Confederate Gold and Silver by Peter F. Warren Read Free Book Online Page B

pointing at the old pontoon boat sitting moored at the end of the walkway. On both sides of the boat hung smaller wooden versions of the sign he had seen displayed over the gas pumps. The pontoon boat was one the marina’s employees used for the operational needs of the marina. From that use it was easy to tell the boat had not been cared for as well as it would have been if it had been privately owned.
    Paul stepped onto the last section of dock before climbing onto the boat. Chubby, whose real name was Earl Jensen, chose to remain on the dock. It was obvious Chubby’s years of feasting on far too many of the Inlet’s delicacies, both seafood and cold beer, prevented him from doing anything too strenuous. Even the short walk down the several sections of walkways had winded him significantly.
    Chubby told Paul the boat had seen a variety of use since the marina had purchased it about seven years ago, but described how it had been primarily used to ferry boat owners to and from their boats when the marina’s row boats were not practical to use. Looking around and not seeing anyone nearby, Chubby told him of another way the boat had been used. “I have to tell you I have also used it on more than a few occasions to satisfy the personal needs of many female tourists after they have visited our restaurant or one of the other nearby bars. The boat has come in quite handy after they have had too much to drink. You know what I’m talkin’ about, right?”
    Not wanting to hear anymore about Chubby’s alleged romantic escapades, and also wanting to quickly erase the ugly mental picture he now had in his head of a naked Chubby frolicking on the boat with an inebriated female, Paul put a quick end to this part of the conversation. “I got the picture, I got it!” The brief mental picture of one of these escapades lingered far too long in his mind and he quickly sought to erase it.
    Examining the boat, Paul could see it was a twenty-two foot Sylvan Signature series pontoon boat. The boat’s original burgundy color was now faded for the most part by the constant exposure to the sun and salt air. His first impression was it needed some work, but he could tell the boat did have some life left in her. It needed some cosmetic work done to it, along with a few minor repairs, and then a real good cleaning before it would be something to have some pride in. The boat had a minor dent in the outside edge of the left transom, but it was not large enough to repair at this time. He saw the boat’s original carpeting had been replaced with a more durable dark green Astroturf style of carpet which was now both faded and in need of replacing. Paul could not help but think the boat’s carpeting reminded him of the putting surfaces at several of the Mini-Golf venues his family had waged friendly competitions at during their summer vacations in Myrtle Beach. He also could not help but wonder if this was the same carpeting Chubby and his ‘dates’ had used during their romantic one night stands. At least he hoped it was not the same one. “One thing for sure, the carpeting has to go,” Paul thought to himself.
    Inspecting the boat further, Paul noticed the captain’s seat had a small tear in the upholstery, a tear which had been poorly repaired with grey duct tape. After inspecting most of the boat, he asked Chubby about the condition of the black sixty horsepower Mercury engine. “We just serviced it about two weeks ago. It’s only two years old and I think it’s still under warranty for another six months or so. We’ve never had a problem with it. The engine runs fine.”
    Paul knew he was being shown the boat on orders from Steve and he knew it was likely being offered to him to buy, but he played along by looking at it some more until Chubby broached the topic about buying it. “Why do y’all want a pontoon boat anyhow? Don’t y’all want something better than this old slow tub? It’s already ten years old.”
    “Well, I guess