Gathering Storm

by Sherilyn Decter

  Leroy nods, coming in close.

  She fans the cards face down in a semicircle. “Now, Mavis Saunders, what are you up to? Is the captain still spending too much time out at sea? Is your lumbago still giving you grief? If that spine of yours weren’t so rigid, it wouldn’t be a problem. Learn to bend a bit.”

  Leroy giggles. Startled, Cassie had forgotten he was there. “Of course, when I see her next week, I won’t say that.” She chuckles, imagining the look on Mavis Saunders’ face. She is not known for her flexibility.

  Chapter 11

  T he drive to Hillsboro Beach—a lunch outing—takes Edith and the gals north along the Florida coast. When they get to a sign announcing Cap’s Place, Edith pulls Mae’s car off to the side of the road. Following Mae’s instructions, she honks the horn and flashes the car headlights.

  “It’s the signal for someone from the restaurant to row over and get us. Isn’t that just so great,” Esta says, beside herself with excitement.

  Edith stands on the dock, curious about the island she can see across a small lagoon. Behind her, Anna, Esta, and Mae chatter. Apparently, this Cap’s Place is a real landmark in the area. Edith, looking at the collection of wooden, single-story buildings on the small island across the inlet, has her doubts. Tobacco Road is looking better and better.

  On the drive up, Mae had explained that, a few years back, Cap and Lola had built the restaurant on a beached dredging barge. Since then, it’s been expanded to include an addition to make it a large, L-shaped restaurant. Other small buildings had been fixed up or added. A few even hung out over the water. All three of her travelling companions agreed that it is a gold mine, and having Anna agree on anything makes Edith curious.

  A man in a small boat pulls up to the dock and helps the four women aboard. It tips back and forth as each person gets in, causing all kinds of giggles and gasps as they try not to fall in the water. As they near Cap’s Place, Edith sees the outside of the buildings are covered in thick, horizontal wooden planks. ‘Dade County pine’ according to the ferryman. Sitting on concrete block piers is the main restaurant.

  The charm of being out on the water, the novelty of the boat taxi, and the gals’ rave reviews of the food, pique Edith’s anticipation.

  Repeating the rocking motions caused from getting out of the boat, the gals walk across a wooden dock. A woman stands at the restaurant’s door to greet them. Edith gasps. Dressed in a cotton house dress, wearing a stunning diamond necklace, their hostess is barefoot.

  “Lola.” Esta squeals as she’s wrapped in a great hug.

  “Esta, sweetie. You’re a sight for sore eyes. Prettier every time I see you.”

  With a bit more dignity, Lola moves on to Mae, taking both hands in hers. “And Mrs. Capone, how nice to see you again. Please give Al our love the next time you’re talking with him. He’s in our thoughts and prayers every day.”

  Mae turns and introduces Edith, who is standing off to one side. “Lola, this is my good friend Edith Duffy. She’s visiting from Philly.”

  “Welcome to Cap’s Place. Our bartender, Albert, is from Pittsburgh. I’m sure he’ll want to say hi.”

  Finally, Lola turns to Anna with a polite smile. “And Anna Lansky’s here, too. It’s been too long, Mrs. Lansky. How come you never come down with Meyer? He’s here almost every month. You come back with him on his next trip and I’ll get Cap to cook you two something special. Errol Flynn was here the other day and had turtle egg pancakes. Raved about them.”

  “Turtle egg pancakes? They sound special, all right. I’ll definitely try and come,” Anna says.

  While Lola chats with Mae and the gals, Edith takes in the décor: pine planked walls, wooden tables and chairs, fishnets serving as curtains over the windows, and parts of ships, rope, driftwood, and harpoons hanging haphazardly from the ceilings. The walls are lined with shark jaws, rattlesnake skins, and Cap’s collections of mugs and coins.

  “It just takes your breath away, doesn’t it?” Edith whispers to Mae as Lola leads them into the restaurant.

  “Oh, this is nothing, doll. Wait ‘til you meet Cap,” Mae says with a wink.

  Lola puts them at a table next to the window for a view over the water. “If you want to go outside on the deck, just give me a shout.” She turns to Edith. “There’s a lovely view out there as well, Mrs. Duffy, and a nice fresh breeze today.”

