Pepper is 30, Ozzie 29. I meet both of them in January 2009. At that time, they did not know each other, but within a few months....theirs would be the love story of Esterillos.
Pepper is from Florida. Had lived in Costa Rica for several years prior to Ozzie. Ozzie was born in NYC, his mother is Colombian, his father German. His mother Lee is an amazing woman whom I could go on and on about as she is an inspiration to all who meet her, and lives here in Costa Rica up the mountains about an hour from Esterillos.
January is the height of the high season. Beautiful hot weather, clear skies, great clean waves, lots of people coming and going - an adventure every day. January 2009 was also the month I met my young friend Cailin and her boyfriend Shawn - from NJ. Little did I know by the end of that year Cailin and I would have travelled together all over Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
It was in Feb. when Cailin, who was now staying with a friend in Dominical, 2 hours down the coast, that she invited me to come visit. Anytime I get an offer to see something new and different I try to do it and so I planned to catch a bus on a Thursday morning and head down to Dominical. The night before, I saw Ozzie at the LowTide and he asked if he could come with me. I hardly knew him but of course said yes - it is always good to have a travel partner. Can't remember just how we got up to the highway but there we were, standing at the bus stop waiting for the 9 am Uvita bus. When it stopped I could see it was not full and headed for the back as that is where I like to sit. Ozzie had his i-pod with him and being a young guy I assumed he would sit somewhere else...but no...Ozzie followed me to the back of the bus and there we sat, side by side, talking all the way to Dominical. This was when I fell in love with Ozzie. He is not like a lot of young men. Most guys his age would have chose another seat, far from me, sat down with the i-pod blasting in his ears and woke up when we got to our destination.
Neither Ozzie or I really knew just where we would be staying. Cailin told me she was staying in a beautiful house that belonged to a friend of her parents and that she had known forever - Billie. Beautiful does not begin to describe this place. Totally amazing comes close as it looks out over the ocean with the beautiful coast line of Costa Rica below it.
For the next 3 days, Cailin, Ozzie and I spent hours together. Billie is a work-a-holic and avid surfer. When the tide was right, all of us - including 17 year old Calin and another young boy, piled in Billie's LandCruizer and went in search of surf. I only went out once as this area was way beyond my abilities. Cailin cooked and for hours I sat in the company of these two amazing young people who knew so much about everything......equally passionate about life, surfing, music.......everything!!! It was a joyous time! That was where this unique friendship blossomed and grew. I will forever be thankful for the friendship of these two young people!
During this time Shawn had been in the states. He was now back and picked all 3 of us up and we all returned to EO together. For the next several weeks it was all about dinner parties, live music provided by Cailin and a variety of other people who came and went, surfing. This time was Costa Rica at it's finest.
By the end of March, Cailin and Shawn had returned to New Jersey. Things were starting to slow down. Pepper was living in EO, working as the property manager for other friends. Most of us had met her but she was serious about her responsibilities and few really knew her.
One night at the LowTide - the open bar on the beach - a large group of us were still there quite late - about 11ish - which is very unusual for me to be out that late. The ocean had been flat.....nothing was going on. Someone suggested we all go boogie boarding the next day. Before we knew it.....Brian - the bar manager at that time - drew up a "contract" that we all signed swearing we would be on the beach at 12 noon the next day for boogie boarding. At least 15 of us signed the "document" and Jeni sealed it with a lipstick kiss.
At this time I was housesitting for Adam. Ozzie was staying there also but Adam wanted me in charge of his dog Newman and so both of us where there. Yoga at Bri's house was at 8:30 am. Along with the boogie boarding "contract", somewhere shortly after.... another "document" was signed swearing most of us would also be at yoga the next morning.
Newman had me up early and I was planning on going to yoga. Adam's house is in the development near the highway - about a 10 minute ride by bicycle into town. At 7:45 I tell Ozzie he needs to get up as we need to go to YOGA. I hear a few grumbles...........Then I remind him we signed a "contract" and we need to go. A few more grumbles.........then I hear him say "You are right - I signed a contract" By now it was after 8am but within minutes we were both on bikes racing into town and up the hill for yoga - me thinking I would have a heart attack.....but - arriving just in time.
