Chapter 2: The Luscious Lucy
The walk from Raspberry's door around the marina to the boat would have been a long three blocks. I opted to drive around and park closer to the aging watercraft. At my age, walking was one the things I avoided as much as possible, even if my doctor did preach at me to great lengths about its value to my constitution, which had been taken to great test by whiskey and women.
As we approached, the aging vessel seemed to gain length and width. She was a lot bigger than she looked from across the bay. I stepped out of the car and stood with my knuckles perched on my hips and gazed at the huge metal houseboat. Printed across her stern, in garish black and gold letters, the name "Lucille" glared at me through the rust. Except for the fact that her hull was streaked from the constant rusting where the paint had been chipped away, the rest of the boat had been immaculately cared for. The wood trim had been carefully re-varnished and the chrome and stainless gleamed in the brilliant Florida sunshine. The windows were clean and the decks glistened. Soft music drifted from within.
Velda stepped up to the boarding ramp and removed her spiked-heeled shoes before stepping down onto the deck. She pointed at my feet and I followed her lead and removed my shoes too.
"Deborah Honey, it's me, Velda," Velda called softly through the open doorway into the lounge.
I gazed at her lovely haunches as she stepped inside. Dave was right. A woman's butt is truly a work of art. Velda's got a great rump. I followed her in.
Deborah's face appeared through an open doorway toward the front of the lounge. She burst into smiles and shrieked when she recognized Velda. The svelte young girl rushed into Velda's open arms and they came together in a hot open-mouthed kiss. It was obvious that they had also been intimate in the past.
"Oh God, Baby," Deborah gushed. "I'm so glad to see you!"
"I've missed you too, Sweetie," Velda breathed. "This is Mac."
Velda turned to the side and Deborah looked into my eyes. Her deep brown orbs immediately filled with tears and she broke down in a great howling. I had no clue what I had done to evoke this horrendous clamor from her.
"Oh," She sobbed, "I'm so sorry about Maureen. I just don't know what to say."
The howling continued. I looked at Velda and she collected the girl in her arms and soothed her. It took several minutes for the emotion to subside.
"What'd I do?" I asked, wondering why she had gone all to pieces on us.
"You're going to make me get out of here and I don't have any place to go," Deborah sobbed.
"He's not going to do any such thing, Honey," Velda assured her. "Are you McFadden?"
"Uh, I don't know," I sputtered. "I guess not."
"Mac, go and look at the rest of the boat," Velda urged. "I want to talk with Deborah, alone."
I looked forward and stepped through the door into the galley. The galley was spotless and fully equipped. All the pots and pans were neatly stowed behind rich mahogany doors, which were securely latched with bright brass hardware. From the galley, I passed forward into the wheelhouse. The main pilot's console gleamed with shiny chrome gauges and dials. A large wooden ships wheel hung vertically in the center of the console in front of the thickly padded leather captain's chair. The dark mahogany wood inside of the wheelhouse was flawless. I turned around and noted a cabinet full of radio gear and pigeon holes stuffed with numerous charts and maps. I also noted the boat was equipped with radar and GPS. It would seem she was ready to head for anywhere you might wish to take her.
I kept my hands to myself. I had no knowledge of the mechanics of a boat and decided that before I went motoring away, I'd need to be educated. A hatch and stairway led down into the bow of the boat from the wheelhouse into the master stateroom. A queen sized bed filled the middle of the room, with various cupboards and closets along the curving sides of the hull. To my left behind me was the head with a basin and shower. I was intrigued by the amount of headroom below decks. I could nearly stand fully upright, but I had to keep my knees bent or my head cocked just a bit to keep from hitting the ceiling.
Around the other side of the bulkhead was a door that led aft, to another stateroom which had smaller bunks on either side. A closet was neatly fit into the curving hull at the head end of each bunk, and storage cabinets overhead. A door opened off the back of this room and down into the engine room.
The inside of the engine room was as impressive as the rest of the boat. The twin, eight-cylinder Perkins diesel engines looked as though they had never been run. I could see no grease or even any dust on anything in the compartment. All the piping and wiring had been carefully painted and color coded for easy identification. Someone had painstakingly restored the inside of the "Lucille" to her original grandeur. Or maybe even better!
As I assessed the condition of the boat, it was clear that all she needed was a paint job on the hull and she'd be better than new. I was impressed.
"What do you think of her, Sir?" A timid voice asked over my shoulder.
"She's magnificent," I allowed, turning to stare down into the upturned face and red swollen eyes of young Deborah Mason. "And to whom do we owe the credit for all the tidiness of this ship?"
She raised her hand up. "I had to keep busy, so I just kept cleaning and painting everything." She squeaked.
"Well, I'd say you stayed very busy, indeed," I said. "Looks like we might have to haul her out and do the bottom before she sinks, though."
"She won't sink," She demanded, stamping her bare foot. "But I don't even have enough money for food, let alone paint for the bottom. Mr. Peacock came by and gave me some money last week but it's almost all gone."
"Well, Darlin', I don't think you'll have to worry about food," I said. "And I think I can afford to get her painted. But I'll want you to stay aboard until we decide what's to become of her."
Instantly her face brightened. And her mood became almost bubbly.
"No problem, Sir. I'll be happy to stay and do anything that needs to be done." Deborah said. "I mean, I'll do almost anything if I can just stay here."
She stepped closer to me and put her hands on my arm, stretched up and gave me a peck on the cheek.
