Sand Blast - Written 2017 - Copyright Jag Aoti
Chapter 3 – Day One
“Hey Jackson!” Tony yelled, his open flowered shirt flowing in the breeze. The buttons had surely busted off last time he tried to do it up, which couldn’t have been less than a few years ago.
“Jackson buddy – Happy Haggenfourth! Where you been man? We’ve been out here since sunrise. Heck, Alberto’s been playing guitar straight for five hours already!” Tony’s jolly way was jollier today.
Alberto tipped a caparina and took a long swig, grinning while his fingers found the frets again.
Jackson stepped up onto the deck of “The Puffer Pub”, it’s dark stained deck-boards creaking beneath his feet. A palm from the sunshade tickled his forehead as he approached the long, bamboo skirted bar top, keeping Tony and Jackson within earshot and tipping his ball cap to the familiar faces around him.
“This Heeber’s about empty, Flago, you got any more back there?”
A man with the head of a basketball on the torso of a gorilla stood up from his crouched position behind the bar, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in his baseball-mit sized hand.
“Jackson!” He peeped, throwing the cigarettes down and reaching over with a bear hug, his tank top drifting across the bar top like a strong wind.
Jackson grasped him back, with his grin widening. He was among friends.
“Happy Haggenfourth! A Heeber, I presume?!” Flago yelled at him from only a foot from his face.
“Make it two, Flago. I’m a bit late to the party it seems.”
“You got it” Flago returned, slamming two cold ones on the wooden bar. With the flick of his lighter, both were uncapped and in Jackson’s hands. Two rings of wetness were left on the bar top as a reminder of their soon to be short-lived presence.
Jackson retreated to the back corner, facing out towards Alberto’s rhythm and the beach beyond him. As he lifted one bottle and picked at the label of the next, his mind wandered to Cindy. What was she up to today, wearing that perfect red bikini.
“Jackson” Tony yelled “Hey Jackson, snap outta it! How many beers you had before you come here?”
“Just the one” Jackson replied. “I’m here buddy”.
Jackson lifted his bottle and tipped it to Tony, who was now practically sitting in his lap.
Tony leaned in.
“I have a story to tell you, my friend. A big one.” He whispered.
“Creepy” Jackson replied with a smile.
“No, really, something is going down!” Tony said, a little louder this time.
“Whatever it is, it better be a good thing. Nothing can ruin my Haggenfourth.” Jackson said, with a bit of concern.
As the tune of Alberto’s guitar drifted across the bar, Tony stood back and looked Jackson in the eye. “Good for some, bad for others. Meet me at the fire circle tonight…I’ll have more to tell you.”
Jackson raised an eyebrow, he’d heard this one before. An island myth, or a new outsider bringing trouble. Either way, it’d be entertaining.
“Sounds good Tony. I’ll be there. In the meantime, shall we play?” Jackson replied, gesturing towards the worn pool table on The Puffer’s front deck.
“Bring it.” Said Tony, as he kicked his neon-blue sandals to the side and skipped to the table.