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Adventures of a Modern Pirate: June 2019

The night descended upon us like a silky black cloak, and soon my uncle and I were staring up at the huge light bulb in the night sky: the moon. It lit up crashing waves like a Christmas tree, the foamy splendor bright as snow. The roar from the waves was music to our ears. Despite a few pesky mosquitoes and some no-see-ums, life was good! 

“The lighthouse of the universe,” my uncle said, referring to the moon.

“True,” I replied. 

“We’ll be leaving soon. Once Peter comes back, who knows where?” 

“I’m game.”

He knew I had been monkey-braining the demise of developers since he told me about the coming barrage of new homes, hotels and condos, so it was his way of distracting me. 

We had a good buzz going as we spent our day fishing and enjoying rum shots. Dinner had been fresh fish and a side of day-old bread followed by the quintessential beer to wash it all down with. 

“My sweet tooth is kicking in,” my uncle said. “Let’s go find some dessert.”

“Sounds good to me,” I added cheerily. 

We put out what was left of the already dwindling fire, secured our meager belongings, and buried our rum at the base of a palm tree. He halfway joked that I remember the spot, but only part of me took him seriously. I didn’t ask, so I just memorized the spot! 

We came out through the foliage and found ourselves on a road, which we followed going north until we came to a small collection of homes. I had learned that my uncle knew what to look for and I let him lead the way. Sure enough, we came to a narrow driveway leading to small opened carport where music could be heard coming from an open door that led inside the home. Three smiling and giggling people came out who were obviously intoxicated. They waved at us and told us the food was great. I saw extension cords running in and out through the door. 

No surprise, I thought. 

Happy patrons greeted us. An old smiling lady stood in the kitchen cooking and serving paying customers. My uncle put money into a jar that was overfilled with dollar bills and said, “It’s an honor system.” 

Before I knew it, he handed me a plate of home-baked coconut cake. It was so delectable and melted in my mouth with each bite. This was paradise!

Gotta get back to my coconut concoctions . . .

This column is part of an ongoing story of tales from the past that continues each month. Read Josh’s previous columns here:

To read more about Josh’s new novel, click here!

Joshua MacLeod is a NSB local and a Florida native. He is the author of Savage Tango and Chasing Latitudes. He lives with his dogs, Durango, Higgins and Oscar.

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