Chapter 7
E llie came back from Naples with an improved outlook and in a much better mood.
And after we’d pulled off a successful run, I was more at ease.
As crazy as it seemed, it almost felt safer the way George was running things.
He’d apparently told Mateo to keep his trap shut, because even he’d gotten more careful.
We only met when necessary, and said little as possible when we did.
With so little work, Ellie and I had more free time, most of which we spent together. I started to think Sammy was right, that there was a bright side to the blockade.
Except that the Keys suffered under it. Businesses were floundering. It had been a month and there was no end in sight. But then the tables turned. Locals pushed back. There was talk of a revolt. The Key West mayor led the charge.
Dennis Wardlow took it all the way to federal court in Miami, arguing unsuccessfully that using border patrol officials to blockade territories within the U.S. was unconstitutional.
The day after the court shot him down, Ellie came over for a sunset cruise on the Whaler. We motored way out into the bay, nothing but mangrove islands speckled on the horizon.
She laid back onto my chest, staring out at the fiery ball making its descent into the bay. “They say the mayor is going to secede.”
I stroked her arm, chuckling. “Sounds like a publicity stunt. But if it helps, I’m all for it.”
“Plenty of people think we’re like another country down here anyway. They’re all fired up about it. Supposed to be a big celebration down in Key West tomorrow.”
“Maybe we oughta go. I have a tent. We can camp at Bahia Honda.” And maybe I could pick up the pearl from Sammy’s friend.
I went by Sammy’s to get his jeweler friend’s address after I’d loaded up the camping gear. She’d be expecting me. I made up an excuse for Ellie to explain the stop on our way into town.
“Waylan’s sister’s friend has something for her. He asked me to pick it up. I’ll only be a minute.”
I left the keys in the ignition when I stepped out into the gravel driveway. Lorna was a woman of probably forty who looked like she’d spent the last fifteen years following the Dead. A tie-dyed dress flowed down to her ankles. I hurried inside as soon as she answered the door.
“Thanks for doing this for me,” I said. “I imagine you’re anxious to get down to the party. ”
“Any excuse for a party,” she shrugged, pulling the ring she’d made out of a small wooden box. “I hope you like it. Sorry it took so long.”
I took the ring, studying the intricate gold leaves that held the pearl like petals. “It’s gorgeous. And worth the wait.” Just like Ellie.
She smiled. “Good.”
I turned the box over in my hand before tucking it into my pocket. “I’m trying to surprise my girl with this, and she’s waiting in the truck, so I’d best get going. Maybe we’ll see you down there?”
Lorna shrugged, brushing a long dark curl off her shoulder. “Maybe. You two have fun.”
“Thank you for this.”
“Hopefully it’ll be a story you tell your kids someday.” The thought of that made my chest tingle so much that even my feet felt half-numb as they carried me back to the truck.
Duval Street was blocked off, full of people.
We didn’t know what had happened exactly until a salty character in Sloppy Joe’s filled us in.
The mayor had kept his word and created a new nation, which lasted exactly one minute.
After Mayor Wardlow declared himself Prime Minister of the newly-founded Conch Republic, he declared war on the U.S.
by breaking a loaf of stale Cuban bread over the head of a man dressed in a Navy uniform (which the old man figured probably belonged to a cousin).
The mayor then promptly surrendered to the acting enlistee, and applied for a billion dollars in financial relief for the hardships caused from the war .
It was a publicity stunt on the grandest scale. And everyone loved it.
A street party was the surest way to get a bunch of small business owners, displaced employees, fishermen, and drunks to band together.
My plan to stay a couple of hours then head north to set up camp before sunset, was waylaid by the celebration.
We drank beers in the street until the wee hours, without a care in the world.
It was long after midnight when I caught Ellie yawning.
“We might have to sleep in the bed of the truck,” I told her, rubbing her back. “That old tent isn’t easy to set up in the dark.”
“I don’t care where I sleep as long as I’m with you.” Her eyes sparkled softly, her voice holding a hint of promise.
Walking back to the truck on Simonton, I heard “Slick Fucking Rodman,” from across the street. Mateo was swaying under a streetlight across from us, his arm clumsily around a girl that looked young enough to still be in high school. “Look what the cat dragged in,” he called.
I gave Ellie, who had never met Mateo, an assuring glance before shouting back. “Just heading home. You alright?”
