Mark

I have noticed that people who are from the Caribbean usually convey that they are from a specific Island or nation but Mark simply said that he's from the West Indies. Isn't that where Columbus landed 517 years ago while searching for India? I am confident that when he landed in the island of Hispaniola (comprised of Haiti and the Dominican Republic) half a millennium ago, Columbus and his ship mates enjoyed plunging into the tepid and translucent waters of the New World as much as we do today, albeit under somewhat different circumstances. Like Mark, I too, enjoy the warmer months of the year and when walking through the wind tunnels of the Big Apple (top it off with some slush) numbs my toes and ears; my mind takes a quick detour to the affable waters and exhilarating banana boat rides in the beaches of Puerto Plata. But for now, we better gear up for the possibility of another fierce winter. I asked Mark whether he was planning to get the flu shot. Like most healthy man between their 20's and 40's who believe that they are invincible and that flu shots are for the immunologically weaker types, Mark will not succumb to it. That or he may be getting plenty of vitamin C and antioxidants from the home made West Indies' meals he favors. Either way, I should have predicted that his answer was going to be "no." As for me and my household, we are scheduled to get the flu shot this month. Let's hope that there are plenty to go around.