Day 9 - Back to reality

Day 9

Today we bid farewell to Andrew’s colleagues and the city of Miami. Andrew ate his last steak, I had my last swim, and then we boarded the British Airways flight back to reality. It had been the most incredibly indulgent holiday I’d ever experienced. Whilst I’d been in Miami, the land of prosperity, I had played the game. I had resided in an exceptionally comfortable apartment, and I had pretended that I was rich and that this was my life. I’d never seen a bed so big, nor a bath so vast. I’d never had a fridge which expended ice cubes, or lighting which came on when you walked in the room. I had however, had balconies, and palm trees, and azure blue pools without a soul in them, and so I borrowed back the life in the tropics I’d had when I was a child, becoming ever so more determined to get it back one day. I’d like to think we’ll return to Florida, for longer than ten days next time. I would love to return to the manatee-inhibited waters of Miami, and be in the presence of those dignified skyscrapers once again. I would like to recreate our sodden stroll through a warm afternoon downpour, those exhilarating half hours in crystal clear pools, and that oppressive heat that forced you into cooler refuge. For those ten days, I lived a very privileged, although borrowed, life and loved every moment of it.

Andrew aspires to that lifestyle and wants to make it his own. Maybe he’ll be the owner of one of those beautiful mansions overlooking the ocean one day, with a white boat moored alongside.

As long as you’re not one of those Cuban immigrants trapped in menial labour, Miami is a great life. It’s a truly absorbing city, but cannot be adequately explored without the aid of a hired car – this is definitely a must.