Jenny left us to go check on my mom (if she could), while Meek and I went to register for the competition. We were in line for quite a while before we got to the registration table, which had been set up inside The Surf Shack.
While in line, Meek and I did our best not to make eye contact or convers with anyone. We both kept our ears open and heard lots of speculation concerning the two of us, some of which was just completely outlandishly blown up!
“I heard that Meek guy is the head of one of the biggest, meanest gangs in Maine.”
“If he’s smart, Holloway won’t come near this place!”
“Alvin should run for President! I’d vote for him!”
“I heard they killed some guy and ate his body ’cause they were so hungry!”
Every so often, Meek and I would glance at each other and try to hide our amusement.
Once we finally reached the front of the line, we were both handed a clipboard and a pen, “Fill this out, have your parent or guardian sign it and then return it here. NEXT!”
Meek and I stood to the side looking at the sheet of paper and wondering how we were going to solve this problem.
“I totally forgot about the parental permission!” I sighed with concern.
“So we’re sunk?” Meek moaned.
“You don’t know the half of it!” Came a familiar man’s voice.
I turned and nearly screamed when I saw my old friend Gary standing behind me. In the space of a single second, I went from surprise, to immeasurable joy, to out-and-out fear.
“G-g-gary!” I stammered and actually took an apprehensive step backward.
“You can change your hair, sleep in the sun for a month, and get nice and fat, but you cannot hide that voice of yours.” Gary said with what I took to be a smirk.
Gary looked good, better than I had ever seen him and I wanted so badly to throw my arms around him but Jenny’s words of warning were replaying repeatedly in my head.
It wasn’t until Gary threw open his arms in a welcoming gesture that I realized there was no need to fear my old friend. Apparently, his threat on TV to beat me was to allay any suspicions that he might help me.
“Gary!” I cheered and ran to him.
“You’ve been causing a hell of a lot of trouble.” He told me.
“Yeah we heard.” I agreed.
Gary held out a hand to Meek, “So this must be Minkus.”
“Yes sir!” Meek said as he took Gary’s hand, “I’ve heard a lot about you sir and might I say it is an honor to meet a real live war hero.”
“Sir? Hero?” Gary said with a wink in my direction, “I like him already.”
I then punched Gary in the gut. Of course, my punch did little to him but to cause his left eyebrow to rise questioningly.
“What do you mean fat?” I asked angrily.
He laughed and pinched my left cheek as he said, “Oink Oink!”
Meek let a chuckle slip out and I shot him a warning glance, which he did not fail to miss.
I then turned my attention back to Gary, “Have you seen Mom yet?”
“No, but I imagine I will very soon.” he said as he pointed to the far side of the beach and up on the boardwalk.
Even though they were a good distance away and partially blocked by what seemed to be a couple hundred people, I recognized Grandfather and my mother and they were walking purposefully toward The Shack. There were two other people with them and I assumed those were Meeks folks. One glance toward Meek and I knew I’d assumed correctly. His eyes were the size of dinner plates.
“I otta turn you over my knee and then take you both over to ’em right now!” Gary threatened in a familiar tone, which I knew meant he wasn’t joking at all. Then he looked to Meek as he added, “And don’t think for a second you’re too big to go over my knee too young man!”
I glanced at Meek who had gone blank in the face and I bet under that die job, he was white as a ghost!
Thankfully Gary then said, “But God help me, I want to see you try to win this hoopla and silence all the naysayers. Soooo,” He rubbed his hands in a thoughtful and pensive manor before adding, “I’m going to sign your papers and then make myself scarce. I suggest you both do the same.”
I shook my head, “Gary, we don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“Son, I’ve been in trouble up to my eyeballs most of my life. This would not even register on my Deep-Shit-O-Meter. Now give me those clipboards before I change my mind and beat both your asses’ right here!”
Where his first threat to whip us came across as serious and genuine, this time I knew there was zero change of that happening. Meek on the other had still looked scared to death.
Gary helped us fill out the paper work, and we shared with him our fake names.
His reply to learning our fictitious names was a loud laugh and, “Is that the best you could come up with?”
As soon as our paperwork was filled out and signed by Gary, he slapped my face (not hard) and told me, “That’s just the start of it! You better pray I don’t see you again when this shindig is over or so help me you’ll be unable to walk for a month!”
That time I knew he meant it too.
He looked at Meek like he was about to smack him too and I swear Meek was seconds from bursting out crying. All Meek received was a stern glare as a warning.
Gary then rushed us back up to The Shack where we paid our entry fee and turned in the paperwork. We were given numbers and that was that. We regrouped a few yards south of The Shack.
“Now you boys get yourselves out of here and don’t come back until the competition starts.” Gary told us and then asked, “You got a place to stay?”
Meek and I nodded.
“Good. Are you two doing okay on food and money?”
Again, we nodded.
I then said, “But we don’t have boards yet. We’re going to rent a couple from The Surf Shack.”
“The hell you are!” Gary shouted about as loud as I have ever heard him and this time when he slapped me it wasn’t soft. It was a teeth rattling slap like I’d just cussed in front of him. The slap was not only hard, but loud too.
I cupped my hand over my cheek and looked up at Gary through tear-filled eyes as he said in a disdainful and profound sort of way, “I better never catch you renting the shit they’re using now. Come on, I can hook you up.”