MORNING
I slept in. What else was there to do? JZ disappeared, although much later in the day Alaine called to say his truck broke down. Dang that guy, he knows I would have rented him a car or something, but it’s too late now. This weekend is now largely my fault, because JZ missing this party was so unthinkable that there was no backup plan. Me, the master of contingency, and I had no Plan B. Let’s drive down in the sidecar, I said but he wrongly thinks women don’t like sidecars. (Later, I believe JZ on his flat tires, since he has never changed his story.)
None of this deterred me from breakfast overlooking the Atlantic, at the Sunset Grille northeast corner of the seven-mile causeway, shown here. The shrimp was from a factory, prices were upper medium, but I’d go there again. I went over the causeway afterwards and walked a few hundred yards over the old railway bridge, admiring the private island a few hundred yards offshore. That is where I thought, as a child, I’d be living by now.The sidecar drew interest as usual, but it draws more interest when there is a passenger. I looked the crowd over last evening. A few of the women looked nice enough but they were a little too "popular" for my liking. If JZ had been present, I’d have made some moves but I was there stag. That’s an automatic impediment in the places I frequent (though I am often the only truly single male present). Mind you, the entire female spectrum was represented--except for one decent, quiet, adventuresome lady with no encumbrances. She's never there. Let’s take a look what's on the menu.
The husky-voiced Jewish lady over-laughing at every joke. The housewife in maxi-skirt dancing with her newborn in arms. The gussied up divorced secretary wearing sensible shoes. The born again virgin who fooled no-one. The two frumpy drunk broads dancing with each other. The plain Janes in groups of four with no dates. And the chubby ladies who knew the lyrics to jazz music I’ve never heard of.
I talked to one gal, but that is because she had the most interesting drink that she nursed through two sets of the music. It seemed a dark purple with foam on top. She identified it as an “expresso martini” and gave me a sip. I’m reminded why I’m such a fan of coffee. Excellent flavor and that’s from a man who thinks hard liquor is candy for alcoholics. She was nice but not my type. In fact nobody there was my type.
Trivia. Who likes the word I just used, "gussied"? It has a history. In colonial days, when the farm types went to town, one of those towns was Augusta, Georgia. There they would see the women wearing fancy clothes and the latest European fashions. So from the town of 'Gusta, you get that the women were “gussied up”. There you go.
So I got a lot of reading done, unplanned, that is. Not only had I made no alternate plans, I can’t anyway because JZ might still show up. By 5:00 PM today, I’ve learned that all bony fishes evolved in fresh water, to return later to the sea. I also read that all ancient cultures on earth know that life existed in the sea before it existed on land, but nobody has an explanation of just how they figured that out. Yeah, well figure out where JP has disappeared. That puts a real damper on the planned festivities.
NOON
The following is the second half of today. The above and the below don’t overlap. The cause is that I went out twice today with a long nap between these events.
Later, I got the news. It isn’t bad news but that does not exactly make me happy. JZ’s truck broke down to the extent he could not get repairs in time to get here this weekend. But he did not call and that was wrong. I got the information third hand through relatives after dark tonight. And it gets dark at 5:30 PM around here. By that time I had killed the day and spent 75% of my birthday budget. This is without precedent, me stuck without a thing to do on my big weekend of the year.
So, I met up with his brother and sister-in-law at the famous Hurricane Pub, "the jewel of the Keys”. My celebration was to music by a band called “The Shitheads from Planet X”. I ate bland stuffed mushrooms, drank four glasses of diet cola, and checked out the ladies dancing with each other. The band was excellent, playing 20 great songs per hour.When they took a band break, I complimented them and queried about country music in the area. They confirmed there is no place with that except Key West, a 90-mile round trip, so that’s out. I allow myself hard liquor also once a year, so I went back to the “Breeze” to try one of those espresso martinis. But only one as they carried an $11 price tag. The day was pleasant with great company, but so much had been anticipated and lost that by then, I had no gumption.
I should mention, for old times sake, that I have no trouble approaching women. I’ll take on conversation with groups of three or more, not a problem. I chatted up six women at the “Breeze” only to conclude none made the game worth the candle. So this last major turning point of my life amounts to a major disappointment, and I’m heading back home tomorrow instead of Tuesday or Wednesday. And cancel the side trip to Key West. This trip cost four and a half times more than you think it did.
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