by Abigail Keam
Suddenly Eva realized that she was standing before Mike in a very thin nightgown. She was sure that he could see her outline through it. “Goodnight then. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Do you want me to walk you back?”
“NO!” exclaimed Eva. “I’ll be fine.” She crossed her arms, trying to shield her breasts.
“Well goodnight then. I’m going to stay out here for a few more moments,” replied Mike. He realized that Eva felt sheepish being caught in her itty-bitty nighty, although he didn’t mind it. In fact, he rather enjoyed what he saw. She was a woman with a little meat on her bones.
Eva nodded and hurried back to her bungalow, looking back to see if Mike was watching her.
He wasn’t.
She sighed relief. From now on, she would wear panties at night. She literally had been caught with her drawers down. Eva smiled.
Well, at least Mike hadn’t seemed repulsed by the sight of her.
She didn’t understand why, but that made her feel better. Eva didn’t think on it long. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep and dreamt that she was a beautiful mermaid saving a drowning sailor . . . a sailor that looked a lot like Mike.
11
Eva was passionately embracing her pillow when the alarm when off. She reluctantly opened one eye at the clock radio.
It was time to get up and start the day.
She vaguely remembered a passionate dream where she was a mermaid and she saved a sailor from drowning or some silly nonsense like that.
Eva thought it strange that she couldn’t remember, as she always dreamt in color and remembered her dreams vividly when she awoke. She just recalled bits and pieces that this dream was extremely passionate.
It was a shame, really. Her life needed a bit of pep, as she hadn’t been with a man for a very long time. Her marriage had died long before it was pronounced dead.
She had been trying to revive it the night that Dennis had confessed that he didn’t love her anymore.
Ouch! She didn’t want to think of that.
Eva wondered who the mystery sailor had been. She really didn’t care as long as it wasn’t that Mike Bishop.
There was something off about that guy.
Eva was sure about it.
12
The glass/door man was two hours late. To make matters worse, the company had ordered the wrong doors.
Mike was calm but firm with the company’s manager. They would finish installing the windows with hurricane-grade glass that day, and the company would come back next week with the correct doors plus a discount on the invoice for the inconvenience.
Impressed with Mike’s ability to wiggle a new deal for her, Eva borrowed his jeep and left him to handle the window conversion. She was going to Homestead, Florida to find a new sign for the motel. Ever since Mike had told her of a salvage business that saved old neon signs, Eva had been itching to find one. She would love to have a neon sign for the motel. Wooden signs with just a lighting fixture didn’t cut it for her. She wanted a sign with a little pizzazz.
Following Mike’s directions, Eva arrived at the salvage yard in an hour. Grabbing her purse, she ventured into a huge warehouse that was a designer’s dream. Everywhere was stacked rusty gold . . . architectural whims of forgotten eras.
“Can I help ya?”
Eva swiveled around to find an older man, with a large handlebar moustache, coming toward her while wiping his hands on a dirty towel.
“I’m Eva Hanover. I called this morning and made an appointment.”
“Glad to meet cha. I’d shake hands with you but I was just changing the oil in one of my cars.”
“I was told that you had old neon signs. I just bought an old motel and am refurbishing it. I’d like something from the period.”
“You must be the little lady that bought the Last Chance Motel then.”
Eva raised an eyebrow.
The older man grinned. “Southern Florida is a small community. Everyone knows everybody’s business. You’ll get used to it. I’m Johnny “Bulldog” Duke.”
“Bulldog?”
“Yeah. That was my professional name and it stuck. I used to be a boxer. My real name is Ralph Kramden.”
“Come on, now,” grinned Eva. “I think you’re pulling my leg.”
“You know Ralph Kramden?”
“I sure do. I may be younger but I know my TV icons from the fifties. Jackie Gleason’s character on The Honeymooners. In fact, Jackie Gleason loved Florida so much, he moved his variety show to Miami.”
“As always, the Miami audience . . .” recalled Johnny Duke.
