Chapter 10

So here I was, sitting at the controls of Matt's Helm as the cat loafed along under just enough sail to leave a little wake. I looked up and saw Beth sunning herself forward, a most distracting sight since she had shed her bikini as soon as we got underway. After a year and a half I still marveled at the glorious creature who graced my life.

As I watched my lady enjoy the beautiful Caribbean day, I thought back to the previous weeks...

Theatre was done. I'd been involved with school productions since my freshman year and now it was all over. The second week of Fiorello! came off without a hitch, the cast and crew were flawless and the audiences seemed to love the show. After the last performance Beth and I went to the closing night cast party.

After a couple of hours at the party I noticed Beth sitting in a big overstuffed chair, feet tucked up under her, looking as if she was the only person in the room.

I walked over and plopped down on one arm of the chair. "What's up? You don't look like you're very happy."

"I'm mad, Tommy." Oh, oh. What had I done now?

"Who are you mad at?" I said, with fingers crossed.

"Myself."

Huh? "Um, why?"

"Tommy, I wasted two and a half years! I didn't know! If I'd had the guts to accept a ride from you our freshman year I could have had two more years of this. And now it's over!" I slid down into the chair and wrapped my arms around her. I didn't know what to say. I certainly wasn't going to point out I wasn't even driving when I was a freshman!

As we sat there watching our friends enjoy the evening a melancholy feeling crept up on me. A big chapter of our lives was drawing to a close and whatever came next was going to involve a lot of changes.

Cindy and Greg walked over, looking about the same as we did.

"Well," Greg said, "it's done. No more late nights and weekends spent backstage while all our friends are out having fun." Was he trying to convince himself of something? Sounded like it to me.

Monday I took the rest of my parts over to Scott's for powder coating. Along with the extender parts, I brought along the pieces for my new tripod head.

While I was there he showed me some black nuts and bolts. "Would these look better since everything else is black? I got these from a plating shop for another job and I thought of you."

They did look better than the bright hardware I used for my first "improved" extension. I got the name of the plating company, called them and made arrangements to pick up what I needed. Damn, my little project was looking better all the time. I told Scott to take his time since Beth and I would be spending the following week down in the islands.

We got off the plane in Nassau, collected our luggage, and were walking toward the exit when I heard, "Hey! Tommy!"

I looked around and saw Bob and Sue Webber, our island-mates from last year, waving at us.

"Hi! What are you doing in Nassau?" I asked as Sue gave me a big hug.

"Well, we needed to do a grocery run and when Matt let us know you were coming down, we figured combining errands just made sense," Bob said as he hugged Beth.

We took a taxi to the marina where Bob led us to a beautiful classic Chris-Craft cruiser, the Lady Suzanne. After we loaded the groceries and our luggage and got underway Sue pulled off her t-shirt and shorts and stood on deck in a very skimpy, bright orange bikini. Beth took one look at her and ducked into the cabin only to come up a couple of minutes later in a bikini of her own—the black string I'd given her for Christmas. Bob and I just looked at each other with our tongues hanging out.

Beth and Sue went forward and stretched out on the deckhouse to enjoy the sun as Bob maneuvered us through a narrow channel and then got the boat up on plane for the rest of the trip to the island.

"Bob, I've got to ask you about this boat. It's beautiful!"

"Thanks, Tommy. This is a fifty-two foot Chris-Craft Constellation from the Sixties. I found her rotting away in an out-of-the-way marina in Florida and had her restored. My baby."

"Whoever did the restoration did a beautiful job."

"Thanks. It took a lot of time and money but I think it was worth it.

"By the way, Tommy, I'm glad to see Matt made an exception to his new rule not to offer his house to anyone. You must have really impressed him. I know he was happy when we told him how nice the place looked after you were here last year. You wouldn't believe what slobs some people can be. Oh, and don't worry about filling the tanks on the cat this time. That was a nice gesture on your part, but Matt's planning on having the boat pulled for maintenance after you leave and the less fuel, the better."

I realized my ears were warm. I thought we'd just done what any considerate guest would do. I guess all those lessons from my parents paid off.

