Down and Out in Flamingo Beach

by Marcia King-Gamble

  Change was long overdue. Miriam Young, dubbed the Flip-Flop Momma because of the flip-flops she wore, should have been up there as mayor, not this guy who had been accused of skewing the ballot boxes, spewing rhetoric he thought everyone wanted to hear.

  “What a pleasure it is to welcome you here this evening,” Solomon Rabinowitz crowed to the crowd, arms extended as if he were welcoming children to the fold. “Today kicks off the start of a month-long celebration. In a few short weeks Flamingo Beach will celebrate its one-hundredth birthday.”

  Applause.

  “During those years there have been many changes. We’ve watched our population grow in leaps and bounds. At the last official count we were up to eighteen hundred, and that figure changes every day as more and more people move into Flamingo Beach.” The mayor opened his arms even wider. “Not many of us can say we lived to the ripe old age of one hundred except maybe Belle Carter, of whom we are all fond and whom some call Nana Belle.” The mayor paused to acknowledge the loud outburst of applause which greeted Belle’s name before continuing, “Despite trials, tribulations and hardships, Flamingo Beach has survived and thrived.”

  Another wild outburst of applause followed. The crowd, fortified by free drinks, was getting in the mood.

  The mayor, figuring he now had the crowd, began to recount the floods of the early nineteen-hundreds which washed away most of the boardwalk and surrounding stilt houses. He talked of a fire in the nineteen-fifties reputed to have been started by the Ku Klux Klan that had taken out a number of the stores on the Row, and how the citizens had banded together, supporting each other during hard times.

  “We are survivors,” he said. “I can proudly say that for years this community has remained a community. When others had race riots our citizens stayed aligned, and our children played side by side. We are known as a conservative community, but we are not having the problems others have. Our children can still play outdoors. Your car doors for the most part remain unlocked, and when you see your neighbor on the street you look them directly in the eye and you say ‘hello.’ Now I’m turning my microphone over to our auctioneer who’ll also announce the winner of the best dressed flamingo in town. Please join me in singing…” Mayor Rabinowitz paused for effect “…Happy Birthday, Flamingo Beach.”

  More applause followed. Derek had had enough. He began making his way back to where he’d left Rowan and his date. He had a big day tomorrow and he’d planned on turning in early. But first he had a quilt to pick up. He was going to Flamingo Place even if he had to sit in the parking lot and wait until the doctor dropped off Joya. If she planned on entertaining at home he’d have to be added to the invitation list. They’d wasted enough time.

  Derek found his group and told them he needed to leave. A half hour later, still dressed in a business suit, he was parked in a visitor’s spot at the condominium waiting for Joya.

  He didn’t have long to wait. A gray Lexus soon pulled up in front and out of it came Joya. The doctor leapt out and around to hug her in a tight embrace. They stayed that way much too long for Derek’s liking, while he was stuck in his truck stewing. Finally they separated, and Dr. Benjamin got back into the driver’s seat. Joya waited on the curb waving him off.

  Derek was out of his truck in a flash and loping toward her. By the time Joya turned to go inside he was there.

  “Whoa, you startled me,” she said clutching her heart.

  “I didn’t want to risk getting here too late. I know you’ve had a long day.”

  She looked at him with those wide gray eyes of hers. “How long have you been waiting?” Translation, How much did you see?

  “Not long.”

  The guard at the desk was the same woman he vaguely knew. She raised her head, acknowledging them, and then she lowered it back to her newspaper.

  As they rode the elevator Derek asked, “Did you have fun tonight?”

  “It was nice seeing so many people I hadn’t seen in a while. Did you?”

  “Those things might be a necessary evil but they bore me to death.”

  It was what they weren’t saying, weren’t asking that kept things tense.

  Joya let them both in and waved him toward the sofa. “Have a seat. I’ll get the quilt.”

  Derek sat staring out at the bay as colorful fireworks lit up the sky, kicking off the celebration. In that moment he realized he was wasting time being with any women other than Joya. Other women meant nothing to him.

  He’d worked hard to put together a party and unless he wanted to attend it alone he’d better start groveling. He’d try once more to clear the air and let the chips fall where they may.

  Joya had the quilt draped over her arm when she returned. She checked to make sure the dining-room table was clean before spreading the colorful fabric out.

  “Is this what you had in mind?” she asked, as he got out of his seat and came closer to inspect.

  Words failed him as he saw Nana Belle’s one hundred years come to life in blues, yellows and reds with a little bit of green thrown in for good measure. There Nana was as a baby, and then as a young girl being taught to read by her mother. There was a portrait of her parents, a handsome man and an equally handsome dark-skinned mother.

  There was a picture of Nana as a young bride when she’d married her first husband, pictures of the house as it grew, and of the children, more husbands and the arrival of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Important events were all recorded on cloth: births, weddings, celebrations, the passages of life. There was even a picture of him. Derek wondered where Joya had gotten the photo of him in a business suit much like the one he was wearing. The work that must have gone into putting this together…the care that it took. He was choking up. He’d never met such a sensitive and sensual woman.

  “Well?” she asked.

  She was expecting him to say something. Anything.