“I’m better than alright. We just won the war on drugs against our own government,” Mateo yelled, dragging the poor girl on his arm across the street toward us.
Fuck! My two worlds could not collide.
“Yeah, let’s tone it down a little, buddy,” I said, nodding toward his wide-eyed companion as they approached. “Are you guys staying nearby? ”
“Where are we partying, dude? That is the question,” Mateo said, grabbing my elbow and slapping me hard on the shoulder.
Ellie looked at me, a big fake smile on her lips. Before I could speak, Mateo did.
“I’m Mateo, Slick’s friend.” He stuck out his hand awkwardly.
“Mateo,” Ellie said, cutting her gaze my way. “That’s right, Slick told me all about you. How was the charter he did for your family last week? So nice that they gave him some business with no tourists in town.”
“Uh,” Mateo said, eyes scanning, panicked.
“We had to reschedule,” I said quickly.
“Oh that’s too bad,” Ellie said, apparently buying the story.
“Yeah,” Mateo said, finally catching up to the lie he was supposed to be participating in. “My uncle had some business troubles and had to rearrange some things. They’re really looking forward to it as soon as they can. You know how tough it is right now.”
Jesus. Mateo’s lies had way too much honestly woven in. I needed to nip this in the bud. “All good. We’ll do it next month when he’s back in the Keys.” I laced my finger’s through Ellie’s hand. “We should get going to the campground.”
“Yeah, it’s late,” Ellie quickly agreed. “Nice meeting you, Mateo. And…” She looked at the silent companion. Mateo spoke for her.
“Tracy,” he said, patting the freckled blonde on the ass.
“That was weird,” I said, as we approached the truck .
“Very,” Ellie concurred. But she didn’t speak another word about it as we drove north. I gave myself a silent pat on the back for somehow managing to talk myself out of that dumpster fire.
We had to drive around the barricade at the empty entrance booth to the Bahia Honda State Park.
An old Airstream was the only camper we passed on our way to the end of the short road, a point with ocean on three sides, the old railroad bridge in the distance.
We pulled into a spot, surrounded by emptiness.
Ellie walked to the water’s edge while I moved unused gear from the bed to the cab of the truck. I unrolled the sleeping bags, fully aware the metal ridges of the truck bed would be digging into our backs. But morning was only a few hours away.
“I guess we can try to get some shut eye. I can’t promise it will be comfortable.”
Ellie grinned with mischievous eyes. “I vote we go for a swim.”
“Did you bring a suit?” I asked as I situated the sleeping bags.
“I did. But I don’t think I need one,” she said, looking around the darkness. “There’s no one around.”
I swallowed hard when I realized what she was suggesting. “You wanna go skinny dipping?” I croaked, barely recognizing the woman I’d fallen in love with.
Ellie stomped her foot, hands on her hips. “As a citizen of the Conch Republic, I declare it my sovereign right to swim naked under the stars. ”
“Well, who am I to argue that?” I laughed at her tipsy antics, but my heart pounded in my chest. I’d never seen Ellie naked, and wasn’t sure how I’d handle it when I did.
The moon hung low and full in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the sandy shore and painting everything in a soft, ethereal light. I tried not to look when she peeled her tank top off, the fabric slipping from her shoulders and landing in a crumpled pile with her denim shorts.
The moonlight illuminated her perfect, pale skin, casting a delicate sheen across her body as she turned to run into the water.
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
I caught a fleeting glimpse of her bare form, the gentle curve of her breasts barely visible in the shimmering light.
The water around her seemed to come alive under the moon's glow, each droplet catching the light and sparkling like tiny stars as she splashed and danced. I thought I was hallucinating for a moment, before my rational brain kicked in. I’d seen this before. Bioluminescence.
It was a rare occurrence caused by a certain type of plankton bloom. I’d seen it a few times on my late night trips out working for George. But seeing it light up my wake was nothing like seeing the water shimmer and swirl around Ellie like angel dust.
Ellie kicked out further from the shore, on her back, her perfect breasts like pale islets floating on the surface. “Come on,” she yelled. “What are you waiting for?”
I stood, hesitant to shed my shorts. The truck bed wasn’t the only thing tenting. “Do you see that?” I called from the shore. “The bioluminescence? ”
She peered up from the trail of light streaming from her hands, waving me over. “Yes! Hurry up!” She marveled at the sparkles, giggling. “I haven’t seen this in years.”