Eva joined him, “. . . is the greatest audience in the world!”
“You know Gleason’s catch phrase,” commented a delighted Johnny. “That is going to get you a great deal. Most people your age don’t even know who Jackie Gleason was.”
“You mean The Great One,” added Eva. She was having fun reminiscing with Johnny. “I loved him in The Hustler with Paul Newman. I think that is one of the most iconic roles in movie history.”
“Even better,” laughed Johnny, “but you can see why I took Johnny Duke over Ralph Kramden.”
“You said something about boxing?”
“I used to professionally. That’s what gave me this cauliflower ear.” He turned his head to show his ear.
“Does it hurt?”
“Naw. But you didn’t come here to talk about Jackie Gleason or me. You came for a sign, right?”
Eva nodded.
Johnny pointed to the back of the warehouse. “Go straight through there and out those doors. Behind the building is every kind of sign you might want. If you need me, I’ll be over there with the cars.” Johnny pointed to another direction.
“Thanks Mr. Duke.”
“Johnny. We’re old friends now,” he called over his shoulder as he was walking away.
Eva couldn’t wait to get out to the bone yard and almost bounced through the warehouse doors. It was like seeking treasure.
Johnny hadn’t lied to her. There was row after row of advertising signs . . . wooden, porcelain, metal, and plastic. Some of them were neatly stacked. Others were just tossed on the ground.
As Eva slogged through them, her heart started to sink a little.
Many of the old neon signs were corroded due to the salt air.
Convinced that she was not going to find something special, she happened upon a patch of overgrown grass and weeds when she saw a stretch of pink shining through. “What have we here,” Eva murmured.
After pulling out weeds and vines, Eva tugged on the sign and dragged it to where she could look at it. It was an old neon sign that was in the shape of a flamingo–hence the pink porcelain.
Eva carefully looked at the neon tubes. Most of them looked in good shape but there were a few broken. That was regrettable as the color in new neon tubes always shone brighter than the older tubes. The colors never matched correctly. But Eva really liked the sign. It was fortunate that the sign was covered in plant material, which actually had helped to preserve it.
“I see you found my flamingo,” chirped Johnny checking on Eva.
“Can you tell me something about it?”
He leaned over and pointed to some tubes. “Look here. When it’s lit, the flamingo is at first stationary and then she takes off in flight. Very cool sign. Really attracts attention. It’s from an old motel in Coral Gables that I demolished twenty years ago. I would say the sign is from the fifties.”
“How many colors does she have?” asked Eva, really intrigued.
“If I remember correctly it has three colors. Very rare as most neon signs have one or two colors. The flamingo is white, which really shows up against the pink porcelain background. No Vacancy is red and Vacancy is blue. The flamingo flies every five seconds or so. Really would be seen from the road.”
“Hmmm,” hummed Eva, chewing on the end of a temple of her sunglasses. “I don’t know. It’s cool all right, but I don’t know where to repair it and
it might just be out of my budget.”
“I can fix it,” announced Johnny proudly. “I can show you other neon signs I’ve repaired. Look, it’s just rusting. I hate to see it go to waste. I’ll give you a good deal on it plus the repair work. You won’t be sorry.” He held out a piece of paper with an estimate on it.
Eva was surprised that Johnny had been so sure that she would buy the sign. She studied the estimate.
It was less expensive that Eva had anticipated. But Eva was from New York. She was by nature distrustful.
“Hellllloooo,” called out an elderly lady with silver hair. She walked carefully over to them with a cane and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Sylvie, Johnny’s wife. I see that you’ve found the flamingo sign.” She patted Johnny on the shoulder. “He’s been trying to find the right buyer for that sign for years. You must be special, as he has turned down thousands of dollars for it. He always said he’d know the right person when he met him. He turned out to be a she,” chuckled Sylvie.
Eva gave Johnny a surprised look. She held out her hand, “In that case, I’d be a fool not to buy it.”
Johnny shook her hand and the deal was sealed.