  “You did good. Nana is going to love it,” he managed and whipped out his checkbook from inside his jacket pocket. “How much do I owe you?”

  She named a figure and he squinted at her. “Come again?”

  “I told you Granny and I were going to split it with you.”

  Derek thought about how to handle this. When they first been negotiating he’d made it clear he didn’t want charity. But he didn’t want to hurt Granny J’s feelings either. The two old ladies were long-time friends.

  He wrote out the check and handed it to Joya.

  “But this is more than I told you,” she said.

  “It would be difficult putting a price tag on the time and care put into making an elderly woman happy. I’m sorry I’ve not been in touch these last few weeks. Please forgive me.”

  “Was there a reason?” Her concerned glance scanned his face. He saw the hurt reflected in the depths of her eyes.

  He’d gotten his opening. It was time to be a brave man and step up to the plate.

  “I was under the mistaken assumption that you were using me, that your only interest was in getting your grandmother’s place fixed,” he said, watching carefully for a change of expression.

  “Who told you that?” she asked, her eyes never leaving his face.

  “It’s not important.”

  Joya approached and took his hands, her glance never wavering. “I’m not going to BS you. At first I thought you were not what I wanted. I was attracted to you but fought it every step of the way. I’m not a snob, really I’m not. My reaction was more frustration because I saw in you such potential. I brought old baggage to the situation.”

  “And you feel differently now that you’ve learned I am an educated man who just prefers working with his hands?” He had to ask and needed to know, a lot hinged on Joya’s answer. He had decisions to make that might, he hoped, include her.

  “I feel good that my intuition hasn’t led me astray. I feel proud that a fine mind like yours hasn’t been wasted. I like the complete package, both the exterior and interior. I like you,” she said.

  Derek held
her chin in his hand, tilting her face upward until they were staring into each others eyes. “I’d hoped that you were at a point where you more than liked me. I hoped my feelings would be returned.”

  A spark of something flashed in her eyes. Surprise maybe? He remained on pins and needles awaiting her answer.

  “Joya?”

  “I care about you, Derek. It really hit home when I was at the cocktail party with someone else and you were with another woman.”

  “We’ve wasted a lot of needless time then,” Derek said, kissing the top of her head. “We should remedy that.”

  “How so?”

  “Only one way to do that, love.”

  He took her hand and began steering her up the hallway. She went with him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. When he began helping her out of her dress, she did not protest.

  All of Derek’s pent-up feelings were released when they made love. He spent a full forty-five minutes helping her unwind, massaging her body, and kissing every exposed inch of flesh. He inhaled Joya’s essence before burying himself inside her. Together they found a comfortable rhythm until, on a high, they exploded together.

  “That was wonderful, love,” Derek said when he slid out of her, rolled over and wrapped his arms around her. He burrowed his nose in the hollow of her shoulder. “Tell me it was good for you, too.”

  “Better than good,” she said sleepily, yawning. “Perfect. Will you spend the night?”

  “I’d love to,” Derek said, a thought worrying his mind. “You mentioned earlier that the fire in your granny’s place started with a cigarette but neither of you smoke.”

  “You would have to bring that up,” she grumbled. “I was trying my best to forget about it.” She yawned again.

  “All of your sales help smoke. Could be one of them.”

  “Ex sales help you mean. And no, I didn’t know they smoked.” He could tell from her voice she was wide awake and alert. “And you’re thinking that it might be…”

  “Current sales help smokes, too. When I was working on the shops next to yours they’d congregate out back and have a cigarette with my guys.”

  “All of them?”

  “Every last one of them.”

  “And by chance do you know what kind of cigarettes they smoked?”

  He thought about it for a moment.

  “All I remember was a green-and-white pack. I remember on several occasions they tried to get me to join them.”

  “This may be a good lead. I’ll call Lionel and Greg tomorrow,” Joya said, excited although she stifled another yawn. “Right now, I just want you to hold me.”

  And he did. In Derek’s mind he was holding Joya forever.

  Chapter 20

  Joya awoke for the second time that morning to find it pouring outside. She’d made love to Derek earlier as the rain pelted against the window panes and the waves crashed against rocks. He’d left right before dawn, citing a long day ahead of him. He’d wanted to get an early start with the preparations for Nana Belle’s birthday. And he’d been worried, because if the rain didn’t stop the rented party tent would be too small.

  Realizing she would be late, Joya poured coffee into her travel mug and grabbed an umbrella. Taking the cup with her, she drove like a mad person to the store. Granny J already had the shutters up and was waiting on her first customers. Any conversation was tabled until the customers completed their transactions and left.

  “Did you have a good time with Dr. Ben?” Granny J asked the moment they were out of sight.

  “He is very attentive.”

  Gran raised an eyebrow and waited. “That’s it? No chemistry, as you young people say?”

  Time to change the topic. “Did you know your sales people smoked?” Joya asked.

  Gran shrugged. “As long as I’m not inhaling their smoke, what’s it to me?”

  “I’m about to call Lionel and Greg just to be sure they know, too.” Joya added.

  Granny J sucked her teeth. “You would think they would already know that much. I’ve called the insurance company. They’re going to send an inspector out.”

