Friday, August 26, 2011
Metropolitan Man
"What are you reading?" X-Ray was wearing a peach linen blazer.
I said, "Just seeing who's playing the Cape this week."
"Tamar Terry's at the Crab Trap."
"With her Happy Hammond," I added.
"You'll be glad to see her."
"And vice versa." I said with a wink. "What brings you to the steamy mainland?"
"Glee wants to see you." That's Glee Gleason, co-owner of Anglesea Bar and Grill. His other job is Hospitality Consultant for some Atlantic City Casinos. Nobody's sure what the job involves, but Glee meets a lot of celebrities doing it. "He says you never answer your phone."
"I forget to turn it on." I reached into the pocket of my guayabera, pulled out the cellphone. & pressed the on button. It played a few bars from "Summer Wind." "Oh yeah, there's his messages. I don't want to drive over to the island now."
"Leave the driving to me," said X-Ray. He walked over to the truck, punched a button, and the flatbed began tilting toward the ground like a ramp. He walked back to my car, reached next to the steering & put the Metropolitan in neutral. "You got your keys and wallet?"
"Yeah."
"Then relax, baby, I'm taking a scenic route." X-Ray pulled some chains off the flatbed, hooked under the front of the car, went back to truck, hit another button, a motor started up & the chains slowly winched the car on to the ramp. I put the newspaper down and sat up.
"We ever done this before?"
"You asked me that the last time we did it," said X-Ray as the car clanked level on the truck chassis. X-Ray walked around the back of the truck flipped up some wheel locks, climbed into the truck, put it in gear, drove out of the driveway, out of Blue Lagoon Trailer Park, made a left on Route 9, then a right on Wildwood Boulevard, crossed under the Garden State Parkway, heading out across the great marshes between the mainland & the sand bar holding the Wildwoods-by-the-Sea above the sea.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
I said, "Just seeing who's playing the Cape this week."
"Tamar Terry's at the Crab Trap."
"With her Happy Hammond," I added.
"You'll be glad to see her."
"And vice versa." I said with a wink. "What brings you to the steamy mainland?"
"Glee wants to see you." That's Glee Gleason, co-owner of Anglesea Bar and Grill. His other job is Hospitality Consultant for some Atlantic City Casinos. Nobody's sure what the job involves, but Glee meets a lot of celebrities doing it. "He says you never answer your phone."
"I forget to turn it on." I reached into the pocket of my guayabera, pulled out the cellphone. & pressed the on button. It played a few bars from "Summer Wind." "Oh yeah, there's his messages. I don't want to drive over to the island now."
"Leave the driving to me," said X-Ray. He walked over to the truck, punched a button, and the flatbed began tilting toward the ground like a ramp. He walked back to my car, reached next to the steering & put the Metropolitan in neutral. "You got your keys and wallet?"
"Yeah."
"Then relax, baby, I'm taking a scenic route." X-Ray pulled some chains off the flatbed, hooked under the front of the car, went back to truck, hit another button, a motor started up & the chains slowly winched the car on to the ramp. I put the newspaper down and sat up.
"We ever done this before?"
"You asked me that the last time we did it," said X-Ray as the car clanked level on the truck chassis. X-Ray walked around the back of the truck flipped up some wheel locks, climbed into the truck, put it in gear, drove out of the driveway, out of Blue Lagoon Trailer Park, made a left on Route 9, then a right on Wildwood Boulevard, crossed under the Garden State Parkway, heading out across the great marshes between the mainland & the sand bar holding the Wildwoods-by-the-Sea above the sea.
Labels: Metropolitan Man
