Off the Grid Page 3

  The band started to play. They were god awful. They had steel drums, an electric guitar, a drum machine, and a screechy female singer that was obviously stoned out of her mind. She couldn’t string two words together. Mike looked at Ron who started to laugh at him. Mike laughed too after a couple of seconds. It was the worst noise they‘d ever heard. Power tools running out of electricity sounded better.

  Ron stood. “Come on, let’s go.” He started to wade out toward the barge. Mike stood and looked at his girls. Lisa nodded to him. She would watch them. It still made him nervous with them so close to both fire and water.

  They waded out to sea toward the party barge. Hundreds of feet out, and the water never got above their waists. This was truly amazing territory. They were instantly invited on board and walked up the ramp.

  Mike looked around as he entered. The thing was a rust bucket. There were a few plastic chairs on it. The food was on an old card table. It consisted of crappy generic potato chips and multiple tins of dip that should have been iced. It sat there as flies buzzed on them. Mike thought to himself, ‘somebody would be shitting their brains out tomorrow.’ The kegs simply had ‘beer’ written on their sides. He wondered if someone wasn’t brewing their own and putting it in there. He saw lines of people getting beer. They were all very...weathered, thought Mike. It was his initial idea. Then he looked at them and realized they were much, much worse. The men had liver spots everywhere and had leathery, droopy skin. The women were a sight to behold. Either they were wearing dirty tube tops that must have fit for several years and dozens of pounds ago or they were wearing nothing up top. He tried not to look and failed miserably. There were women who were sagging down to their waist bands. Some had moles that obviously should have been removed years ago. He saw one old lady who must have been around seventy wearing no top and a thong bottom that had forgotten to shave both her pubes and her nipples. His mouth dropped open, and Ron laughed at him.

  “Do you want some food?” Ron asked with a smile. He pointed at some brown fishy paste that had flies or some sort of bugs in it.

  Mike looked at him horrified before he started laughing to himself. Ron introduced him to one guy wearing a banana hammock. Mike maintained a constant eye contact lest he accidentally look at something hairy and shriveled that should be avoided at all cost. This was scary and hilarious at the same time. It was the best people watching in the world.

  Finally, Mike could take no more of staring straight into the man’s eyes and excused himself to go back to shore. Ron smiled at him.

  Mike waded back to shore to find his girls making smores for everyone. They had a group of kids around them singing songs. His girls were the core of the crowd. Knowing his girls, they loved the attention. He smiled at the girls and Lisa. This party was a hit. He was glad the kids were oblivious to the adults on their boats. The kids should definitely stay away from them- he figured forever.

  He looked over and saw a bearded man pulling a dog on a small raft. The man was wearing a button down shirt, a straw hat, and an old ratty pair of shorts. His beard was unkempt and was almost completely gray. The man was drinking a beer and just wandered from person to person nodding his hello. The dog was quiet and seemed to like getting pulled in his raft.

  Ron walked up and nodded over to this new guy. Ron pulled Mike over to him to see him closer.

  “Jimmie, I want to introduce you to my nephew. Mike this is Jimmie.” Mike shook his hand and looked into his eyes. They were slightly unfocused. Mike pet the dog who seemed to like it.

  “Mike, Jimmie lives on that pontoon.” Ron pointed out the boat with the tiki hut roof. Mike looked closer and saw a satellite dish off one end and solar panels all over the top. He had never seen anything like it.

  Mike looked at Jimmie who seemed very proud. “I do construction. Did you build it yourself?” Mike was shocked at its appearance.

  “Yup, did it myself. Doesn’t leak at all. I have all the power I need and a place to sleep. I catch my food and cook it on a hot plate. I’m completely off the grid.” Jimmie was very proud of himself.

  “What’s ‘off the grid?’” Mike was confused. He kept looking at the boat. He was surprised it was still afloat.

  Ron chimed in, “A lot of people down here live ‘off the grid.’ They basically move down here and try to get as far away from the headaches of the rat race. Jimmie’s pretty much the only one I know who really managed it. Most people still rely on the government and stores for stuff. Jimmie does pretty much everything on his own.” He slapped Jimmie on the back in congratulations. Jimmie seemed pleased despite being touched. He was proud of his accomplishments.

