Chapter 26: Presidential Greeting

Saturday morning, we woke up to a light fog that had settled over the western side of Lake Okeechobee but it quickly burned away. Our crew had chosen to sleep onboard so as to save our hosts the trouble of having to clean the cabins after we left. I really think it was because it was late when we went to bed and no one felt like packing a bag to move over to them. Mom assured Aunt Betty (Uncle Buck’s wife), that it would not change what we were paying them for the fish camp.

The fish camp ladies fixed a big breakfast that included grits and eggs, country (salt cured) ham, and homemade biscuits. They also had seven kinds of homemade jellies and marmalades.

While we were eating, two different boats showed up with locals, but Uncle Buck shooed them away claiming they were closed for the weekend.

Uncle Buck offered us all sorts of leisure activities to participate in, but most everyone was just looking forward to a leisurely morning of lounging around on solid ground, although the chance to go ‘gator hunting’ later tonight, piqued my interest.

Captain Alfred and I, along with two of Uncle Buck’s guys, spent the morning repairing as much as we could on the stern. His brother was a master woodworker and repaired the two busted cockpit chairs while the other one helped me remove the dangling parts of the lighted nameplate from the stern. I’d have to get that replaced sometime.

Lunch was deli sandwiches with macaroni salad and potato salad with plenty of iced tea and soft drinks. Afterwards, several of us opted for naps. I had just stretched out on my berth when Rachel came in leading one of my distant cousins, a seventeen year old girl by the name of Sadie.

“Alex, this is Sadie and she is having her period and is in awful pain. I told her you might be able to help her,” she said.

I got up and had Sadie lie down on my bed then asked her to point to where the worst pain was. Surprisingly, she pointed to her left hip.

“Go get Carina,” I whispered to Rachel. Then I just rubbed my hands together and held them over her hip. My hands immediately turned silvery/blue and the area around her hip took on the familiar amber hue.

When Carina came in a few minutes later, she paused what I was doing and took Sadie’s vitals, then she talked to Sadie for a moment. Finally, she had me continue while she sent Rachel for Sadie’s mom.

It took a little over an hour, and then I moved my hands to her abdomen area and started again. Fifteen minutes later, her abdomen also turned silvery/blue.

“There were definitely two problems,” I told Carina before heading down to the galley for something to drink. Then I stretched out on the sofa in the salon and immediately fell asleep.

Turns out Sadie had damaged her hip some two months ago, but had not been to the doctor. It had gotten better except when she had her period, then it got worse.

“I suspect that she somehow damaged the blood vessels around the hip and when she has her period, it causes them to swell. It was probably the external pudendal artery. However, she says that she is feeling better now. Jasmine, her mother says she will take her to the doctor on Monday, for an x-ray,” Carina reported. “I asked them not to say anything about what you did.”

There is a saying that “There are no secrets onboard a ship,” that Captain Alfred is fond of quoting.

By dinnertime, everyone knew that I had healed Sadie and most believed I had saved her life. Sadie stuck to Rachel like glue and so ended up eating with us. She was very shy and didn’t have much to say to me, but she told everyone else how I had saved her life and eased her menstrual cramps.

After dinner, Uncle Buck sought me out to thank me for what I did.

“You’re a good man. When I told you that kin takes care of kin, I wasn’t thinking of you healing my niece. I guess thanks are not enough, but that’s about all I have to offer. The camp is just getting by. To tell you the truth, you renting out the whole place for the weekend probably saved us from the sheriff knocking at the door this month. That hurricane last fall, closed us down for the winter because they were forced to close the locks to control the water,” he told me.

I told him he was welcome and then went to talk to mom. She told me to call Cynthiana.

Cynthiana reported that the US Marshall’s had Strawbourn’s building in Mobile surrounded as well as his farm in Mississippi. They thought he was at one place or the other and we’d find out tomorrow.

Then I told her about Uncle Buck’s Fish Camp and the hurricane.

“So you’re not out in the Gulf?” she asked.

“No, we’re hiding out at my uncle’s fish camp on Lake Okeechobee, in the middle of the state,” I replied.

“That is priceless! Wait until that ole reprobate hears about this!” she exclaimed.

“So what do I do about the camp?” I asked.

“You want to help them out and give them some money?” she asked. “Then why don’t you buy a minority interest and become a silent partner?”

“Hey! That might work!” I said excitedly.

“Just call me with the details tomorrow,” she said and hung up as I went in search of Mom.

Kelly Ann and Rachel accompanied Mom and me back over to the Beachcomber to talk to Uncle Buck and Aunt Betty.

They were resistant at first, until I explained that it wasn’t a gift, but an investment. And they could buy me out when they got back on their feet.

We talked for a couple of hours, before we came to an agreement on the amount and the terms. He would go into town on Monday and have his lawyers draw up a simple contract and send it to Cynthiana. She would then wire him the funds.

Then we all returned to the Beachcomber for a celebratory beer. Of course, he had to explain to everyone what we were celebrating. For the rest of the evening, I had hugs and kisses and heartfelt thank you’s from the whole family.

Later, when Rachel and I went to bed, she also thanked me for being so kind and helping out our relatives. I liked her kind of thank you’s!

It was the giggles that woke me.

Rachel and I were spooned side by side and I could tell by her gentle snore that she was still asleep. So it wasn’t her that was giggling.

I pried open one eye and peered over Rachel’s shoulder. There stood two of my cousins, Sadie and Connie.

“I wanted to thank you, but since I’m still on my period, I got Connie to come with me so she could thank you for me,” she explained. “Rachel told us that you were really good at making girls feel good!”

“Hey!” I said nudging the sleeping girl in front of me.

“You cannot be serious!” she cried. “You wore my little coochie completely out last night!”

“Rachel!” I said firmly.

“What!” she fussed. Rachel was not a morning person.

“You have company,” I told her, then turned over to face the bulkhead.

The short conference ended up with Rachel leading them out of the Captain’s cabin.

Later at breakfast, Rachel was still a little on the grumpy side when I asked her what was going on with the cousins.

“You’re an idiot!” she snarled. “You come in here and save Sadie’s life and then you rescue the whole family, saving them from being evicted, and you don’t understand why they just want to thank you!”