[Marvin's] World of Deadheads Read online

  Marv nodded. “Upstate; Westchester. I ended up in Dayton. An offer from an advertising firm,” he explained when he noticed her quizzical look. “I have a suspicion, those two jokers will be happy to find out none of you is involved with Dennis.”

  Nancy laughed. “Oh… I’m thinking they’re going to be disappointed anyway.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Connie and Mel are a couple. They’ve been partners for a lot of years.”

  “That must’ve been bad news for Dennis.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, if the three of you are gay… What?” Marvin asked in response to her laughter.

  “I’m not a lesbian. What gave you that idea?”

  “Ah, Jesus H. I’m such an idiot. I’m sorry, when you said they’re gay and you met them at a club I just thought…”

  Nancy put a hand on Marvin’s arm and he felt a jolt go through his body. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Oh, and as far as Dennis goes?”

  Marvin nodded and thought he best wait before he opened his trap again with another stupid statement.

  “He’s going to be more interested in you and your friends than any of us.”

  “Ahhh…”

  “And he’ll be especially let down when he finds out the three of you are straight. He’s been watching you guys ever since he saw you. Poor guy. He hoped he’d find someone during this trip.”

  Marv smiled and wondered if he should tell her about Tommy’s sex-capades when he lived on the commune; he might not be so far out of reach for Dennis as Nancy imagined. He decided discretion would be the best route and kept it to himself. A second later they both turned toward the beach as they heard a “Whoo-hoo!” and a simultaneous “Yeah, baby!” to see two bare asses running into the waves.

  “So much for discretion…” Marvin mumbled to himself.

  “What?”

  Marv shook his head. “Nothing. Well, should we go back and see if things are set up?”

  A man stood directly behind Marvin peering out at the water. “Damn it! Looks like someone beat us to it. But I don’t see anyone out there, just clothes laying on the sand.”

  Marvin and Nancy got a chuckle out of the statement. “Someday you’ll see them just fine,” Nancy assured the guy, though she knew he wouldn’t hear it.

  “I don’t see anyone. Besides, who cares? Come on, let’s go,” the girl with him responded removing her top and starting down the small hill to the water.

  “Cover your eyes, Marvin.” Nancy giggled and tapped him on the arm.

  Marvin felt a rush again and, while he couldn’t be sure because he didn’t know if it was even possible, he thought he may have blushed. He laughed and put his hands up to his eyes as if they were binoculars.

  “We can join them if you’d like.”

  “Nah. No, I’m getting kind of… thirsty, actually. Let’s go back.”

  As they turned to leave, Mike yelled out to them. “Hey! Brody! Where you two goin’?”

  “Yeah, dude! Come on in, the water’s great!”

  Marvin waved to them as Mike pointed to the topless girl and added, “The view’s not bad either!” and let out a wolf howl.

  Nancy gave them a wave. “He says he’s thirsty and wants to get something to drink. Later, okay?”

  Tommy gave her a thumbs-up. Mike signaled okay with thumb and forefinger.

  Marv and Nancy started the walk back to the main beachhead at the southeast end where the crew put the finishing touches on the temporary party site. A few large canopies to offer shade from the harsh Caribbean sun lined the sand just above the tide line; the weathered structure used as a bar displayed bottles of liquor and mixes; several very large coolers held ice; a row of buffet tables twenty feet long displayed the banquet of food; three volley ball nets straddled the dunes, with balls nestled into pockets of sand, waiting for a friendly game to begin; fins and snorkel gear sat piled at the water’s edge. It promised to be quite a festival.

  Mike and Tommy waded up out of the water and picked up their clothes. A man’s voice carried over the sound of the waves, “Holy shit, Sandy! Did you see that?”

  “See what?”

  “Look — the clothes that were on the beach; they’re gone. I mean, just like that,” he snapped wet fingers, “Poof! Gone.”

  The girl laughed. “I think you’ve had too much sun already.” She jumped onto his back and the man returned his attention to her. Mike’s and Tommy’s loud howls of laughter could be heard by deadheads half way round the isle.

