Fools' Gold

ALEXANDER-THE- NOT- SO

 

The salty taste of the greenish/blue ocean fills my nose, my thoughts. Alexander and I sit on the edge of the Key West pier, excited, anxious, watching, waiting, for the magical green streak to finally show itself. As far as we can see to our left and right, almost naked legs dangle over the pier. Busy vendors offer the anxious thirsty crowd cold  Heinekens, popsicles, hoagies. While I hold Alexander's place for him, he goes to get us lemonades, I have to argue with a lady who insists places can't be saved. She sees my anger, knows she may end up in the ocean, and leaves me alone.

 

Alexander returns with one cold drink for us to share. He stands behind me while my anger seethes and I complain. 'Hush,' he says as he puts a 'gold' chain around my throat. Unashamed he loudly declares his love for me. As I blink my mascara-less eye-lashes at him, can feel my sun- burned face getting redder than red, he takes a long swallow of lemonade and leaves me the pulp..

 

Thousands of eyes focus on the red-orange ball of fire in the sky, watch it softly, almost tenderly, move slowly towards the water. Whistles waft in the soft wind and head out to sea. Cameras aim and suddenly the sun drops like a billion tons of lead behind the horizon. There are 'Aws, F's, damns, when no green streak happens. The crowd seems to disbelieve it didn't happen again and waits, thinking it still might appear. Alexander and I wait fifteen minutes, watch the crowd fade away and give up too.

 

Holding hands we walk the pier, are stopped by a long line of hungry pizza lovers. It takes twenty minutes before we can place our order, one large, thin, crispy pizza with everything on it. Fifteen more minutes and Alexander's name is called. The pizza is thick, oily, barely warm. The check is fifteen dollars! Alexander opens his wallet and finds he is short, has only two fives. He explains he bought me my 'gold' necklace unexpectedly and asks to borrow five from me. I have one ten and two ones, lend him the ten. No thanks do I hear. No five do I get back. It goes directly into Alexander's wallet.

 

Alexander seems to be a bit discombobulated, isn't sure where our motel is. Darkness comes quickly, colored lights swing from lamp posts. Faces look green and a few steps later turn yellow, blue. I imagine the ocean's smell has changed, that there is a huge hump backed whale spouting a fountain of icy ocean.

 

I am of no help, am only sure that the Atlantic is East. We wander around looking for something familiar, see the sign 'Welcome to Key West', but there are dozens of those. My lips are dry, caked from the salt in the air and I must stop to put on lipstick. 'Eureka!' I laugh, 'Alexander, we are saved. Look, I have our hotel card.' Under an almost clear white lamp we see the hotel's location, which, of course, is where we just were. It is a long walk back.  He and I have to stop twice to rest. At last, we see the neon sign 'Green Streak Hotel.'

 

The lobby is busy .The dining room is still open but we have had a full, long day. The thought of a clean white, sand free bed, beckons us to the elevator. Alexander fumbles uselessly in both of his pants' pockets, can't find our room keys. He is turning gray. I open my purse and hand them to him,' Don't you remember you said they would be safer with me? You know, you were right.'

 

We shower together. He dries me, I dry him. We can't wait to get to bed. Alexander searches his carrying case, can't find what we need, what he forgot to bring along. His carelessness is unacceptable to me.

 

I climb into bed, drop my 'gold watch' onto the nite table, turn my back on Alexander and fall asleep.