We cruised along in companionable silence for a few minutes when Bob looked at our ladies stretched out in the sun. "God, we're a couple of lucky SOBs," he said quietly. I wasn't going to argue.

When we got to the island, Bob pulled up to Matt's dock. "How would you like to get together for a day of fishing and food, like last time, except this time we'll supply the boat?" Sue asked.

I glanced at Beth and got an affirmative nod. "Any time this week sounds great. Well, except for today. I don't know about Beth, but I want some time to relax after the flight." Bob nodded and after some more welcoming hugs from the two of them he backed the boat away from the dock leaving us with our luggage, my camera case, and our bag full of books.

As I stood there just enjoying a light Caribbean breeze and the warm sun on my face, Beth snuggled up behind me and put her arms around me. "I think I'm ready to change citizenship now," she murmured. We'd left in one of our infamous March blizzards and I was more than willing to agree.

Once we got unpacked we both hopped in for a shower—a nice, long, playful shower.

As we lazed on the bed afterward I looked over at Beth. "You think we'll ever have a place like this?"

"Mmmm, I hope so." My lady sounded like she was almost asleep. I rolled over to use her as a pillow and soon joined her in dreamland.

After our nap we grabbed towels, our books, and the sunscreen, and walked down to the beach. As I covered Beth in SPF50 I wondered what it would be like to live down here all the time. I loved the area and its slow pace as a spot to relax but I wasn't sure I could take it full-time. Now, if we owned a private jet and enough of the island to cut a runway down the middle...

"I know what you're thinking," Beth sing-songed.

"You do, huh? Well, what do you think I'm thinking?" Let's hear her get herself out of this one!

"I don't think the island is long enough to land a jet."

Howinhell does she do that?!

"Well, we could have a slip for the cat in Nassau, land the jet at the airport there and cruise out here."

"Oh, we're going to have a catamaran, huh?"

'You bet! Maybe like the one your big toe is pointing at right now."

Beth looked at Matt's Helm and got a far-away look in her eye. "So when does all this happen?"

"Well ... I suppose we'll have to finish school first, then at least one of us would have to get a pilot's license with a jet rating, and then buy the plane, and a place here ... Oh, give it a coupe of years after we graduate."

"Tommy, you are an incurable optimist. I'm thinking at least five years after we finish school."

And I'm the incurable optimist? But then, it never hurts to dream.

The next day we got together with Bob and Sue for a day on the Lady Suzanne. While our ladies talked and sunned themselves Bob and I concentrated on catching lunch. Well, that and enjoying some of the great local beer. Neither Beth nor I were big drinkers, but sitting on a boat tickling fish under the warm Caribbean sun just seemed to require a good beer ... or two.

After we'd caught enough fish for lunch, Bob set up a table on the deck. "And now for your first surgery lesson," he said as he pulled out a long, thin knife.

Beth and Sue worked their way back as Bob was teaching me the finer points of filleting our catch. One look at what we were doing and they decided to hide in the galley to fix the rest of the food.

After we ate and cleaned up the four of us stretched out on the two couches on the aft deck and tried to catch up on the last year. Both girls had pulled t-shirts over their suits. Although Sue had the deep, rich tan you'd expect from a local, Beth still sported a Midwestern winter pallor and didn't want to burn.

"How long before you two graduate?" Sue asked.

Beth shot me a quick grin. "We'll be done in June."

"Already, huh? Have you found jobs yet?"

"Oh, we've got a few more years, we'll just be starting college," Beth said.

"But, we thought you were already in college! How old are you?" Bob looked a little confused.

Beth chuckled. "I'm eighteen, and so is Tommy. Ever since midnight anyway!" Hey, that's right, today was my birthday! No more jail-bait jokes!

"Congratulations!" Sue jumped up and gave me a hug and a kiss. Even wearing her t-shirt she still felt good.

"So what are your majors?" Bob asked.

"Tommy's going to get a BFA in photography and I'm aiming for a degree in mechanical engineering.

"How about you two? How did you end up down here?" Beth asked.

