“Alright, my friends. To start this tour of Bahamian local delicacies, we will start with conch. This is something we find here often while we are out fishing. We have it prepared for you two ways. First, you have the traditional cracked conch, which is fried and served with Creole sauce. The second is a conch salad. Served ceviche-style with a pepper and citrus sauce over a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery.”
I take a bite of the fried conch first. It tastes good without a high level of spice, so I hold it out for Katie. She looks nervous but leans forward to take a small bite.
She hums when the flavor hits her tongue.
“That’s really good.” she smiles up at me.
“Here, have the rest of mine. I’ll try the rabbit food.” I push the rest of the fried conch onto her plate.
Then I take a bite of the salad. It’s not terrible, but I don’t feel like I need a second bite. Katie takes a small bite as well but leaves it, instead devouring the fried conch.
“I usually hate fried foods, but that’s amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it, baby doll.” I kiss the top of her head.
After everyone has finished their first tasting, the guide moves on.
“Next we have rock lobster. This is not quite like the lobster you are used to. Instead of serving with butter for you to eat from the shell, we prepare it like a crab patty. After we steam the meat, we combine it with typical Bahamian spices before making it into a patty and searing it in a pan. This is also served with the Creole sauce, but if you are feeling adventurous, we have also included a house sauce, which can be quite spicy.”
I take a bite of mine first, trying it with both sauces. When the second sauce hits my tongue, I know why he said you had to be adventurous. It’s spicy as hell.
“The Creole sauce is the one you liked before. Don’t try the other. It’s too spicy for me even,” I tell Katie.
She smiles. “I’ll try only a little. I’d hate to miss out because I’m afraid.”
She takes a small bite, dipping it into the sauce. When she brings it to her lips, I lose focus for a moment. I love her lips.
Then I watch her face scrunch up as soon as the sauce hits her mouth. I hold out my water.
“Okay, next time I’m listening to you. That’s way too hot for me.”
She’s wiping her tongue with a napkin, making me laugh.
“Our third item,” the guide calls out, grabbing our attention. “Is a snapper caught this morning by your cook. He has seasoned it with his family’s secret recipe.”
As the guide continues on, I smile down at my girl. She looks so light and carefree.
I could get used to this.
When she holds up a piece of fish, I open my mouth, accepting it from her without hesitation.
This is the cute couple things I’ve been missing out on. The ones I’ve seen my parents do for years. I’ve yearned for this but never found a woman worthy of it.
Not until her.
I have to do everything in my power to keep it.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Katie cocks her head, looking at me.
“Like what?”
“Like you just had a light-bulb moment.”
I pull her closer, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“Maybe I did.”
“What was it?”