  “This is fine, Lola. When Cap comes in from the fish house, tell him we’re here and to drop by to say hi,” Mae says.

  Edith is amazed at the menu. There are green turtle steaks and Mr. Flynn’s favorite turtle egg pancakes with guava jelly. Fresh fish and seafood are the specialty, including local dolphin, wahoo, cobia, snapper, pompano, lobster, and stone crab. Of course, if you can’t find something on the menu that appeals, there’s always the Catch of the Day. Cap is known far and wide as a skilled, or lucky, fisherman.

  “Gosh, if these are the regular items, I can’t even imagine what the daily special might be,” Edith says, her nose buried in the menu. “This is amazing. I’ve never even heard of some of these kinds of fish. Do they really eat turtle eggs?”

  “Oh, yes. I’ve never tried them, but Meyer raves about them,” Anna says.

  Edith puts down her menu. “Meyer is a regular, eh Anna? He must love the seafood.”

  “He loves the food at Cap’s, and the clientele. Whenever he’s in Miami, it’s enough to get him to drive here personally to pick up his ten percent from Cap.”

  “He takes a taste of the restaurant revenues?” Edith asks.

  Anna rolls her eyes. “No, the gambling. Cap runs one of the bigger gambling clubs in the area. Twenty-five cents will buy you an annual membership. Meyer has a controlling interest in most of the gaming along the coast.” Edith can hear the pride in Anna’s voice.

  “Whatever you order, make sure you get the hearts of palm salad. It comes from the sabal palm that the Seminoles bring in from the Everglades,” Esta says from behind her menu.

  Edith revisits her menu; she’d missed the salad selections.

  “Specialty of the house,” Anna says, nodding.

  “I love the rolls. Hot and homemade. And they serve them with sea grape jelly,” says Mae.

  “I can’t wait. Everything looks delicious,” Edith says.

  “This must be the gal from home. Hi there, I’m Albert. Welcome to paradise.” A young man in a white shirt and black bow tie, his hair slicked back, shakes Edith’s hand. “What can I get you from the bar? You’ll have your usual gin rickey, Mrs. Capone? And what can I pour for you ladies?”

  “The same, please.”

  While Albert disappears to make the cocktails, Mae explains that Cap is the area rum runner. “Albert makes the best gin rickeys. It’ll be premium gin and the limes are fresh.”

  Lola returns for their order. The Catch of the Day is grouper, something familiar that Edith feels safe ordering.

  When the drinks arrive, Mae raises hers for a toast. “Here’s to the magic of a good gin rickey, a liquid Frigidaire.”

  They’re halfway through lunch when the infamous Cap appears; a short, dark man with a heavy black mustache dressed in a pair of workman’s overalls. He gregariously works the now crowded dining room, slowly making his way to their table.

  “When Lola told me you were here, I couldn’t believe my ears. How is Al doing, Mae? They keeping him in linguini? Maybe I could send up some lobsters for him?”

  “He’ll be closer soon. They’re moving him to Atlanta. He’d love some of your lobsters, Eugene. And a case of the jelly would go over well.”

  “As good as done.”

  “Why don’t you pull over a chair and visit while we eat. It’s been ages since I was here. I want you to meet my friend Edith Duffy. You’ll have heard of her late husband, Mickey Duffy, from Philadelphia.”

  “Yes, of course, Mrs. Duffy. So sorry for your loss. I hope you’re enjoying the grouper. We caught it this morning.”

  “It’s delicious,” says Edith as
Cap hooks a chair from a nearby table.

  “This is an amazing place, Cap. How’d you ever get into the restaurant business?” Edith asks after he’s settled in his chair.

  Cap leans back, his hands resting on a belly that speaks to a love of good food. “It was always a dream of mine. I’m a local boy and come from a long line of seamen, so seafood was a natural choice.”

  “And how did you meet Lola?” Edith asks. The others seem familiar with the story.

  “The love of my life. I joined up with the merchant marine when I was thirteen, starting out as a mess boy on a lighthouse tender. When I retired thirty-five years later, I was Master of Morgan Line Steamers, sailing between New Orleans and New York.

  “I met Lola on some shore leave. She was the local teacher. Looked after all the young ‘uns from the lighthouses around here. As soon as I saw her, I knew I was going to come ashore more often. Now we run this restaurant,” he says, looking around the place with evident pride.

