Two cars, a Jeep and a four-door Toyota overloaded with people, passed on the road at a casual speed. Mary watched them pass. Edward pretended to look up at the ridgeline to watch at her.
“I like this one artist,” Mary said, “I forgot his name – he did the painting of those people – black people – dancing around in a club. Men and women completely into their music, stretching up their long arms and grooving out. It was an interesting painting because everyone in it, all the people dancing, had their eyes closed. I wish I could remember the name—”
“Ernie Barnes.” Edward nodded.
Mary looked at him without turning her head.
“You know him?”
“It’s called Sugar Shack. I think that’s the painting. Marvin Gaye used it on an album cover. It was on the opening credits of some old TV show – forgot which one.”
“My sister used to have a poster of that painting in her room. She took it down a long time ago, but I can still remember the details. Sometimes I used to lie on her bed and stare at it, daydreaming about it. All the people looked like they were in bliss, you know, and I always wondered why they all had their eyes closed.”
“The artist wanted to show that we’re all blind to each other’s humanity. It was like he was saying, ‘close your eyes to see the real person, not just what’s on the outside.’”
“Really?” Mary looked straight at him, as if trying to gauge how truthful he was being. “How do you know that?”
“Art history 101, freshman year.”
“Well, that’s a nice idea,” she said and looked off at the bay.
Edward waited, hoping she’d ask more trivia questions he could answer. They sat quietly watching a catamaran raise its main mast. The wind caught the canvas, blowing it out, and sending the craft on its way.
“Were you trying to swim out to the island?”
“Yeah. I was. Pretty dumb idea, huh?”
“I’d say it’s not that difficult to do. You have to pace yourself. Slow and steady, you know? Don’t fight the waves. Do you know the name of that island? It’s called Dead Chest Island. You know the legend of it?”
“There’s a legend?”
“Sure. Most places around here have a story behind them. That island, they say, is where Blackbeard the pirate stranded fifteen men who tried committing mutiny. He left them there with one jug of rum and one sword. They say the mutineers tried to wait it out, thinking maybe a boat would come by. But no boat came by. So they started getting thirsty and eyeing that rum. Blackbeard knew once a mutineer, always a mutineer. And sure enough, after some of them started drinking, one took the sword and said he’s the king now. Well, the others didn’t like that. Four jumped on the one with the sword. He stabbed one, but couldn’t pull the blade out in time, and was killed. They continued fighting and every time a man got his hands on that sword, he killed someone, and then got killed. That’s how it went until there were only two mutineers left. One man with the jug and one man with the sword.”
“Couldn’t they just swim off?”
“No. Most pirates didn’t know how to swim.”
“What about making a boat out of a tree?”
“Nooo. How would they cut down the tree?” Mary asked.
“With the sword—”
“A sword to cut down a tree? You have to have an ax for that. Have you ever tried to cut down a tree? Everyone knows you need an ax for cutting wood.”
“So, what happened to the last two men?”
“Well, that’s what I’m trying to tell you and you keep telling me the pirates should be like MacGyver—”
“Oh, great show.”
“Well, that’s true. I used to watch it like it was a movie.”
“You liked him ‘cus he was smart?”
“I liked MacGyver because he was so nice to everyone and he never killed anyone.”
Edward laughed and took a drink.
“Now can I finish the story? Or do you have more questions? OK, then. The pirate with the rum gave the jug to the pirate with the sword. Now, the pirate with the sword and rum felt safe and he started drinking. When he was drunk, the other killed him. So, there’s the lesson.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Mary tilted her head. Her eyes brightened as she glared at him. The breeze picked up a straight strand of her long hair and blew it over her eye. She brushed it back. Her skin was flawless except for a single beauty mark above an eyebrow and dimples that appeared when she smiled.
“The lesson is that you can be a drunk or you can be a king, but you cannot be a drunk king.” She held her soda by the neck and turned it.
“That’s the lesson? But why didn’t the pirate with the sword just kill the other pirate first.”
“Your art teachers must have loved you. Always asking dumb questions during class.”
Edward laughed.
“So, have you been to all the islands around here?” he asked. “How many are there?”
“Oh, hundreds if you go out from the BVI. It’d take you a long time to visit them all. I’d run out of gas in my boat. Better to have a sailboat, I’d imagine.”
A car honked on the street and someone called out to Mary. Mary and Edward turned at the same time to see a man in a 4-door Suzuki SUV. He looked to be their age, wore sunglasses, a silky short sleeve with the top two buttons undone exposing gold chains. Edward could see a single earring under his short afro. The man’s dark, muscular arm hung outside the window as he called out.
“Yo Mary! Mary-girl, what yah doin? How long you stayin?”
“That’s Isaac,” Mary said to Edward before turning to answer the man. “I ain’t staying long! So, you can keep drivin!”
Isaac laughed, lifting his head, and slapped the car door.
“Girl, you need a lift somewhere. You know I take yah deer.”
“I doonh need no ride anyplace with you, so keep drive-in.”
The man pulled down his sunglasses and squinted at Edward.
“Who’s dat you getting busy with?”
“I ain’t getting busy wit no botty and you can mind your own business!”
“Girl, you can tell dat white boy to get back on da boot. I dink he miss da boot. It done pass through.”
“You can tell yourself to get on home to momma or one of your girlfriends.” Mary tilted her head to glare at Isaac.
Edward looked from one to the other as if he was watching a tennis match. Isaac pouted his lips out and sneered at Edward as if evaluating something rotten he’d found.
“Hey, boy. Hey, I talkin to yah, boy. I dink you miss dah boot!”
“Why’s he keep saying that? Is he your boyfriend?”
“Ex,” Mary quickly said. “Just ignore him. He’ll go away.” She looked down at something carved into the table’s top with a frown on her face.
“Hey, boy, I’m talkin to you. You hear me?” Isaac slapped the car door three times. “What you doin’ere wit me girl?”
Edward looked at Mary. He couldn’t tell if it was anger or embarrassment that twisted her brow, but something sparked inside him. Edward moved to get up from the table.
“I’ll tell him to leave—”
Mary caught Edward’s arm.
“What are you doin? Don’t.”
“He’s bothering you—”
“No, he’s just being the snake he is. You don’t need to do anything. If you let ‘em be, he’ll crawl back into the grass. It’s time we head back anyway.”
Mary finished her drink and got up. She put the glass in a recycling crate against the wall of the store. Edward followed her while Isaac eyed them over his sunglasses.