STORY PAGE
Please note: If you have yet to read "Walking to Town", you may wish to do so first.
Snooky
I was still not old enough to drive. At Sandy Pond there were more places on
our side of the shore to imbibe than exist today. The Wigwam, the Lodge, Tot’s Pavilion, The Comfort Hotel,
and the Bayview Hotel. The Wigwam catered mostly to fishermen and locals. Tot’s and the Comfort were favored
almost completely by the younger crowd. The lodge was either “old cronies” or underage kids. The Bayview catered to everyone.
Not old enough to drink, but with false I.D. and loving the music played at
Tots, it was always a place we “checked out” first. It wasn’t the booze as much as the girls and music.
(A couple of waitresses at the Comfort were friends who we knew well and we
visited, but never drank there.) Although all of these places were in walking distance we usually went by boat.
(Who knows when a couple of ladies would like to visit the Boater’s Beach on a beautiful night)
The Comfort and Tot’s were across the dirt road from each other. When one
would fill up the overflow would go to the other. The traffic between the two places was constant and in both directions.
It was one such night that my buddy and myself were in Tot’s. We were
drinking a coke, listening to music, and trying to impress a couple damsels. Facing the front door, but at a booth in back, I spotted an older cousin enter
with a friend. Rather than be confronted by my often busybody relative, I whispered to my buddy. We made excuses to the girls and ducked out the back door.
There it was, the license plate “SNOOKY”. I didn’t know the owner, but I
sure knew the car. It was way in the back of the parking lot, and by itself. The driver had made fun of me on a particularly bad night, and revenge was going
to be mine. (See “Walking to Town”.)
My buddy had already heard what had happened. He would help get even. Not a
vicious prank, but one that would let that driver know that I remembered and was returning the favor with interest.
We approached the vehicle. We hadn’t noticed before, but someone was inside.
More curious, was the trouser leg slightly out the driver’s window. No leg was in the pants and soft noises
were coming from the car. We had a plan.
Five minutes later I grabbed the pants and ran. Almost seconds after, the guy
was out the door and chasing me. Naked as he was, (only a t-shirt) he was running right behind, through the
crowd of people outside the two establishments. He was also gaining on me.
Just before he caught me I was on the Comfort dock leaping in the waiting boat.
The engine was already purring, and as I landed in the boat, my buddy hit the gas. The naked body behind me also jumped. He landed in the water. It was
perfect. I yelled back, “Going down, watch out for the water.”
We headed for camp. The jerk behind was actually swimming after us. Then I
realized I had his pants, wallet, etc. I had my friend dock at the Lodge. He was to wait by the dock until our
pursuer got close or I returned. If I did not return first, go to camp, and I would walk home.
I went back to the car. The girl was still there. She was only partially
dressed and still in the back seat. I tossed the pants through the open window, keeping my face out of her view. I told her to tell her friend to make sure
to tell him to “watch out for the rain” for me. When she asked, “Which one were you?” I answered,
“I’m the one who remembers this car, and if I see it again around here, there had be someone other than you guarding it.”
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