  “And also run a little rum on the side,” Mae says.

  “Of course. Bimini is just a hop and a skip away, and my brother Tom operates the lighthouse on the point so he can give me the all-clear signal when it’s safe to land. Hillsboro Inlet is ideal; nobody for miles around, easy access to the Atlantic Ocean, and covered in bush.”

  “Al always says that you have the fastest boats on the water, Eugene, and know all the hidden rocks and shoals around here like the back of your hand.”

  “Well, that’s mighty kind of him. It’s true. I’ve never been caught.” Cap knocks on the wooden table for luck.

  “Well, it looks like you have a successful business here, Cap,” says Edith.

  “Thank you, ma’am. The sea has always provided. In addition to Cap’s Place, Lola and I run a fleet of fishing boats, a wholesale fish market, and a fishing camp in the Everglades. That’s why our fish are so fresh. Best in Broward County, maybe even all of Dade County, too.”

  “Heck, Cap, all of Florida. People come from miles around. Franklin Roosevelt’s eaten here, the Vanderbilt’s, and Rockefellers, too,” Esta says, beaming at Cap.

  Edith takes in the room, imagining celebrities and VIPs caught up in the unique spell of the place. Oh, Mickey, I haven’t felt as excited as this for ages, maybe forever. The potential of a place by the sea. Attracting famous people.

  “Not just American royalty, Edith. Meyer told me the Prince of Wales was here the last time he was stateside. Wanted to do a bit of gambling while he was in Miami. Brought Charlie Chaplin with him,” Anna says.

  “Congratulations, Cap. It is obviously a prosperous dream you and Lola have built for yourselves.” Edith takes another piece of the grouper, barely registering its deliciousness as the wheels in her mind begin to turn. The Prince of Wales? The Prince of Wales!

  “I’ll let you ladies finish. Don’t forget to save room for Lola’s key lime pie. And when you’re done, I’ll come back and give you the grand tour, Mrs. Duffy.”

  True to his word, the last crumbs of the pie are barely scraped off the plates and he is back. Edith glances inquiringly at the other women as she stands.

  “You go ahead, Edith. We’ll wait for you on the patio and enjoy the view. We’ve already had the tour and want to enjoy one more of Albert’s special gin rickeys before we head back,” Mae says.

  Leaving the restaurant, Cap points out that the walls, floor, and ceiling beams are constructed of local Dade County pine and pecky cypress. They pass along a hallway with alcoves on either side that have a couple of slot machines in each spot.

  “I thought gambling is illegal in Florida. How do you manage?” Edith asks Cap, nodding to the machines.

  “We’re a private supper club. That gets around the law. And gambling is very popular. I figure that there are about fifty clubs in Broward alone,” Cap says, leading the way out into the brilliant sunshine. “You know Anna’s husband Meyer, of course. He makes sure that everything runs smoothly.”

  “I imagine he does. He’s not one to tolerate bumps.”

  Edith blinks against the glare as she follows Cap outside and across the wooden deck extending over the water. The other three are already seated at wooden picnic tables, a couple of frosty gin rickeys in front of them.

  “Take your time, we’re happy to wait all day,” Esta says, smiling and sipping her drink.

  “Watch your head,” Cap says as they enter another building on the other side of the deck.

  It’s the saloon. Albert nods as he polishes glasses behind a large bar made of Everglade bamboo topped with old ship decking. Hanging above the bar is a large carved bowsprit salvaged from the sunken wreck of a two-hundred-year-old Spanish galleon. The room is decorated with objects found washed up on shore while the building was being built; Cap spins a tall tale for every piece. Behind the bar is a Wheel of Fortune, and lining the walls are curtained alcoves beyond which are tables for craps, blackjack, and chemin de fer.

  Back outside, they follow a wooden deck around to the front of the restaurant. “That there’s the fish house where fresh catch is cleaned and dirty dishes are washed up,” Cap says, pointing to another wooden building hanging out over the water on cement piers. “Lola and I live over there above the boathouse, and that there’s the bunkhouse for the staff.” The buildings of Cap's Place are connected by a series of decks, piers, and docks.

  “This is incredible,” Edith says, turning around slowly, taking it all in. “I love it, Cap. It’s probably the most eccentric place I’ve ever seen.”

