Confederate Gold and Silver by Peter F. Warren Page B

friend, someone you can also say who is very generous. I still cannot believe the luck I have had.”
    Walking outside, they climbed into Willie’s Club Car golf cart. The golf cart had ‘PGA Professional’ neatly painted across the front of it. Above the Club Car logo, Willie’s name had been nicely stenciled in dark blue lettering. The golf cart was the nicest one Paul had ever seen. Driving towards the course’s practice area, Willie gave him a quick tour of the facility. As they toured the scenic golf course, he told Paul his job was going to be as a ranger on the course, making sure the golfers moved along in a timely manner so play did not get backed up. As they drove along the beautiful 18 th closing hole, Willie explained the job only paid ten dollars an hour, but golf was free, as was the use of the facilities. Paul was surprised to learn the facilities included a private boat launch on the property. Willie then described how the waters around the boat launch had been manmade. Priding himself in learning all there was to know about the property’s previous use as a rice plantation in the mid-1800’s, Willie further described how the waterway had been first used for various needs in the old rice fields. “In fact, take a moment to visit the large meeting room we have on the second floor of the clubhouse before you leave. Steve commissioned an artist to paint the walls with a rendition of what the property looked like when it was an actual rice plantation. They used some really old photos, as well as a few descriptions they found in some old letters, to recreate what the property would have looked liked back then. It’s a great painting.”
    “I’d like to see that. I’ll make sure I take a look at it.” Paul could not get over how beautiful the facility was and how pretty the marsh grass looked where it was growing in the waters where the rice had been grown many years ago.
    “Well, if you are good with what we’ve discussed, I guess I will see you on Tuesday morning. Be here around 7 a.m. and we will get you started with your retirement job. One thing about this job, besides the great golf, you will soon realize you have friends you never knew about as once your neighbors find out you work here they will want to be your new best buds.”
    Paul laughed at the remark as he thanked Willie for the tour.
    “Free golf, working outside driving around in a golf cart a few hours each week, and being able to use the private boat launch, not too bad,” Paul thought on the drive back home, “the perks alone are worth the job.”
    ******
    The next morning Paul was up early. He started the day by sitting at his kitchen table reading the paper from the day before as he ate his breakfast. Far too busy the previous day from picking up his new boat, cleaning it, and then meeting with Willie, he had not found time to read it before now.
    He had also taken Donna out for dinner and afterwards had taken her to Shapiro’s to see the boat for the first time. She was a little disappointed in its condition at first, but when he told her about what he still had planned to repair on the boat, she had warmed up to it more. Paul had left the sides of the boat covered up when he had left to meet with Willie. When he pulled the tarps off the two areas where he had stenciled ‘Donna Lynn’ , Donna got a kick out of the gesture he had done for her. She had giggled as she asked him a question after seeing her name painted on the boat. “Does this mean we can stop and buy those silly boat captain hats I have seen at all of those tourist trap stores in Myrtle Beach?” Paul had laughed with her when she saw her name on the boat, and laughed even harder about her hat idea, but he had quickly assured her the captain hats were definitely out of the question.
    After a quick morning read of the paper, Paul drove the short distance to Shapiro’s . After hitching the boat to his truck, he headed down the By-Pass section of Highway 17 to