Eva had found a diamond in the rough. She knew that contracts were unnecessary with men like Johnny. Their word was gold. She had met men like Johnny doing business in New York, tough men who worked with their hands for a living and who took no BS off anyone. If they said they were going to do something whether bad or good, you could lay money on it.
Eva couldn’t wait to get back to Mike to tell him of her success in finding a wonderful sign for the motel.
Then Eva wondered why she cared about sharing her news with him.
13
Eva jumped out of the jeep and went to find Mike. Hearing banging in one of the bungalows, Eva poked her head inside to discover a blond-headed girl about the age of eight dragging out old rugs. Her face was smudged with dirt as were her clothes.
“Hello. My name is Ms. Hanover. Who are you?”
The little girl looked up from her task and gave a toothy grin. “I’m Jenny. Are you looking for Mike? He’s my dad.”
“I didn’t know Mike had a daughter. Pleased to meet you.”
“You must be Eva. I can tell from his description,” Jenny looked behind Eva, “but I don’t see smoke blowing out your . . .”
“JENNY!!!!” Mike appeared from the next room looking sheepish. “Hey there, Boss Lady. Find a sign?” he asked, hoping to distract Eva from Jenny’s comments. He would have to keep his thoughts to himself from now on, as Jenny was just too honest.
Eva squinted her eyes at Mike, expressing her displeasure. So she was a pain in the ass, huh? “Actually I found a great sign. It’s being restored. Should be ready in a month.”
“That’s just great. Since Jenny had school off today, I thought she could help me. You don’t mind?”
“He’s paying me,” chirped Jenny.
Mike tousled her dirty hair in apparent adoration. “That’s because you’re doing such a good job.”
She smiled back at him.
“Jenny,” asked Eva, “have you had a tetanus shot?”
Jenny looked doubtfully at her dad.
“She had one last year,” replied Mike. “She’s okay.”
“I just wouldn’t want her to step on a rusty nail,” objected Eva, “and then get lockjaw.”
“I’ll be careful. I promise,” assured Jenny, looking expectantly between her father and Eva.
Eva looked at the sun. “Have you guys eaten? If not, I’ll go get some lunch. My treat. Jenny, you can come with me . . . if that’s okay with your dad.”
“I could do with something to eat. Jenny knows what I like.”
“Can I use the jeep again? I’ll fill it up on the way back.”
“Sure.”
“Okay. Come on, Jenny. You’re with me.”
Jenny gave Mike a big smile and hug. She then rushed to catch up with Eva and grabbed her hand as they walked.
Eva felt a tug on her heart as she looked down to see the tiny, grimy hand intertwined in hers.
After Eva made sure Jenny was buckled up, they headed south on Highway 1.
Several miles down the road, Jenny pointed to a popular deli establishment. “My dad likes this place,” she told Eva.
Eva carefully turned into the parking lot and helped Jenny out of the jeep.
Once inside, Jenny picked up a menu and handed it to Eva. “Dad has to eat salads with vinegar dressing. And vegetable soup. He likes their vegetable soup, but tell them to put hamburger in it.”
Eva almost made the comment that Mike ate like a girl but asked instead, “You said he has to eat salads?”
“Yeah, Dad has to be really careful. He’s got the sugar problem but he calls it by another name. He got sick last week and had to go to the hospital. That’s why he was late to work for you. I heard you got really mad.”
“Jenny, I didn’t know he had to go to the hospital. I thought he was goofing off.”
Jenny gave Eva an inquisitive look. “My dad . . . goofing off?”
Eva felt heat rise to her cheeks. She realized that she had been wrong about Mike. After all, they were ahead of schedule even with the wrong doors being ordered. Everything was really going smoothly . . . considering.
“Who takes care of you when your dad has to work?”
“My grandmother. After Mommy went to heaven,” Jenny made a sad face, “we moved in with Mama. She takes care of me.” Her eyes threatened to spill over with tears.
