Early Morning Ritual

I wake to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. The mixture of Thai Mocha and 100% Kona is from a leftover Christmas blend that I’ve concocted. I fill the thermal pot alongside the coffee maker and bring it with me. It is four forty-five.  I am barefoot and wrapped in a towel.

I climb up the stairs to the second floor and head out to the hot tub. The air is a brisk sixty-two degrees.  My mate is behind me. He hands me two mugs and opens and folds the cover in half.  I pour the coffee into the mugs and place the carafe and both mugs on top of the cover. His lean, muscular frame quickly slips into the sultry depths as the towel slips to the floor.  I soon follow, retrieving his towel, placing both on the wall hook behind us.  Then I swing my legs over the edge and sink into our morning ritual. The hot water embraces us. The jets provide a necessary massage, soothing our sore muscles into a weightless, steamy bliss. I alternate sips of coffee as I sink into the depths, leaving only my neck and head exposed. 

Overhead,  the stars blanket the early morning sky like sparkling diamonds. A planet, brighter than the rest, seems to beam its approval, while I lie back and close my eyes, the trade winds keep the mosquitoes at bay.  

…