Chapter 55

“Ninety dollars? For one night?” I was incredulous.

“Twenty-four hours,” said the kid, and the kicker, “Starting when your first fender kissed the dock.”

And it was 90 bucks if I didn’t stay. Still ... it was six bucks a day CHEAPER than Pentwater... 96 bucks a day had a lot to do with WHY I bought the house and water access.

I still thought the Ludington Municipal Marina was mighty proud of their facility.

We had sailed between the piers and motored east through the channel past the Coast Guard Station ... white boats with a blue or red diagonal bow stripe is the Coast Guard universal. The house demonstrated the universality. Yup ... white with a blue stripe. Just past the Guard was Ludington’s bid for immortality. Sixty five feet... $90.00 ... for 24 hours dockage. I’ll admit ... they provided electricity, sewer and drinkable water for their outrageous prices ... but ... NINETY BUCKS!

“You don’t have to stay here ... you can tie up to a mooring ball... $50 ... a night ... no service. If you can find one,” she said. The girl behind the counter was ... probably 14 ... maybe.

It was then that she noticed who I was with.

“David. Hi ... are you with them? Oh My God ... the Princess ... ah ... umh ... Daddy!”

From the office behind the counter... “What?!?”

“I need you,” she mostly moaned ... a whining moan ... but definitely distressed.

A clatter ... feet hitting the floor ... a chair shoved across hardwood ... a bit of a bustle. The door opened, a waft of cooler air. The office was air-conditioned.

“What? Hi David,” Mayor Simmons ... I read it off his shirt pocket ... said. “What’s up?”

And Junior stepped out from behind me. I’m not very big but Junior is tiny ... she had no trouble hiding in my shadow.

“Your Highness...”

At least I think that was what he stuttered ... he did bow though.

Junior wasn’t having it... “Your Highness was my mom ... I’m Junior ... and don’t you forget it,” she said.

“Yes, Ma’am...”

“I’m 18 years old ... Ma’am is an old lady ... Junior ... just Junior. Why are the Municipal Docks so damned expensive?”

He looked out the window ... it’s a great big picture window... “Is that your boat?”

I tootled my fingers at him. “Mine.”

“Out of country flag ... what is it? 60, 70 feet?”

“65,” I said.

“Foreign flagged. 90 bucks a day. The Marina was an investment for the town.”

“I can see that. I wasn’t planning to pay for it in one day,” I told him.

“Very funny,” he said, “David ... where’s your tug? Wait ... you and the Princess came on THAT?”

THAT was SV Basilisk you know ... the ninety dollar a day boat.

“Yeah,” David said. “Shopping ... Farmer’s Market. In the morning.” The morning being Friday ... the only day of the Farmer’s Market. “I didn’t buy groceries ... green stuff... ‘cause I didn’t know ... fer sure ... when Surprise was going to arrive.” “I canned and fueled the boat but I worried about lab experiments in the fridge.”

“And paper products ... I’m gonna need supplies,” interrupted Her Highness.

“And I figured that we wouldn’t get here until late ... that boat is damn all fast ... so...”

“You were planning on ‘local’ rates?” asked the Mayor.

“Or professional courtesy.”

“We’ve just the one berth for big boats.”

“I was figuring on the north wall in the middle of the night,” David said, “It’s closer to the market.” He nodded at the seawall north of the Marina. “We could be gone before anyone got here.”

“Two blocks closer,” snorted the Mayor.

“Wait...” I said. “You knew the cost and were planning on cheating? David ... I’m ashamed.” I paid up on the spot. “Now ... I need a bank. I’m running low on cash.”