Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Well, and there was Gavin, on hand, with flawless timing and saying, “Yes, that's Murphy,
he stays on our boat over there, Déjà vu, the one with the wooden mast and red awning.
My twin brother and I stay on-board.”
By then the other two gals came tripping and laughing up to their friend, and they too were
taken by Murphy's feline charms. I watched the boat owner now for the first time get out
of his boat and make his way across to the girls. He didn't look all that friendly any more
from where I sat. Gavin was in the thick of it, chatting to all three girls now, and when they
heard he had an accent, there was no stopping them. I am now sure that that is why there
are accents; they are so attractive to the opposite sex. The old skipper sniffed past them, his
body language screaming out to Gavin, “Get the hell away from my girls!”
Gavin turned a blind eye and continued relentlessly on. I had to admire his pluck. When the
skipper came out of the bathroom a little too soon to have done anything other than shake
his fists at Gavin and mouth off some obscenities behind the lava rock walls, the little party
had to break up through social etiquette, but I could tell Gavin wasn't done yet.
That evening he and I went ashore to the picnic tables and joined a little local group. We
had drinks and a barbecue and played along with the guitars and percussive soda cans and
other musical impedimenta that happened to be there. Dee was down as well and in the
thick of it; she loved these musical happenings. The fancy boat people had arranged a car
rental from the little airport at the top of the hill and had gone up to the Lanai Lodge where
they were sure to have had an expensive gourmet dinner. I suspect the boat owner was
shepherding his girls away from Gavin the wolf, who was leering about the harbor. Our
little musical soiree continued getting noisier and drunker, only when the visitors returned
to their boat, did the group show signs of putting an end to the din out of common decency.
Gavin meanwhile was keeping a constant vigil on the fancy boat, and when he saw one of
the lasses head over to the bathroom, he made his move. I saw him weaving unsteadily, al-
most staggering at one stage, chatting away to the lass who was now returning to the boat.
He continued his barrage of chattering (he is very gifted), and she climbed nimbly aboard,
leaving him rambling on up at her. He remained there, swaying in the night breeze, not
wanting to leave. I don't know what he said, but presently the owner came out and shooed
him away. Some harsh words came wafting back to our remaining gaggle of revelers, and
the next thing that could be heard clearly across the water was a resounding splash as Gav-
in lost his balance and fell heavily off the dock and into the muddy brine. He came out
sputtering fit to be tied and highly embarrassed by the tinkling laughter of the three girls,
who were lined up along the rail watching his awkward progress out the water and up the
slippery, black rocks that lined the harbor limit. I felt for him this night. He was definitely
the tomcat that had had a bucket of water thrown over his amorous advances.
