Necklaces… thank you, Grams…
Peg and Nipper’s bodies strained to stabilize on the undulating paddleboard surface. She turned to Lulu.
“Lulu, I’m here,” Peg screamed from the front of the bus. Lulu’s back leg dangled crookedly at the little dog’s side. “Oh, Lulu, your leg.” Lulu barked and whined – her beady black eyes bulged with fear. The water raged at the little dog’s feet, lapping at the fire extinguisher case, which loosened with the strain.
Peg surveyed the situation. The current was too strong for her to get to Lulu. Lulu must come to Peg.
Quickly unfastening one of Nipper’s life jacket straps, she wrapped it around the trolley’s rearview mirror – in case he fell off of the board. She un-wristed the board strap and tied it to the mirror, not wanting the paddleboard to twist away with her attached to it. Confident that both Nipper and the board were secured, Peg now had one hand for stability and the other hand to deal with Lulu.
Please God, let this be a strong mirror.
Peg yelled toward the back of the bus, “Lulu, you need to jump. I’ll catch you.”
Lulu whined. Her hind leg drooped.
“I know it’s scary, but you can do it, Lulu. Jump! I’m here.” Peg held up a hand for encouragement.
The little dog cried.
“Lulu, please jump.”
The chihuahua cowered.
“I will catch you.” Peg waved her blingy hand. “Please.” Before Peg could finish her plea, a glowing cat appeared behind the small dog. With a big yawn, the feline apparition dramatically separated two large claws from an outstretched paw. A quick flick of the sharp talons, and the chihuahua sailed into the water. The leap surprised Peg as much as Lulu. The little dog sank swiftly, only to reappear briefly in the rapids and sink again. Peg slid from the board and dove under the water. In the haze of agitated dirt and gunk, a shadow drifted by. Peg gasped to the surface, holding Lulu by the tail.
They slammed into the windshield.
Lulu sputtered and shook. Pushing herself off of the windshield against the wall of water, Peg grasped the board while cradling the scared pup. Peg pushed Lulu up on the board next to Nipper. She attached Lulu’s collar to Nipper’s life vest. Nipper whined and nudged the tiny dog with his head.
“Good girl.”
“Good boy.”
Peg re-hoisted herself onto the board. The water level in the trolley rose precariously high. Worried they would get crushed, Peg huddled on hands and knees over the dogs in a protective stance. The board continued to rise and fall with the surge. Peg lifted her butt higher into an upside down V until it touched the ceiling…
…Bump…
…Bump…
…Bump…
… until all that was saving them from a watery grave was her sheltering down-dog pose.
Even in my compromised state, I get the irony…
From cat pose, to cow pose to down dog, the trio rose and fell with the tidal flow.
Lulu shielded by Nipper.
Nipper shielded by Peg.
All three shielded by a green fog surrounding the trolley.
Apology Accepted
The wind died. The rain stopped. The small police boat maneuvered down the street in the dark. Piles of floating debris littered the path.
Nipper barked.
“Nipper, what is it?” Peg’s waterlogged brain gained awareness. “Oh my God, it’s a boat!”
“In here. We’re in here,” she yelled from the shadows. The boat’s spotlight moved in the direction of the flooded trolley.
“Here… in the front.” Peg shook her head to get their attention, not wanting to un-huddle the dogs.
The boat cut the engine and navigated closer.
“Are you okay?” a man called into the trolley from the boat. “How many are you?”
The dogs started to bark. Peg answered. “It’s me, Peg Savage, and two dogs. Help us.”
“We’ll need a life raft and some life jackets,” the man ordered his boat partner.
“Are you Peg Savage the finance tutor?”
“Ummm. Yes, that’s me.”
“Thanks for helping Tom pass his class. I’m his dad.”
“Ehhh… you’re welcome. Does that mean that you’ll save us now?” Peg pleaded.
“Is one of the dogs a chihuahua, by any chance? We’re on a special lookout for a white chihuahua.”
“Yes. I have a vizsla and a chihuahua with me.”
“Hang tight, we have a rescue boat on its way.”