They exchanged glances. "Well," Sue started after getting a nod from Bob. "We're both writers and after vacationing down here for several years we decided to take the plunge. With e-mail and the web we can do our work almost anywhere, so here we are."

I'd never met a writer before and was curious. "What kind of writing do you do, articles, books, inflammatory political pamphlets?"

Bob chuckled. "We both write books, but under pen names. I think our noms de plume are better known than our real names and we like it like that." That sounded like a hint not to spill the beans, and when he mentioned what the names were I could see why. Under his pen-name, Bob had written a series of very successful mysteries and Sue's pseudonym was a household name in romances.

"I can see how you can afford your house down here!"

"We like our own little Goldeneye," Sue laughed.

"Speaking of houses, what's the story with the other properties on the island?"

"Well, of the six houses, we're the only permanent residents. That boarded up place next to ours was owned for years by an older couple. He's been dead for about fifteen years and his wife died seven or eight years ago. The family's had it hung up in probate ever since. There're four or five kids and they can't agree on anything, so instead of enjoying the place it's boarded up and nobody gets to use it.

"The house on the north shore nobody seems to know anything about. It's been abandoned as long as we've been down here." Sue grinned. "Local legend says it's haunted so it's been a perfect setting for some of my books.

"The house on the point is owned by a guy who's so busy making money he doesn't have time to enjoy it. His wife comes down a couple of times a year but spends most of her time in Nassau.

"The last place is owned by a couple with a bunch of kids. They show up during the summer when the kids are out of school.

"And that leaves Matt's place and you know about that!"

After a few minutes just enjoying the day, Sue looked at me. "Tommy, did you bring your camera along?"

"And what kind of photographer would I be if I hadn't?"

"Would you be willing to take a picture of the two of us?" Bob asked.

"Sure. If you don't mind, can we wait until sunset?"

"Why wait 'til then?" Sue wanted to know.

"Oh, I just like the light better, that's all." I thought back to the pictures I'd done of Beth last year. I looked at her and saw that special smile as she remembered posing in nothing but baby oil. Although I didn't plan on doing any nudes of our hosts it just seemed the golden twilight added to the tropical feel.

The rest of the afternoon and evening Bob just cruised around the local islands, stopping often so we could enjoy snorkeling along the reefs.

As the sun got close to setting I grabbed the Nikon and started posing Bob and Sue in various positions on the boat. After I'd taken several pictures I remembered Bob had talked about a non-fiction book about the Caribbean he was writing under his real name, and when I asked if he was going to put his picture on the back cover he looked at me.

"You know, Tommy, I hadn't even thought about a picture. Since my other books are out under my pen-name I never considered a picture. It adds a little to the mystery too," he added with a grin. "But for this one ... yeah, a picture sounds good!"

With that, he reached under the console and pulled out a yachting hat and a pipe and struck a pose—one hand on the wheel, the other on the throttles and a damn the torpedoes look on his face. I managed to snap a couple of quick shots before he broke out laughing. Once he regained control I got some additional images using the island we were near for the background.

By the time the sun had set I had several pictures of both Bob and Sue together and both separately I thought would be keepers. Since Beth had brought her laptop I'd have a chance to check my work when we got back to Matt's place.

Eventually our day together ended. After the Webbers dropped us off Beth and I made our way up to the house. As we got to the door Beth snickered.

"Okay, what's so funny?" I asked.

"When we were lying in the sun Sue was asking about your photography and I mentioned the sunset shot you took last year. The funny thing was I think she'd like something like that for Bob. Would you be willing to do some pictures for her?"

Let's see ... the chance to take some pictures of a beautiful woman nude? "Sure!"

"God, you're a dirty old man!" Beth tried to sound angry but wasn't very convincing.

"So why do you stick with me?"

"I guess I'm just a sucker for dirty old men," she sighed.

"I take it this could turn into another double-sided special?" I said, referring to the picture Beth had done for me and the one we'd made up for Cindy.

Beth nodded. "Sue said she'd check with us tomorrow."

"So much for running around naked all day," I grumbled.