Danger - A Safe Bahamian Novel - Day 14

Danger - A Safe Bahamian Novel - Day 14

(1:17 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

Well gentle reader, here we are again. Another November day. Another two thousand words to write in a rush. Without a plot or a plan. And with other things to do.

So, gentle reader, I am going to have to ask you to get in my literary time machine with me and let me take you back to last night over on Paradise Island. We need to go back and re-join Jack and Mandy and see what transpired after we went off to check on Golden Child and Fred.

Come on in. Watch your step and your head as you come in through the hatch please. You can sit right there. Here, let me help you strap in. Literary time travel can be tedious at times and dangerous at other times. Always best to be a little extra careful unless you are taking chances for thrills.

*** A Sidewalk Cafe on Paradise island - Last Night

(1:42 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

So, Jack and Mandy finished their dinner, moving between periods of tense silence and other periods of tense conversation. Finally Mandy asked Jack to take a ride with her after dinner so that they could talk things over some more.

Jack wonders if this has anything to do with the odd look and the odd question from earlier in the evening.

Mandy calls the waiter over and asks for the bill. He brings it over and she hands him plastic. Jack tries to sneak a peek at the card... Mandy catches him at it and smiles, shaking her head in a bemused sort of way. He looks away. The waiter leaves for a while and comes back for Mandy's signature in a short time.

Mandy takes the card and the receipt and looks it over, putting the card away. She finds no problems and signs with a flourish. The woman has style, Jack has to give her that.

They stand up to go and Mandy reaches out and holds his right arm at the elbow, "Jack, let's ride in my car, but can you bring your tunes? I like your tastes tonight."

Jack decides to play a bit of a rake, "Hey, I taste good too," he whispers, holding her heft arm above the elbow and leaning in to her ear.

She put a sharp and well placed elbow in his ribs.

"Ouch! Why did you do that?"

"No bright ideas from you please, let's just keep things moving shall we."

(2:12 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

"Hey listen, why don't you grab the power adapter for my player from the moke for me, I need to run to the rest room."

"Sure Jack, but why don't you drive the moke across the bridge and we can save a trip back over when we are done?"

"You are forgetting that I came over this way to have dinner and then to see a friend later. I still want to see her so I will need to come back over anyway."

"OK, meet you at my car then, I will get it running and warmed up."

Jack gives her a funny look, "OK then." he heads off to the rest room.

Once inside he looks for the waiter, they used to play ball together down at the fort years ago. Well, not together exactly, they were on different teams. Jack didn't remember his name though.

He saw him coming out of the kitchen and got his attention. "Hey, mabro, you still playing ball? Listen, I need a quick favour. Can you tell me the name of the woman who ate dinner with me?"

"Jack, Jack, you having dinner with someone and you don't even ask their name?"

"Oh, I know she told me her name was Mandy. I want to double check is all."

"Sure thing Jack, just a sec." He goes over to the manager and whispers in her ear. She laughs and winks at Jack. They talk for a bit, she looks at some paper and says something. The waiter comes back over. You're in luck Jack, she checks out. Her name is Mandy Mitchell."

"Thanks, I owe you one," says Jack heading for the men's room.

(2:23 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

Jack comes back to the car, Mandy is sitting inside smiling with the engine running. "Here, plug in your tunes and let's go."

Jack takes his player out of his pocket in plugs in the power cord from the adapter. He turns the player on. Music starts playing right away. it surprises him.

Mandy smiles and winks, "Just a good guess," she says backing out of the parking space and catching a bit of rubber pulling off. "Are you happy with the results of your under cover work?"

"What under cover work?"

"Come now Jack, what's my name?"

"Oh, you mean that under cover work, Mandy Mitchell."

"Yes, that under cover work."

"Well, let's just say it eases my mind the tiniest little bit," he laughs.

well my heart's been shattered,
my dreams torn and tattered
and my minds bout nearly blown

Jack is amazed to hear her singing along with this song as well.

i drank too much excess
way down in Texas
they done had.. to ship me home

She is really rocking to this tune.

i had rock star plans
thought i was a guitar man
but three cords wont get it done

"So, Jack, you ever have rock star plans?"

so when i reach home
i bought a new cell phone
and i been brownin in the sun

(4:40 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

"No, but I done some of my own browning in the sun. You?"

"Well, I was in a band once back in high school. Does that count?"

"Only if you want it to Mandy. Only if you want it to."

