The Perfect Woman

What would I do without Jade?

She is a member of this website who is a regular reader and who often leaves comments on my articles. They are not just comments. They are insights on my writing and on life itself.

The things people say and think, create a photo of that person. I have no idea where Jade lives or what she looks like, but her comments make her beautiful and a delight to read.

One of the nice things about being a writer is that you can relive your best experiences by sharing them with others. When I write about St. Kitts or Nevis and let people in on some of my adventures, someone like Jade or Oopaloo writes something that makes me rethink the experience.

A writer lives in a fantasy world that is governed by reality. While a person is writing, that person can put aside reality for the moment and just place himself in a perfect world where he can control the outcome.

This, of course, does not exist in the world of gambling.

When you gamble, you are subject to laws of probability, odds, fate, the luck of the draw, the power of the gods, and all sorts of things we cannot control.

Jade and Oopaloo are gamblers and see things through a gambler's eyes. But they see far beyond that as evidenced by some of their comments on my stories.

I was delighted when Jade wrote me and said my writing transported her to the Caribbean and made her feel the warmth, the power and the creativity of the sea. Her comment was totally on target because that was my stated intention when I began writing the column. I wanted to re-live that moment and use words to share it with my readers.

Jade brings up Lynette, an island girl I met in St. Kitts, and adds that she is even a bit jealous of Lynette. How wonderful!

Writers are on a daily search for perfection and paradise. If they are male, you can include the perfect woman and I am sure most women are looking for the perfect male, or in this age of transgender individuals, the perfect person who can complete their life.

One of the reasons I decided to live and work in the Caribbean about two decades ago was to search for my own kind of paradise. I had gone through a divorce, was disillusioned about life or at least some aspects of it, and needed a new adventure, a new location, to get me back on track.

And so I threw caution to the wind. I searched for a job and found two that I could choose from. One was in Hawaii on one of the Hawaiian islands -- the Flower Island -- and the other was on St. Kitts. I threw the dice and chose St. Kitts.

Federico Fellini, who happens to be my favorite film director, made a movie once called 'City of Women.' It starred Marcello Mastroianni as a businessman from Rome who was a womanizer. He could not keep his hands or eyes off women. The movie was made in 1963 and represented the first feminist film made.

While I did not realize it at the time, I was a womanizer, much like Marcello. While viewing 'City of Women,' I came to grips with my prejudices, understandings and lack of understanding of the true nature of a woman. It was shock treatment and it cleared my head. It also increased my admiration for Fellini's genius 1,000 golf, and I walked out of the theater, if not a better man, at least a more thinking man.

Lynette was not a perfect woman. Beauty-wise, she was near perfection. But she was Rastafarian and Rastafarian are born thieves. I can forgive her for her thievery since it is part of her nature. You cannot cure a cobra from wanting to strike or a lion from wishing to pounce, and you cannot cure a Rastafarian from wanting to steal.

Fellini did create his perfect woman in 'City of Women,' by the way. I won't reveal who she was. You'll have to rent or buy the DVD to see it, but I don't think you will be disappointed.

To Jade, Oopaloo and my other regular followers, all I can say is let's watch the green flash over the ocean...together.