“What? Don’t leave us,” Peg yelled over the noise of the barking dogs.
“The larger boat is on its way. Hang tight. We need to move forward. Searching for victims. Assessing. Rescue comes after us.” The engines started and they moved out into the black water.
Peg’s hope sank but she quieted the dogs. “It’s okay. Someone else is coming… I think I hear another boat.”
Another engine sound reverberated toward them. The larger Fish and Wildlife boat approached and a man secured it to the trolley. The immense spotlight blinded Peg. The dogs barked crazily.
“Peg? Is that you, Peg? And Nipper and Lulu.” Bernie’s voice broke when he saw them. “Oh, Lulu, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. Randolph, look.”
Peg screamed in the direction of the boat. “Yes. It’s us… all of us.”
Randolph wept. “Oh, Lulu. We were so worried. How did you get out, you little she-devil?”
“Get the life raft.” The captain issued orders and Bernie stepped into the miniature blow-up raft. He paddled it into the trolley and next to the stranded group.
“Oh, thank God you found us.” Peg handed over Lulu. “She’s injured. Her back leg’s broken.”
Bernie tenderly cradled the trembling dog. He nestled her inside his own jacket and wiped away a tear, looking back to see if anyone from the FWC noticed.
He reached for Nipper. Peg unfastened the dog’s life jacket straps from the mirror. The large dog landed with a plop in the middle of the raft.
“There you are, Big Boy,” Bernie settled the dog.
Peg winced in pain when Bernie steadied her waist and lifted her off of the paddleboard into the boat. The heirloom rings hung loose on her pruney fingers. Her knees and elbows throbbed from the night’s exertion. Bernie’s strong, gentle arms placed her next to him on the raft. The three of them folded into his embrace.
Bernie guided the raft to the side of the rescue boat. He lovingly withdrew the tiny wounded dog from his jacket and lightly placed her in Randolph’s outstretched arms. Randolph sobbed. “Lulu, our baby. We were so worried. You poor, poor adorable beast.”
Bernie lifted Nipper into the boat. The big dog gravitated toward Lulu. He licked Randolph’s salty face.
“Randolph, put Lulu in the basket. Swaddle her in the blankets. I knew we would find her. And we did thanks to Peg.” Bernie’s voice broke again. Randolph carefully covered Lulu with a polka-dotted blanket and gingerly placed her into a sparkly bassinet on the boat floor. Nipper kept a close watch, his head resting on the basket’s edge.
Randolph grabbed Peg’s arm to help her up the ladder. Once in the boat, he held Peg in a giant bear hug and squeezed her tightly. He spoke earnestly in her ear. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have treated you that way. I know you have an explanation, albeit a ridiculous one, about why you didn’t make the parade.”
Peg pulled herself back to catch her breath. “The truth is that I got entangled by a pirate penis, and then followed a dog-collared woman to a fetish hotel, where I was propositioned by a midg… ehhh… dwar… umm… smaller-than-average man, who wore Daisy Duke shorts.”
Randolph nestled his cheek close to hers. “I apologize again, that doesn’t sound ridiculous at all.” He re-squeezed her. “We’ll never mention it – water under the bridge. I have no idea how you saved my dog tonight, but I thank you from the bottom of my cold heart. I hope that you can accept all of my apologies.”
“Of course I do. You’re my frie
nd. And this is a friendly island. That’s what we do here. Or so I’ve heard.” She smiled.
He grinned and looked at her, “Thank y–” He stopped, his eyed widened. “Oh my, honey, you look atrocious, I mean really – awful. Like, Sasquatchy bad… except for your jewelry,” he glanced down at her feet, “and your Italian leather boots. A bit overdone though.”
Her skin puckered everywhere around the newly forming bruises. Randolph covered Peg’s shoulders with a towel and sat with her on the boat bench. Hesitating, he reached in his pocket and took out a rubber band. He whispered, “I’m gonna put your hair up in this, doll. Just take my word on it.” He pulled her wet hair into a ponytail and tamped down the flyaways.
“They’re waterproof.” Peg eyes were half closed.
“What are, sweetie?”
“The Italian leather boots… they’re waterproof.”