  They looked over just as a middle-aged guy went down hard on the beach. They heard a snap and knew it wasn’t at all good. The guy just cracked his ankle. They moved over to the man as his family gathered around him. He was holding his foot up above the sand to keep from touching it. It was already swollen and bruised on the outside.

  Mike was fascinated by it. It turned red and purple almost immediately and swelled up nearly twice its normal size. There was no way he was walking on it.

  Jimmie said, “It’s definitely broken.” He grabbed some ice from a cooler and put it on him. The man flinched with a slight yelp. His kids looked scared.

  Jimmie continued, “I have some Motrin and Percocets for you. But I’m not giving you my oxy-I need that.” He pulled a bottle of pills out of his pocket and tried to hand it to the man.

  The man had no idea what to say. He was holding his ankle while a ratty guy was offering him illegal narcotics in front of all his kids- but not his Oxy. He was speechless for a second.

  Mike looked at him and saw the man’s wheels turning in his head. “Thanks man, that’s very nice of you. I can’t take this stuff right now. I have to take care of my wife and kids. I need to get back to my boat.” He tried to stand and collapsed. He wasn’t used to trying to stand up on one leg.

  Mike and Ron got him up, making sure he didn’t hit his ankle. They half carried him to Jimmie’s raft and sat him on it. The dog loved company. They towed him to his small boat and helped him get on board. Jimmie brought the raft back and had the man’s kids and possessions placed on it. They brought the kids out on the raft. They really enjoyed it.

  After the guy left and they sat down for a beer, Mike asked Jimmie about himself.

  “Man, I’ve been injured for years. I had a phone pole fall on me. I’ve been on pain meds ever since. I should be dead.” Jimmie meant it but didn’t elaborate. He knew he explained himself perfectly for everyone. They sipped their beer and watched the sunset.

  “You have beautiful girls Mike.” Jimmie clinked his beer on Mike’s in congratulations.

  Mike looked at him. Jimmie looked very tan and stoic. His eyes were starting to go milky from the chronic effects of the sun. His pupils appeared to be different sizes up close. Mike could tell Jimmie was either high or drunk. Maybe both.

  “Do you have any kids of your own?” Mike was curious.

  Jimmie shook his head in every direction. He simultaneously said yes and no and then just whispered out a ‘ppshhhu.’ Then Jimmie went quiet.

  Mike had no idea what any of that meant. Jimmie didn’t want to talk about it. They stared off into the red sky together sharing a moment.

  Lisa and the girls walked up to them. “I think it’s time to go home. We’re getting tired, and it’s getting dark. We have a long boat ride home.”

  Mike nodded and stood to gather their things. It wasn’t much other than garbage. Just as they were about to leave a woman walked up to them. She looked drunk and disheveled. Her long gray/black hair was everywhere. Her tube top was askew and dirty. Mike struggled to avoid looking at her boob trying to escape. They were going to give him nightmares if he caught so much as a glimpse.

  “Did you hear about the biters? On Looe Key, they found some women trying to bite people. One of them fell off the bridge and drowned. They never found her.” She walked away to tell the next peo
ple.

  Mike guessed every town had a crier. Broomhilda must have been this island’s. He looked at Jimmie who was white as a ghost. Jimmie shook his head and walked back to the raft. He grabbed it with his dog and went back home. Mike watched him get under way toward the Keys. Mike shook his head at how crazy Jimmie looked. Ron just laughed. This was the best people watching in the world.

  Once back on the boat, they headed home. The kids were falling asleep with the rocking of the currents. It had been a great day. A weird day, but fun.

  Ron looked at him. “You want to go fishing tomorrow?”

  Mike looked at the girls and wondered how they’d do with fishing. He didn’t think so well. He looked at Ron and was about to start talking when Lisa interrupted him.

  “You guys go ahead. We’ll be fine swimming.” She looked sure of herself.

