Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
my head in delight. He held up a withered hand, “Not so fast, young man,” he seemed to
say, and went on scrabbling and pawing through the oddities. After about ten more minutes
of hunting, he produced another two springs the same size. I gave him the thumbs up signal,
letting him know that that was all I needed. He understood, and I asked him how much. He
stared blankly at me, not understanding. “Dollars?” I tried to ask him.
He beamed now, as he understood, “Aaah, dollar?” was the only word I had heard him say
the entire time. I grinned back at him, pulling out my wallet from my backpack. He just
clamped his mouth shut and shook his head, looking kindly at me. I blinked back at him
wondering if he understood. I pulled out a ten dollar note and handed it to him. He shook
his head again. He shook his hand as if to say “No, I don't want your money.” Instead, he
put his hand on my shoulder and patted me kindly and just smiled at me. I was very touched
by this old man's generosity. I put my backpack on the counter and looked inside. I found
my old stainless steel knife that I had bought at a yard sale in Hawaii. I handed it to him.
“Dollar,” I said smiling. He broke out into a wide toothy grin again, nodding his old, faded
head. This time he took it and patted my shoulder again. I walked back to the boat rich be-
cause of more than just the rusty old springs that would serve Déjà vu all the way down to
Australia. I could not but confirm that the sweetest people are usually the poorest.
“Well?” questioned a smiling and curious Penny as I climbed over the wooden taffrails into
the cockpit, “Did you get a spring?”
“I did, I did!” I grinned back at her, “I also had a very interesting morning and learnt a les-
son that we all should learn.”
“Oh God, I'm so dying to know what that is!” continued Penny, wriggling away from my
hand as I playfully dug into her shapely neck.
“Humility,” I said shortly, and then briefly told her of my experience with the old Chinese
man.
“Where's Gavin?” I asked.
“He went out for a stroll. I think he is going back to take another look at some girl we met.”
“Good for him; would you like some tea?” I asked her.
“I'll make it babes; you look pretty beat.”
I playfully felt her forehead, “Are you feeling OK?” I looked down and saw she had taken
off her bra; she was wearing a loose tank top, and her ample breasts were swinging free
and firm. She followed my stare; it had been a while. I followed her silently down the steps
where she had already removed her shirt and her shapely bare back gleamed in the hazy
light down below. She was wonderful, and, some time later, left me breathless and satis-
