I am beyond grateful.
* * *
Apparently, the only clothes in this small one-horse town on the way back to the villa are to be found in a charming artisanal street market. It is bustling with locals. There is one stand, amid two kebab meat vendors, selling clothes. Traditional embroidered loose tops and lots of colourful ponchos leap out at me. I’ve never worn any bright colours in my life. The gap-toothed lady looks me up and down, indicates for me to twirl around and disappears behind a huge mountain of clothes. She emerges to thrust a small pile into my arms.
‘Thirty dollar,’ she says, all gums.
‘Gracias,’ I say, too polite to argue. ‘Is there anywhere to try them on?Pongo las ropas?’
She shakes her head at my pidgin Spanish. ‘No need. They perfecto. She very lovely.’ She holds out her hand to a laughing Cam, who is nodding in agreement. He hands over the money while I feel a small tickle of pride ballooning inside. He thinks I’m lovely.
‘Thank you,’ I say as we leave. ‘I’ll pay you back.’
‘No worries,’ he says as I bundle the kebab-meat-scented clothes onto the back seat. ‘Even if they don’t fit, at least you’ll smell delicious in them. Nice try at the Spanish by the way.’
He thinks I smell nice and that I’m culturally sensitive.
* * *
We pull off the main road leading away from the airport and follow the signs to Cenote Maya. I can see all manner of tropical birds flying around, flashes of yellows, purples and blues as we whiz by.
‘How spontaneous would you say you are?’ he asks.
Compared to your glamorous, overachieving, not-spontaneous-enough ex-girlfriend?‘Erm, very. I mean, extremely.’
‘Extremely?’ Cam asks, trying not to laugh at me.
‘Yes.’
As in not in the slightest.
‘You’re wearing a bikini underneath the gown, correct?’
I nod slowly. ‘Sort of. It’s one strap away from being a single shoelace.’
I just have time to notice Cam’s eyes widen. ‘How about a swim? You said you wanted to do something amazing before you leave, didn’t you?’
He swings the car into a parking area packed with buses and people coming and going. I slip on my new clothes over the bikini while Cam turns his back to give me some privacy. It’s a chance for me to appreciate his clean, smooth lines. He is literally the perfect shape. Not big and bulky, just lean and athletic, the sort who could sweep you over his shoulder in the event of an emergency and still be able to save the dog.
A waft of roast pork follows me around. ‘I hope I don’t attract every wild carnivore in a ten-mile radius,’ I joke, discreetly pulling my new denim shorts into place to avoid a camel-toe situation – that crafty, gummy old doll has given me a size too small. I smooth down the top, also close-fitting, before asking Cam where we are.
‘Probably the most magical place on earth,’ he says, causing ripples of excitement to flood my brain.
We approach the entrance and Cam pulls out some American dollars before we trek through the forest to an opening. We reach a busy scene. People are stripping down to their swimwear, kicking off their shoes, throwing bags onto wooden benches and racing over to a large wooden platform to queue up. There’s an excited buzz and much animated chatter. We go over to do the same. I get the feeling that Cam is purposefully trying not to look at me in my skimpy bikini.
Once we have joined the queue, it is very fast moving. As we get to the front, Cam’s face lights up. ‘Hold on to your bikini straps!’ he says. ‘This will blow your mind.’ He points to a large wooden structure with all manner of pulleys, ropes and harnesses.
‘What is it?’ I ask him, but before he has a chance to answer, we are being strapped to a harness each and two men are lowering us gently into a huge sinkhole in the ground. It is surrounded by lush green plants and leaves and there’s a bright turquoise pool down at the bottom.
‘Oh, my word!’ I squeal as soon as we clear the flora and are lowered further down on the rope. We pass through the gap into an underground cave full of sparkling stalactites and glistening rock formations. It is terrifying and breathtaking at the same time.
Cam and I look at each other. He seems very excited while I am petrified and cling tightly to the rope. Within seconds, we reach another wooden platform like the one above and again two staff members unclip our harnesses.
‘Wow,’ Cam says as he looks around. ‘You okay?’
‘No,’ I say, nodding my head. ‘I mean, yes. No.’
‘You wanted to challenge yourself, right?’