocery store we frequented. We walked right in, and were registered for a test within minutes.
The lab technician was fantastic (he clearly swabbed a lot of noses), and was a world-class small talker. He had us all charmed by what I’m sure were the same jokes he used for each patient (I speak from experience), and stories about his visits to Arizona for his previous job with the World Health Organization. He advised us that there are no worse patients than celebrities (no nose is exempt), and we tried to imagine who he could have been referring to. At one point, the technician asked Dean about his last name. Dean met small talk with small talk and asked the tech what his last name was. The tech replied, with what I’m sure he thought was a conversational dead end. But Dean immediately put together that it was the same last name of our Mahi Mahi fisherman from Josephine’s. Figuring that it was a common name, Dean said that they had just met someone with the same name on Middle Caicos. “Wait.” The tech said. “Nat?! Nat from Middle? That’s my cousin!” We shouldn’t have been that surprised, since there are only about 38,000 residents collectively on all of the Turks and Caicos Islands. But it just solidified the impression that these were some truly friendly islands, and we were supposed to be here. This was the culmination of our crazy COVID year, and couldn’t have picked a better location to come down from it all.
After our tests, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some local snapper for Dean to grill at the Lighthouse. It had been our plan each night since we got rained out at Omar’s, but had to keep putting it off for one reason or another.
It was a fitting last dinner. Afterwards, we took in one last sunset from the top of the Lighthouse. It didn’t need to be said out loud. We were so lucky to have spent the last week there.
Our flight the next morning didn’t leave until late afternoon, so of course we spent the morning sneaking in some last minute snorkeling. And despite everything we had seen, this was probably the best of the trip. We saw tons of fish, a couple of graceful sea turtles, and precisely zero sharks. A perfect way to cap off the trip.
Aimee brought her contacts this time.
Then it was off to the airport. Begrudgingly (and uncomfortably).
Fittingly, the Turks and Caicos airport is mostly outdoors. We toasted the islands from the open air bar on the second floor, and made imaginary plans about when we’d come back. We missed our kids, and it’s always nice to go home. But we were in no particular rush, and had decidedly mixed feelings when we saw that the weather in Dallas for the return trip was, unfortunately, perfect.
