Lillian continued, “And I mean right now. Please excuse me. I have to get back to work.” Lillian turned and rushed back to the office. She held back her tears. She had worked so hard to form a new life here in the Keys and she’d be damned if anyone was going to snatch that from her . . . even her daughter.
O
fficer Masterson stopped by the Pink Flamingo Motel knowing that Lillian’s shift was almost over. He walked into the office, but the clerk at the desk told him that Lillian went to help a guest and then she was going to check on the pool.
After checking the laundry/housekeeping facility, he tracked Lillian down by the pool testing the water. “Hey,” he said, helping Lillian back up to her feet.
“Hey back,” replied Lillian looking at Officer Masterson dressed in shorts and a casual shirt with sandals. She rarely saw him out of uniform and was pleased to see him wearing something that looked comfortable.
“Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”
“Sure. Let’s go over to the chairs by the lagoon.”
Lillian followed Officer Masterson to the chairs and sat in the one he offered. “Jim, you’re scaring me.”
Jim’s face relaxed when Lillian called him Jim.
Making progress
, he thought. “I heard through the grapevine that your daughter was in town.”
“Is that why you wanted to talk with me?”
“Not really, but I thought maybe you needed to talk to someone.”
Lillian looked at the sun setting in the west. “My daughter, Emma, came to see me, but I can’t say it was a successful visit. She left confused and bitter.”
“She’ll calm down and see that you were right to leave.”
“I don’t know,” confided Lillian. “I just don’t know if that child ever sees beyond her own needs. I realize that I overindulged her. She’s not a very nice person and that’s a horrible thing to realize about one’s child.”
“She’ll come around,” comforted Jim. “It will just take time. I see lots of these situations in my line of work and most times, if both parties want it, the hurt can be mended and later forgotten.”
Lillian placed her hand over Jim’s and squeezed. “I hope you’re right, Jim. I don’t know if I could go on knowing that the breach with my daughter would be permanent.”
Jim smiled and squeezed Lillian’s hand back.
“Enough about that. You said you wanted to tell me something.”
Jim cleared his throat. “I thought you might like to see my boat. We can make a day of it and sail down the Keys, have lunch somewhere and sail back before dark. You don’t get seasick, do you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been on a boat that sailed the ocean before. I wouldn’t know what to expect.”
“Bring a bathing suit and a change of clothing. I have everything else that you’ll need. Even a shower.”
“My goodness,” laughed Lillian. “A shower. It must be a big boat.”
“She’ll do,” proudly announced Jim. “She’ll do.”
Lillian pondered for a moment. “Can we stay close to the shoreline?”
“No problem. I know several places where we can snorkel.”
“I’ve never done that.”
“No time like the present.”
“I happen to be off tomorrow.”
“Great. Can you meet me at the marina at nine?”
“Yes. And thank you for the invitation. I would like to get out and see the Keys. Is that everything you wanted to talk to me about?”
Jim exhaled. He hated to give Lillian such bad news. “Jeremy slipped through the Texas police’s hands. They don’t know where he is now.”
Lillian’s smile fell. “Will this nightmare with this kid never end? All over bussing cluttered tables. It’s ridiculous. Simply insane that this boy has a grudge against me because I cleared some of his tables.”
She stood up. “You know it’s starting to make me mad. Really mad.”
Jim laughed. “That’s good going. Get mad and stay mad. We’ll catch him sooner or later. Just be alert and stay mad!”
Lillian laughed with Jim. “I am really, really mad at this kid. And I’m really, really mad at my husband. I could just kick him in the you-know-what. How dare he hit me?”
“I think you just made a breakthrough,” gushed Jim. “A real breakthrough. Now you can really start to heal.”
Lillian leaned over and kissed Jim on the cheek. “Thanks to you and Eva and Jack. I’ve found my home, my place in the sun, all thanks to your kindness.”
Not used to warm sentiment, Jim took his leave. “Just be at the marina at nine or the boat leaves without you.”
Lillian stood at attention and saluted, “Aye, aye, Sir.”
“M
y gosh, this is a big bruiser,” gushed Lillian, overwhelmed with Jim’s boat which turned out to be a Sea Ray 470 Venture, gleaming in the sun.
