Tuesday, February 24, 2009

a dream of florida

I've arrived back in Florida, to live again. It's beautiful, sunny, with relaxed people...i'm happy. I've come there with a friend. I can't quite name him, but he has a john lazuresque quality, and wears a floppy cotton hat. We settle into beach bum ways. We realize we have no money, so john decides that we should hire ourselves out for charter fishing trips on my grandfather pop-pop's boat, which i've inherited. He takes off to find clients, while i prepare the boat. He is back in minutes, and tells me that we have a charter right away for a group of giggly young women. I'm not sure the boat is ready. It's winch-lifted, near the dock. I examine the wicker plant baskets in recessed shelves all around the outside of the boat, and realize that they will of course fall into the water. I remove them pell mell. John grabs me, and takes me to a car to get the women, who are inland. We return with them, and i ask them for a little more time. They're happy to oblige. I realize we don't have bait, or gas, or food, or a million other things. The cabin is piled with clutter, and i start to clean it out. John has done one piece of work, clearing out a space near the cabin window for the one girl who doesn't want to fish, and will be nude sunbathing instead. He has set down a possibly dingy towel for her to lie on. I realize we could never prepare in time, and tell the women we must postpone. They are splashing in the water nearby, and don't mind. Off the edge of the dock there's a fish chain hanging, with clasps to string through the mouths and gills. I realize we need one, but i think this one belongs to someone else. I pull it up, and there's one live sheephead fish attached. I realize i hate killing fish, and what the hell was john thinking?! I decide that we can make a little money by taking the young women out for a late afternoon pleasure cruise. They love the idea, and i lower the boat into the water. I realize we're still unprepared, as we have no charts or lights. I scramble to get lights, and we're off. We soon return, and the women have had a lovely time. They jump into the water again, to play. I wander to the next dock, which has a house built in. Inside, my cousin steve is sitting in a huge easy chair, holding his baby grandson. I hold the child, and clumsily bump his head into the ankle of steve's leather boot. I hand the baby back, who starts to look distressed. A woman nearby says he'll throw up, and i hopefully say he won't. He starts to throw up on steve's collar, and someone cleans it up. I walk to the open garage door, and look out on the people in the street. Amanda parke appears, with a few friends. She is happy, and happy to see me. She and her friends disappear around the building. Her mother appears, and is also very happy to see me. I sit down, and she pours a bottle of vodka over my head. I can come up with no logical reason for why she shouldn't, so i accept the situation.

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