Page 10 of Vitamin Sea
C hloe’s off-the-shoulder white-linen dress fluttered around her body in the warm breeze.
She pulled her suitcase with one arm and used the other to frantically grab at her dress, trying to hold down the fabric.
Outside the airport in Liberia scores of tourists were lined up along the sidewalk, all bustling for a shuttle or a taxi.
It was a riot of different colours, different sizes, and different languages.
She pulled her sunglasses onto the top of her head and scanned the crowd for any sign of Lala—she had gone ahead when Chloe had been pulled aside for a random bag check.
She squinted and tried to search through the people. It felt like a real-life version of one of those Where’s Waldo? books.
“Chloe!”
She jerked her head in the direction of her friend’s voice and tried to pinpoint her location.
It took a few moments before she spotted Lala—her friend’s arms waving wildly in an effort to grab Chloe’s attention.
She was standing next to a car with her suitcase and motioned Chloe over.
Costa Morpho had sent the transportation for her and Lala, and it looked like Lala had happened to find it first. Resorts often offered buses to shuttle their guests to and from the airport, but when you were writing a story about a property that would be read by millions of people, the companies always wanted to cater to the writer’s every need.
The driver was hoisting Lala’s oversized suitcase into the back of the trunk as Chloe squeezed her way out of the crowd.
“Gracias!” Chloe smiled as the driver grabbed her bags.
Lala was already seated inside the air-conditioned vehicle, reapplying her lipstick in the mirror.
“Six hours on a plane,” Lala moaned, throwing her head back on the seat as the taxi navigated away from the airport. “I can’t wait to get to the resort. I need a shower and champagne, stat.”
Chloe laughed as palm trees flew by her window.
“Champagne, snacks, massages, entertainment—all taken care of,” Chloe said lightly. “I still can’t believe Dasha sent me on a week-long assignment in the tropics after the past six months.”
Chloe wasn’t kidding. She was still incredulous.
It was akin to slacking off at school and being crowned class valedictorian. She had half expected to be sent on a fifty-mile sherpa-trekking experience through Siberia.
Latin music blasted throughout the vehicle and sunlight beamed through the window as they sped down the highway.
Chloe had kept to her rule of not Googling the resort ahead of time, so where they were staying would be just as much of a surprise to her as it was to Lala.
She hadn’t told her the name of the resort to keep her from spoiling the surprise; all either of them knew was they were going to Costa Rica for a week.
A warm breeze flowed through the open windows as the car bumped its way along the road. Chloe’s blonde hair whipped around her face, obscuring her vision as palm trees, vehicles, and buildings flew by.
The winding, one-hour drive took them on a scenic tour through the hills. Mindful that her trip was technically work, Chloe took out her phone and recorded some of the drive.
Eventually, the vehicle began to slow as the resort came into view.
Perched on the edge of the coastline on a peninsula, Costa Morpho promised, from what Chloe could see, incredible views.
Towering palm trees and lush greenery surrounded the resort’s entrance, which was flanked by two imposing stone structures that stood on either side.
They pulled into a large circular courtyard that served as a drop-off area for guests, which was large enough for several buses.
In the middle of it was an oversized fountain made up of a kaleidoscope of butterflies that floated above a sign spelling out the resort’s name.
Palm trees dotted the perimeter of the courtyard above exotic, jewel-toned flowers that sat amidst a sprawl of greenery.
It looked like something out of a magazine and Chloe let out a contented sigh. This was her happy place. She loved her job, and she was so happy to be on an assignment with her best friend.
While their driver took out their luggage, Chloe documented the courtyard, taking close-up pictures of the greenery, fountain, and building. She hit ‘record’ as a bellboy dressed in black shorts and a white linen button-up bearing the name of the resort came to collect their luggage.
Luis, his nametag indicated, led them into the massive, open-air lobby whereupon Chloe’s jaw dropped, and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline.
There, in the middle of the lobby, was a completely naked man.
Shocked, she stopped in her tracks and stared as the sandy-haired man sauntered past her.
“Ooof!” Lala’s voice came from behind her as she smacked into a suddenly static Chloe.
“Why did you stop!” she said, sounding annoyed.