Finally - here is where the story of Pepper and Ozzie begins. Pepper and I had previously decided to go to breakfast after yoga. The night before I could see both Ozzie and Pepper were interested in each other but hardly knew the other. As soon as yoga was over I asked Pepper if we could invite Ozzie. We did - he went. While having breakfast Pepper told us she was going to Jaco and asked us if we wanted to go. I was already onto them. I told Ozzie what I needed and asked if he would go and get what I wanted. This would be their first time ever alone. Weeks later I would hear from Pepper that she was so nervous, so excited, so happy to have this time with Ozzie.
They went and were back in time for the still talked about boogie boarding session. At least 15 of us were all in the water together. Laughing and playing like a group of children. That was my first time ever on a boogie board.
That was the very day the love story began.
When Ozzie arrived in EO, not long before he had been living in NYC. Going to school and working. He was now taking 6 months off before leaving for Australia to continue his education in Art. He was scheduled to leave in June. For the next 3 months he and Pepper were inseparable and it was obvious they were in love. Just being in their presence made everyone happy.
In April of that year I had made a trip to Texas to see my 94 year old grandfather who lives in San Antonio. While there I also stayed at the homes of two of the "Texas Boys" - Mike and Diaz, another night with Les and Yvonne - all in or near Houston. The night I stayed with Les' - they took me to dinner and for over an hour talked about the up-coming Jimmy Buffet concert they were planning on attending. They have gone to a Jimmy Buffet concert every year for the past...can't remember.....but a long time - like 15 years or something. I was so jazzed I wanted to go but was leaving the next day.
When I returned to CR from that trip I was back at Adam's again as he was now in Houston for the Buffet concert with his parents Les and Yvonne. Ozzie and I were once again sharing the house for a week.
One afternoon, after Adam had returned from TX, the 3 of us where sitting at Soda Mary's - Brett's place. Adam was telling me about the concert. I told him I wanted to go someday. He got online to see what the summer concert schedule was and within a few minutes found Buffet would be playing 2 nights in Camden, New Jersey close to where our friends Shawn and Cailin lived. Ozzie tells us, just the week before these concerts, he is going back to NYC to take care of business before heading off to Australia and why don't we come with him.............
Adam looked at me........I looked at the two of them and then said.......well.........why not!! And that is how I ended up staying in a penthouse in NYC for 6 days with these two great guys, visiting the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the art district, seeing an independent film made right there in the area we where staying, met up with other EO friends who live near the city and saw the showing of a new surf movie that was being projected outdoors on the side of a huge water or oil tank in Brooklyn, went on an EPIC 6 hour bicycle ride that took us thru Central Park, Greenwich Village, the park across from the Statue of Liberty, the site of the World Trade Center, across the Brooklyn Bridge, pizza in Brooklyn, back across the Manhattan Bridge and racing thru Chinatown at rush hour - plus dancing on the bar at the original Coyote Ugly one night. Every moment there was amazing as Adam and I followed Ozzie around like little puppies thru the streets and subways of NYC. From there the 3 of us took a bus to Philadelphia where we were met by Cailin, Shawn and Reds - another NJ friend - and then the concert that night. The next week was spent attending the 2nd concert with other NJ friends, surfing - my first and last time in a wetsuit, fishing and clamming with Cailin, Shawn and her dad - I caught a whopping 4 lb., 10 oz Flounder :):) - eating, eating, eating, etc, etc, etc. EPIC trip!
Until this very week......the last time I saw Ozzie was watching him wave to me from the bus he was on headed back to NYC. Adam and I would return a few days later and fly back to CR together. That was in June 2009.
Within 2 months I would be back at Ozzie's mom's house for one last night, the airport the next morning saying goodbye to Pepper, as she headed for Australia to be with her man.
They arrived in EO last weekend while I was in Denver. Upon my arrival back home, it took another 3 days for us to catch up with each other. Seeing them for the first time was if no time had passed. The bond between the 3 of us still remains as it always will. I simply love them and am so happy they have returned to CR. Welcome home Ozzie and Pepper!!
No comments:
Post a Comment