(5:06 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

Well gentle reader, things were going along OK word count wise for a while, but they seem to be running into a spot of trouble right about now.

(6:44 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

Well, I definitely seem to have run up on brakes. I hope I don't get any reverse back ideas.

Here we go.

Well, perhaps not. Interruptions.

Here we go again.

*** A Not Quite So Mega Yacht 'Risin Tide' In A Marina On Paradise Island

When Jack had finally been dropped off at the marina by Mandy late last night, Sarai, his friend had a notion to go out for a night cruise. Jack was invited to go and asked where they were off to. Sarai didn't care, she just wanted to cruise so Jack suggested he be the one to give the captain some direction.

She agreed and so Jack went off to get things sorted with the captain. He gave him a file of way points that he had stored on his ogg player earlier in the day. Just in case.

And so they spent the night following roughly the same course he had flown the other day in the float plane. He had asked to captain to run the sonar and store the results for him for future processing.

(6:59 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

'Risin Tide' had just docked a short time ago. Sarai had sent some of the crew out on Risin Tide's fast tender fishing during the day and they had done well. She invited Jack to stay for dinner aboard - fresh fish cooked on the stern deck.

Jack had no other plans so so agreed.

He offered to play DJ for the dinner and took his player in and hooked it up to the yacht's sound system.

well i have cried in new dimensions
while i was lying on the floor
then i grabbed my best intentions
and i ran down to the shore

He came back out and sat on a nice chair on the deck. Sarai had just opened a bottle of Asti and she poured him a glass.

where i stuffed them in a bottle
and i flung them out to sea
girl some day you may just find them
and perhaps remember me

"I had a nice time today Jack. It was an interesting choice of a route. You looking for something in particular?"

"Sort of Sarai, but I would rather not say just yet. I might fill you in later on and I may need your help or at least to borrow your little boat."

as the boy whose heart you played with
through those long summer days
as the boy whose heart you tore up
when in fall you went away

"Jack, you know I don't lend out Risin Tide, not even to you, unless I tag along for the ride."

"I know, but I have to ask every once in a while just to be sure nothing's changed."

(7:59 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

The cook finally came out and set up some sort of wok on the port stern rail.

A second chef set up a grill on the rail on the other side of the stern.

Some chef magic and a short time later, an fantastic vegetable and noodle meal was served with grilled tuna steaks. Fantastic.

(9:12 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

You see what's happening gentle reader. Every time I start to get ahead, I somehow get behind. The flow is gone. It only shows up sporadically this month for some reason.

And that will not do. It will not do at all. I must get some words down on this virtual paper. Not e-paper mind you, just virtual paper. Or a paper stand in as it were.

I have to find a way to pull these words out of thin air and get them fixed. Fixed and thus probably copyrighted. Automatically. What a mess that is. You make something original enough and it gets copyrighted automatically, whether you want it that way or not. Whether you indicate that it is supposed to be copyrighted or not.

And so, these days, all this stuff is floating around the world and the virtual worlds, almost certainly copyrighted but not marked as such.

And then they want to make copyright infringement a criminal offense. With jail time. Odd situations arise on account of this stuff. Very odd indeed.

And so some resort to copyleft. A try to reverse some of the unpleasant consequences for those who think them unpleasant. As for the others. Let's see if they want to compete honestly in the Free market... or the free market... whatever... ~;-)

(9:31 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

But the words sometimes think they are some precious, rare gems. Or some exotic, rare blooming flower that only deigns appear in the night.

Well, words, are you listening? It is night now in case you haven't noticed. Please tell them gentle reader. It is night now words, show yourselves.

Bloom with joy. Come on words. Bloom.

(9:52 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

It is just not happening. No... No... Bloom why don't you? What is the problem? What are you waiting for? Some knight in shining armour to come along and woo you on a moonlit evening? Some hero of fable? Some Canterbury gent? Pray he hasn't run amok yet like I am about to if you don't show up soon my verbal playthings.

I think I am just gonna have to try and sprint home with a major limp and collapse at the finish line tonight gentle reader. There will be no extra oomph. No great inspired scenes. No. Just a collapse at the finish line.

I need to get to know that old tortoise.

Closer and closer to the goal. Inching up on it ever so slowly. Slowly and with dogged determination. Like some hard headed Rotti with a tennis ball in her mouth that she is determined not to part with. Closer and closer. I can feel that I am close now and relief is building...

(10:02 pm Wednesday Nov 14, 2007)

Annnnnnnndddddd.... Good Night Gentle Reader...