“Ahhh. Well done then.”
Randolph draped his arm around her. She leaned on him.
Bernie loaded the life raft into the boat. “Peg, you and Nipper are coming home with us. We’ll sort out your house in the daylight. I’m sure it took a beating.”
The captain started the engines. The searchlight scanned from left to right as they backed away. Through bleary eyes, Peg noticed the sign on the side of the trolley that had saved them from the storm – GHOST TOUR.
… not doomed…
Assholio
Peg saw the request to chat blinking on her computer screen. She hesitated, then pushed the accept button.
Clark’s face appeared on the screen, “Peg, are you okay? I’ve been so worried about you. What about Nipper?”
Peg stared deadpan into his face. “Other than almost dying, we’re fine.” Her eyes narrowed.
“Oh, thank God.”
Peg’s voice was measured. “Cut the bullshit, Clark. I know about Benita. I found the note… in the beautiful gift that she gave you. ”
“Peg, I can–”
Peg cut him off. “You can’t drink me into believing you anymore… and definitely not from Cuba.”
“But nothing’s happened, I promise.”
“This is all for her. You’re doing this for her.” Peg’s voice wavered then steadied. “Just admit it – for once – tell the truth.”
Clark twisted his strained neck and looked away from the screen.
Peg was quiet.
Clark filled the silence. “I got notification that the lump sum payment came through.”
“Yes. It did.”
“I don’t see any money in the account.”
“I know. I moved it.”
The vein in Clark’s forehead bulged. “You moved it? Where?”
“I put it somewhere safe.”
“All of it?” His face darkened.
“Yes.” Peg stared unblinking at the computer. “And I changed banks and bank accounts.”
“What? You can’t do that without me.” Clark raged and pointed at the screen.
“Yes, I can… and I did.” Peg’s voice was unruffled.
Clark growled. “How am I going to live?”
Peg gazed past the computer and out of the window at Pierre who was piling up the massive fallen branches in the yard. “I hear that the Cuban government gives a monthly stipend of twenty-five dollars. You might want to make a budget spreadsheet.”
“You bitch. I didn’t even screw this one – yet.”
Peg clicked off the computer.
Her phone buzzed into voicemail. Her emails dinged unopened. Her texts lit up – ignored.
She put on her work gloves and ripped open a box of large black garbage bags.
Time to clean up this mess.
Gift to the Sea
Peg watched the crabs dart up and down the algae-covered rocks at the end of the pier. “It’s amazing how clean the ocean looks, considering what it’s just been through.”
Randolph held an emerald heart earring up to his ear and snapped a selfie. “Does it have to be the emeralds? Why can’t it be the pearls? You know – back to their homeland?”
Peg grabbed the earring from him. “It’s gotta be the emeralds. No substitution. These were Clark’s bribe to get me to move. Dirty money.”
“But why?”
“He must have brought me here because financials are a lot more attractive to get divorced in Florida than Illinois. In Florida there’s no need to predict future tax liability. We had to have residency here for six months before he could file…”
Randolph’s eyes glazed over.
Peg continued, “Anyway, believe me, it’s obvious.” Reaching into her pocket, she took out the newspaper picture. “And, because of her. He wants HER.” With three fingers wrapped tightly around the emeralds, she jabbed her finger at Clark and the mystery woman.
Randolph took a better look at the picture. “You mean HIM?”
“Yes – of course, Clark. I’m talking about HER – the woman next to Clark.” Peg pointed to the dark-haired beauty.
“Doll, that’s a HIM underneath all that HER. That’s Benita, the famous Cuban drag queen. Been trying for ages to get an American sugar daddy to marry, you know – to become a citizen.”
“What? No, that’s his translator.”
“You got the trans part right.” Randolph sideways-eye-rolled.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No. ’Fraid not.”
“Really?”
“’Fraid so.”
Silence.
Tipping his head toward Peg, Randolph whispered, “He’s expecting Beauty. He’s going to have quite a surprise when The Beast shows up.” Randolph thought for a moment. “Like dating Beyonce but being carried over the threshold by Jay Z.” He paused. “Caitlin comes to dinner but Bruce goes to–”
“I get it. Stop.” Peg plugged her ears.
