We’ve been on the island 4 months now. Every day here is like being on a permanent vacation. We’re no longer the newbies, people are recognizing us as locals, and we’re starting to find our groove on the island. This foreign land no longer seems foreign, and we’ve settled in and become more comfortable in our surroundings. But then, something happens to remind you not to get too comfortable…

It was the perfect start to the day; Sunday brunch at Ziggy’s (a gas station/bar that’s a local favorite), bottomless mimosas, no chores, no work, nothing to do but enjoy the beautiful day. We were deciding what to do with the day when my boss texted and asked if I was available to work the Wine on the Water sail that night. Ugh. I didn’t want to, but agreed to it anyway because she offered Steve a free ticket. She later texted again and said she didn’t need me to work, but we could both come on the sail anyway. Again, I didn’t really want to, but she was being nice and offering us a free trip on one of the best nights. Wine on the Water is a special monthly event where we offer a variety of wine from our wine rep with food pairings from a local chef. It was nice to be a guest on the sail for once, instead of having to work it. The sail was great; Calm water, gorgeous sunset, good music from a local reggae band, as well as delicious food and wine. Maybe a little too much wine…

After the sail, we made plans to meet up with the crew at a local bar a few blocks away. We were going to walk and leave our car on the pier, which is gated, but instead decided to drive so we wouldn’t have to walk back later that night. We then parked outside the shop where I work, but Steve decided he wanted to get closer, so we moved to a new spot, only a half block away from the bar. I questioned our decision to park there, since there weren’t a lot of people around and it wasn’t very well lit, but we left the car anyway. Afterall, it was early evening, only 8:00 PM, and we never lock the doors or leave valuables in the car. What’s the worst that could happen?

We were at the bar for about 2 hours, having a good ol’ time. When we got in the car to leave, Steve turned the key and… nothing. Dead battery, he figured, and went back to the bar to get someone to jump us. I sent him a text and jokingly said, “Did you check to see if we even have a battery? Maybe it was stolen.” He came back with some people to jump the car, popped the hood, and… I was right, no battery. Someone stole the battery right out of our car, a half block from the lively, crowded bar. And of course, no one saw anything. Not even the police officer who was one block away when it happened. He did, however, advise us not to leave the car there overnight. What were we supposed to do? No less than 5 minutes later, some guy rode up on a bike offering to sell us a battery. Our battery! Seriously?

The most surprising part of the evening, though, was all of the random strangers who offered us help. There were at least 10 people from the bar outside trying to help us. A local man offered to let us borrow one of his extra batteries he had back at his house. He went home, brought us a battery, helped us hook it up and tie the hood down (since it was way too big for our Jeep), and told us to return it in the morning. That would never happen back home. He even gave me his number and asked me to call and let him know when we made it home safely.

All in all, the battery theft was just a minor inconvenience. We made it home safe and there was no real damage to our vehicle. The worst part was that it cost $124 for a new battery. I would’ve much rather used that money for a nice dinner or a fun night out. The best part was finding out that there are still people out there who are willing to help others in need.