Chapter 33

"Eventually," I said.

Carole Ann grinned, "It would be messy."

"There is that," I agreed.

"I could take care of the messy part," she said, licked her lips ... and grinned.

"Are you going to the Antler or the boat to fuck?" shouted Grace. "I need that burger."

"What is she doing?" asked Carole Ann, as she moved to open the door.

"You don't want to do that," I said, as I moved to block her.

"Carole Ann," said Grace.

"What?" She was trying to fake me out and open the boathouse door.

"Go with David ... don't come in here ... yet."

"Why not?"

"Because you will have had your last ride on the Five if you open that door."

"Ooo! Secrets!"

"Uh huh, go away. David take her with you." Grace sounded peeved, "If you'd just left her on the roof..."

"Nope," said Carole Ann. "I was coming down as soon as he left..."

"It figures ... go with David, Carole," demanded Grace.

We walked ... it's only 2 and a half blocks. I sent Carole Ann on ahead while I stopped in at the Austin cottage to see if Lucy Lou wanted anything. She did ... my dime, of course.

At the Antler, Frank and Ernie were tending and cooking. Carole wanted two, I wanted two, Grace would want two but only eat one, Lucy Lou wanted three. She'd only eat one but CharlesB was well on his way to his high school weight of three hundred pounds ... even if he was only three years old.

Daddy wasn't in town ... he was working in Saint Johns, but he should be up this weekend. Lucy Lou was expecting and planning on him showing up, too.

"Hi David, Carole is sitting with her dad. What'll you have?"

"Hi Ernie, nine Wendy burgers with fries, three root beers and a couple of pounds of raw burger ... to go."

"Got it ... Frank! Nine Wendy and fries and a couple of pounds of raw burger ... you did say raw, David?"

"Yup ... for Grace."

"I see," he said, even though it was completely evident that he didn't. "You could get burger at the General cheaper."

"Do you get your burger at the General?" I asked.

"Well ... no," Ernie said.

"Why not?"

"Well ... because Frank and I know the man we buy our burger from," he said, "The General gets their burger off the truck." He paused, "Ah ... yeah ... I get it."

"Why do you suppose I want to know who you get your burger from?" I asked.

"Don't go there, David. We're not telling."

They weren't either. No matter where I spied ... I never saw the delivery man. That ... whoever ... had the best meat in three counties. His meat was better than the meat we bought from Mr. Dunsmore ... and I knew what he fed them.

"Play us a song or two or three or six while we wait, David," Carole Ann shouted from the back corner table. She had an old guitar in her hand and waved it at me. I wandered back and snatched it out of her hands. I have perfect pitch so I spent a couple of minutes bringing it into tune. New strings would not be amiss but it is what it is. Even with the old strings it sounded great ... smelled good too.

I could read the label through the f hole Weymann Flat-Top F-Hole Deluxe Model Acoustic Guitar (1928), made in Philadelphia. I spent a little time admiring the natural varnish finish, 100% heavy curl maple back, sides and neck; spruce top and ebony fretboard. In the corner by the player piano was the original black soft shell case. Very nice.

"Hey Ernie."

He looked up.

"Whose guitar?"

"Mom's ... wanna buy it?"

"Maybe? How much?"

"Fifty bucks."

I tore the pocket out of my jeans getting my wallet out. I don't wear underwear so my shiny white ass sparkled as I walked up and paid him. There were some ancient ladies sitting at the bar who applauded ... you'd think they never saw an asscheek before. I wandered back and started playing.

I played and Carole and I sang songs from Carl Sandberg's American Songbag until the burgers were done. Some of those songs were regional to the Great Lakes. I knew them because I'd played them in past lives. Carole Ann sang them because she'd been studying them.

We were there a long time. I think Frank served our burgers to half the bar before we quit. As long as we sang we could have raised the beef from a calf, entered it in the County Fair, won the grand prize, sent it off to the the butcher, had it wrapped and packed and still had time for three or four more songs. If I hadn't popped the E string we'd have been playing still.

Al passed the hat ... we made two hundred dollars. How about that?

Grace wasn't pleased ... but she had all five kits in her lap when we got back. Mom Bob was curled up on the sleeping bags, snoring ... she had a babysitter.