“This is my baby,” boasted Jim. “She weighs thirty-seven thousand pounds and is forty-seven feet long. She can sleep four comfortably and has all the comforts of home.”
“That’s some baby,” murmured Lillian. “Do you go out alone?”
“Usually my buddies and I go out fishing or I let them take it out for a day with their families.”
Jim proudly helped Lillian aboard. “Let me show you around.”
“Yes, please,” replied Lillian, astounded at the boat’s luxury and size.
“Down here,” said Jim as they descended the stairs, “four people can sleep.”
“You have a full kitchen!” cried Lillian.
“We call it a galley. If you want to live in the Keys, you’ve got to get the boat terms right.”
Lillian smiled and nodded.
Jim went over to a door and opened it. “This is the head.”
“Head?” Lillian followed Jim and peeked in. “Oh, it’s a bathroom. And it even has a shower.”
“It’s called a head.”
“I’ll remember.” Lillian shook her head. “I don’t mean to be nosey, but how could you afford something like this?”
“I got it used.”
“But it looks brand new.”
“I bought it at a police auction in Miami. It had been confiscated from some drug lords. I don’t have a family and my parents left me with some money, so I bought this toy.”
“Some toy.”
“I use it most every day I’m off. I love the water.”
“So do I.”
“Okay, if you’re ready, let’s shove off. Untie us.”
“Oui, Capitaine.”
“That’s good. Now sit back and relax. Oh, be sure you have on plenty of sunscreen and wear a hat. The sun is fierce on the water.”
“I came prepared.” Lillian put on a thin caftan, which covered her arms and legs, and a large floppy hat. She topped off her outfit with huge sunglasses. Sitting near Jim in the cockpit, Lillian could hardly contain her joy at riding in such a beautiful boat on a perfect day in the Keys. She forgot about her problems and enjoyed the moment.
Jim took the boat on the Atlantic side of the Keys and pointed out historical landmarks and other items of interest to Lillian.
She learned more that day than all the rest of the time she had been living in the Keys. “Can we go to Key West?” she asked.
“If you want to make a weekend of it, sure. But I would suggest that we take it easy the first time out. Key West is eighty miles away and it would take us much longer to travel by boat than by car. We can do it some other weekend.”
Lillian felt a shiver run up her spine. So–there were going to be other weekends. She felt conflicted. On one hand, she was lonely and Jim was nice looking, had a good job, and didn’t seem to be a nut case. On the other hand, Lillian wasn’t ready for a relationship and didn’t trust men. She had been fooled before.
Jim turned off the boat and handed Lillian binoculars. “Look in those mangroves,” he suggested. “See the pink Flamingos?”
“Oh, my gosh, there’s an entire flock. So pink! They’re gorgeous.” As if on cue, the flock of flamingoes flew into the air, creating a riot of color in the baby blue sky.
“A stand of flamingos is called a flamboyance.”
Lillian joined in, “Quails are called a covey.”
“A gaggle for geese.”
Lillian laughed, “Let’s see. Murder for crows.”
“A waddle for penguins on land. A raft if they are on the water and rookery for nests.”
“Goodness, that’s impressive.”
Jim grinned. “I have to confess. Saw a show on penguins last week.” Something caught his eye in the water. “Hand me the binoculars.”
Lillian gave Jim the binoculars and turned to see what he was looking at. “What is it?”
“Look on the port side. There’s a pod of dolphins making their way toward us.”
“What’s a port side?”
“Left side of the boat.”
Lillian stood up and placed her hand over her eyes to cast off the glare of the water. “I can’t believe it. They’re heading right toward us.”
A pod of silver and white dolphins glided toward the boat, their backs gleaming as they slid up and then dived back down in the water.
“They’re so fast!” laughed Lillian. The dolphins swam so close to the boat that Jim and Lillian were sprayed as they passed.
Lillian turned and watched them until they swam out of sight. “I have seen more beautiful things today than I have in a very long time. I can’t thank you enough for inviting me on this excursion.”
Jim nodded. “Day’s not over yet. I see a little sandbar over there. Let’s stop and have lunch.”
Lillian nodded enthusiastically.
Jim pulled the boat over and anchored it. Pulling out two chairs and a small table, he jumped off the boat and put the chairs and table on the sandbar. “Get that basket out of the fridge. It’s got food in it. Then I’ll help you down.”
