The Met, (Part 3, Excerpt 31)
This is the third part a story titled, The Met. A small little car on a car lot in Key West is telling the story, and my Uncle purchases him. After he drives it out of the car lot he goes a bit fast and is stopped. After that he drives the Key West submarine base commander to the Boca Chica naval Air station and our little car hears a lot. Then on to some pier fishing on Big Pine Key.
The Met
“Where did you get this buggy, Norm?”
“I picked it up a month ago at Key West Motors. It’s been doing real good.”
“What is it?”
“A Nash Metropolitan...it gets about 30 miles per gallon on this island. Not bad, huh?”
“I like it. Small but comfortable. A little bit perky also!” the commander said.
“Norm, are you going to get those submariners their hazardous duty pay?”
“Yes sir, I’m on it,” Norm answered.
“I can’t say where they’re off to, but I think you can guess.”
“Yes sir, it seems the world is never at peace.”
“If any of them need an advance it’s ok,” the commander said.
“I’ll take care of it, Sir.”
We pulled up to the main gate at the Boca Chica Naval Air Station. The guard did a smart salute and waved us through. There I was on a secure installation. I felt so proud! I was putting two and two together. My owner, Norman was involved in some real heavy stuff!
I think I will have time for one more story. It’s a fish story. Since I’m living in Key West, I’m sure it is appropriate. It was early on a Saturday morning. Norm came out of the house and before he shut the door I heard him say, “Bye Sweetie, I’m going to see what’s biting off the old dock up by No Name Key.”
Well, we set off, rod and reel in the back seat, out of Key West on Highway 1, past Boca Chica Naval Air Station. There weren’t many cars on the road. Norm’s black hair was blowing in the wind. I noticed we kept just under the speed limit. These highway patrol would not be as sympathetic as Sam, the patrolman was!
It wasn’t too long before we turned left onto a small asphalt-paved road. The sign read as we were crossing the last bridge, “Big Pine Key.” The pines weren’t big here-as a matter of fact they look stunted! What was that? It looked like a deer. But it was only the size of a large dog!
We went back through an intermittent forest and field, and turned right past a sign that read, “Deer Key Refuge.” We came up to a dead end. There was an old dilapidated wood pier going out into the water.
Norman got out, put on his cap, grabbed the fishing gear, and headed out onto the pier, whistling as he went. The pier was moving from side-to-side as he walked out onto it. I’ll just rest. I surely need it after that ride. I could see Norm out at the end of the pier casting out. He had one foot up on the rail and was intently looking over at his line. All of a sudden there was a commotion. Norm was reeling in, the rod was bent double, and he was heading this way towards shore. I could see something big jump up and the flash of a white body. Norm kept pulling the fish in towards shore. He didn't have a net or a gaff. He reeled in standing on the shore and dragged it up on the beach. The fish was huge and thrashing about.
After some time it stopped flipping, and Norm carried it to the car.
He said to himself, “Going to take this home. I need a picture.”
He got this old plastic out of my trunk and wrapped the fish up and threw it and the gear in my back seat...ugh.
We drove back home, kind of in a happy mood. Norm was whistling all the way home to the AM radio.
We pulled up into our drive, and Norm hurried in the front door. Dolores, his wife, came out the front carrying a camera.
“What you going to do with that? You’re not going to eat it.”
“Take my picture holding this Goliath, and then I’m going to take it over to Manuel's. He will know how to cook it.”
That said, that done, and that’s my fish story. Now you know something about me. Tell your friends.
From the Author:
My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book or Don Browen’s SouthWest Florida ONline News records, A Walk Across Florida.) As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
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