Elias cleared his throat, his eyes darting to a shelf of vitamins. "I... I was wondering about Blue Diamond. Or something similar."
She didn't smirk. She didn't judge. She reached under the counter and pulled out a small, unassuming blister pack. "The little blue pill," she murmured. "In the states, they make you jump through hoops. Here, we understand that life is short and the nights are long."
Viagra (Sildenafil) is often available over-the-counter in Jamaican pharmacies without a local prescription.
She leaned in closer. "But listen to me, Mr. Blue Diamond. This isn't magic. It’s just a spark. If there’s no wood in the hearth, a spark won’t give you a fire. You understand?"
Elias nodded, his hand trembling slightly as he reached for his wallet. It wasn't just the $20 USD price tag per pill that made his chest tight; it was the realization of what he was trying to buy. He wasn't buying chemistry; he was buying a version of himself that he feared was gone forever.
The turquoise water of Montego Bay didn't feel as refreshing as it should have. Elias sat at a weathered picnic table under a sea grape tree, the salt air sticking to his skin like a guilty conscience. At sixty-five, he was here on a "rejuvenation trip," a gift from his children who didn't realize that some things required more than just sunshine to rejuvenate.
The air inside smelled of peppermint and old paper. Behind the counter stood a woman with silver hair pulled into a tight bun and eyes that seemed to have seen every variety of human frailty.