Randolph stood up straight. “Right, sorry.” He motioned a lip-zip.
Peg grasped Randolph’s hand and turned it palm up. “Here.” She firmly pressed the emeralds into his hand.
“Really?” The heart earrings glinted in the sun.
“Yeah.”
Randolph put his arm around her shoulders. “Margaret.” Peg gave him a quizzical look. “I feel like this is a time for formality, and, Margaret is such a regal name.” He cleared his throat, “He really is a terrible person for doing this to you.”
Silence
Peg stared at the blue horizon. “A real conch-sucker.”
Bridging the Fear
On a hot, sunny day in Key West, Peg put on her polarized, fog-free, designer sunglasses. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.” Her heartbeat quickened. Her clammy hands slid down the steering wheel into her lap. She slouched in the driver’s seat and gave Randolph a pleading look.
Randolph’s emerald earring twinkled. “You can do it, doll. Oh, and BTW your manicure looks FABULOUS.”
Peg sat up straight. “I know. I love the color. See my toes too?” Peg wiggled her toes in her sandals.
“Chills down my spine.” He spoke like a proud parent. “Speaking of good looking–” He slid his Ray-Bans down his nose and peered at Peg over the top of the glasses. “Pierre wishes you luck on your endeavor today.”
“Pierre does?” Peg cursed her blood that pinked involuntarily under her transparent skin. “When did you talk to him?”
“He invited Bernie and me to go fishing with him on that gorgeous boat.”
“Oh. He knows Bernie too?”
“He does now. You kinda did us a favor. Bernie got to know him at the FWC office after the – well – you know. The other event that we don’t speak about.”
“You’re welcome,” Peg snipped.
Randolph checked on Lulu and Nipper who were sitting up in the back seat of Peg’s car. Lulu’s pink cast matched the bows on her ears. “I wonder if I should have gotten them life jackets.”
“Forget it. I can’t do it.” Peg lifted the door handle and bailed out of the driver’s side of the car.
Randolph dr
aped himself over the empty driver’s seat. “I’m just kidding. A joke. You’re going to be fine. Now get back in here.”
Peg’s phone rang with a video call. Randolph handed her the phone and Peg swiped the screen to answer, “Hi, how’s today?”
Trudy’s face appeared on the screen. “Hey. I’m good. I thought this was the big day. Why are you standing outside of the car?”
“Because she’s a ninny, that’s why,” Randolph called through the open door. “Now get in the car, Peg.”
Trudy’s voice got bossy on the phone, “Listen, Peg, if I can survive an unconscious ride in a helicopter AND waking up in God-knows-where USA, you can do this. I mean, privacy laws my ass, they wouldn’t even tell me where I was.” She was getting worked up.
Peg got in the car and closed the door. “I know… we talked about this already. You told me to tell you when we’ve talked about things before – right?”
Trudy said, “We did? Oh, okay. The great thing about concussions is that every day is a new day. I mean brand new.” She removed her glasses and rubbed her temples. “However, I did remember that this is the big day for you, so let’s get going.”
Peg propped up the phone on the dashboard and started the car. She sighed. “Clark always did the driving.”
The image of Trudy’s mouth filled the phone screen: “The asshole isn’t there. You have to do it yourself.”
“I know. I know. I’m gonna do it,” Peg shrieked.
Trudy backed down. Her voice calmed. “Okay then. Randolph, is she ready?”
“She’s as ready as she’ll ever be.”
Peg gave him the eye.
He added, “I mean yes, she’s ready.”
“Nipper and Lulu, is she ready?” Trudy asked in a high-pitched dog-owner voice.
“They didn’t answer. Can they hear me?”
Randolph jumped in, “Yes, Trudy, they can hear you. They’re not used to talking in a video chat. They think she’s ready.”
“Keep breathing, sweetie.” Randolph looked at Peg’s blood-drained face.
“Don’t overthink it, Peg.” Trudy spoke through hands held in prayer over her lips.
Island Life Sentence Page 18