  Marvin spotted Mike and Tommy when they appeared at the crest of the tiny ridge and walked toward the crowded beach. “Oh for the love of — Jesus H. Christ! What’s the matter with you two?”

  “What, Brody?”

  “Dude,” Tommy nudged Mike, pointed a finger at Mike and then to himself. “It’s the whole pants thing again.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Brody! Who gives a rat’s ass?”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, there are ladies present. Don’t you think you could show a little respect here?”

  Mel and Connie let out a sigh, Dennis laughed as he stared at the feast for his eyes; Nancy said, “It doesn’t bother any of us at all, guys. Pants or no pants, we don’t really care. Do whatever makes you happy.” She caught Marvin’s gaze. “God knows we put up with enough rules like that when we were alive. Now? Now we should enjoy!”

  “Thank you, kind lady,” Tommy bowed at the waist. “Tis wondrous fair to meet a damsel such as thou.”

  “Oh, can it, Shakespeare!” Marvin laughed. “All right, I give up… Go around flapping in the breeze all you want.”

  -29-

  Later in the day, all seven deadheads sat in their own little group eating and drinking what they’d pilfered from the bar and buffet. Tommy glanced over to watch two couples sitting in the sand not far from them. One of them reached into a backpack, pulled out a small baggie, waved it at his friends, and nodded toward the other side of the hill. Heads turned toward the main gathering of passengers, swiveled back and indicated agreement.

  Tommy had watched this with a great deal of interest, elbowed Mike and jutted his chin toward the activity. Mike smiled when Tommy leaned in and whispered, “I’m gonna score some. What d’ya think, wanna join me?”

  “I think it would be perfect. Get two. Maybe we can get Mr. Tightass over there,” he whispered back with a nod toward Marvin, “to loosen up.”

  Tommy giggled. “You got it.”

  “What’re you two jokers cooking up now?” Marvin asked.

  “Just a little, um, entertainment for later, Brody.”

  Tommy kept an eye on the baggie. When the small group disappeared over the sand dune, Tommy glanced over to make sure Marvin was otherwise occupied, stuck his hand into the bag and pulled out a closed fist.

  “What did you do, wipe the poor guy out?” Mike asked him when Tommy opened his hand enough for a peek.

  Tommy stashed three joints in his shirt. “Dude, I got nothin’ on this guy. He’s got enough doobies in there to last me a month.”

  Dennis broke the long pause in conversation. “The sun’s starting to dip. Means they’ll start packing up soon.”

  Mike gave a smile around the group. “How long do you think we have?”

  “Mmm. Two, two-and-a-half hours maybe. Why?”

  “Tommy and I would like to invite everyone on a little trip.”

  Tommy laughed. “Nice choice of words, Mike. I couldn’t have phrased it better myself.”

  “Where would you take us on this tiny spit of sand we haven’t already been?” Mel piped up.

  Tommy rose and headed for the dune with Mike close behind.

  “Follow us to never-never land, me mateys,” Tommy hollered. “We’ll lead you to the treasure, arrrgghh.”

  “Does he always steal lines from films?” Connie asked.

  “Always,” Marv replied and stood to follow. “I told him he’s seen too many.”

  “He’s a bit of a goofbal
l, but he’s cute.” Dennis commented as he watched the men march up the tiny rise; Tommy pretending to walk on a peg-leg.

  The rest of the group caught up and when they could see the lowering sun, but not the ship’s crew or fellow passengers, they stopped and sat under a copse of palm trees.

  Tommy pulled the joints from his shirt pocket. “This, my friends, is treasure indeed. Who would like to share in the bounty?”

  “Better yet, who’s got fire to get them started?” Marvin reached out to grab one.

  “Really, Brody? You’re up for this?”

  “What? I’m not that much of a tight-ass,” Marv said, to let Mike know he’d heard the earlier comment. “Did you forget some of the frat parties we both attended? Now, who’s got a light?”

  Nancy pulled a lighter from her bag and handed it to Marvin, who did the honors and took the first two hits. The joint got passed around the circle of new friends until Tommy burned his fingers.

  “Ow! Damn, we need a roach clip to finish this off properly.” He passed the glowing nub to Marv. “Mike, help me look around — there has to be something we can improvise. Maybe a shell or something.”

