The Empty Hammock Read Online Free

you on vacation Carey?” Ana asked as she looked at the house. It was situated at the top of a hill, on two acres of very fertile land, overlooking the sea. It was surrounded by greenery, mostly palm trees. Ana could see that the mango trees were heavy with fruit and the pear and breadfruit trees were covered in blossoms.
    “I'm now in private practice with Lawrence and Paulson, so no more traveling between hospitals; I want stability and more money. I told you all of this last month.
    My wife is visiting her parents in Miami and I am not cooking, so I took a couple of days to use one stone to kill both birds. Besides, I realize I don't see enough of you, ‘miss high powered marketer.’
    He took Ana’s suitcase from the car, “how long are you planning to stay? The whole year?” He groaned while he pulled her bag into the house.
    “Breakfast will be served soon,” Ana’s mother said, heading into the house. She understood the dazed look that was in Ana’s eyes. After leaving the concrete jungle that was Kingston and coming to Rio Bueno, one had to sit down and absorb beauty in pieces.
    Ana stood with her hands akimbo, inhaled slowly, and gazed at the sparkling blue of the Caribbean waters, which seemed as if it was in competition with the blue of the sky. If she were a painter, she would spend a lifetime capturing all this beauty: the blues, the greens, the lawn in the front yard, the trees in the backyard and beyond, and the mountains in the distance.
    Her mother’s flowers were starkly beautiful in the driveway, the different colors and hues blending together to create a picturesque splash to the green lawn.
    She had never felt like this before, so overwhelmed by the beauty of nature.  Tears streamed down her face as she sat in the driveway unmindful of her clothes. She suddenly felt as if nature was telling her something, as if there was something that she must do.
    “Ana, are you alright?” Her mother and her brother were peering at her as if she had two heads.
    She looked at them through tear-washed eyes and shook her head. “I…I… love this place,” she sobbed, “I love this country, I love the people.”
    “It’s a nervous breakdown,” Carey said matter-of-factly. “She was under too much stress at work. It’s just catching up with her. Up you go, young lady.” He scooped her up from the walk and carried her into the house and deposited her gently on a sofa.
    “I want to go back outside,” Ana said, trembling.
    Carey looked at his mother and shrugged.
    “What was she talking about?” Clara whispered. “I have not seen such madness since your father. Do you think it’s inherited?”
    “No, Ma,” Carey said hesitantly. “It is just a reaction to the stress she’s been undergoing; we’ll just have to allow her to get plenty of rest on this vacation.”
    Ana sat across from them, the weird feeling that she was on the verge of a self discovery was closing in on her, she barely registered that her mother and brother were sitting across from her or that she was sitting in the living room that used to be her father’s showpiece with all his Taino artifacts.
    “Ana, listen to me,” Carey said and knelt before her. “I recommend that you sleep as much as you can while you are here. How many hours have you been sleeping at night?”
    “Oh…about five or so.”
    “Not good enough,” Carey said, looking at her worriedly. Her hazel eyes looked more green than brown at the moment. She was obviously troubled. “Let’s hook you up with some food and then you can regale us with all your Probe Inc. happenings. How is that girl you hired for a secretary, the one that speaks like she is on the verge of an asthmatic wheeze?”
    Ana nodded and forced a laugh. “She’s as whiny as ever.” She was struggling against the feeling that she was desperate and she needed to do something urgently.
     
    ******
     
    Breakfast was Carey and Ana’s favorite: fried fish with bammy. Their mother used sweet