  Mike was anything but sure of that. He had angst written all over his face. He didn’t want to leave the girls alone.

  The girls looked at him and said, “We’ll be fine,” in unison. They definitely didn’t want to go fishing.

  Mike looked at Lisa and Ron and whispered, “Ok, I’ll go.” He was nervous, obviously to be without them. He saw his hosts look at each other. They knew how anxious he was. His wife had done a number on him and left him unprepared as a single parent. Now he was trying to make up for it with a vengeance.

  Mike saw what transpired between them and knew exactly what that look meant. He was being a helicopter parent and overprotective. He knew it was true, but he wasn’t going to change. He also knew he needed a day off.

  “All right, you guys go swimming, and I’ll go fishing.” There was cheering all around. The girls got close to him and hugged him all the way home. They were too skinny, and they were cold from being in the water all day. The wind from the speeding boat didn’t help either. They moved closer and closer to him in their puppy pile and fell asleep. It was the best day he’d had since his wife left. He was actually glad she was gone and missed this.

  Chapter 3

  Mike decided he loved fishing. He had been out since ten in the morning, and he had caught dozens of fish. Most were inedible, but so what. He caught them, didn’t he? He never realized how rich the waters were around the Keys. A man could fish out here for hours and come home with a huge cache that would last for weeks. He was so excited. Ron assured him this was normal.

  Mike looked around and saw no other boats for miles. He was surprised the water wasn’t full of them and then realized it was a Tuesday. Anybody that had to work was toiling away at a job putting in the hours just as he did back in Minnesota. Plus, it was expensive to own a nice fishing catamaran like this one. It took a lifetime of hard work or incredible luck to own a boat like this. He really did love this boat. He was tempted to go downstairs as he thought of it and take a nap or cook lunch. The vessel was bigger than his first apartment.

  After his fourth grouper, he didn’t want to leave for home. Then he remembered his girls. He got nervous instantly because they were swimming by themselves without his personal supervision. He kept working himself up about it until he reeled in yet another fish. This one he had to throw back because it was too small.

  Ron had enough. They had more than enough to eat for the next couple of days. It was time to leave. Mike was secretly relieved despite having enjoyed himself more today than he had over the last couple of months. It was just so perfect out here. But he had promises to keep, and miles to go before he sleeps.

  As they pulled into the pier, Mike jumped out and helped tie off the boat. Knots he knew from the Navy. They unloaded and washed the boat down thoroughly. Ron was meticulous about it. Ron needed to clean the fish for dinner and sent Mike inside to check on the girls. Mike was grateful.

  As he went inside, Mike wondered where they were. The girls ran to him in their bikinis and hugged him.

  “We have a surprise for you Daddy!” They screamed it in unison. They pulled him by the hands in to the house, through the kitchen into the living room. He stopped cold.

  On the couch was his ex-wife, or rather his current absentee wife. One look at her and he wanted to run forward and kick her fucking teeth into her spine. His entire body tensed, ready for a fight. He glared at her, leaning forward. His body unconsciously moved into a fighting stance as he stared at her. His hatred seethed at her. His face was red, his palms were sweaty, and his blood pressure and heart rate skyrocketed in preparation for the violence he was about to commit. Her death was all but assured. There was no one who could stop him.

  Then his girls yelled out, “It’s mom! She’s finally home! We’re a family again!” They kept this up for a few minutes completely deflating him. It was the only thing that could have stopped him.

  He continued to stare his hatred right into her soul, hoping she would just suddenly burst into flames and die in agony. She noted it and moved backward into the couch as far as she could. She looked down in shock at the change in him. She gulped and looked back up at him and found him continuing his mental assault. She smiled embarrassedly and shrugged. She had no response.

  “Aren’t you happy to see mom?” Victoria was hopeful that everything could return to normal. She looked up at him, scared at what was happening.

  Mike let go of their hands and went outside. His aggression was spent, although his anger was at an all time high. He wanted to hit someone. He wanted to scream and shout. He wanted to throw things and cause maximum damage. Instead, all he did was pace and have an internal fight in his own head, swearing at maximum volume. He was this close to losing everything.