  “Wait.” Nancy again opened her bag and dug through it. “Aha! I knew I had something in there.” She held up a paperclip and was rewarded with cheers, laughter, and applause.

  Marvin leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek, which did not go unnoticed by Mike or Tommy. He put the clip in place, took a hit and passed it on. “Tommy, hand over another one.”

  “No problem, dude.” Tommy pulled one from his pocket. “You know, Marvin, it appears you are actually enjoying yourself for a change. I don’t think I’ve heard you talk or laugh this much since you crawled out from under that bus.”

  Marv gave him the finger as he lit the joint and everyone laughed. He took a hit and went to pass it to his left. “Hey, where did Dennis go?”

  “On a manly errand,” Mel took the offered treat and pointed to a clump of high grass, where Dennis had his back turned to the group and his stance made the mission obvious.

  Five minutes later Dennis settled into his spot tossing a volley ball between his hands. He shrugged in answer to the questioning looks. “I get a little fidgety.”

  “Toss it here.” The minute it touched Mike’s outstretched hands he batted it to Tommy.

  The ball and the joint made the way around the circle amidst chatter and laughs. After the third doobie was stuck into the paperclip, the raucous group took their volley ball game closer to the water on the east stretch of sand.

  The two couples who snuck off for their own pot party were on the way back to the main beach when one of them pointed down at the bottom of the dune. “Good Lord, that’s some kind of weird wind funnel.”

  “Where?”

  “Down there. Look at the volley ball. It’s bouncing all over the place.”

  The four stood mesmerized for a good ten minutes in their marijuana stupor.

  “And look how it blinks out of sight every few seconds. Wild, huh?”

  The ball flickered out of sight for a brief second then bounced through the air again. When the ball hit the ground and rolled to the water’s edge, where a wave caught it and took it a few yards out, they turned away and headed back to the ship.

  Tommy yelled, “I’ll get it!” He pulled his shirt off and tossed it to Mike, dropped his pants and ran into the waves.

  When the sight of Tommy’s bare butt made Marvin laugh, Mike poked him in the side. “Brody, is that you in there?”

  Then someone yelled “All in!” and when Marvin turned toward the sound, everyone had dropped their clothes and was running for the water. Marvin looked at Mike, shrugged, and began to strip.

  Mike’s chuckle began to turn into a full laugh. “Tommy! Hey! Tommy! Would you look-it here? Do you believe this?”

  Tommy’s infectious laughter started up. “Far out. Dude! I am so proud of you right now, I could kiss ya.”

  Marv flipped them the bird with both hands, let out a yelp, and ran into the waves.

  An hour later, still laughing after a water fight, the sun flashed its green flare on the horizon. The group of deadheads sloshed out of the water and fell to the sand exhausted and happy. Except for the occasional chuckle and sigh, they laid there in silence and waited to dry off in the light breeze.

  Mike lifted his upper body by the elbows to gaze at the fading pinks and ambers in the sky. He nudged Tommy and tilted a nod.

  “For real, dude?” Tommy whispered after he noticed Marv and Nancy lying side by side, hands entwined. “Very cool.”

  “Cool?” Mike fixed Tommy with a stare. “No, I’d say it’s about flippin’ time.”

  Tommy let out a quiet chuckle and nodded agreement.

  Dennis rolled to his side, looked at the watch lying on top of his pants. “Oh, shit!” He jumped up and started to pull his pants on. “Come on. We’re late. They’ll leave without us.”

  Marv turned his head to Nancy and smiled. “I think I could just stay here.”

  Gathering up his clothes, Tommy said, “Dude, that would be cool if we’d taken enough stock to hold us ‘til the next schooner shows up.”

  Nancy turned her head. “And how long would that be Tommy?”

  Tommy laughed. “I have no idea.”

  Dennis stood at the top of the dune and turned back. “Guys! Come on! Hurry up, everything’s gone and the skiff is shoving off!”

  The group scrambled to their feet, grabbed clothes and pulled them on as they ran for the main beach. Of course the crew didn’t hear their shouts of “Wait!” or the peals of laughter that chased them. By the time they reached the tide line, the ship’s crew hit water deep enough to engage the oars.