“I’m so sorry, Jenny. I had no idea.” Eva felt like the biggest jackass.
Hoping to distract Jenny, Eva asked, “Would you like a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate malt? That’s what I’m going to get.”
“Can I have a strawberry milkshake instead?”
“You got it, kid.”
“Thank you. My dad always tells me to thank people.”
“He’s right and you’re welcome.” Eva playfully pinched the end of Jenny’s nose.
Jenny squealed in delight and hugged Eva. The child obviously craved human contact.
The emotions that Eva experienced at Jenny’s touch were so intense that she wanted to push Jenny away, but instead she looked out at the highway.
Now she was the one who felt like crying.
14
“Eva, don’t you have your own car?” asked Jenny.
Eva disliked the common practice of children addressing adults by their first names. She was old school, but somehow it seemed wrong for this child to call her Ms. Hanover. “I’m going to get one.”
“You’ve got have to a car when the storms come or you can’t get out. Cars are important here.”
“Storms? You mean hurricanes?”
Jenny looked with frightened eyes at the sea. “Yeah. When the storms come, Mama takes me to see her sister in Orlando. We leave before the wind blows.” She grabbed Eva’s hand. “Promise me that you’ll get a car.”
Eva was startled by Jenny’s insistence. “Okay, Jenny. I will get a car very soon. I promise.”
Jenny smiled. “That’s good. You’ll be safe with a fast car. Remember, when the weatherman says a hurricane is coming, leave before the wind comes.” She settled back in her seat and sucked on her milkshake while looking out the window.
Eva thought Jenny’s talk about hurricanes a little odd. She wondered if she should mention it to Mike. It was obvious that Jenny was terrified of hurricanes.
Eva pulled into the driveway of the Last Chance Motel and saw Mike working on the pool. She drove the jeep to where he was working.
Jenny grabbed the food and jumped out.
“Be careful, Jenny. Better let me help,” cautioned Eva.
“Dad, we got you some soup. It’s got lots of hamburger in it. And a really big salad. I got a strawberry milkshake and a cheeseburger.”
“I can see that,” grinned Mike. He pointed to a makeshift table he had made from scraps. It was actually very beautiful. The table
had a dreamy quality about it as Mike had carved mermaids and sea creatures into the wood. It was complete as far as Eva was concerned. A raw primitive. All it really needed was shellac to protect it. People in New York would pay a lot of money for a table like this.
Eva and Jenny laid the food out on the table. Several pelicans roosting on the rooftops moved closer, flapping their wings.
Jenny yelled at them. “Get your own food. This is ours!”
“Jenny, go wash your hands,” ordered Mike. “They’re filthy.”
Jenny looked dubiously at the pelicans now on the ground and inching their way closer to the table.
“I won’t let them get your cheeseburger. Hurry up now,” Mike reassured.
“She doesn’t like animals?” asked Eva, watching Jenny turn on a hose and rinse her hands.
“I’ve been meaning to get a kitten for her but that would just make more work for my mother. We live with her and I feel we are too much of a burden as it is.”
“Does your mother say that?”
“She denies it. She says she loves having us in the house, but Mom is getting older and I think Jenny is getting to be too much for her.” Mike rubbed a thumb under his chin. “With my long hours though, I don’t have much of a choice.”
“Jenny was getting on me for not having a car. She was talking about getting out while there was still time when the hurricanes come.”
Mike’s face drained of color.
Eva became alarmed. “Did I say something wrong?”
“I’ll tell you later,” warned Mike, watching Jenny skip back to the table.
Concerned that she had stumbled onto a painful subject, Eva followed Mike’s lead and didn’t mention cars or hurricanes the rest of the day.
After lunch, Mike took Jenny home, giving Eva time for a much needed nap. She awoke to the sound of hammering. Looking at the clock, she found she had been asleep for several hours. She hurriedly combed her hair and washed her face before stepping out into the bright sun.
She found Mike working again on the pool. “How’s it coming?” she asked, leaning over into the basin.