Lillian went down into the cabin and pulled a small wicker basket from the refrigerator and went back up. Jim reached for the basket and after setting it down, helped Lillian step off the boat.
She was glad to see that Jim had also put up a large umbrella to shield them from the intense sun. Sitting in one of the chairs and soaking her feet in the salt water, Lillian felt joyful. After years of coping and making do, Lillian finally felt happy. All because of seeing some pink birds and graceful dolphins.
Was it just that?
Or did Jim have something to do with the way she felt?
Lillian pushed that thought from her mind. She needed a man like she needed another hole in her head.
Jim handed her a plate loaded with a roast beef sandwich, fruit, blackberry muffins, butter, and pasta salad.
“My goodness. A feast. Did you do this by yourself?”
“I wish I could take the credit, but my neighbor made the basket. She’s a caterer.”
Lillian felt a twinge of anxiety. Why? “Your next-door neighbor?”
“Yeah. I bribed her with a bottle of wine.”
“She do much catering for you?”
“Naw. This is the first time. Gosh, this sandwich is good.”
“She did a great job.”
“If I had made lunch it would have been dried-out baloney on stale bread.”
Lillian laughed.
“You said you were a good cook.”
“Yes, I like to cook, but since I’ve been on the island, I’ve eaten out mostly.”
“What’s your signature dish?”
“My devil’s food chocolate cake with marshmallow icing.”
“Sounds calorie intense.”
Lillian chuckled. “It’s sinfully good.”
“What else?”
“Mostly Southern cooking. I like the dishes of South Carolina. Bob and I went there once for a vacation and I really liked the food. Bought a cookbook on Low Country cooking and took to it.”
“Maybe one day you’ll make dinner for me?”
Lillian didn’t respond and stared at the water.
Thinking he had pushed too hard, Jim changed the subject. “Look over there,” he pointed. “It’s an osprey’s nest.”
“There are babies in the nest.”
“Here comes Mama. Must be chow time.”
An adult osprey flew into the nest with a fish in its claws.
Lillian and Jim finished their lunch while watching the mother chew the fish and then regurgitate it to her chicks. After lunch Lillian waded into deeper water while Jim cleaned up and put the chairs and table back on board the boat.
When they were ready to leave, Jim gestured downstairs to Lillian. “You can wash that salt water off in the head.”
“Head?”
“The bathroom.”
“Oh yes, I remember.”
Lillian hurried to the bathroom and rinsed off the sticky salt water and changed into a new caftan. When she emerged from the cabin, Jim was busy navigating the boat. “We’re headed back to Key Largo, but I know of a good spot to go snorkeling if you’re keen. Are you a good swimmer?”
“Haven’t had much practice, but I don’t think I’ll sink.”
“I’ll throw out some floatables so when you get tired you can hang on to them. Got to be careful though. Even in a calm sea, it’s easy to drift away from the boat.”
“I’ll just paddle around the boat.”
Jim nodded and resumed navigating, leaving Lillian to her thoughts.
Suddenly, Lillian jerked forward and pointed. “Look over there, Jim. That boat seems to be having trouble.”
Jim slowed the boat and looked through the binoculars. He saw a small fishing boat with a man frantically waving to them. The motor was smoking. “Looks like he’s got a motor problem. We’ll swing over and tow him back to a marina.”
“Okay. I’m thirsty. I’m going to get a drink. You want something?”
“No thanks. Bring something up for that fellow, though. He might be dehydrated.”
“Sure.”
Lillian went downstairs, but before she got a drink, she did her business, then checked out the beds by lying on them, looked through the storage bins, tried the stove and microwave before turning on the TV. She felt the boat slow down and then come to a stop. She looked through a window and saw the torso and legs of a young man standing in a fishing boat that was bobbing on the water. Grabbing bottles of water, she climbed up the small staircase, “Jim, this boat is so well designed. I just tried the . . .”
Jim was standing with his hands behind his head.
What was he doing?
Lillian turned and saw a young man standing in the fishing boat, pointing a gun at Jim.
Lillian dropped the water bottles out of shock and then fell against the side of the cabin when a wave hit the boat, causing it to rock. She began to crawl on the floor toward her purse. Her cell phone was in it.