Cradle by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

curious. A basketball game was in progress on the television.
     On about the sixth ring of the phone, the man gave a small cheer (with his mouth full
     of sandwich) in the direction of the six-inch picture tube, took a swig from his beer,
     and abruptly jumped up to answer the call. The telephone was underneath a canopy in
     the centre of the boat, on a wood-panelled wall behind the steering wheel and next
     to some built-in counters that appeared to contain the navigation and radio equipment
     for the boat. The man fiddled with the steering wheel unconsciously during the brief
     conversation and never took his eyes off the television. He hung up, issued another
     short cheer, and returned to his folding chair.
    Carol was now standing on the jetty, just inches away from the front of the boat and
     no more than ten feet away from where the man was sitting. But he was oblivious of
     her, totally absorbed in his basketball game. ‘
All right
,’ he shouted all at once, reacting to something pleasing in the game. He jumped up.
     The sudden movement caused the boat to rock and the jerrybuilt tray underneath the
     television gave way. The man reached out quickly and grabbed the TV before it hit
     the ground, but in so doing he lost his balance and fell forward on his elbows.
    ‘Shit,’ he said to himself, wincing from the pain. He was lying on the deck, his sunglasses
     cocked sideways on his head, the game still continuing on the little set in his hands.
     Carol could not suppress her laughter. Now aware for the first time that he was not
     alone, Nick Williams, the owner and operator of the
Florida Queen
, turned in the direction of the feminine laugh.
    ‘Excuse me,’ Carol began in a friendly way, ‘I just happened to be walking by and
     I saw you fall….’ She stopped. Nick was not amused.
    ‘What do you want?’ Nick fixed her with a truculent glare. He stood up, still holding
     (and watching) the television and now trying as well to put the tray back together.
     He didn’t have enough hands to do everything at once.
    ‘You know,’ Carol said, still smiling, ‘I could help you with that, if it wouldn’t
     injure your masculine pride.’
    Nick put the television down on the deck of the boat and began to reassemble the tray.
     ‘No thank you,’ he said. ‘I can manage.’ Obviously ignoring Carol, he set the TV back
     on the tray, returned to his folding chair, and picked up his sandwich and beer.
    Carol was amused by what the man had clearly intended as a putdown. She looked around
     the boat. Neatness was not one of the strengths of the proprietor. Little odds and
     ends, including masks, snorkels, regulators, towels, and even old lunches from fast-food
     restaurants were scattered all over the front of the boat. In one of the corners someone
     had obviously taken apart a piece of electronic equipment, perhaps for repair, and
     left the entire works a jumbled mess. Mounted on the top of the blue canopy were two
     signs, each with a different type of print, one giving the name of the boat and the
     other saying THANK YOU FOR NOT SMOKING .
    The boat looked out of character for the sleek modern marina and Carol imagined the
     other boat owners reacting with disgust each day as they passed the
Florida Queen
. On an impulse Carol looked at the computer listing in her hand. She almost laughed
     out loud when she saw the boat listed as one of the nine available for hire.
    ‘Excuse me,’ she began, intending to start a discussion about chartering the boat
     for the afternoon.
    Nick heaved an exaggerated sigh and turned away from his televised basketball game.
     The miffed look on his face was unmistakable. It said, What? Are you still here? I
     thought we’d finished our conversation. Now go away and let me enjoy the afternoon
     on my boat.
    Carol couldn’t resist the opportunity to harass the arrogant Nick Williams (she assumed
     that the name on the computer listing and the man in front of her were the same,