  Then he realized if he did anything at all, he would lose everything he loved. His girls would be gone from him forever just so he could satisfy the hunger of his vengeance against the devil he spent over ten years of his life loving. Her treachery was complete. She had betrayed them all, and now he couldn’t even exact his revenge on her or he would lose the most precious beings in his life.

  He saw Ron walk downstairs with a Diet Coke in his hands and a beer. He handed Mike a beer and left him alone with his thoughts. Ron went and finished cleaning his boat.

  Mike seethed for another fifteen minutes. He walked over to Ron who was now pumping out the toilet. It was smelly work.

  Ron saw him and started talking immediately. “We had no idea Susan was coming. She called Lisa this morning and said she was fifteen minutes away. She said she needed a place to crash. We didn’t say no. Sorry.” He was genuinely apologetic. Ron had been through a divorce decades ago. He knew the hatred and the disappointment first hand.

  Mike shook his head in understanding. Ron and Lisa were blameless. The bitch just needed a place to stay. Now he hated her even more, if that were possible. She had no idea her family was here. This was just an unfortunate accident. She just needed a place to crash. She could care less about her family still. What a fucking bitch!

  The decision to reenter the room was already made. He couldn’t leave that piece of shit alone with his girls. Despite her presence, he still couldn’t call her by her first name. That would humanize her, and he couldn’t have that. As Mike opened the door, a blast of the cold air conditioning caught him squarely in his face, and he found himself longing for the anger of the sun’s radiation. He much preferred the heat at that moment. His psyche demanded it, and his body responded to his demands, generating its own fire that blazed at his enemy.

  Mike walked forward to his girls and hugged them and told them he loved them. He wanted to whisk them away from all this. Their eyes exuded such happiness and hope. They were in for a lifetime of disappointment for believing in this monster that abandoned them. He wanted to cry about what was to come for them.

  If Mike attempted to do anything to her, he would place his daughters in jeopardy. If he took them away, they would blame him for abandoning their mother. The coward that he was, Mike couldn’t have that. He was deeply ashamed of himself for that. He had to stay and let this play out. The feeling of humiliation from his own cowardice at
not lashing out at her washed over him and left him feeling exhausted.

  The girls were sitting on either side of their mom on the couch. They were hugging her close. Susan looked like she was ready to fall asleep. She looked exhausted and her eyes kept closing.

  Lisa walked up to him and gave him an encouraging hug. She knew what he was dealing with in this regard. She had talked to him and knew the depths of his disappointment. She was torn though because Susan was her niece, and it was hard to give up on blood so easy. She let go of him and stayed in the room to keep things calm. She was afraid Mike was going to lose it. Ron would have.

  He walked over to them and watched his little girls. They seemed so desperate for her love. They were both crying tears of joy as their mother had returned. They so wanted to be a family. It broke his heart. He saw Susan lean back into the couch with the girls in the nook of her arms. She closed her eyes, and Mike saw her breathing deepen. Susan fell asleep.

  Mike watched her for a few seconds. She seemed to have aged considerably since the last time he saw her. She seemed more weathered, and he couldn’t put his finger on it; she was more tired, more beaten down, more...his mind failed him a little. Despite everything, he still cared for her. He hated himself for that. She deserved none of his feelings other than hatred and scorn. Looking at her, he couldn’t actually manage it. He forced his mind to detach from the situation so he felt nothing. It was an incredible effort that he kept failing at every few minutes.

  He saw a lot of bruises on her legs, and she appeared much thinner, like she hadn’t been eating. Then again, she had been a little overweight the last time he saw her. He didn’t mind actually. She seemed happy with it, so he was happy with it. Now he was actually indifferent to her body that he spent so much time ogling and loving. He sighed angrily. How could she do this to him or the kids?

  He got the girls’ attention, who stood and walked to him. They were smiling and exhausted. It seemed that their burden had been lifted off of them, and their relief was evident. This saddened him greatly as they were in for a very rude surprise from their mom.