By J.H. OSBORNE
Back to the Bahamas, the week of Labor Day 1980.
I was 17 on my first trip out of the United States, which included my first time on an airplane, and traveling with a group which included friends and soon-to-be friends.
Some of my most vivid memories (sorry, Mom said I can’t share them all):
Many of the locals referred to us U.S. tourists as “my cousin,” as in “John, my cousin, let me show you where to find the best deal,” or “Lahn, my cousin, you are beautiful lady and you honor us by being in daily poolside fashion show.” “Lahn,” is how our Bahamian “cousins” pronounced my partner in shenanigans “Lamb’s” name. She and Rosa Whitten did indeed participate in a fashion show, featuring the loveliest Bahamian attire available in the Holiday Inn Freeport’s gift shops. But it wasn’t poolside. It was indoors in the lobby, where those of us who were willing to take a break from the sunshine that day sat in wicker and rattan furniture and clapped. Read more >>