  “Well, Mrs. Duffy, I’m glad to hear that. I know it looks crazy, but I finally got to a time in my life where I just decided to do what my gut was telling me to do. And when you have a gut like mine, you learn not to ignore it.”

  Edith laughs. “I know exactly what you mean. My gut’s been talking to me lately, too.”

  “I sure hope it’s because of a good idea and not anything you ate for lunch.” Cap roars at his own joke. Eventually, he continues. “When me and Lola saw this place, it just felt right, you know.” Cap runs his hand through his hair, grinning sheepishly. “You gotta chase your dreams. I always tell Lola that following them is the biggest adventure you’ll ever take.”

  “But why here? Why not in Ft. Lauderdale? Wouldn’t it have been easier to open a club and restaurant in the city?”

  “Doll, that ain’t the point. We didn’t want to open a club or a restaurant. We wanted to open Cap’s Place.”

  “But it must have been so hard—the barge, the buildings, the boat ferry.”

  “True enough, but a path with no obstacles wouldn’t lead anywhere I’d want to go,” he says. “I’ve got to head back to the fish house, now. You’ll be able to find your friends again. Just follow the wooden deck. I hope to see you again soon, Mrs. Duffy.”

  Thanking him, Edith turns and looks out over the small bit of water between Cap’s Place and the mainland. A pair of herons are picking their way slowly along the water’s edge.

  “Beautiful, aren’t they?” Lola says.

  Edith startles, caught unaware. She sighs deeply. “The whole place is amazing. Extraordinary, really. You’re so lucky.”

  “The dream was all Cap’s. I fell in love with him and he fell in love with the idea of a restaurant on this tiny spit of land.”

  “From what Cap’s said, it sounds like you’re popular and profitable, what with the Prince of Wales, Charlie Chaplin, and presidents lined up at the door to come in.”

  Lola laughs. “Fish scales everywhere, hanging on by our toenails every time a storm blows in, never enough money to do all the projects that Cap keeps dreaming up. Tied to the darn place day in and day out, I just wish I could take a holiday. You know what I mean?”

  Lola registers Edith’s surprised face. “Oh, oh. I’ve seen that look before. I guess it’s as easy to fall in love with a salty restaurant as it is to fall in love with a salty sea captain. You keep seeing the magic and, by the time reality gets mixed in with the fantasy, it’s too late. You’re a gon
er.”

  “Are you talking about the captain or the restaurant?” Edith says, chuckling.

  “I apologize for my mood. You’ve caught me on a bad day, Mrs. Duffy. The generator just gave out and our best waitress ran off with a cook.”

  “I appreciate the honesty. And you’re right, I have fallen for the place.”

  “Today at least, I’d trade it in a heartbeat for the life you lead.”

  “Careful or I might take you up on that,” Edith says, smiling.

  Lola surveys her surroundings, taking in the herons, the sea, the collection of buildings spread out over the island. “It’s not the life for everyone, that’s for sure. If you don’t mind a bit of advice, Mrs. Duffy, if this is your dream, you must be more committed to it than to your creature comforts. People who fall in love with Cap’s Place never see the sacrifice. The long hours. The sore back. The sleepless nights. Take it from me, you don’t dream about success, you work for it. Work hard. Still want to swap places?”

  Edith turns to watch the herons. “You’ve done something substantial here, Lola. You’ve taken a dream and made it real. Served presidents and princes. Maybe I’ll get the chance to do that some day soon.”

  Chapter 12

  “W hat’s taking her so long? How long can it take to tour around this place?” Anna says. “I’ve finished my drink and I want to go back to Miami.”

  “Really? I could stay here all day. The boats, the water, that dishy bartender.” Esta giggles into her empty glass, the ice cubes long melted.

  “I think she’s talking to Cap and Lola. Edith’s decided to open a bar or club and is looking for ideas.” Mae relaxes in her chair.

  Anna snorts. “She’s really going through with it? What does she know about running a club? Drinking in one, sure. But running one?”

  “She’d be great at that. Bugsy and I went to the place in Philly she and Mickey had. What was it called?” Esta taps her chin.

  “Club Cadix. And I may have spoken out of turn. I’m not sure she’s ready to make a public announcement just yet.” Mae shoots a warning look to Anna.