  “Well, we’ll just close the door until the inspector shows up and does his assessment.”

  “Okay by me. The burning smell’s almost gone. I opened all the windows.”

  Still euphoric over how last evening had ended, Joya went off to call Greg. She was fortunate enough to find him at the precinct and shared with him what Derek had told her.

  “We’ve spoken with LaTisha and Deborah,” he said. “They have alibis and we’ve talked to the people they were with.” He sounded complacent. That irritated her.

  “What about Portia?”

  “She was interviewed during the quilt incident and came up clean. We can talk to her again. I’ll get back to you,” Greg said before hanging up.

  Joya returned to the outer room to find several customers browsing. On the verandah, another group was going through the centennial quilts, oohing and aahhing. If business continued like this they might have to stay open later than usual.

  Joya had asked Portia to come in, so that she and Granny J could leave at a reasonable time to get ready for Nana Belle’s party. Now that she and Derek had resolved their situation, she was excited about attending, and couldn’t wait to see the elderly woman’s reaction when she got her first glimpse of that quilt.

  “Phone for you,” Granny J said, handing her the new portable. “Last evening must have gone better than you thought.” There was a twinkle in the old lady’s eye, a glimmer of hope.

  Joya stabbed her index finger in the air. “Don’t you dare start up, hear? Hey sweetie, I missed you,” she said into the mouthpiece.

  “That’s a reassuring greeting and most unexpected. How are you?” Kyle Benjamin said.

  Disappointment washed over her. His was not the voice Joya wanted to hear.

  “I couldn’t be better. Things are a bit busy here, but busy means money so we’ll take it.”

  “I had a very good time last evening. You’re excellent company,” Kyle said.

  “Thank you and so are you.”

  “I realize this is late notice but would you consider attending tomorrow’s unveiling of the bronze flamingo; the one given to us by the President to commemorate the city’s hundredth anniversary? The ceremony takes place in the town square and there’s a luncheon afterward. I would be delighted if you went with me.”

  She would have to turn him down diplomatically.

  “It’s very nice of you to ask,” Joya said, “but I’m afraid I have to say no. I’ve agreed to attend most of the festivities with someone else. Thanks for thinking of me though.”

  “What a lucky man he is. Should something change, please give me a call.”

  Granny J had been shamelessly eavesdropping.

  “You let him down nicely,” she said.

  “Gran, Kyle Benjamin is a nice man but it’s just not happening here.” Joya tapped her heart. “I already know that and I don’t want to mislead him.”

  “It’s Derek, isn’t it?”

  Joya nodded. “He makes me feel like a princess. He makes me feel so loved.”

  “Nothing wrong with following your heart,” her grandmother said wisely.

  Age and experience talking, perhaps it was time to listen. She’d already had a failed marriage and a couple of hard knocks. It had taken all that to make her realize that what you saw wasn’t always what you got.

  The phone rang. Thinking it was Derek, Joya grabbed it up. “Are you sitting down?” Greg asked.

  “Should I be?”

  “We’ve apprehended a suspect and we’re bringing others in.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  Greg cleared his throat and Joya prepared herself for whatever was coming.

  “Your employee, Portia, broke when we told her we’d found a cigarette stub the same kind as she smoked. Of course, we were bluffing since we didn’t know her brand. She began spilling the beans before we could even read her her ri
ghts.”

  “That sweet little girl who was going off to college was responsible?” Joya asked in shock.

  “Not so sweet, she was in collusion with the other two employees, the ones you fired. They got one of their gang-member friends to break the window as a warning to you. But it was Portia who left that window open so the same thug could enter the store and vandalize it. And it was Portia who intentionally dropped that lit cigarette in the stock room. The others dared her. She was so desperate to be liked by that bunch of losers that she followed through.”

  “Maybe I will sit down,” Joya said, sitting heavily. “I’m having a hard time processing this information.”

  Greg continued, telling her what she needed to do to prosecute the suspects. Joya’s head was spinning by the time she hung up. Wait until she told Derek about this latest development. But first she had to let Granny J know what had happened. It was her store after all. She hoped her gran would not be too devastated by the turn of events.

  “Do what you need to do,” Granny J said, her eyes moist when she’d heard the story.

  “I will as long as you’re okay with it. I propose we close up shop and head home. We have a long night ahead of us.”

  “And to think I was helping pay that child’s tuition,” Granny J said, dabbing at her eyes with a hankie.

  So that was another reason her grandmother had taken out an equity loan. What an ungrateful piece of work that child was.

  Joya took her grandmother by the arm. “We’ll party hearty tonight in celebration of those good-for-nothings being caught.”

  Granny J remained silent. She was already busy pulling cash from the register and bustling around the store to close. Joya had to admire the older woman’s resilience, but then again she’d probably seen everything and heard everything twice. It was she who was a true survivor.

  Hours later, feeling refreshed from a nap and a long shower, Joya swung by Granny J’s house to pick her up. Gran was standing out on her little porch, looking pretty in a champagne-colored silk pantsuit and a jaunty hat. A feather in the hatband fluttered in the breeze. Joya thought she looked especially festive, rested and in the mood to celebrate her friend’s birthday.