it out in the basin and it sank straight away to the bottom and never came back up. “Damn,” Deuce said. “A wood that doesn’t float?”
“Lignum Vitae is the densest wood on the planet,” I replied. “My house is made of this stuff.”
“Some day I’d like to see that house,” Deuce said.
“Be glad to show it to you. The island’s small and surrounded with mangroves. I cleared part of the interior, a circle about 150 feet around, intending to plant some vegetables. Except the ground’s too rocky and the water too salty. Now, there’s just a single coconut tree in the middle of the huge clearing.”
Deuce looked at me and said, “You know, if you cut down that tree, a clearing that big would make a great LZ.”
LZ is military speak for a helicopter landing zone. “I’ll have to keep that in mind,” I said, “if I ever decide to buy a chopper.”
“Or if friends want to come and visit,” Tony said, with a grin.
“You too?” I said. “Already told Deuce I wasn’t interested.”
We went back to work and had the rest of the tree cut up in just over an hour, even stopping to sharpen the blade twice. Everything that was usable we stacked neatly behind the bar. The trunk we left where it had fallen, once it was cut away from the roots. Rusty would have to use the backhoe to load it on a flatbed, it was so heavy. The small stuff we put in the back of Rusty’s pickup. Alex came out, just as we were finishing up, with four tall glasses of suntea and said, “We got everything cleaned up inside. Rufus has lunch ready.”
It was already getting hot, so we drank down the tea and Deuce said, “We’ll have to eat and run, ma’am. I mean, Alex. We have a plane to catch up in Miami at 1400.”
Alex looked at her watch and said, “It’s over a hundred miles, you’ll never get there in time to get through security.”
“It’s a private plane we’re taking out of Miami,” he said. Hmmm, I thought, a chopper and a company plane? Just what the hell kind of outfit were these men working for?
We headed inside and sat at the bar, eating jerked chicken and potatoes and talking about the storm. Afterwards, Deuce and Julie walked outside, while Tony and Art went to the Revenge to grab their sea bags. When they came back inside minutes later, Deuce said, “Thanks for the hospitality, Rusty. We really appreciate it.”
“No sir, thank you for all your help,” Rusty said, shaking hands with all three men. “Y’all come on back down here any time.”
Tony went to the back and talked to Rufus for a minute. Then he shook his hand and came back. “I got a recipe,” he said.
Everyone laughed and we all walked with the three Sailors out to their car. Tony and Art carried the sea bags to the trunk and Julie gave Deuce a bear hug, much like her dad did, when they’d first met. She kissed him and told him he’d better be back soon. The three men then got into the sedan and drove down the shell driveway.
“Think he knows Rule Six,” Rusty asked, as we walked back toward the bar.
We both laughed and Julie just rolled her eyes. “Rule Six?” Alex asked.
“It’s a bunch of dumb rules Jarheads have for men who want to date their daughters,” Julie replied, rolling her eyes.
“Really?” Alex asked. “Do you guys have rules for everything?”
Without missing a step, Rusty and I said in unison, “Yep, Semper Fi.”
“Rusty?” I asked. “Mind if Alex and I borrow your skiff to go out to the house and get mine. I’ll have it back tomorrow.”
“No need to even ask,” he replied. “Julie can trailer it down to Dockside, while I finish up here.”
“I’d also like to borrow your barge and loader. Jimmy used to operate one just like it and he’s agreed to come up to the house later this week and help me enlarge the channel. My permit’s still good until the end of the year and I’d really like to not have to pay Dockside to dock there.”
“Sure, you wanna borrow my skivvies, too,”
“Lignum Vitae is the densest wood on the planet,” I replied. “My house is made of this stuff.”
“Some day I’d like to see that house,” Deuce said.
“Be glad to show it to you. The island’s small and surrounded with mangroves. I cleared part of the interior, a circle about 150 feet around, intending to plant some vegetables. Except the ground’s too rocky and the water too salty. Now, there’s just a single coconut tree in the middle of the huge clearing.”
Deuce looked at me and said, “You know, if you cut down that tree, a clearing that big would make a great LZ.”
LZ is military speak for a helicopter landing zone. “I’ll have to keep that in mind,” I said, “if I ever decide to buy a chopper.”
“Or if friends want to come and visit,” Tony said, with a grin.
“You too?” I said. “Already told Deuce I wasn’t interested.”
We went back to work and had the rest of the tree cut up in just over an hour, even stopping to sharpen the blade twice. Everything that was usable we stacked neatly behind the bar. The trunk we left where it had fallen, once it was cut away from the roots. Rusty would have to use the backhoe to load it on a flatbed, it was so heavy. The small stuff we put in the back of Rusty’s pickup. Alex came out, just as we were finishing up, with four tall glasses of suntea and said, “We got everything cleaned up inside. Rufus has lunch ready.”
It was already getting hot, so we drank down the tea and Deuce said, “We’ll have to eat and run, ma’am. I mean, Alex. We have a plane to catch up in Miami at 1400.”
Alex looked at her watch and said, “It’s over a hundred miles, you’ll never get there in time to get through security.”
“It’s a private plane we’re taking out of Miami,” he said. Hmmm, I thought, a chopper and a company plane? Just what the hell kind of outfit were these men working for?
We headed inside and sat at the bar, eating jerked chicken and potatoes and talking about the storm. Afterwards, Deuce and Julie walked outside, while Tony and Art went to the Revenge to grab their sea bags. When they came back inside minutes later, Deuce said, “Thanks for the hospitality, Rusty. We really appreciate it.”
“No sir, thank you for all your help,” Rusty said, shaking hands with all three men. “Y’all come on back down here any time.”
Tony went to the back and talked to Rufus for a minute. Then he shook his hand and came back. “I got a recipe,” he said.
Everyone laughed and we all walked with the three Sailors out to their car. Tony and Art carried the sea bags to the trunk and Julie gave Deuce a bear hug, much like her dad did, when they’d first met. She kissed him and told him he’d better be back soon. The three men then got into the sedan and drove down the shell driveway.
“Think he knows Rule Six,” Rusty asked, as we walked back toward the bar.
We both laughed and Julie just rolled her eyes. “Rule Six?” Alex asked.
“It’s a bunch of dumb rules Jarheads have for men who want to date their daughters,” Julie replied, rolling her eyes.
“Really?” Alex asked. “Do you guys have rules for everything?”
Without missing a step, Rusty and I said in unison, “Yep, Semper Fi.”
“Rusty?” I asked. “Mind if Alex and I borrow your skiff to go out to the house and get mine. I’ll have it back tomorrow.”
“No need to even ask,” he replied. “Julie can trailer it down to Dockside, while I finish up here.”
“I’d also like to borrow your barge and loader. Jimmy used to operate one just like it and he’s agreed to come up to the house later this week and help me enlarge the channel. My permit’s still good until the end of the year and I’d really like to not have to pay Dockside to dock there.”
“Sure, you wanna borrow my skivvies, too,”
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