Edward gently lifted her head up by her chin, moved her hair back over her ears and kissed her lips. This got him what he wanted. Her smile. She immediately joked about how awful his dancing was, and they laughed. He gulped down his beer and she pretended to sip hers. Soon, he ordered one more so he wouldn’t have an empty bottle. When a slow song was played and the floor cleared, he pulled her out again and they two-stepped, and when the next song started, a hard-beating 80’s tune, they rushed back to the bar.
Halfway through his beer, he excused himself for the restroom. He made his way across the floor and down a hallway. He pushed through a door, and stepped up to the first of four urinals. The door closed behind him, the muffled music becoming a monotonous throb. He relieved himself while staring at framed advertisements for boat excursions, restaurant specials, and condo rentals. Just as he finished, a man spoke.
“You keebin dah pahdee go-in donigh mah frienh?”
“Whoa! Didn’t see you there.” He turned his head and started buttoning his shorts.
The man was sitting on a stool in a corner beyond the row of urinals. He was under the room’s only window. It took a moment for Edward’s eyes to adjust, and see the skinny man in a white suit and Panama hat. The man’s skin was as dark as tire rubber, and he smiled through an even darker goatee, his teeth momentarily appearing to float there in the shadows. Edward smiled back.
“Yeahhh. Ain’t seeing me. I give yah a good one deer.”
The skinny man’s voice was a hypnotic bass as deep as the music humming through the closed door and walls and Edward didn’t understand a word of it, and so he didn’t respond, lost in the effects. Edward stared at the man’s large teeth and gums. The man raised an arm, lifting the cotton jacket sleeve rolled up to the elbows. The muscular flesh and veins on the bottom glimmered. He dipped his head, his eyes hiden under the hat for a second.
“Aye say, you keebin dah pahdee go-in tonigh?”
The skinny man’s voice brought him back.
“What’s that? Oh. Keeping the party going—”
The skinny man laughed heartily. “Yeah, boss, you got it on dah ‘ead – looks like you be havin fun out deer. You need any-ding too meck dah pahdee ‘it dah roof?”
“What’s that?”
“Boss, I say, you need any ding?”
Like the man himself emerging from the darkness, the meaning of his accented words became clearer to Edward as he focused on them.
“Do I need anything?” In his attempt to hear better, Edward took a step toward him. “Like what?”
“You know sum ‘erb to make dings ‘it dah roof. Ganja. Smokes.” The skinny man pinched his thumb and index finger together, pressing them to his lips. “Some ding more to meck dah pahdee go all nigh.”
“Oh! You mean weed.” Edward laughed.
“Yeah, boss, you got id now. Dah ‘erb. You need some to keep dings right.”
“Nahhh. I don’t need anything.”
“You sure boss? You bettah get id soon. Your boot be leaven in two hour.”
“Oh, man, that’s not my boat. I live here.”
The curtain around the teeth parted, more teeth appeared. “Iz dat righ?” He asked like he thought Edward was joking. “Nooo way. I know you. You dat one livin ovah deer on Petah Island.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Peter Island.”
“What’s your name, my frienh?”
“Edward.”
“Edward? Dat a good name, but too long. I just call you Ed – hah hah haaa!”
“And you are?”
“Mister Bones. Every body ‘ere call me dat and you can too. I know dah place you livin. My uncle’s ‘ouse on Salt Island, so I pass your ‘ouse some time. Yeah, I know you, my frienh. My girlfriend buy a painting from you ‘bout two month back when you sellin on dah pier. She buy id for me. See, my ‘ouse doonh ‘ave any-ding on dem walls. No picture. Yeah, id empty like dat, cuz I fix id up. It was notin but a burnt-out plantation ‘ouse. Yeah, everyone say dey gonna tear id down, but I wanna buy id. Big discount price. I spend all my time puttin it back to-gether, but I never any good at decoratin, man. Seem like every ding I ‘ave a gift – except my ‘ouse and garden. But I like your painting. You paint deh flower ‘ere good. Yeah, real good.” Mr. Bones gestured with a thumbs-up. “I put your paintin in my bedroom and I tell my girlfriend to buy another, but she say you never sell no more.”
“Oh,” Edward said wiping his chin and laughing, “I sold there three times, and then the cops came by and shooed me away. Said I need to register.”
“Ooooh! Dem cops shoo me away too. Donh much like what I’m sellin. Heh heeeh! Boy, I tell you, you should keep makin dem paintin like dat. Who know, maybe one day you get famous and make a million dollar.”
“You’re too kind.” Edward took another step toward Mr. Bones. “It’s nice to hear about someone enjoying something of mine. Really. I really appreciate that.” Edward caught himself nodding and dipping his head. “You don’t know what that means, hearing that. But, I don’t do it for money, I mean, I just have to do it, you know? It’s like something that, like, has to escape – jump out of me and land onto canvas. It’s hard to make money from painting anyways, so it’s really just for myself.”
“Well, you should keep doin it,” Mr. Bones said. “Do it long enough id’a add up. Dat what I tellin all dese kids. Many small step no different than one big one. Kids now doonh dink in no long term. Dey want every-ding righ now. Gotta ‘ave id now. Can’t wait. I been around fifty year now. Got boys workin for me, my posse. All of dem ‘ave no patience. Doonh like no waitin ‘round. Can’t sit still for five minute. So, I come down ‘ere and sit when a boot come in. Maybe I waste few hour. Why? Because when dem tourist really want a ding, dey pay top dollar for id. Heh heh heeeh!”
Edward felt himself comforted by Mr. Bones’ sing-song voice and calm.
“So, you don’t get a lot of police in here?”
“Noooo. Dem police doonh like messin wid no tourist. Stay out of all deh club. Tourist just wanna take id easy or be crazy. And no police wanna fill out paperwork. So, everyone get what dey want.”
“And the tourist don’t get in trouble for bringing weed on the boat?”
“Oh, no. Dem cruise ship company doonh wanna do any-ding dat lose business. Dat what id all ‘bout. Business. But I tell dem young kid doonh be taken no weed off dat boot. Dat where real trouble start. Try takin id into dat Miami port. Dem drug dog’ll find id. So, I say smoke id all on dah boot. Smoke id all on board. Any-ding you doonh finish, you toss over-board. Yeah.” He made like he was throwing a basketball and laughed.
Edward thought about Mary and turned his head to glance back at the door. Mr. Bones must have seen that he was ready to leave.
“Well din, you a local frienh, Ed, so you get dah local discount. You gonna be here long time. I can see it in your face. You not like dah people come here and can’t take id easy. If you can’t take id easy, you go crazy. Heh heh!” His laugh came out with a force that seemed to come from his entire body. “You, look like a guy like dah nature.”
Mr. Bones reached into his jacket and pulled out a rolled-up Zip-lock bag, a wad of marijuana as thick as a finger. He held this out with a skinny arm and glossy hand. Edward laughed under his breath.
“Look, I don’t have any money.”
“Dis a free gif, for a new frienh.” Mr. Bones pushed up his hat with his free hand. His eyes were the color of sandalwood, his smile easy and broad and his teeth as large as butterfly seashells.
“Free?” Edward rubbed at the back of his neck, eyeing the roll. He could smell the weed’s aroma from where he stood.
“I not rompin wid yah. Free sample, man. I know you try dis cherry pie you be wantin more, yeah.” He laughed with his lower lip hanging down exposing the red below his teeth. “Yeah, id free, mannn.” The man’s head tilted to the side.