Chloe couldn’t speak. She was rooted to the tile floor in shock. Lala poked her head around her friend and slapped a hand to her mouth, muffling a fit of laughter.
The bellboy, Chloe noticed, inexplicably did not seem the least bit perturbed, and was several steps ahead of her and Lala.
“Is security not going to do something?” Chloe’s face furrowed as she looked around in search of someone who looked like they had some authority.
Surely a guest walking around in the nude had to be against the rules of the resort?
The more her eyes searched for help, the more confused she became.
The nonchalance with which several staff members seemed to be treating the naked patron was puzzling.
There had been instances of guests getting seriously hammered at hotels she had stayed at before, but usually staffers were quick to attend to the scene and cart them off.
The casualness with which the staff seemed to be treating the man, who was now helping himself to complimentary coffee, was astounding.
Their behaviour almost gave Chloe the impression that nudity amongst guests was okay.
But that was too bizarre for her to even comprehend.
Lala, too, was watching the scene unfold, and she appeared to be arriving at a conclusion much faster than Chloe.
“Um, Chloe?” she whispered. “Did your boss tell you what exactly your assignment is?”
“No!” Chloe said desperately, averting her eyes from the man’s bare backside as he left the lobby with his cup.
Her head snapped to the left as she saw two women, looking to be in their fifties, enter into view.
Both were in their birthday suits and carrying towels.
They walked past a fully clothed Costa Morpho employee who smiled and greeted them as they placed their towels on two of the plush teal chairs in the lobby and took a seat.
“Well,” Lala deadpanned beside her friend. “It looks like Dasha’s forgiven you. It also looks like she has one sick sense of humor.”
Another naked woman walked into the lobby and shot the two of them a friendly smile.
Chloe, still in shock, couldn’t muster anything back and she watched the nude woman’s bronzed body waltz out of sight.
She had a purse slung over her right shoulder, which seemed absurd.
Surely a simple pair of shorts or a sundress with pockets would make more sense than lugging around a purse?
Where else would she keep her credit cards? A voice went through Chloe’s head.
She shuddered at the thought and then was hit with another.
Costa Morpho. The name of the resort.
‘Costa’, she knew, was Spanish for ‘coast’.
But ‘Morpho’? She hadn’t the faintest idea.
The word had initially given her flashbacks to the time she had ended up in the Emergency Department for a migraine so terrible that only morphine would touch it.
She didn’t like to read too much into things, but her first thought was that the name was an allusion.
As in our resort is so tranquil, you’ll feel like you’re on drugs.
Goodness knew she had come across hotels, resorts, restaurants, and experiences more strangely named than that.
Now she was wondering if it had something to do with ‘metamorphosis’.
As in stay for a week and transform from within in nothing but your skin .
The busboy was standing expectantly with their luggage next to the check-in counter and Lala urged Chloe forward
“Go on!” She nudged her friend. “Don’t be rude!”
Chloe, her video still recording, clicked her phone off, stuffed it in her pocket, and headed to the check-in counter.
“Ola!” a dark-skinned woman with short black hair and a toothy smile greeted her.
“Ola.” Chloe gathered her wits and responded with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.
“Welcome to Costa Morpho,” the woman continued. “My name is Carmen and I’m here to help you. Checking in?”
“Yes,” Chloe nodded.
She gave Carmen her information and received two key cards, a map, an itinerary, and a printout that contained an overview of the resort and FAQs.
“Cocktails are served in the lobby at 6 p.m. every evening, and this outlines all of the activities that are available for your stay.” Carmen slid a colourful-looking pamphlet across the desk.
Chloe glanced down and saw that it included a list of rules.
No gawking , she read the first rule on the list. Who knew that nudist resorts—she now had zero doubts as to the type of establishment she and Lala would be staying at for the next week—had specific rules about staring?
She supposed it made sense—you wouldn’t want other patrons to feel uncomfortable.
But still.
Had she known that this was where Dasha was sending her, she would have spent the last couple of weeks brushing up on her poker face. Or asked Dasha for a referral and gone to her doctor for a full-face application of Botox.
“Gracias and please enjoy your stay!” Carmen beamed as Chloe and Lala turned to follow the bellboy to their rooms.