  A fellow passenger made the oarsman pause and turn to follow the pointed finger. “Do you see them? The crazy waves? What’s causing them, do you know?”

  “A school of fish, maybe.” The crew member plied his oars enough to keep the boat from being carried back to shore by the waves. “It’s interesting though, because the surface disturbance doesn’t seem to be diminishing as the school moves this direction into deeper water. But there’s not enough light to tell what kind of fish would be this close to the surface.”

  Marv shouted, “The dead kind, buddy.”

  “Come on, me mateys! Swim, ya lazy scurvy!” Tommy yelled at his friends. “Or ye’ll be findin’ yerselves in Davey Jones’s Locker right soon. Arrrggghhh.”

  They laughed harder but renewed the effort to catch up to the skiff. Tommy latched onto the tail end and reached a hand back for Dennis who was close behind. Mel grabbed one side of the boat, Connie the other. Mike grabbed onto Dennis. Marvin and Nancy brought up the rear.

  The paddles dipped into the water again in earnest and the boat felt a tad bit heavier somehow to the rower. “My God! Must’ve hit a small rip current… There’s a little bit of a drag.”

  Water splashed into the small craft when Tommy threw a leg over the side.

  “What the hell…” a guy swiveled around on his seat and threw a dirty look at the crewman rowing, though the oars were deep in the water.

  The boat rocked from side to side with the waves, and Mel and Connie tried to hoist themselves up, water splattering the passengers.

  “These are the weirdest waves I’ve ever seen,” a young man commented.

  Mike moved up a bit and swung a leg over the side, and a female passenger let out a scream when a sopping wet piece of kelp landed on the brim of her hat. “Don’t freak out folks,” he announced, “it’s just a few dead people tryin’ to hitch a ride.”

  Marv, Nancy and Dennis floated in the water until the boat pulled alongside the schooner. They waited their turn to climb up the rope ladder and joined the rest of their group at the tail of the ship. The group of deadheads watched the passenger’s reaction to the trail of wetness and laughed at the odd expressions. Still stoned from the pot, they found everything funny; Nancy even found her water-filled purse laughable.

&nb
sp; Dennis pulled his shirt off. “Watch this.”

  To live folks, it looked like a faucet being turned on and off as they watched small streams of water fall from nowhere and splatter against the wooden planks. One by one, the deadheads shucked their wet clothes, and wrung them out onto the deck. A woman looked up at the crow’s nest and unfurling mast, then back to the clothes that had appeared soaring through the air and landed on the ship’s rail. “Where… whose clothes…” Her question went unfinished when she spotted a few people from the last load of the skiff from the island removing wet clothes. The deadheads found all the confused expressions and reactions of the living highly entertaining.

  “Do you think we’re being too mean?” Mel asked the group as they all settled to the deck floor.

  “Nah…” Tommy paused to chuckle, then looked to the rest of the group. “Do ya think so?”

  “Hey,” Mike addressed his question to everyone, “What’s the worst thing you’ve done?”

  “Dead or alive?” Dennis asked him.

  Tommy elbowed him. “Dude, dead of course! For instance, Marvin here tried to push his fiancée off a balcony.”

  They all turned to look at Marvin. “You didn’t! Did you really think that would work? That’s hilarious.”

  “Not only that,” Marvin stated and broke into fits of laughter, “I actually tried it a second time.”

  “Dude…”

  “Brody, you didn’t!”

  “I did. Didn’t work that time either.”

  By the time Marvin had finished regaling them with his latest exploits: the knife in the restaurant and how the tale ended up in the newspaper, to which Mike interjected, “I knew it! I knew that was you!” and the story of how he shot himself last week when the gun accidentally went off after the first seven or eight pulls on the trigger hadn’t worked, he had everyone but Nancy rolling on the deck and gasping for breath.

  Tommy slapped Marv on the shoulder. “Marvin, dude, you are in serious need of assistance.”

  “Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you, ya schmuck!” Marvin said as he slapped Tommy on the back of the head, which made everyone laugh again.